BREAKING NEWS
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BREAKING NEWS !!
Coastal Access Project
‘Nova Scotia - Canada’s Ocean Playground’ is a phrase printed boldly on every Nova Scotian license plate. However, growing conflicts over coastal access in the province are forcing coastal communities, landowners, and governments into asking: how should Nova Scotians get to to the coast?
Conflicts over access in coastal communities have been documented across the province for many years, especially where private property owner prerogatives intersect with community interests. Worryingly, coastal access issues will likely be exacerbated with the impact of a growing population, increased coastal development, and sea level rise on Nova Scotia’s coasts, as well as the hardening of waterfronts (such as seawalls) to protect private property. At the same time, there is a scarcity of information about the state of public coastal access, how conflicts impact coastal communities, and what legal or regulatory pathways exist to enshrine access.
The Coastal Access Project is an ongoing initiative that explores how changes to coastal access affects the way people access, live by, and explore the coast. The objective of this project is to foster greater public understanding of coastal access in Nova Scotia through research-driven storytelling, transdisciplinary partnerships, and exploring equitable solutions toward access for future generations.
The Coastal Access Project is very proud and excited to announce that our flagship podcast - Right of Way - has been named a finalist for the 2025 Canadian Podcast Awards in the Outstanding Science Series category! Co-hosts Hannah Harrison and Nicolas Winkler are very appreciative for this recognition of such a critical but still niche topic in Atlantic Canada. The project is especially grateful to all the individuals and community groups who took part in making the podcast and brough these powerful, research-driven stories to life. Special thanks also to Podstarter, who edited the podcast and made it sound like a podcast with a much bigger budget!
If you are a member of the Canadian Podcast Awards, the Right of Way team would greatly appreciate your vote!
Voting closes November 22nd: https://canpodawards.ca/vote/
Right of Way Podcast
Right of Way Podcast
The Coastal Access Project Podcast, titled Right of Way teaser was launched during Ocean Week Halifax on June 9th, 2024.
Right of Way can be heard - for free - on most podcast streaming platforms or through the player below. Sound editing by Podstarter.io.
Right of Way cover art by Laura Bonga.
Current Projects
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Coastal Access Inventory of Shelburne County
Master of Marine Management student Anthea Fleming is currently using ArcGIS to map the coastline of Shelburne County, Nova Scotia to determine how much of the coastline is public (and therefore could provide coastal access), where public access points exist (islands? beaches?), and the quality of the access they provide (washrooms? playgrounds?). Her work will be publicly available on DalSpace in February, 2026.
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Coastal Zone Canada - Coastal Access Workshop
In June 2025, the Coastal Access Project team joined Dr. Patricia Manuel, East Coast Environmental Law’s Mike Kofahl, MMM Anthea Fleming, and recent Dalhousie' law graduate Sam Eisner hosted a public workshop on coastal access at the Coastal Zone Canada conference in Charlottetown, PEI. The workshop attracted a wide range of participants and presenters, sharing on topics like coastal access challenges, the establishment of new coastal access trails, and legal aspects of coastal access in the Maritime provinces. An open-access summary report of the workshop and anticipated next steps to our collective coastal access work are available by clicking the button below.
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International Coastal Access Symposium
The Coastal Access Project team plans to host the very first international coastal access symposium in March/April 2026. This free, virtual event will invite communities, NGOs, scholars, and activists from around the world to share their coastal access work, build new relationships within this field, and raise the profile of this critical issue. This event is anticipated to be 1-2 days and registration will be announced in early 2026.
Interested in getting involved or learning more? Contact us through the button below.
Coastal Access Project in the news
05 June 2025 - Radio Canada Acadie La mouvée (French) - Listen Here
19 June 2024 - Radio Canada Acadie La mouvée (French) - Listen Here
20 June 2024 - CBC Nova Scotia Mainstreet - Listen Here
21 June 2024 - Halifax Examiner - Navigating barriers to public access of Nova Scotia’s coastline - Read Here
9 July 2024 - Dal News - Ask an expert: Who has access to coastal areas in Nova Scotia? It's complicated - Read Here
29 July 2024 - CBC Nova Scotia Mainstreet - Listen Here
6 September - CBC Nova Scotia Maritime Noon - Listen Here
Resources
East Coast Environmental Law Summary Series - Coastal Access In Nova Scotia (V1 - Summer 2024)
Meet the Coastal Access Project Team
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Dr. Hannah Harrison is a human dimensions researcher who studies human-environmental relationships, particularly around marine and coastal issues. Her research uses storytelling methods such as podcasts and film to help explain complex issues, such as coastal access. She currently works as an assistant professor in the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University.
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Nicolas is a conservation storyteller specializing in creating impactful editorial, natural history and scientific storytelling visuals for research, academic, non-profit and production sectors. his work has appeared in peer-reviewed scientific literature, annual reports, national and international publications and television.
He is inspired to understand the rapidly changing landscapes and seascapes of Nova Scotia by his own experiences as a diver, as well as the stories emerging from coastal communities across the province.