Organizers behind a plan to establish North America’s first coastal refuge for captive whales say the Nova Scotia government has granted them approval to start construction on the province’s eastern shore.

The U.S.-based Whale Sanctuary Project announced Tuesday that Premier Tim Houston’s cabinet had granted the organization a 20-year lease for 83 hectares of Crown lands and coastal waters near Wine Harbour, N.S.

“This is a great day for the Whale Sanctuary Project and for the whales,” the group said in a statement on its website. “We look forward to pressing ahead in every way to establish the whale sanctuary.”

The organization’s online announcement links to a cabinet order on a government website. It confirms the government’s approval, which Houston’s government had yet to announce by

See Full Page