Group seeking court review of approval for wind farm project in northern Nova Scotia

A volunteer group in northern Nova Scotia says it is requesting a judicial review of the province’s decision last month to approve a wind farm in the Wentworth Valley.

In a news release, Project Wentworth Valley says it didn’t want to go to court, but the May 4 decision by Environment Minister Tim Halman left it with “no option.”

Spokeswoman Heather Allen-Johnson says her group believes the minister did not take into account concerns of area residents.

Allen-Johnson says Halman failed to adequately address the project’s impact on the endangered mainland moose and the community’s use of the area for outdoor recreation and ecotourism.

She says Protect Wentworth Valley wants the government to establish clearer environmental assessment guidelines as it considers further development of industrial wind farms.

The Higgins Mountain project would erect 17 wind turbines between the communities of Westchester Station, Wentworth Station and Londonderry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2023.