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CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Four offshore wind energy areas designated off Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston (centre) makes an announcement about offshore wind energy in Halifax on July 29, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) The Nova Scotia government says Canada's first four offshore wind energy areas have been designated on the province's offshore. The federal and provincial governments jointly designated the following four areas, which were announced on Tuesday: French Bank Middle Bank Sable Island Bank Sydney Bight The province says the designation is a key step in developing the offshore wind industry. 'With some of the top wind speeds in the world, Nova Scotia has the potential to become a clean energy superpower,' said Premier Tim Houston in a news release. 'With the right infrastructure, we'll have the opportunity to send our wind west to power other parts of Canada. By becoming an energy exporter, we can secure long-term prosperity for Nova Scotians.' A regional assessment initially identified eight areas with strong potential for offshore wind. After further review, the federal and provincial governments shortlisted five locations as possible offshore wind energy areas. The government says public feedback on those five proposed areas helped it decide on which four locations to designate, and to make the French Bank and Sydney Bight areas slightly smaller. Offshore wind energy areas in N.S. Canada's first four offshore wind energy areas are seen in this image (Province of Nova Scotia) The next step is identifying parcels within the designated areas, which will be included in the first call for bids later this year. 'The identification of wind energy areas off the coast of Nova Scotia is a significant step forward towards unlocking our renewable energy potential,' said federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson. 'We are moving quickly to deliver on our commitment to advance offshore wind, create clean jobs and support our long-term energy security.' The province hopes to license five gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which is says will 'set the stage for future offshore wind development and position Nova Scotia to become an exporter of clean energy.' After the first round of licences are awarded, the government will revisit four other areas identified in the regional assessment of offshore wind development. Those areas include the Western/Emerald Bank, which was the other area shortlisted in the spring. Private companies that wish to build offshore wind projects in Nova Scotia are required to participate in a competitive licensing process managed by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
19-07-2025
- CTV News
‘Police operation' underway in western P.E.I.
A RCMP vehicle is pictured on July 3, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Callum Smith) Officers with Prince Edward Island RCMP are asking the public to avoid the Peterville area. Shortly after 12 p.m. Saturday, RCMP said a 'police operation' is underway. Police said Harper Road (Route 158) is closed. 'The public is asked to please avoid the area and allow RCMP to conduct their work,' said a news release Saturday. Police said there is no threat to public safety, but did not offer any further details. Peterville is located in western Prince County and is approximately 145 kilometres northwest of Charlottetown. More to come… For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
13-07-2025
- CTV News
17-year-old boy airlifted to hospital following motorcycle crash: N.S. RCMP
A RCMP vehicle is pictured on July 3, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Callum Smith) A 17-year-old boy from Nova Scotia's Yarmouth County has suffered life-threatening injuries following a collision in Greenville. Yarmouth Country District RCMP say they responded to a motorcycle crash along with fire services and EHS on July 12 around 12 p.m. The crash happened at the intersection of Hardscratch Road and Greenville Road. Officers say the motorcycle struck a pickup truck towing a boat. The 17-year-old motorcyclist was transported to hospital by LifeFlight with life-threatening injuries, a news release from the RCMP said. An RCMP collision reconstructionist attended the location of the collision, the investigation is ongoing. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Highway 329 to be ‘closed for several hours' due to collision: N.S. RCMP
A RCMP vehicle is pictured on July 3, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Callum Smith) A highway that runs through Nova Scotia's Municipality of Chester will be closed for several hours Sunday due to a collision. RCMP shared on social media around 11 a.m. that Highway 329 in the Aspotogan area is closed. 'The roadway will be closed for several hours between Captain's Way and Government Wharf,' police wrote shortly before noon. Police are asking the public to avoid the area and expect delays. This is a developing story. More to come… For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
12-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Historic Nova Scotia ship that led to wave of Scottish immigrants relaunched
