Nova Scotia is on the verge of becoming a clean energy powerhouse. With the Wind West project and a new agreement with Massachusetts, our province is poised to generate massive amounts of wind energy. But before we celebrate shipping power across the border, we need to ask a simple question: What about Nova Scotians?
Right now, 43% of Nova Scotians struggle to pay their energy bills—the highest rate in Canada. Meanwhile, our government is signing deals to export electricity to Massachusetts. This is backwards. Nova Scotians should benefit first from the energy produced in our own province.
We need a clear “Nova Scotians First” energy plan that includes:
- Guaranteed rate reductions for Nova Scotians before any power is exported
- Binding targets for how much locally produced wind energy stays in the province
- Public reporting on who benefits from wind energy sales and how much revenue returns to Nova Scotia
- Community ownership stakes in wind projects, like Glooscap First Nation’s 51% stake in recent projects
- Energy poverty relief programs funded directly by wind energy revenues
The provincial government says onshore wind power costs about 5.3 cents per kilowatt hour—the most affordable source of new electricity. Yet our power bills keep climbing. Where is that affordable energy going?
Premier Houston says the Massachusetts deal will “generate thousands of jobs and billions in investment for Nova Scotia”. That sounds promising. But we have heard big promises before from offshore oil and gas, and those industries did not lift Nova Scotia out of energy poverty.
Sierra Club Canada’s Gretchen Fitzgerald put it well: “We have to make sure that we are not selling out what is a massive resource for less benefit than communities should have”.
Nova Scotia has world-class wind resources. We should use them to lower costs for Nova Scotians, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and build energy security at home. Only after our own needs are met should we export surplus power.
The wind belongs to all Nova Scotians. Our energy policy should reflect that.
Through a Union Lens from Nova Scotia 