High-volume fracking to be banned in Nova Scotia

04/09/14
Author: 
CBC Staff
Andrew Younger

Nova Scotia will introduce legislation to prohibit high-volume hydraulic fracturing for onshore shale gas this fall, Energy Minister Andrew Younger said Wednesday. 

The decision follows an independent panel review that recommended the government proceed slowly. Younger said the ban is not permanent, but would not say how long it will last. 

“There’s nothing that’s going to happen in five years or 10 years that we can point to,” he told CBC News. “We’re prepared to open this up if a community approaches us and is prepared to look at this.”

Younger said the public have "overwhelmingly expressed concern" about allowing hydraulic fracturing​, known as fracking. “And we need to respect that. We need to respect the trust the people have put in us,” he said.