No Kings No Uranium

Political heat is the radiation that may indicate a dangerous attitude of “My way or no Highway” beginning to glow as Premier Houston reacts to less than enthusiastic support of renewing uranium mining in Nova Scotia.

Some Press Coverage of Uranium Mining in NS

Haley Ryan of CBC News reports that Premier Houston sent West Hants and Pictou County lengthy lists of projects and groups that have seen provincial funding.

Houston said the province has invested about $227.3 million into Hants County — aside from health care — through about 88 projects and groups since he took office in 2021.

The list of projects and funding recipients included flood-risk infrastructure, public housing maintenance, Highway 101 twinning, the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia, legions, bridges, Mermaid Theatre, ground search and rescue teams, and a bullet point item saying simply "various programs."

"These are just a few of the investments and I have no doubt that your council has many more wants and needs. We would love to be able to meet every ask, but to do that, we need the resources to move forward," (Ryan, n.d.)

Taryn Grant of CBC News reports that the Province plans to issue exploration licences for uranium this summer even as some municipalities ask the province to hit the brakes on uranium exploration in N.S.

"We just have had no communication," said Coun. Brian Connell, who put forward the motion in Annapolis.

"No one can believe how fast the province is moving on this, and many feel that that is by design," said Coun. Alison Smith, who put forward the motion in Lunenburg.

Coun. Alison Smith says the Municipality of the Distrtict of Lunenburg is not taking an advocacy position yet on uranium exploration and mining; it simply wants things to slow down. (Alison Smith/Facebook)

Smith said she was not asking for a vote on whether uranium development should happen. But she noted that there may be an opportunity to take such a stance in the near future.

Last month, Smith and her colleagues asked for a staff report on the risks of uranium mining and exploration in the LaHave River Watershed. Smith said she expects that report back next week.

"When we have more facts in front of us, we may want to take a 'for' or 'against' advocacy position," she said.

The request for a pause builds on several months of public outcry about the province's plans for uranium development. (Grant, n.d.)

In a report by Lyndsay Armstrong of The Canadian Press, published by the CBC, Mi'kmaw chiefs in Nova Scotia advise that continued failure to consult on uranium exploration is a harmful mistake. Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Tamara Young says 'The lack of consultation is unacceptable,'

In her statement, Young said the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia understand that Nova Scotia's economy is facing international pressures.

"But any resource development in Mi'kma'ki must include our consent and participation as we are the rightful owners of these lands, waters and resources," Young said, speaking as co-lead of the environment, energy and mines portfolio on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs.

Rosalie Francis, a Mi'kmaw lawyer whose firm is based out of Sipekne'katik First Nation, said the province risks further damaging their relationship with Mi'kmaw communities and sabotaging the potential uranium industry by failing to consult adequately and early.

"By choosing not to consult, it scares away investors, destroys the relationship and gets us back to starting at zero," Francis said in an interview Tuesday.

"It all comes down to trust, and this completely diminishes any kind of trust." (Armstrong, n.d.)

Taryn Grant of CBC News reports that Premier Tim Houston says the province will keep pushing for more resources development even after there was zero interest in Nova Scotia's call for uranium exploration.

The mining association said the province is "on the right track," and now needs to streamline the permitting process for mining projects.

Opposition politicians said the lack of bids on uranium licences begs questions about Houston's "agenda."

"Where is the urgency coming from when Nova Scotians didn't ask for this and there doesn't seem to be interest from industry?" said NDP MLA Lisa Lachance in a statement.

Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said he was not surprised.

"Obviously, at this point right now, industry isn't looking at uranium in the province," he told reporters. "I think we need to engage with communities and take a pause." (Grant, n.d.)

Perhaps consultation with other elected representatives, possible industrial partners, and Mi'kmaw communities before executive proclamations to continue pushing for more resource development would be a more democratic process with a higher probability of offering less “smoke” and more “fire”.

