Quarry Expansions in Digby, Colchester Counties
Quarries in Kemptown, Colchester County, and Seabrook, Digby County, are expanding to provide more stone, gravel and other materials to build roads, highways and more. (Province of Nova Scotia / File)
Two quarries are expanding to support Nova Scotia’s growth, jobs and infrastructure.
The quarries in Kemptown, Colchester County, and Seabrook, Digby County provide stone, gravel and other materials needed to build roads and highways, clean energy projects, housing and other infrastructure projects.
Aggregate, which is sourced from quarries, was added to the list of the Province’s strategic minerals on May 14.
“Quarries provide the building blocks for all of the infrastructure Nova Scotians depend on, from roads and highways, homes and other buildings, to hospitals and schools,” said Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “These two approvals have stringent terms and conditions to protect the environment and human health, while allowing sustainable and necessary development to take place for the benefit of all Nova Scotians.”
All requests for environmental assessment include consultation with the public and the Mi’kmaq before decisions are made. Consultation input informs the terms and conditions of approval.
The expansions at both locations have environmental assessment approvals that include strong terms and conditions to protect the environment and human health.
Quick Facts:
- the Department of Public Works uses 2.5 million tonnes of gravel and 750,000 tonnes of asphalt, on average per year, to make sure Nova Scotians have safe, modern roads
- Chapman Bros. Construction Ltd.’s quarry expansion in Kemptown received environmental assessment approval on May 22; the approval has 33 terms and conditions, including creating a community liaison committee – so residents can bring questions or concerns directly to the quarry owner – before any expansion work begins
- Nova Construction Co. Ltd.’s quarry expansion in Seabrook received environmental assessment approval on May 7; the approval has 33 terms and conditions
- an environmental assessment is a planning tool that requires companies to identify the possible environmental impacts of their project along with a plan to mitigate them; projects then typically need permits and/or approvals from the Department and/or other federal, provincial and municipal regulators before they can proceed
- there are two classes of environmental assessment, Class I and Class II; both are robust and transparent and require consultation with the Mi’kmaq and the public
Additional Resources:
News release – Nova Scotia Updates Critical Minerals Strategy: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/05/14/nova-scotia-updates-critical-minerals-strategy
More information on the environmental assessment process is available at: https://novascotia.ca/environmental-assessment-getting-started/
Class I environmental assessment process infographic: https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/docs/EA-ClassI-Infographic.pdf
Class II environmental assessment process infographic: https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/docs/EA-ClassII-Infographic.pdf
Kemptown quarry expansion environmental assessment approval: https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/EA/kemptown-quarry-Development/
Seabrook quarry expansion environmental assessment approval: https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/seabrook-quarry-expansion-project/
Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf