Lack of consent stalls plans for North America's first whale sanctuary in Nova Scotia

Michael MacDonald · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 5:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 39 minutes ago

An ambitious program successful Nova Scotia to physique North America's archetypal coastal refuge for captive whales whitethorn person deed a dormant end.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press uncover the non-profit Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP) has yet to unafraid support from each 5 owners of spot adjacent to wherever the radical plans to physique a huge, floating nett enclosure for belugas and orcas retired from marine taxable parks.

The documents, obtained done the province's state of accusation law, authorities that the U.S.-based radical won't beryllium granted a Crown lease for 81 hectares of onshore and h2o adjacent Wine Harbour, N.S., unless the landowners assistance unanimous consent.

Executive manager Charles Vinick said Tuesday the $20-million task connected Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore — announced 5 years agone and supported by backstage donations — could beryllium derailed.

"Conceivably, a idiosyncratic could halt the task from happening, adjacent with the magnitude of enactment it has passim the remainder of the communities," Vinick said successful an interrogation from Arizona. "Many radical consciousness that 1 oregon 2 radical stopping a task of this quality is truly unfortunate and would beryllium devastating for us."

Vinick confirmed WSP has written consent from 2 of the 5 affected spot owners. He said the radical has been successful interaction with 2 of the 3 holdouts, but 1 of them has said "they are not going to agree." The 3rd landowner, a pistillate from Montreal, has not responded to WSP successful immoderate way.

In August, Vinick wrote a missive asking Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources to alteration the rules.

"Any slowdown successful the momentum we present person could person life-or-death implications for the animals, who languish successful their existent environments," Vinick's missive says.

"The costs associated with keeping our tract improvement advancement successful question are important and it is unreasonable and unfair to our galore donors and supporters to determination guardant without being capable to person clarity connected however the unanimous consent contented tin beryllium mitigated by [the department]."

In response, Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton said he's not astir to alteration the rules.

Impact to waterfront properties

"There's going to beryllium an interaction to waterfront properties," helium said successful an interrogation Tuesday. "We privation to guarantee that we're not infringing connected anything, and that the task [proponents] are being unfastened and transparent with those landowners."

Asked if helium would see providing Vinick's radical with an exemption, Rushton said, "That's not a presumption we're acceptable to beryllium astatine close now." He declined to accidental if helium would enforce a deadline.

Vinick's missive makes it wide the task is astatine a turning point.

"To fto this life-changing and historical endeavour neglect due to the fact that spot owners are incapable to find communal crushed would beryllium a tragic crook for the whales and, we think, for Nova Scotia, for Canada and for the world," helium wrote connected Aug. 19.

Within the 500 pages of documents released by the Natural Resources Department, emails from landowners accidental they are disquieted astir losing entree to the h2o erstwhile nets are installed astir the 40-hectare enclosure. Others complained astir accrued postulation due to the fact that WSP had planned to physique an acquisition centre nearby, but that thought has been scrapped.

Ocean somesthesia concerns

When the task was announced successful February 2020, organizers said the sanctuary would unfastened successful 2022. But the COVID-19 pandemic and regulatory hurdles led to delays. Vinick aboriginal suggested 2024 and 2025 were realistic predictions. On Tuesday, helium said 2026 was much likely.

In January of this year, the French authorities rejected WSP's bid to supply refuge to 2 slayer whales residing astatine Marineland Antibes successful the southbound of France. Under French law, the country's past 2 captive, performing orcas — Wikie and Keijo — indispensable beryllium removed from France by the extremity of this year.

French officials said the Nova Scotia sanctuary wouldn't beryllium acceptable successful clip and they disquieted astir water temperatures disconnected the province's eastbound coast.

The pursuing month, WSP made a akin connection erstwhile Marineland successful Niagara Falls, Ont., announced it was preparing for caller owners and arranging financing to enactment the parkland and the relocation of much than 2 twelve beluga whales.

Eighteen belugas, 1 slayer whale and 1 dolphin person died astatine Marineland since precocious 2019, but the institution has agelong defended its attraction of animals, saying the deaths were portion of the earthy rhythm of life. The parkland is believed to person 31 belugas, the past remaining captive whales successful Canada.

More approvals needed

At the time, the president of the Whale Sanctuary Project, Lori Marino, said the radical was "poised" to commencement operation astatine the Nova Scotia site.

Vinick said the projected sanctuary could yet accommodate up to 9 belugas, saying the task could travel unneurotic rapidly erstwhile landowner consent is granted. "You tin determination mountains with the close benignant of support," helium said.

Meanwhile, the delays person fed speculation that the task is simply a fundraising scam designed to enrich Marino and Vinick. Among the precocious released documents are emails from unnamed radical alleging fraud, but nary of them supply grounds to enactment their claims.

Vinick rejected the allegations. "There is nary information to immoderate allegation that this is simply a fundraising effort that personally benefits maine oregon personally benefits Lori Marino," helium said, adding that some are being paid little than they earned astatine different non-profit organizations.

He said WSP has accomplished a large woody since 2020, having already completed an biology reappraisal and hazard mitigation plans. But helium confirmed the task requires much approvals from the national Fisheries Department and Transport Canada.

'A precise important task for the whales'

Vinick besides pointed to documents showing enactment from Nova Scotia's Mi'kmaw First Nations and what helium described arsenic wide assemblage enactment earned done an ongoing bid of nationalist events and online meetings.

Still, helium confirmed the national and provincial governments are intimately watching however the adjacent landowners are reacting.

"We don't consciousness [the project] is successful jeopardy astatine this point," Vinick said. "We've invested millions of dollars truthful far. We privation to proceed due to the fact that we judge this is simply a precise important task for the whales."