References

Armstrong, L. (n.d.). https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/uranium-exploration-consultation-mikmaw-chiefs-1.7559302. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/uranium-exploration-consultation-mikmaw-chiefs-1.7559302 

Grant, T. (n.d.). There was zero interest in Nova Scotia's call for uranium exploration | CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/there-was-zero-interest-in-nova-scotia-s-call-for-uranium-exploration-1.7559745 

Grant, T. (n.d.). 3 more municipalities ask province to hit the brakes on uranium exploration in N.S. | CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/3-more-municipalities-ask-province-to-hit-the-brakes-on-uranium-exploration-in-n-s-1.7558276 

Ryan, H. (n.d.). N.S. premier says municipalities who want funding must allow 'economic development' after uranium concerns | CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/n-s-premier-municipalities-want-provincial-funding-must-allow-economic-development-uranium-1.7562763 

Moving with the EV

This article provides some data to support the fact that EVs are better for the environment in Nova Scotia.

Energy Options for Automobiles

Yes! The electricity generated to power EVs is generally cleaner than gasoline and it’s getting cleaner over time as we integrate more renewable energy on the grid. Even if an electrical grid was powered entirely by coal, EVs would still only produce 88% of the emissions of gasoline powered vehicles. While it’s also true that producing the battery in an EV can sometimes result in higher emissions during the manufacturing process, that gap is closed within 18 months of driving. With our current electricity mix in Nova Scotia, at the end of its lifecycle, an EV cuts the emissions of gas-powered alternatives in half. (Ev Basics, n.d.)

The CAA Driving Cost Calculator for Sustainable Transportation compares the estimated total annual driving costs for the 2023 Hyundai Kona EV Ultimate 4D Utility EV ($7,803.96/year) and the 2023 Hyundai Kona Preferred 4D Utility AWD ($8,366.97/year). (Based on owning the vehicle for 5 years)

CAA Driving Cost Calculator. (2023, June 16). Canadian Automobile Association. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://carcosts.caa.ca/en/compare

The Schumpeter business column, at the Economist, asks how green is your electric vehicle, really? It reports that EVs are in the middle of an obesity epidemic that shows itself in even though some manufacturers claim sustainability as a founding principle, they are building bigger, burlier cars, even when they are electric.

For now, carmakers can argue that however big the electric rigs, they have a positive impact on the planet. Though manufacturing evs—including sourcing the metals and minerals that go into them—generates more greenhouse gases than a conventional car, they quickly compensate for that through the absence of tailpipe emissions. Lucien Mathieu of Transport and Environment, a European ngo, says that even the biggest evs have lower lifetime carbon emissions than the average conventional car. That is true even in places with plenty of coal-fired electricity, such as China.

Ultimately, the industry is almost sure to realise the folly of pursuing size for its own sake. The penny is starting to drop. Ford’s ceo, Jim Farley, recently said carmakers could not make money with the longest-range batteries. His opposite number at General Motors, Mary Barra, has taken the unexpected step of reversing a plan to retire the affordable Chevy Bolt ev. In Europe, carmakers like Volkswagen are building smaller, cheaper evs. Tesla is said to be planning a compact model made in Mexico.

The pressure is partly coming from competition. Felipe Munoz of Jato Dynamics, a car consultancy, says China prizes battery efficiency above bigness and is hoping to muscle in on overseas markets with lighter, cheaper brands, such as byd. Innovation in batteries based on solid-state or sodium-ion chemistry may also make evs more efficient. For the time being, drivers with money to splurge will no doubt relish flaunting their low-carbon credentials from the vantage point of a large suv or monster truck. And so they should—until they realise that they may be making electrification less accessible to the rest of humanity. (How Green Is Your Electric Vehicle, Really?, 2023)

The absence of tailpipe emissions in EV’s results in lower greenhouse gas lifetime output than the average conventional ICE car. As battery technology improves to solid state and sodium-ion designs, the efficiency will improve and the number of charging stations will grow.

References

CAA Driving Cost Calculator. (2023, June 16). Canadian Automobile Association. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://carcosts.caa.ca/en/compare 

Ev Basics. (n.d.). EV Assist. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://evassist.ca/ev-basics/ 

How green is your electric vehicle, really? (2023, June 16). the Economist. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://www.economist.com/business/2023/08/10/how-green-is-your-electric-vehicle-really? 

