Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund Prioritizes Coastline Projects

February 24, 2025

Coastline projects will have priority for the next round of funding through the Province’s Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund.

Applications opened today, February 24. This is third round of applications to the fund, which is open to municipalities, non-profit and community organizations, post-secondary schools and Mi’kmaw communities.

“Fighting climate change requires all-hands-on-deck,” said Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “And across the province, Nova Scotians have been stepping up to safeguard their communities from climate change impacts. Our government is supporting them every step of the way, like providing funding to empower local leadership and a proactive response to climate change that will also make our economy stronger, create good-paying jobs and protect our well-being.”

Priority for coastline projects follows last year’s release of The Future of Nova Scotia’s Coastline: A plan to protect people, homes and nature from climate change. It includes 15 actions for property owners, municipalities and the Province to make coastal homes, communities and natural areas safer.

Some examples of coastline protection projects that could be eligible for the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund include:

• upgrading and improving infrastructure to make it more resilient to climate impacts such as floods, high tides, storm surge and extreme weather events
• creating land-use plans for coastal areas to help make them less vulnerable to climate change impacts and to protect natural buffers like salt marshes
• protecting a community trail, cemetery or community building from coastal erosion or rising sea level
• rebuilding and preserving coastal wetlands to enhance natural flood control and improve biodiversity
• helping build knowledge and tools in coastal communities to respond to climate change impacts.

Some examples of other eligible projects include:

• installing electric vehicle chargers and other help for municipalities and communities to switch to electric vehicles
• installing heat pumps and solar panels at community buildings.

More information about eligible projects and applications is available at https://nschallengefund.ca/ . The deadline to apply is April 22.

Quotes:

“The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities is proud of the meaningful work accomplished through the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund. This third round of funding allows us to support more communities and projects working to build a cleaner and more climate-resilient Nova Scotia. From Yarmouth to Cape Breton, I am inspired by recipients who are driving sustainable solutions that lay the foundation for our future.”
— Juanita Spencer, CEO, Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities

“IBC applauds the provincial government for building resilience in our coastal communities. With insured damage caused by severe weather events surpassing a record-breaking $8.5 billion in 2024, Canada is clearly becoming a riskier place to live, work and insure. Investments in adaptation will pay dividends to all Nova Scotians – from reducing the number of insurance claims that impact the premiums we all pay, to saving taxpayers from funding the restoration work following a storm.”
— Amanda Dean, Vice-President, Ontario and Atlantic, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)

“The Belliveau Cove Development Commission is extremely grateful to the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund and the Province of Nova Scotia for their financial support for rejuvenation of our five-kilometre walking trail and bridges that were destroyed as a result of high winds and tidal surge almost two years ago. We are concerned about the effects of climate change, which in our case, is the increasingly rising tides. Therefore, building higher and with more durable material for longevity is a must as we cannot stop the tides.”
— Gary Theriault, President, Belliveau Cove Development Commission

“As a previous recipient of the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, we are pleased to see an additional investment being made to help support organizations in our community, as well as municipalities like ours, in their efforts to strengthen our communities, protect our coastline and infrastructure and build a more resilient future for everyone.”
— Cecil Clarke, Mayor, Cape Breton Regional Municipality

Quick Facts:

• the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund was created on October 27, 2021, as part of the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, the government’s legislated commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, respond to climate change, transform how Nova Scotians produce and use energy, make homes more energy efficient, and more
• the fund launched on November 7, 2022, with $15 million in funding to support projects that help communities adapt to climate change, mitigate its impacts, and help Nova Scotia reduce its greenhouse gas emissions; on September 28, 2023, the fund was topped up by $15.4 million and extended to 2028
• since launching, the fund has provided about $10 million for projects that help Nova Scotians respond to climate change
• the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities was selected through a request for proposals process to administer the program on behalf of the government

Additional Resources:

News releases about the fund and related projects: https://news.novascotia.ca/search/all?field_topics=228

Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf

Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf

Coastal protection action plan: https://novascotia.ca/coastal-climate-change/

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