Nova ScotiaThe environment and climate change minister told a conference of municipal leaders that the province has just launched an internal committee involving multiple departments to address drought issues. Environment minister says internal committee will look at short- and long-term solutionsHaley Ryan · CBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2025 5:07 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A nearly dry well in Baxters Harbour, N.S., in October 2025. (Eric Wiseman/CBC)While many Nova Scotians continue to deal with dry wells following a historic drought, the province says it is working on solutions that will help residents now and in the future.For months, municipalities across the province have been supporting residents through financing programs for wells or by distributing water.But on Thursday, local leaders at the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities conference told a panel of government ministers that they need more provincial support.Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile of the District of Lunenburg said recent rain in some parts of Nova Scotia has not been nearly enough to replenish the water table.Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg in a file photo from June 2025. McLean-Wile says municipalities will need more provincial support to help residents dealing with dry wells. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)“Many sources of water are gonna freeze up in the next probably six to seven weeks and we’ll still have people likely without water,” McLean-Wile said during the panel.She asked what the province will do to address both short- and long-term issues associated with the drought in Nova Scotia.“This year has been unbelievable,” said Municipal Affairs Minister John A. MacDonald.MacDonald said the province is always “here to figure out what we can do, long and short [term]” for municipalities.MacDonald and Tim Halman, minister of environment and climate change, told the conference that the province has just launched an internal committee involving multiple departments to address drought issues.“Solutions for residents,” Halman told reporters when he was asked what the outcome of the committee would be. “It’s a lived reality. It’s not abstract in any way to many residents. Your well goes dry, it’s a big problem,” Halman said after the panel.“And that’s not lost on us as elected officials. And we want to respond accordingly and work with our municipalities to find solutions to this.”Tim Halman, minister of environment and climate change, speaks with reporters after a panel at the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities conference in Halifax on Nov. 6, 2025. (Haley Ryan/CBC)Halman said science and data demonstrate clearly that extreme heat and drought are going to become more common because of climate change, and Nova Scotia must plan accordingly. CBC asked Halman how the province fits its push toward natural resource development with concerns about climate change and increasing drought.Halman said the province must take a “balanced approach” in responding to any problem, while U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to cast a shadow over the Canadian economy.“We need to build up our economy responsibly and safely,” Halman said.“Every other province and territory is seriously looking at responsible resource development, as is the federal government.”Halman said the committee is in its “very early stages” and he could not offer a timeline for when measures to provide solutions to drought issues could come forward.MORE TOP STORIES ABOUT THE AUTHORHaley Ryan is the municipal affairs reporter for CBC covering mainland Nova Scotia. Got a story idea? Send an email to haley.ryan@cbc.ca, or reach out on Twitter @hkryan17.
Nova Scotia sets up committee to tackle drought issues