Fire and Rain

James Taylor is certainly not the only person to have seen fire and rain. This summer, Nova Scotia residents have suffered severe losses to the ravages of wildfire and torrential rain.

Bulging Brook 

Hina Alam reporting for The Canadian Press describes to Global News correlation between wildfires and  flooding in Nova Scotia.

Kent Moore, an atmospheric physics professor at the University of Toronto, Nova Scotia is about two degrees warmer than usual for this time of the year, Moore said. And as Nova Scotia and the rest of the planet heat up, the atmosphere’s ability to hold water vapour increases, he added.

“Water vapour is what produces clouds, and also produces rain. It is like an engine for weather.’

The last time Nova Scotia got more than 250 mm of rain — 296 mm fell on Aug. 15-16, 1971 — hurricane Beth hit the province. But Nova Scotia might not have to wait another 50 years for a similar weather event, Moore said, as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

“Scientists have predicted for many, many years that as we continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, we’re going to see a warming, and that will probably lead to more extreme conditions,” he said.

“When we talk about global warming, the impacts of that changing or increasing temperature, is we’re going to see more fluctuations, we’re going to see extreme events — extreme dry events, and also extreme rain events. And that’s what Nova Scotia has seen so far this year.” (Alam, 2022)

John Paul Tasker of CBC News reports that wildfires have already burned approximately 13.4 million hectares of land in Canada.

The "monumental fires" in Quebec and unusual fires in Nova Scotia have been "challenging" for the country's firefighting resources, Michael Norton, the director general of the northern forestry centre at the Canadian Forest Centre, said.

Federal data reveals just how devastating this wildfire season has already been with more than 5,500 fires reported so far — events that have burned approximately 13.4 million hectares. That stunning figure is significantly more than the 10-year average of 2.2 million hectares burned in any given year.

It also easily dwarfs the previous record of 7.6 million hectares reported in 1989 — and the season isn't even over yet. (Tasker, 2022)

Fire, Flood, and Fiona have been very costly to residents of Nova Scotia. Emergency action to mitigate and adapt to these climate crisis scenarios is immediately required by government, industry, and commerce.

References

Alam, H. (2022, August 30). Climate change: Correlation between wildfires, flooding in Nova Scotia. Global News. Retrieved July 25, 2023, from https://globalnews.ca/news/9854680/ns-flooding-climate-change-wildfires/?utm_source=%40globalhalifax&utm_medium=Twitter 

Tasker, J. P. (2022, October 2). Wildfires have already burned approximately 13.4 million hectares of land. CBC News. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-wildfire-season-worst-ever-more-to-come-1.6934284?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar 

Head Butting Climate Emergency

Recent public pronouncements from the Premier of Nova Scotia, Tim Houston, concerning policy to reduce GHG emissions, mitigate the effect of sea level rise on the Chignecto isthmus, and a proposed energy link connecting the Atlantic provinces to hydroelectricity from Quebec and Labrador seem to prioritize political head butting over necessary and urgent joint federal/provincial action to save money and provide mitigation of climate disaster. 

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Essential Component for the 21st Century

NDP Leader Claudia Chender comments that  the Houston government didn’t do the work on behalf of Nova Scotians to come up with a carbon pricing option other than the pending tax.

“When the deadline came and went for the Houston government to present their own price on carbon and plan for how to get there and they failed to do that, this is the outcome of the government choosing partisan fights over constructive conversations," Chender said. (Campbell, 2023)

Keith Doucette of The Canadian Press comments that Houston seemed unmoved when asked whether the Isthmus of Chignecto risked being damaged by extreme weather while governments haggled over who will pay to protect it.

"We're not the ones risking it, the federal government is the one that's trying to get away from their responsibility," the premier said. (Doucette, 2023)

Sarah Smellie of the Canadian Press  reports that Premier Tim Houston says he’s lost confidence in the feasibility of a proposed energy link connecting the Atlantic provinces to hydroelectricity from Quebec and Labrador.

