N.S. says new bill could offer tax breaks for homes rebuilt after wildfires

HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government has introduced a bill that would allow municipalities to reduce taxes on homes rebuilt after natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes or floods.

Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr said Thursday the legislation recognizes the destructive impact of recent wildfires, like the one near Long Lake in western Nova Scotia that destroyed 20 homes in late August.

“We can anticipate that Nova Scotia will continue to experience more frequent and extreme weather,” he said. 

Lohr said it will be up to individual municipalities to determine what type of natural disaster would qualify for a reduction in taxes; the bill lists wildfires, hurricanes, floods and storms as examples.

“In the wake of the devastating fires of 2023, when we saw more than 200 homes destroyed, we did (create) a bill for that particular group. And this is simply enabling municipalities to make that decision themselves,” he said.

The legislation would also prohibit the development or renovation of property near so-called priority transportation corridors without a permit, allowing government to designate land as being required for “priority transportation” projects.” A government official would not say which of Nova Scotia’s highways or roadways would fall under that category.

Peter Hackett, deputy minister of the provincial Crown corporation in charge of transportation planning, told reporters Thursday he does not have any roads or highways in mind yet. “We have not designated, or (been) looking at any designations yet,” he said, adding that his team will be working with municipalities, developers and other partners. 

“We are not trying to impede anything here. We’re just trying to work together,” he said. 

The bill also includes amendments aimed at speeding up the development of new childcare centres by giving the government the ability to exclude them from land-use bylaws. Lohr said the changes are similar to ones made in 2023 to speed up construction of health-care facilities.

“This would allow more urgently needed childcare spaces to be created faster in communities where they are needed most and with less red tape,” Lohr said. 

In a separate bill introduced in the Legislature Thursday, the government put forward an act to amend the Workers’ Compensation Act that would raise benefits for workers and reduce employer rates, beginning January 2027. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2025.