Nova Scotia judge rules minister’s approval of wind farm project was reasonable

A judge has upheld a decision by Nova Scotia’s environment minister to approve a 17-turbine wind farm in the Wentworth Valley.

In a written decision released Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Timothy Gabriel ruled that Environment Minister Tim Halman’s decision was reasonable and was based on all of the information he was required to consider.

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Halman gave conditional approval to the Higgins Mountain project on May 4 of last year and was subsequently challenged in court by a community group, Project Wentworth Valley.

The group launched the court case saying it believed that Halman didn’t take into account the concerns of area residents.

Specifically, it contended that the minister failed to adequately address the wind farm’s impact on mainland moose and the community’s use of the area for outdoor recreation and ecotourism.

But the court decision says Halman considered a 260-page assessment of the project, more than 2,700 pages of documents and public input, while also consulting with Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq before granting approval.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2024.