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<\/p>\nNova Scotia\u2019s marquee environmental law is five years old and it\u2019s due for a public review, but most Nova Scotians will not be invited to weigh in.<\/p>\n
The Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act passed in 2021 with all-party support, and it says the environment minister \u201cshall request the round table to carry out a public review \u2026 no later than five years after this act comes into force.\u201d<\/p>\n
That deadline is coming up in November.<\/p>\n
Environment Minister Tim Halman says he\u2019ll meet with his roundtable \u2014 an advisory committee made up of members of the public \u2014 next month to bring him feedback on the act. He said that engagement satisfies the requirement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be a very comprehensive discussion on the goals, where we\u2019re at, where we can go, how we can modernize,\u201d Halman said in an interview, adding that he\u2019ll be willing to tell the broader public what\u2019s discussed.<\/p>\n
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Tim Halman has been Nova Scotia’s environment minister since the Progressive Conservatives formed government in 2021. (Robert Short\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Members of the roundtable are appointed for three-year terms, which can be renewed. It currently has 13 members:<\/p>\n
Scott Skinner (Chair)\u2002\u2002\u2002Angie GillisJeff MacCallumLouise DelisleChijioke EmenikieMichel RaymondSteve MacLellanElisa ObermannJuanita SpencerJohn ChisholmMargaret MacDonaldSusanna FullerSachi Gibson<\/p>\n
Tina Northrup, a staff lawyer at East Coast Environmental Law, said a review should invite feedback from all Nova Scotians.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether that be in writing or through community dialogue sessions of some kind, I think that would be appropriate,\u201d she said in an interview.<\/p>\n
Northrup said now is a good time to evaluate how much progress has been made and think about whether the goals need updating, especially since the UN recently said it’s become impossible to keep global warming below 1.5 C.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThat changes the way we need to think about our commitments to reach net zero and our commitments to really take urgent action on climate change mitigation,\u201d said Northrup.<\/p>\n Some goals abandoned<\/p>\n Nova Scotia\u2019s legislation includes 28 goals. The Environment Department says 13 are complete \u2014 although some were completed late. <\/p>\n Many are ongoing, with deadlines at the end of the decade, and at least one is confirmed to have been abandoned<\/a>. Others appear to have fallen by the wayside, including a mandate for more zero-emission vehicle sales, a solid waste plan and an active transportation strategy, although the government says work is still ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s about priorities. We remain committed to the goals and we keep working on many of them, as we can,\u201d Halman said.<\/p>\n \u201cA top priority of this government is the clean renewable transition so that we emerge as a \u2014 as the premier says \u2014 an energy superpower,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n To that end, two key goals in the act are to transition the power grid to 80 per cent renewable sources and cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 53 per cent below 2005 levels \u2014 both by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n A crane lifts a turbine blade into place for installation at the Benjamins Mill wind farm in Hants County, N.S., on Sept. 17, 2025. Nova Scotia is counting on more wind farms going up before 2030 to meet its clean energy goals. (Brian MacKay\/CBC)<\/p>\n While Halman says we\u2019re on track to meet those targets, others are skeptical, including Northrup.<\/p>\n \u201cI have not seen, myself, enough concerted effort being made by the province to convince me that the work is being done to ensure those reductions are achieved,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Northrup noted that emissions reductions have been relatively stagnant in recent years<\/a>, and said the province is relying too heavily on several yet-to-be-built onshore wind farms<\/a>.<\/p>\n Time to look beyond 2030<\/p>\n Marla MacLeod, director of programs at the Ecology Action Centre, said this five-year review is an opportunity to extend the province\u2019s outlook on climate change reduction efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of the goals in [the act] are for 2030, and we’re getting very close to 2030. So now we need to be talking about: What do we want between now and 2035, 2040?\u201d said MacLeod, who served a three-year term on the roundtable from 2021 to 2024.<\/p>\n Marla MacLeod is director of programs at the Ecology Action Centre and was a member of the environment minister’s roundtable from 2021 to 2024. (Taryn Grant\/CBC)<\/p>\n To answer the question of what comes next, MacLeod said the province needs to solicit input from the broader public. However, she said it\u2019s essential for Nova Scotians to have a detailed understanding of the progress that\u2019s been made so far, and that\u2019s not possible without more information.<\/p>\n \u201cThere should be an honest accounting of where we\u2019re at,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The province\u2019s annual progress report on the climate plan used to include an appendix with details about the work done on each goal. This year the report had no such appendix. Halman said at the time it was simply a formatting change<\/a>. He reiterated that point this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we’ve done a pretty effective job in being open and transparent in terms of how we’re reporting on these goals,\u201d Halman said.<\/p>\n Work needed on transportation, buildings<\/p>\n Electricity is the biggest contributor to emissions in Nova Scotia, but second and third place go to transportation and buildings, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n MacLeod said to reduce the transportation-related carbon footprint, there needs to be more government investment in public transit.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793005009_520_default.jpg\")
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