BILL NO. 104

1st Session, 57th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
47-48 Elizabeth II, 1998-99

Private Member's Bill

Coastal Properties Study (1999) Act

Bill Estabrooks
Timberlea-Prospect

First Reading: May 26, 1999

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Coastal Properties Study (1999) Act.

2 (1) In this Act,

(a) "coastal property" means land and any interest in land adjacent to the maritime coast, including the coast of any island off the maritime coast and including any maritime water lot;

(b) "Minister" means the Minister of Natural Resources;

(c) "non-resident" has the same meaning as in the Land Holdings Disclosure Act and includes a corporation to which subsection 7(1) of that Act applies.

(2) For greater certainty, for the purpose of this Act,

(a) the shores of the Bras d'Or Lakes and the waters connecting them to the ocean are part of the maritime coast of the Province; and

(b) where a non-resident owns an interest in more than one contiguous parcel of land and one of those parcels is a coastal property, all of those parcels are coastal properties.

3 This Act does not apply with respect to land or an interest in land held by way of security for a debt or other obligation.

4 (1) The Minister shall, subject to Section 5, cause a study to be carried out of the extent of the ownership by non-residents of coastal properties in the Province and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, its effect on public access to the maritime coast and its effect on the cost, availability and use of coastal properties.

(2) The study shall include public hearings and a comprehensive report.

(3) The study shall be carried out in accordance with any terms of reference as may be determined by the Standing Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Assembly.

(4) The study, including the report, shall be completed within one year of the coming into force of this Act.

(5) Within thirty days of the completion of the report pursuant to this Section, the Minister shall table a copy of the report in the House of Assembly or, if the House is not then sitting, within ten days of its next sitting.

5 The moneys required for the purpose of this Act shall be paid from moneys appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.