Pyritic Slate Disposal

Request

On May 31, 2022, Regional Council passed a motion requesting “a staff report on what the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Port of Halifax and other relevant stakeholders should undertake to situate pyritic slate disposal sites.”

Proposal

Background

Pyritic slate, or sulfide bearing materials (SBM), is a geological substance that can generate acidic runoff when excavated and exposed to air, posing a risk to watersheds. Pyritic slate is common throughout the municipality, and must be disposed of when development occurs. Current common practice is to submerge it in salt water, which neutralizes its acidic effects.

Staff engaged Stantec Consulting to prepare a report on the overall issues, regulations, and alternatives for SBM management to help guide further policy planning. The report, titled ‘Sulphide-bearing Material Management Issues and Alternatives’, is listed at the bottom of this page.

Dartmouth Cove and the Northwest Arm are areas within the municipality  that have the potential for Pyritic Slate disposal. The Stantec report provides a broader overview of SBM management and does not offer recommendations specific to these areas.

Regarding Dartmouth Cove, on June 18, 2024, Regional Council passed a motion requesting staff to prepare a report “with respect to initiating amendments to the Regional Centre Plan and Land-Use By-law to impose restrictions on infilling water lots in Dartmouth Cove like those that exist already in the Northwest Arm”. This request will be addressed separately from Case #2024-01035 on Pyritic Slate Disposal. A staff report is anticipated to return to Regional Council in late Summer 2024. 

To learn more about the approved amendments to restrict infill in the Northwest Arm, please refer to Case #2023-01544.

Process

The planning project will consider if any changes are needed to the municipality’s Regional Plan, Community Plans or Land Use By-Laws. Any changes would follow the MPS and LUB Amendment Process.

Status

A copy of the Stantec report is available below. 

Staff are reviewing the Stantec study “Sulphide-bearing Material Management Issues and Alternatives” (see link below). A report to Council will be prepared to summarize the Stantec report contents and recommend next steps for Council direction. Staff anticipate returning to council with this report in early 2025.

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

Sulphide-bearing Material Management Issues and Alternatives, Stantec, 2023