N.S. government says newly introduced bill will reduce red tape, encourage business

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This article was published 24/09/2025 (187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government is introducing a bill it says would eliminate red tape and encourage business activity, particularly in the natural resources sector.

Tim Halman, who serves as both Minister of Service Efficiency and Environment, introduced the bill in the legislative chamber Wednesday. 

He said the bill would streamline and clarify approval processes for industrial projects without weakening environmental protections.

Halman told reporters the proposed bill “is not eroding protections or taking shortcuts. The only thing this bill removes is red tape.”

“The signature element of the bill is to build on the progress we have made to unburden the natural resource sector,” he said. 

Halman added that he’s proud of the progress the Nova Scotia government has made by lifting a ban on uranium mining, approving the Goldboro gold mine project and by updating its industrial approval process for metal mining — “but we can do more.”

The bill proposes new tools that could allow provincial officials to remove fees associated with mineral resources projects. It could require provincial officials to create and implement a “red-tape reduction action plan” that includes targets to speed up the approval of a natural resources development permit.

Halman said the proposed bill would also “accept the expert views of pre-qualified professionals, like geologists and engineers, without additional and duplicative reviews.”

The minister added that Nova Scotia can safely develop natural resources while protecting the environment, and said this bill is part of that effort.

“It does not need to be one or the other. We can and we must do both,” he said. 

The government predicts the legislation could save businesses and Nova Scotians more than $800,000 annually. 

Official Opposition NDP leader Claudia Chender said Wednesday she’s in favour of removing extraneous government processes, and that it’s a concern she’s heard from constituents.

“Small businesses do in fact identify a burden of paperwork and red tape as an inhibitor for their businesses. So I think the move itself makes some sense,” she said.

However, “it comes in another omnibus bill that we’re going to have very little time to debate, and the devil will be in the details.”

Chender and interim Liberal leader Derek Mombourquette both said it will be important to hear from experts and members of the public in the coming days to get a sense of the bill’s potential impact. 

“It is very critical… to ensure that as projects potentially come online, or approvals, that you’re still safeguarding and you’re still consulting with communities,” Mombourquette said. 

The proposed omnibus bill is 28 pages long and it proposes to amend 16 different provincial laws. It also proposes to create one new provincial law while repealing five others the government deems to be outdated or redundant.

The legislation to be repealed include the Baby Chick Protection Act, which prohibits the display or sale of artificially coloured living chickens, and the Margarine Act, which sets out rules for preservatives and labelling of the butter substitute. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2025.