Right Of Way

When you visit the coast, what do you expect to see? Most people might go for the beautiful coastal landscapes or a chance to see wildlife. In this episode, we speak to two people who go to the coast for two less expected kinds of views - one that lies beneath the waves, and one that unfortunately rests on our beaches.

We hear from a Dalhousie eelgrass researcher Dr. Kristina Boerder, who shares the trials and tribulations of conducting coastal research when access is hard to find. We also speak to Angela Riley - the leader of Scotian Shores, a marine debris removal group - who explains why marine debris (like lobster traps) and beach litter (like dog poop bags) impede our access to health and clean coastal environments, and why a lack of coastal access makes it so hard to clean them up.

To learn more about what you heard in this episode, visit:
Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative
The Scotian Shores Clean Up Project
Canada's Ghost Gear Fund

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com. 

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

Who owns Nova Scotia's coastline? Perhaps a better question, who controls access to it? In Episode 1, we speak with East Coast Environmental Law's Mike Kofahl and Dalhousie University law student Samuel Eisner about the complicated jurisdiction of access and control that shapes Nova Scotia's coastlines.

In this episode, we discuss a number of acts and court cases, including:
Land Surveyors Act
Beaches Act
Trails Act
Angling Act
Community Easements Act
Occupiers Liability Act
Lynn v. Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality v. Rhyno

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com. 

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

As Canadians access the shore for recreation, science, or even just to take in the natural beauty of the coast, they are being increasingly met with physical barriers to the beach, few options to park or use public transportation to get to the coast, and problems with litter and marine debris in the areas they can access. Private property ownership dominates Nova Scotia’s coastline, and while the public wants access, property owners also want to enjoy privacy and avoid the degradation of their land. In other words, in a province known as Canada’s Ocean Playground, people are increasingly asking – a playground for who?

Join hosts Nicolas Winkler and Hannah Harrison in this weekly series as they explore these questions and more concerning coastal access in Nova Scotia. 

Interested to learn more about the coastal access project? Visit www.coastalaccessproject.com.