NS: Buy Back Nova Scotia concerned as land continues to sell

[YARMOUTH, NS] - A 170,000-acre lot of land in southwest Nova that J.D. Irving Ltd. put on the selling block earlier this spring is slowly being chewed up by buyers. 

Buy Back Nova Scotia, a coalition of concerned individuals and groups, continues to work towards saving the land from being bought by developers. The group is awaiting a response from a bid placed before the change of government by the Department of Natural Resources on approximately 21,000 acres of land in New France (Electric City).

BBNS committee member Sandra Phinney says the chunks of land already sold by Irving include 10,859 acres to Cedarwood Lake Forestry Investments Ltd., 10,917 acres to Green Bear Woodland Development, 394 acres to Brazil Lake Enterprises, 172 acres to Vladi Private Islands, and 236 acres to Pure Nature Developments Ltd. 

“The Pure Nature Developments property on Kings Lake near Gavelton has already been subdivided into 40 lots along the lake,” said Phinney. “Vladi Private Islands pieces are at the north end of Wentworth Lake.”

Phinney says the properties are some of the best land in the province, with the richest bio-diversity and old growth forests. “Having these kinds of holdings sold off for private recreational development is disturbing,” she said.