HALIFAX — 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 says Premier Tim Houston’s cabinet has approved a recommendation to grant the organization a 20-year lease for 83 hectares of Crown lands and coastal waters near Wine Harbour, N.S.

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

Project organizers say 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 F

See Full Page