West Mabou Beach battle inspires poll revealing public's opposition to private development in N.S. parks
Ian Nathanson Cape Breton Post - August 11, 2026 Read online here
A new poll finds that just over three-quarters of Nova Scotians do not want the provincial government to allow private developments on provincial parks and protected areas.
Conducted by Narrative Research and commissioned by the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre, the online survey suggests that out of 540 participants from Nova Scotia, close to 80 per cent of respondents said they were opposed to the likes of golf courses, hotels and spas being built in legally protected areas.
More specifically, the poll found that 59 per cent of participants said they were “completely opposed” to allowing such developments. At the other extreme, the survey found that four per cent of respondents fully support permits for private developments.
OUTCRIES AND RALLIES
Raymond Plourde, senior wilderness co-ordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, said the survey came about following last year’s outcries and rallies to prevent a third attempt from golf resort developers Cabot Golf to establish an 18-hole course within West Mabou Beach Provincial Park, about eight kilometres west of the village of Mabou in Inverness County.
“It was shocking that a) Cabot would try again, and b) that the Houston government would consider it again, having just turned it down before, and that they would do it behind closed doors, away from public view, without any public awareness,” Plourde said.
“And they were directing their most senior bureaucratic officials, in the department responsible for managing and protecting our provincial parks, to actually enter into confidential negotiations.
"We remain committed to ensuring Nova Scotia has world-class environmental safeguards to protect our lands and environment as we pursue opportunities to build up our economy. Our government knows that Nova Scotia’s natural beauty is core to our identity and that it is important for the quality of life of Nova Scotians and as a driver of tourism." - NS Department of Natural Resources, August 2026
