Bill 198, the Financial Measures Act, is an omnibus bill passed by the Government of Nova Scotia. Instead of dealing with one issue at a time, it amended numerous laws at once including laws governing public land, forests, conservation easements, parks, and forest taxation. 

For forests, Bill 198 changes the rules around:

• How Crown timber and resource licenses are granted and renewed 

• How conservation easements can terminated

• Which forested properties qualify for preferential tax treatment. 

The Bill allows the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to terminate a conservation easement if continuing the easement would cause the landowner “severe hardship.” An easement is a legal right to use a specific part of someone else's land for a defined purpose. It also simplifies the process used when the organization holding an easement ceases to exist. 

Nature Nova Scotia and others have raised several concerns: 

• “Severe hardship” is not clearly defined

• A court could be asked to end protection for reasons unrelated to conservation

• The new process may make permanent protection less permanent than donors and landowners intended

Conservation easements are meant to protect land beyond the tenure of any one owner or organization. The land may outlive the institution. By weakening these protections, important conservation lands become more vulnerable to future development or resource extraction. 

Bill 198 allows the Minister of Natural Resources to grant or renew timber and resource licenses on Crown lands for up to five years without Governor in Council approval, and up to ten years with approval. 

Longer licenses offer industrial forestry companies greater certainty over access to public resources. Nova Scotians receive no equivalent guarantee of stronger transparency, independence review, or public involvement.

Concerns include:

• Longer license terms may reduce opportunities for public scrutiny and review

• Increased ministerial authority over license renewals may weaken oversight

• Lack of clarity around how longer-term licensing decisions will be reviewed

• Broader questions about accountability in how public forest resources are allocated

Given that Crown lands are publicly owned, these changes raise questions about how much public oversight is appropriate when granting long-term access to industrial forest resources. 

At Nova Scotia Forests Forever, we see the changes made in Bill 198 reflect a broader pattern. Public forests are consistently undervalued in policy decisions that prioritize short-term extraction over long-term ecological, social, and economic benefits. 

Across the province we see that public forests are still largely managed through a model that treats timber extraction as the primary measure of value – ignoring detailed scientific reports, independent expert recommendations, and established best practices for long-term ecological stewardship.

We acknowledge a different approach is possible. We understand that trees are worth more standing. We believe public land should serve the public good. 

This approach means treating forests as long-term public infrastructure: living systems that support strong local economies, healthy communities, clean water, climate resilience, biodiversity, culture, and livelihoods. 

It also means making public-land decisions transparently, listening to more than the interests seeking access to timber, and asking what will deliver the greatest public benefit over time. 

Bill 198 matters because laws reveal what a government values. Here, once again, industrial use receives practical support while stewardship is handed another obstacle. 

The future of Nova Scotia’s public forests depends on the choices we make today. 

Whether you’re writing to your MLA (find our template here), following the conversation on social media, or signing up for our newsletter The Root Report, your voice can help!

Together, we can ensure that public land is managed for the public good!