Nova Scotia municipality plans changes to wind turbine regulations
By Nancy Rubin & Colton Smith
Wind turbine regulations in the Municipality of Cumberland are set to change.
On June 22, 2022, Cumberland Council approved a second reading of amendments relating to their wind turbine regulations. The Municipality of Cumberland’s Memo to Council highlights the following key takeaways from these amendments:
- The addition of a large area in Wentworth to the Restricted Overlay;
- Increasing separation distance from large turbines to dwellings from 600 metres to 1,000 metres;
- Approval of turbines over 100kw by Development Agreement;
- Decommission Bonds of 125% of removal costs less salvage;
- The addition of a timeline for malfunctioning turbines to be repaired or decommissioned;
- Refined definitions of turbines by capacity;
- Defined domestic turbines as having a capacity under 15kw; and
- Slightly relaxed requirements for domestic turbines.
These changes follow a Council resolution on December 22, 2021, directing staff to initiate a review of the wind turbine provisions of the Municipal Planning Strategy and the Land Use By-Law. The amendment process involved two community engagement periods in which feedback was received from residents of the Municipality of Cumberland, as well as a Public Hearing on June 15, 2022. More information on the amendments, the final documents, maps and next steps can be found here.
These changes provide clarity for wind proponents in Cumberland County hoping to be selected in the ongoing RFP for renewable electricity.
This client update is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about the above, please contact a member of our Energy group.
Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership.
Archive
By Kevin Landry On April 15, 2024, the Canadian federal budget was released. Connected to the budget was an explanation of the framework for Canada’s proposed implementation of Open Banking (sometimes called consumer-driven banking). This follows…
Read MoreBy Nancy Rubin and James Gamblin The Government of Nova Scotia has embarked on a path to dramatically reshape the regulation and governance of the energy sector with the passage of Bill 404, the Energy…
Read MoreBy Kathleen Starke and Annie Gray Human rights landscape Human rights legislation prohibits discrimination in specific contexts, including employment and the provision of services. In all Atlantic Provinces, Human Rights Commissions are responsible for enforcing…
Read MoreBy Sheila Mecking and Michiko Gartshore Subtle discrimination can have a much stronger and longer effect on employees when not properly addressed. It can also result in costly consequences for an employer who does not…
Read MoreBy Brittany Trafford and Brendan Sheridan Today Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) has announced significant changes to the travel requirements for Mexican citizens. As of February 29, 2024 at 11:30p.m. Eastern Time, all electronic…
Read MoreBy Christine Pound, ICD.D., Twila Reid, ICD.D., Sarah Dever Letson, CIPP/C, Hilary Newman and Daniel Roth Introduction As we reported on November 30, 2023, the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains…
Read MoreBy Richard Niedermayer, K.C., TEP & Rackelle Awad New trust disclosure rules originally announced on February 27, 2018, are now in force, and trusts with taxation years ending on or after December 31, 2023 are…
Read MoreBy David Wedlake and Andrew Paul In late December 2023, the Federal Government issued draft Criminal Interest Rate Regulations under the Criminal Code. These proposed regulations follow the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1 which…
Read MoreBy Andrew Burke, Colleen Keyes, Gavin Stuttard, David Slipp and Logan Walters With proxy season on the horizon, many public companies are once again preparing their annual disclosure documents and shareholder materials for their annual…
Read MoreBy Brendan Sheridan and Tiegan Scott The Government of Canada recently announced further changes to the international student program that not only limits the number of new study permit applicants per year, but also increases…
Read More