Impact of excluding waters in proximity of the Strait of Canso

This submission is on behalf of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, requesting reconsideration of the Regional Assessment Committee's recommendation to exclude the Strait of Canso region from offshore wind development at this early stage. As a Chamber, we recognize the positive economic and social impact of industrial and commercial infrastructure in the Strait Region and support a process that ensures projects are approved only when they meet the highest standards of environmental and economic sustainability. This is in keeping with the Chamber’s goals for the region as outlined in our Industrial/Commercial Infrastructure Development Policy (see attached).

We are concerned about the exclusion of areas in proximity to the Strait of Canso without sufficient evidence or rationale. We feel it is premature to assume the areas outlined for exclusion would not have pockets of favorable areas and strong justification for development. The Strait Area Chamber of Commerce is not advocating for unrestricted development in coastal waters. However, we support development that has cleared a rigorous, transparent, and comprehensive review process. Although the Regional Assessment Committee has considered some of this in broad scope, we feel that, at this stage, there is not enough information or evidence to justify the exclusion of large parcels of offshore areas. As noted, we would support a rigorous review of individual projects, factoring in proximity to sensitive marine areas, shipping routes, fishing grounds, and so on, to ensure they meet the highest standards of safeguards for the environment and are in the best interest of the region.

The Chamber’s Energy Policy (see attached) states that Nova Scotia needs to focus on developing competitive, sustainably produced, and transportable energy so businesses of all sizes can remain competitive and maximize job opportunities. Offshore wind development in the Strait of Canso aligns with this policy by offering a source of clean energy that could create jobs and stimulate economic growth in the region. We are deeply concerned about the economic impact of excluding waters off our region at this stage. We believe that the port and infrastructure in our region offers significant advantage to offshore wind developers and excluding waters in proximity to the Strait of Canso now is limiting to development of the industry in Nova Scotia. We do not see sufficient rationale for the exclusion that outweighs the negative impact this will have on our region by blocking access to this emerging industry, before it gets started.

See attached for our full submission