 

Federal Infrastructure Minister Dominic LeBlanc has previously said he hoped the Atlantic Loop could come online by 2030, but today, Houston signaled some concern without a firm financial commitment from the feds. (Smellie, 2023)

Seth Klein, in the National Observer, asks where are the campaigns urging us to switch to public transit? Where are the promo ads inviting young people to train as renewable electricity technicians and installers, building retrofitters, high-speed rail designers, community planners or electric vehicle manufacturers?

First, the good news: In the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and extreme weather events, we are witnessing a shift in the public opinion terrain. Canadians are increasingly anxious about climate change. They understand it to be an emergency and a major threat to their children and grandchildren. And importantly, a solid majority of Canadians are prepared to accept significant and bold policy responses.*

The bad news? Many Canadians are confused and ambivalent. They could be convinced to embrace speedy and transformative action, or not. A sizable chunk of the public is simply unsure of how ambitious we can be. Moreover, people’s prioritization of climate wanes when economic anxieties and affordability challenges are heightened. And so, we need leadership that seeks to link these issues and animate the ambition in us all. (Klein & Logan, 2023)

It is difficult to find a policy championed by the conservative provincial governments or the Conservative Party of Canada that defines action necessary now to mitigate the impact of GHG emissions and lays out a plan to adapt to a low carbon economy.

References

Campbell, F. (2023, June 16). Premier acknowledges carbon tax will punish Nova Scotians at the pumps, places full blame on Ottawa. SaltWire. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/premier-acknowledges-carbon-tax-will-punish-nova-scotians-at-the-pumps-places-full-blame-on-ottawa-100865039/ 

Doucette, K. (2023, June 15). N.S. premier says Ottawa must pay entire bill to protect land link from flooding risk. CBC. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/n-s-premier-ottawa-must-pay-protect-isthmus-from-flooding-risk-1.6877811 

Klein, S., & Logan, C. (2023, February 23). Crisis, what crisis? We need a climate emergency information agency. National Observer. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/02/23/opinion/crisis-what-crisis-we-need-climate-emergency-information-agency 

Smellie, S. (2023, June 16). Nova Scotia, Ottawa butt heads over Atlantic Loop as feds look for summer agreement | Globalnews.ca. Global News. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://globalnews.ca/news/9774122/nova-scotia-ottawa-butt-heads-over-atlantic-loop/ 

Trend to Reduce Help with Affordable Housing

Supporters of action to build more non-market homes, end fixed-term leases, and initiate real rent control gathered at the NS Legislature to advocate for housing justice.

Rally to Advocate for Housing Justice for all

In July of 2022, the Government of Nova Scotia issued a press release about a new lending program to support affordable housing. The challenge to reduce the suffering of the homeless in our community requires action that creates homes for people in the most expeditious way. The market is not likely to be able to provide units quickly enough that are deeply affordable.

 

“We heard about some of the challenges non-profits face when they see an opportunity to invest in affordable housing, and this new lending program will help preserve and increase affordable housing stock for people and families in need,” said Minister Lohr. “We have seen rental properties purchased by investors and heard the stories of rents being increased out of reach for existing tenants. This program not only prevents further gentrification and loss of affordable housing but also ensures tenants can continue to live in their homes.” (New Lending Program Supports Affordable Housing, 2022)

Unfortunately media reports since July 2022 point to a decreasing response by government to the need to reduce the suffering of the homeless.

Timeline of Media Reports

Date	Media Report
2022, July 13	New Lending Program Supports Affordable Housing. Government of Nova Scotia.
2022, November 15	Correspondence from Councillor Mason to Minister Lohr Regarding Housing
2022, November 30	Dalhousie Legal Aid Sees Caseload Balloon As Halifax's Housing Crisis Deepens
2023, January 25	N.S. government to consider proposal that includes new public housing.
2023, April 5	N.S. government says it's not planning to build new public housing, but will upgrade existing buildings.

