More Nova Scotians add their names to petition calling for return of uranium ban

HALIFAX — More than 10,000 people have now signed a petition asking the Nova Scotia government to reinstate a ban on uranium mining in the province. HALIFAX — More than 10,000 people have now signed a petition asking the Nova Scotia government to reinstate a ban on uranium mining in the province. The opposition Liberals and NDP were planning to table more than 2,000 new signatures as politicians returned to the legislature. This is on top of more than 8,000 signatures already on record. Premier Tim Houston's government repealed the decades long ban in March 2025, but no new mining operation has started up in the meantime. Houston has said the element is mined safely in other places and that the province needs to develop its natural resources to improve its economy. Petition organizers say the new signatures were collected by community members, grassroots organizations and local businesses. Dr. Catherine Cervin, with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said in a statement that uranium mining can release radioactive material into the water and air. 'The ban protected us because mining activities were required to cease if uranium was discovered at greater than 100 parts per million. We no longer have that protection,' Cervin said in a statement. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026. Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press