BILL NO. 70

(as introduced)

2nd Session, 61st General Assembly
Nova Scotia
59 Elizabeth II, 2010

Private Member's Bill

Wilderness Areas Protection Act
(amended)

The Honourable Murray K. Scott
Cumberland South

First Reading: May 10, 2010

(Explanatory Notes)

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

Clause 1 preserves trails or routes within newly designated wilderness areas.

Clause 2 entitles a person to continue to use a camp or cottage in or access a cottage or camp through a wilderness area after its designation.

1 Chapter 27 of the Acts of 1998, the Wilderness Areas Protection Act, is amended by adding immediately after Section 23 the following Section:

23A (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,

(a) the designation of an area of Crown land as a wilderness area;

(b) the addition of an area of Crown land to a wilderness area; or

(c) the alteration of the boundary of a wilderness area to include an additional area of Crown land within the wilderness area,

after the coming into force of this Section, does not affect the continued use of a trail or route within that area of Crown land if the trail or route existed in that area of Crown land before the designation, addition or alteration.

(2) In subsection (1), the continued use of a trail or route means the same kind of use of the trail or route as before the designation, addition or alteration.

(3) For greater certainty, nothing in subsection (1)

(a) affects the authority of the Minister under subsection 23(6); or

(b) authorizes activities within a wilderness area other than travel long a trail or route.

2 Section 25 of Chapter 27 is amended by adding immediately after subsection (4) the following subsection:

(5) Where, after the coming into force of this subsection, land is designated as a wilderness area and a person had a renewable lease or licence to access a camp or cottage on or through that land, the person is entitled to a renewal of the lease or licence notwithstanding the designation.