By DAVID JACKSON Provincial Reporter, Tuesday, November 23 – 4:53 AM
Nova Scotia wants more public input before it creates a coastal strategy.
photo: Beverley Ware
The province wants to hear from the public again before creating its coastal strategy.
A report on the first round of consultation, which included input from more than 1,200 people, was released Monday.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau said there was a strong message that people wanted to see the latest report and respond to it.
Citizens will have their chance in the spring.
Belliveau said the new target for having a final strategy ready is the fall of 2011 rather than by the end of this year.
“We have to take the time to do it right, not to do it quickly, but take the time to do it right.”
A couple of major topics in the report were the patchwork of zoning laws from municipality to municipality and the need to prepare for rising sea levels, he said.
The report, called What We Heard, said a common response from people was that governance of the coast was inefficient and ambiguous, often due to the many agencies with some jurisdiction in the coastal zone.
Respondents wanted the province to take the lead on integrated coastal management and want all levels of government to streamline laws and policies.
There was also a lot of concern about development along coastlines, which can lead to reduced public access, damage to coastal ecosystems and put developments in the way of frequent severe storms.
What We Heard can be found at www.gov.ns.ca/coast.