Cooke Scales Back Expansion Plans For Liverpool Bay - Public Hearing Moved To Bridgewater
- Protect Liverpool Bay
- Sep 5
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 6
Cooke Aquaculture/Kelly Cove Salmon’s multi-site expansion plan for Liverpool Bay has (for now anyway) been sharply reduced! Only the Coffin Island site (AQ#1205x) boundary amendment and expansion proposal will go to a hearing before the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board (ARB) from October 7th –10th, 2025.
But while the expansion has been scaled back for now, Cooke has not yet formally withdrawn the other two applications (AQ#1432 and AQ#1433) from the ARB process, so should we expect other hearings down the road? Who’s to say at this juncture, but if so, this will mean another round of stress and expense for the community and Municipality as we work to keep them out of Liverpool Bay. As well, the decision, at Cooke’s request, to have the ARB hearing review only the Coffin Island expansion while holding the other two application in abeyance, severely limits the ARB’s ability to truly consider the potential cumulative effects of the project at this time.
HEARING HAS BEEN MOVED OUT OF QUEENS COUNTY
While the ARB had initially scheduled the hearing for just one to two days, PLBA, EcoJustice and other Intervenors successfully argued for more time, however, we were all unsuccessful in requests, which cited community concerns and existing regulation, to keep the hearing in Liverpool. The ARB claims that while their preference would be to hold the hearing in Liverpool that they were unable to secure an appropriate venue for the dates necessary.
The hearing will be live streamed, with registration opening September 29, 2025.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you had previously submitted a letter to the ARB stating your concerns about only the Brooklyn or Mersey Point (Western Head) sites, please consider sending a follow-up letter outlining your concerns for the proposed expansion at Coffin Island which lies within 300 m of Beach Meadows Beach, a public beach meant to be enjoyed by all.
Your new letter should follow this criteria:
Written statements must be no longer than 5 pages and at a minimum, the member of the public must include:
Your full name;
Your place of residence (civic address); and
The application about which you would like to provide comment and how the comment relates to one (1) or more of the factors set out in section 3 of the Aquaculture Licence and Lease Regulations. (view the 8 factors here)
Email to: aquaculture.board@novascotia.ca
Refer to Application: Coffin Island (AQ#1205X)
Special Request: Reference your initial submission and request your new letter be accepted in its replacement due to the change in proceedings.
Deadline for hearing documentation: Monday September 22, 2025, 4:30pm.
For more information on the hearing details and to register for the live video stream, go to:
For other related stories and to comment on the ARB hearing updates, please visit the Protect Liverpool Bay Facebook page.
Comments