Ship Hector was relaunched into Pictou Harbour in Pictou, N.S., Saturday, July 12, 2025 after several years of restoration work. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) PICTOU — A restored replica of the square-rigged sailing ship that sparked a wave of Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia more than 250 years ago was relaunched Saturday with a mighty splash into Pictou Harbour. After a restoration and public fundraising effort that began in 2019, the rebuilt hull of the Hector was eased into the water sideways during a colourful ceremony on the town's scenic waterfront. Ship Hector Thousands of people gathered in Pictou, N.S., to watch the relaunch of Ship Hector's replica Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) During the launch, the vessel was guided down seven ramps, known as launchways, after supporting wedges were removed -- a process master shipbuilder Vern Shea described as a sight to see. 'It's kind of nerve-wracking,' Shea said in a recent interview. 'I've witnessed quite a few launches in my career, and you always get the hair on the back of your neck rising and the goosebumps every time you see it.' Shea was instrumental in the original build of the Hector replica, which was not fit for sailing, and was installed 25 years ago, next to the interpretive centre and outbuildings of the Hector Heritage Quay. Ship Hector Ship Hector is pictured in Pictou, N.S., prior to its relaunch into Pictou Harbour Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Courtesy: Don Jerrett) The wooden vessel was built from the original designs, using traditional methods and materials, Shea said. Over the years, the vessel wasn't properly maintained and fell into disrepair before the Ship Hector Society bought it for a few dollars in 2010 from the town of Pictou. The society has spearheaded a $4 million fundraising effort for the latest restoration, which required an extensive rebuild to transform the Hector into a fully working sailing vessel. 'It was the vision to sail it. It's been my hope all this time,' said Shea. 'It's becoming a reality, which is very fulfilling.' Ship Hector Ship Hector is pictured in Pictou, N.S., ahead of its relaunch Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) Shea, who also worked on the engineering drawings for the rebuild of Nova Scotia's iconic schooner Bluenose II, said the latest rebuild of the Hector required all of the hull planking above the ship's waterline to be removed and replaced because of rot. The ship was then covered in fibreglass for added protection. 'We replaced all of the rotten planks up to the main deck with Douglas fir planking and then we filled the seams with pine and then used two layers of fibreglass,' Shea said. Inside the hull are two cramped compartments built as they would have been in 1773, when 189 men, women and children made the harrowing 11-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Smallpox claimed 18 lives during the journey. 'It would have been disgusting, there's no two ways about it,' said Shea. On its website, the Ship Hector Society says those who arrived aboard the Hector made 'enormous cultural, political, intellectual and industrial contributions that shaped Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada.' Ship Hector A replica of Ship Hector was relaunched into Pictou Harbour in Pictou, N.S., Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) Saturday's launch was attended by several dignitaries, such as Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, federal Attorney General Sean Fraser and Chief Tamara Young of the Pictou Landing First Nation. Young said the arrival of Scottish settlers in northeastern Nova Scotia in 1773 changed the course of history for 'everyone who calls this land home.' 'For us as Mi'kmaq, our story does not begin with that ship. It began long before with thousands of years of life, culture and knowledge,' she said. 'The launch of this new ship, Hector, gives us an opportunity not just to commemorate the past, but to shape a better future.' Ship Hector Ship Hector is pictured in Pictou, N.S., prior to its relaunch Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) Now that the ship is in the water and as more funding becomes available, the next phase of the project will begin, such as installing electric motors, masts and sails. It's hoped the refurbished Hector will be ready for harbour tours by 2027, said society chair Wes Surett. He said just over $2 million in public funds had been raised so far for the project, with another $1.8 million to go to finish the ship. On Saturday, that effort got an added boost with a donation of $1.25 million, announced by David Sobey from the Sobeys grocery chain and co-chair of the Hector capital campaign. Ship Hector Thousands of people gathered in Pictou, N.S., Saturday July 12, 2025 to watch the relaunch of Ship Hector's replica into the harbour. (Courtesy: Mike Jerrett) Surett said the interpretive centre opened last month after an extensive revamp through funding from the federal and provincial governments. Future plans for the site also include the addition of a sailing program, along with a wooden shipbuilding school. Surett said a Hector that can finally set sail will be the real money-maker. 'We really see it (the ship) and that sailing experience generating the revenue to sustain the attraction long-term,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025. -- By Keith Doucette in Halifax
