Nova Scotia Residents Block Aerial Glyphosate Spraying Through Two-Week Encampment
Residents of Chipman Brook, Nova Scotia, maintained a protest encampment from September 14 to September 30, 2025, successfully preventing the aerial application of glyphosate herbicide on a nearby woodland parcel before its permit expired. Protesters cited multiple irregularities in the provincial notification process, prompting calls from local officials and opposition politicians for stricter regulations.
A group of concerned residents in Chipman Brook, Nova Scotia, successfully prevented the aerial spraying of glyphosate herbicide on a nearby woodland parcel by maintaining a daily protest encampment on Hutt Road from September 14 to September 30, 2025. The property, identified as PID #56068662, was not sprayed during that timeframe, and the permit ultimately expired.
The spray permit was issued by the Department of Environment and Climate Change to 4616513 Nova Scotia Limited. While the permitted window for applying VisionMax herbicide was listed as September 16 to 30, a notification letter indicated September 14 as the earliest possible date. Kelli Anderson launched a Facebook group titled "Stop the Vision Spraying in Chipman Brook" to raise awareness and organize the protest effort.
Anderson stated that a department representative erroneously told her the approval had been issued in April, which would have prevented an appeal. The approval was actually issued on August 19. Provincial regulations require notification letters to be sent to anyone living within 500 metres of a spray site, but Anderson's property is approximately 730 metres away and did not receive one. Residents also reported that only a few people received letters despite many living within the required radius, while some living further away did receive them.
Signage compliance was similarly disputed. Residents found two notification signs along one access road but no signage in the opposite direction or on nearby hiking and ATV trails. Additionally, a required newspaper notification was published in the South Shore Bulletin, which does not serve the Chipman Brook area.
Tensions escalated near the end of the permitted window. On September 29 at 11:49 p.m., a trail camera captured an image of a large truck destroying the gate to the subject property.
Kings County Councillor Robbie Hiltz expressed support for the residents and criticized the provincial government for providing less information regarding spray approvals than in the past. Lisa Lachance, the Nova Scotia NDP’s environment critic, agreed to meet with concerned residents to discuss issues with provincial regulations. Residents have called for stricter buffer zones, including a proposed 10-kilometre buffer, and potential bans on aerial forestry spraying.