The province has declined a proposal to put a golf course on the protected land of West Mabou Beach.
Premier Tim Houston told reporters Thursday morning that the government declined the application from the Cabot company after weighing the pros and cons of the project.
“We’ve actually reached the conclusion now that the asks that the proponent would have would be unreasonable,” said Houston.
He said there was not enough in the proposal to take to the next stage, which would have been consulting First Nations and people in the community.
The Cabot company’s proposal for a golf course has been a contentious issue for years.
This proposal was the latest from the same company that owns other golf courses in Cape Breton. The last pitch was declined by the PC government in 2023.
Opposition parties swiftly reacted to the rejection of the Cabot proposal by the Houston government.
NDP leader Claudia Chender called the move “the right decision” but says it didn’t come soon enough.
“We need more certainty that we’re not going to force Nova Scotians across this province into these fights for provincial parks,” said Chender.
Meantime, Liberal leader Iain Rankin said Houston likely bowed to political and community pressure.
“The government got it wrong twice and the community got it right twice,” he said. “A good decision today but it didn’t have to come to this.”
