Marineland says a planned coastal refuge for captive whales recently greenlighted by the Nova Scotia government is an inappropriate facility for its beluga whales.

The U.S.-based Whale Sanctuary Project announced this week Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston’s cabinet had granted the organization a 20-year lease for 83 hectares of Crown lands and coastal waters on the province’s eastern shore.

Project organizers said the approval means they can start building a huge, floating net enclosure for whales and dolphins retired from marine theme parks like Marineland in Niagara Falls.

But in a statement Wednesday, Marineland said the project is not a suitable option for its 30 belugas.

“Marineland has provided reports to everyone — the government and press — that sets out very serious issues of c

See Full Page