Quote:
Originally Posted by fenwick16
(source: http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...ning-exemption )
I wonder what the Thiel Group expects to gain from this court action? Polls indicate that the convention centre has majority support so if this action delays the opening of the convention centre then it will hurt the HRM and province.
I believe the Thiel Group will make more enemies than friends from this move. The Nova Centre hasn't exactly been a walk in the park versus the TD Centre and 22nd Commerce Square, which both seem to have had less red-tape than the Nova Centre.
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Well the outcome is going to be pretty simple - every province is the key holder of planning matters - that stems from the original British North America act when the Crown (Federal Government) delegated those powers to the Provinces.
Thus the Province under the Municipal Government Act has the ability to designate projects or sites exempt from Municipal Planning Approval. I don't know the specifics of the NS rules - but in Alberta, the rules in the MGA are so broad that there isn't even a need to have a project of "Provincial significance" or anything like that.
I'd argue as a counter to their lawsuit that the Nova Centre is a project of Provincial Significance and thus with 3 levels of government committing money, the need to move the project along was decided at a Provincial level to be of economic importance.
These guys really aren't making friends in Nova Scotia now are they...I suspect they are a little annoyed also that their appeal to Regional Council was tossed. I had hoped that this sort of vindictive type of lawsuits were gone, but alas...