Hants County Quarry, Annapolis County Sand Pit Expanding

A quarry in Hants County and a sand pit in Annapolis County are expanding to support Nova Scotia’s growth, jobs and infrastructure.

Spence Aggregates Ltd.’s quarry project, near Newport Station, and the Shaw Group’s sand pit project, near Nictaux, received environmental assessment approval today, July 2.

The quarry supplies rock, gravel and sand needed to build roads and highways, clean energy projects, housing and other infrastructure projects. The sand pit supplies high-quality, commercial sand which is used to make concrete and for septic installations, supporting the construction, housing and agricultural sectors.

“Pits and 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, 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.

Quick Facts:

• both approvals have 33 terms and conditions to protect the environment
• aggregate, which is sourced from pits and quarries, was added to the list of the Province’s strategic minerals on May 14
• the Department of Public Works uses 2.5 million tonnes of gravel, 750,000 tonnes of asphalt and 27,750 tonnes of sand on average per year in providing Nova Scotians safe, modern roads

Additional Resources:

Spence Aggregates quarry environmental assessment approval and project documents: https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/ea/spence-aggregates-quarry-expansion/

Nictaux sand pit environmental assessment approval and project documents: https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/ea/nictaux-sand-pit-expansion/

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/

Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf