A former university president who oversaw the report that led to a decade-long ban on fracking in Nova Scotia is questioning the government’s claims that new natural gas development will lower emissions and energy prices.
On Monday the government announced it was putting Dalhousie University in charge of a $30-million program that will see a call for onshore natural gas exploration issued in the new year.
Get breaking National news
David Wheeler says the government’s claims that new gas development will lower electricity costs in Nova Scotia is misleading as gas will have to be sold on the international market with local users buying it back at international prices.
He says natural gas was once pitched as a transitional fuel that could lower emissions while cleaner energy forms came online, but the scientific community has now largely rejected that outlook.
- StubHub stocks tumble as lawsuits pile up over unissued FIFA World Cup tickets
- ‘Like a dream’: Saskatoon’s Jordan Carroll looks ahead after double Commonwealth win
- Hamilton man wanted in child sexual assault case arrested in California after decades
- Winnipeg woman says little has changed since 26-hour ER wait in 2025
-
![]()
U.S. oil company establishes operations on Greenland without consent -
![]()
Doctors show CT scans of serious injuries as a result of e-scooter use -
![]()
US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra on Trump’s latest threats over wildfire smoke -
![]()
CSIS report warns Canada drawing closer ties with countries that remain biggest threats
Wheeler was president of Cape Breton University in 2014 when he chaired an independent report for the government that said fracking shouldn’t be allowed until more research was done on health, environmental and economic impacts.
The province banned the practice the following month, but the Tim Houston government lifted the embargo in March.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.