Province Acquires Dunns Beach

The province has acquired 16 hectares (41 acres) of pristine coastline in Antigonish County. Angus MacIsaac, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, made the announcement in Antigonish today, Dec. 17, on behalf of Natural Resources Minister Tim Olive.

Dunns Beach is a unique, untouched beach that is nationally recognized as an important bird area along the St. Georges Bay coastline of Antigonish County. The area is also widely recognized as a habitat for the endangered piping plover.

"Today, the province has been successful in acquiring Dunns Beach, which will add to the string of protected beaches along the coast that include Pomquet, Monks Head and Mahoney's beaches," said Mr. Olive. "The result is the acquisition of an extremely valuable capital asset and important habitat that requires conservation."

The Department of Natural Resources acquired the privately owned property, which was designated a protected beach in the early 1970s, for $390,000. The purchase was made under the Tangible Capital Assets program for 2002-03 and does not affect the department's operating budget.

This acquisition and July's purchase of Cape Split are responses to the recommendations of the Voluntary Planning Task Force on Non-Resident Land Ownership report, which expressed concern about the lack of public ownership of Nova Scotia's coastline.

"Antigonish County is now home to one of the largest sections of publicly owned shorelines in Nova Scotia," said Mr. MacIsaac, who also commissioned the Voluntary Planning report. "This government recognizes the public concern regarding access to our beaches and the coast, so today's announcement benefits all Nova Scotians."

Dunns Beach is a significant addition to Crown land in a province where only 25 per cent of land is publicly owned and where public ownership along the coastline is very limited. The department's stewardship will provide Nova Scotians with access to unspoiled coastline for recreational use, while ensuring the protection of the beach's ecological integrity.