BILL NO. 67
(as introduced)
1st Session, 65th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
3 Charles III, 2025
Private Member's Public Bill
Commercial and Household Greenhouses Act
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin
Cumberland North
First Reading: March 4, 2025
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act to Support Commercial
and Household Greenhouses
WHEREAS Nova Scotians want access to competitively priced, locally grown, fresh and healthy food that is available where other shopping is done and throughout the year;
AND WHEREAS the cost of groceries in Nova Scotia is heavily impacted by Russia's war on Ukraine and this has added to inflationary pressures causing a rise in the cost of groceries in Nova Scotia by almost 13%;
AND WHEREAS the lack of reliability of critical infrastructure through the international trade corridor across the Chignecto Isthmus also impacts Nova Scotia;
AND WHEREAS the need to secure a stable food supply and meet public demand for locally-grown food makes it imperative to increase the amount of food produced in the Province and reduce reliance on food imports;
AND WHEREAS by providing a financial incentive for families to buy a greenhouse to grow their own food 12 months of the year, the Government can help improve food security and reduce reliance on weakened global supply chains;
AND WHEREAS local food production can be increased through a multi-pronged strategy that includes both commercial and household greenhouses;
AND WHEREAS the Government has a role in increasing local food production;
THEREFORE be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Commercial and Household Greenhouses Act.
2 The purpose of this Act is to
(a) support commercial greenhouses in order to increase local food production; and
(b) provide a rebate to defray the capital cost of purchasing a greenhouse by an individual for the personal use of the individual's household.
3 In this Act, "eligible project costs" has the meaning prescribed by the regulations.
4 (1) Subject to Section 7, the Minister of Agriculture shall create a commercial greenhouse support program to provide incentives to support the construction of commercial greenhouses and to support the conversion of existing greenhouses to use geothermal energy or wood chips for heat generation.
(2) An incentive for the construction of commercial greenhouses may include the rebating of all or a portion of municipal property taxes for the property on which the building is located for a period of up to 20 years, subject to the agreement of the relevant municipality.
(3) An incentive to convert an existing greenhouse to use geothermal energy or wood chips for heat generation may be in the form of a rebate of up to 50% of the capital cost of the conversion.
5 (1) The Household Greenhouse Rebate Program is hereby established.
(2) Any individual who has purchased a greenhouse for the personal use of the individual's household use may apply for a rebate under this Section after construction of the greenhouse is complete.
(3) Subject to Section 7, where an applicant meets the criteria prescribed in the regulations, the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board shall grant a rebate to the applicant.
(4) The maximum amount of a rebate under this Section is the lesser of
(a) 25% of the eligible project costs; and
(5) No more than one rebate under this Section may be granted to an individual or household.
6 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations
(a) defining "eligible project costs";
(b) prescribing criteria that must be met by an applicant under the Household Greenhouse Rebate Program;
(c) respecting any other matter or thing the Governor in Council considers necessary or advisable to carry out the intent and purpose of this Act.
(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority in subsection (1) is a regulation within the meaning of the Regulations Act.
7 The money required for the purpose of this Act must be paid out of money appropriated for that purpose by the Governor in Council.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2025 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created March 4, 2025. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