Halifax Councillor Waye Mason has expressed that in this time of likely global housing price collapse, high interest rates, and recession we are in need of the government to help preserve our labour force by funding affordable housing construction. His concerns have been expressed in a letter to Nova Scotia Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, John Lohr.

Finally and most importantly, you are responsible for affordable housing construction in Nova Scotia.  In the election, Premier Houston promised to deliver the Affordable Housing Commission report.  That report talks extensively about the need for social or below-market housing.   I say again to you Minister, the market will not produce below-market housing.

You need to have a massive plan to build affordable housing, and you needed it a year ago.  With the coming global housing price collapse, high-interest rates and recession, there has never been a better time for the government to help preserve our labour force by funding affordable housing construction. (Mason, 2022)

Dalhousie Legal Aid believes three major things must happen to protect renters in Nova Scotia.

investment in more public and non-profit housing, active enforcement of the law regarding residential tenancies, and some form of permanent rent cap. (Montague, 2022)

Deputy housing minister Paul Lafleche told members of the legislature's public accounts committee  that the level of need for market rate housing and affordable units is such that all options must be considered.

That could mean the provincial government building new affordable housing stock for the first time in years.

"We probably need some new public housing," Lafleche told the MLAs.

For years, the housing file has suffered from a lack of consistent people in leadership roles and being shuffled between government departments, Lafleche said.

Making housing the responsibility of a single provincewide agency, which recently happened, should help address long-standing needs that have gone unaddressed by previous governments, he said.

More than 6,500 N.S. households are waiting for public housing. Why are so many units still empty?

Non-profits have 'a lot of hope' after N.S. government puts more money into affordable housing

But the deputy minister also cautioned that no single approach is going to solve the issue and fixes will not come quickly.

Other options the cabinet will be asked to consider include further partnerships with the private sector, buying new buildings to be repurposed, and assessing what existing provincial stock can get by with renovations and what situations would require new builds. (Gorman, 2023)

Need for affordable public housing

The Nova Scotia government has no plans to add to its public housing stock, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr confirmed to members of the legislature.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr made the comment during debate on his department's budget.

"We feel that, as government, we need to do a much better job managing what we have," he said later in an interview at Province House in Halifax.

Lohr's deputy minister speculated earlier this year that the age of existing stock and cost and difficulty of upgrading it could lead the government to build new public housing for the first time in close to 30 years.

But Lohr said the government will instead spend $50 million in the next four years to upgrade existing stock, a plan that will affect about 75 per cent of the province's 11,000 public housing units.

The government is also using the spring budget to add 1,000 rent supplements and funding for programs that help people remain in their homes, said Lohr.

"We've made very significant investments in those."

Even with those initiatives, however, there are 4,790 people waiting for a spot in public housing and the average wait time is a little more than two years. (Gorman, 2023)

With thousands of Nova Scotia people waiting for justice in housing through access to public deeply affordable accommodation, the trend for action by the Nova Scotia government seems to be ensuring the suffering continues for the least advantaged in our community.

References

Gorman, M. (2023, January 25). N.S. government to consider proposal that includes new public housing. CBC. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/affordable-housing-government-private-sector-development-1.6726190 

Gorman, M. (2023, April 5). N.S. government says it's not planning to build new public housing, but will upgrade existing buildings. CBC. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/public-housing-john-lohr-affordable-1.6801864 

Mason, W. (2022, November 15). Correspondence from Councillor Mason to Minister Lohr Regarding Housing. Waye Mason, Councillor. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://wayemason.ca/2022/11/15/correspondence-from-councillor-mason-to-minister-lohr-regarding-housing/ 

Montague, D. (2022, November 30). Dalhousie Legal Aid Sees Caseload Balloon As Halifax's Housing Crisis Deepens. Huddle.Today. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://huddle.today/2022/11/29/dalhousie-legal-aid-sees-caseload-balloon-as-halifaxs-housing-crisis-deepens/ 

New Lending Program Supports Affordable Housing. (2022, July 13). Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220713002