SAVE DARTMOUTH COVE
I know from your emails and calls that many of you are deeply concerned that the Government of Nova Scotia may overturn HRM’s new bylaw protecting Dartmouth Cove from unnecessary infill. As we’ve known for some time, an HRM bylaw is the best way to prevent unnecessary infill in Dartmouth Cove.
Do not wait—make your voice heard today.
Email your MLA and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Hon. John A. MacDonald, and ask them to let HRM’s amendments protecting Dartmouth Cove stand.
Find your MLA’s contact information here:
https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles/contact
I want to commend the majority of HRM Regional Council—especially Councillor Sam Austin—for listening to residents and stakeholders across Dartmouth and our municipality who called on the government to protect Dartmouth Cove.
Following a well-attended public hearing, HRM Council voted almost unanimously to adopt amendments identical to those protecting the Northwest Arm—ensuring Dartmouth Cove receives the same level of protection. Only Mayor Andy Fillmore and Councillor David Hendsbee voted against.
With every HRM Councillor representing Dartmouth—Cole Harbour standing up for this protection, I’m hopeful our provincial MLAs—especially those in Premier Houston’s Cabinet—will do the same. Dartmouth Cove is not a dump for someone’s construction fill. (Thank you to MLA Claudia Chender for your advocacy on this)
As our local HRM Councillor has pointed out, even if this beautiful place were infilled, it would simply become a moonscape—zoned for nothing else. There is no public benefit to destroying what Dartmouth has worked so hard to protect and restore.
For folks here in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, this is about more than a bylaw. It’s about recognizing that Dartmouth matters. This bylaw reflects the existing protection for the Northwest Arm in Halifax—why would the province disapprove of the same protection for Dartmouth?
Dartmouth Cove is where people walk the trail. It’s where years of investment by all orders of government have brought marine life back—and where vital work in ocean technology and maritime defence happens every single day. It’s a place of community, nature, and innovation—and it deserves to be protected.
Transport Canada has written multiple letters to Mayor Andy Fillmore and HRM Council, confirming that HRM has the ability to assert its jurisdiction with this bylaw to protect Dartmouth Cove. Their recent approval for a specific infill project under the Canadian Navigable Waters Act relates only to navigation—it does not grant any rights over ownership of the seabed or exemption from other applicable laws, such as HRM’s new bylaw protecting Dartmouth Cove from infill.
As promised, I’ve reached out to my own provincial MLA, Minister Tim Halman, and asked him—as a Dartmouth MLA and member of Cabinet—to take a close look at this issue, advocate for Dartmouth Cove, and push for what’s right.
