Offshore Wind Bids Delayed in Nova Scotia Pending Mi’kmaw Consultation
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator will not launch a call for bids for offshore wind seabed licences until consultations with Mi’kmaw groups are complete. The process, requested by federal and provincial governments to fulfill the Crown’s duty to consult, began this month and is expected to continue through the fall.
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator has announced it will not launch a call for bids for offshore wind seabed licences until consultation with Mi’kmaw groups is complete. 
Federal and provincial governments recently asked the regulator to carry out the consultation step on their behalf to fulfill the Crown’s duty to consult under the Accord Acts. This requirement was added late in the regulatory process, which began more than a year ago. The two levels of government started assessing the industry's potential more than four years ago, and the call for bids was originally expected to come this winter.
Consultations began this month and are expected to continue through the fall, leaving the timeline for the call for bids uncertain. Groups contacted for consultation include all Mi’kmaw First Nations in Nova Scotia, as well as First Nations in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec.
The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs, also known as Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK), confirmed its participation in the consultation process. Twila Gaudet, KMK’s director of consultation, stated that the group wants to ensure Mi’kmaw rights are respected in all offshore energy development, including wind, oil, and gas. KMK has expressed concerns about cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems and Treaty Rights, and has identified areas needing consideration for marine conservation and potential marine protected area designation.