Health and climate risks rise as Nova Scotia pushes to overturn bans on fracking and uranium mining

Nova Scotia is pushing for a bill that would open up the province once more to uranium exploration and fracking, two industries that critics say directly oppose the government’s promises on climate.

On Tuesday, Nova Scotia Minister of Natural Resources Tory Rushton introduced a bill that would repeal the Uranium Exploration and Mining Prohibition Act and amend the Petroleum Resources Act to allow fracking for natural gas. The moratorium on fracking was enacted in 2014 following the then-Liberal government noting that there wasn’t enough public support to justify the industry. There has also been a ban on uranium exploration since the 1980s, prompted by public concern over health impacts and contamination, and a full moratorium since 2009. 

Nova Scotia is not the only province that has disallowed uranium exploration — British Columbia and Quebec also have bans in place. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan is the world's second-largest producer of the element, the mining of which has been called an “established cause” of lung cancer by researchers.

Premier Tim Houston told reporters that opening up the two industries would strengthen the province’s economy in light of President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Canadian exports. However, one energy expert likened the move to adopting the logic of Trump and his push to “drill, baby, drill.”

“I just want to stress how sharp of a departure that is in terms of what the provincial government had been saying about trying to create a clean economy and develop new opportunities in Nova Scotia,” said Thomas Arnason McNeil, senior energy co-ordinator at the Ecology Action Centre.

Opening up a fracking industry would threaten Nova Scotia’s chance of meeting its climate targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 53 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050, McNeil said. Research from Cornell University last year found that in the U.S., gas emits more GHGs than coal — which still generates 37 per cent of the province’s power — when you account for shipping and production. 

Natural gas is made mostly of methane, which is responsible for approximately a quarter of global warming and is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2) for the first 20 years it’s in the atmosphere. The production of natural gas is a huge source of methane leaks in Canada and the gas also produces CO2 when burned. 

And while natural gas is touted as an export opportunity for Canada, figures released this week show that Europe’s gas use hit its lowest in 11 years in 2024 and its LNG imports went down 19 per cent, making the business case for gas especially weak, said McNeil. 

Instead of turning to fracking fossil fuels as a way to boost the province’s economy, McNeil said Houston should instead be looking to proven clean energy sources to get the province off coal. The province has “some of the best wind resources in the entire world,” he notes, which could ween the province off fossil fuels, and eventually be sold as export.

“So there's a real economic opportunity when we're talking about the amount of wind … pretending like [fracking] is the only economic opportunity, the only pathway that Nova Scotia has to create new industry … is, quite frankly, ridiculous,” McNeil said. 

Not only are the near-term impacts of fracking contrary to climate targets, the industry also has little social license in the province, McNeil said. In the lead-up to the moratorium, polling conducted on behalf of the Council of Canadians found that nearly 70 per cent of people in the province support keeping the moratorium in place, unless an independent review found there was no risk to drinking water, climate and human health.

Notably, 72 per cent of Progressive Conservative voters supported the moratorium. During the recent provincial election, Houston didn’t campaign on overturning either the fracking or uranium ban, which McNeil calls “a slap in the face to the voting public.” 

About 440,000 Nova Scotians rely on well water, making the evidence that fracking contaminates groundwater and that the chemicals used in the process cause health problems in nearby communities especially pertinent.

The potential health impacts of fracking are stressed by Laurette Geldenhuys, a pathologist and professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax. A 2024 review of studies published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health on the impact of fracking on human health highlighted a slew of concerning health outcomes for pregnant people and babies, including higher rates of premature births and congenital defects.

“Other health concerns include asthma, lung and heart disease and — very concerning — leukemia in children,” noted Geldenhuys, who is also the chair of the Nova Scotia Regional Committee for the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE).

On Wednesday, CAPE urged the provincial government to keep bans on fracking and uranium mining in place; invest in renewable energy and green infrastructure; protect drinking water; require health impact assessments on new resource projects and respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by engaging in meaningful consultation with Mi'kmaw communities.

"As physicians, we are deeply troubled by the potential health consequences of fracking and uranium mining. The medical evidence is clear and growing – these activities are associated with serious health risks that our communities cannot afford to bear," Geldenhuys said.

Geldenhuys notes that “radioactive compounds would be present in the air and the water, both for miners and also for people living around the area,” and says the danger would be disproportionately high in Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities.

In response to Canada’s National Observer, spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables Patricia Jreige said that the province is focused on making the province a “clean energy powerhouse” and that it is on track to meeting 2030 and 2050 targets, noting that “natural gas is part of our transition to clean energy.”

“...we need cleaner burning fuels like natural gas to help us reach our 2050 goal of net-zero. There may be future opportunities for uranium to support our longer term clean energy goals as well,” said Jreige in a written statement.

The department also stressed that uranium exploration can be done safely, and that “the health and safety of Nova Scotians is one of the reasons for lifting the prohibition.”

“Right now, we don’t have a clear picture of where uranium is. Researching its location and concentration will help Nova Scotians better understand and manage any potential risks. Any uranium mining would be strictly regulated by the federal Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to ensure safety and environmental protection,” said Jreige.

Like the lack of support for fracking in the province, McNeil said he expects public pushback against uranium exploration, noting it was first introduced in 1981 by a PC government.

“Those Nova Scotians that rallied back in 1981 for the ban on uranium mining and exploration, those folks are still around. They are still around. They're still ready to make their voices heard,” he said.

“I think that what the government will quickly find out is that there is popular support that ultimately led to the development of these moratoriums and that that popular support still exists.”