This episode is about a battle for a road. Specifically, a road that leads to a sandbar in South Bar, Cape Breton. Over 10 years in the making, this story shows why coastal access is so important to Nova Scotians, and the painful and dehumanizing way conflicts over unclear deeds and conflicting values can play out.

Special thanks to our guests Rodney Gale, Janet Dermody, and Katannya Kayler.

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com.

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing and sound design by Podstarter (https://www.podstarter.io/), and cover art from Laura Bonga.

In a province where 87% (or more) of the coastline is privately owned, private property owners can often be at the brunt end of coastal access conflicts. Yet, there are ways that property owners and communities can work together to maintain or create access. In this episode, we hear two stories of property owners who came 'from away' to rural Nova Scotian communities and instead of putting up No Trespassing signs, they took a different route.

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com.

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

Canoers, kayakers, and stand-up paddle boarders all use Nova Scotia's waterways, including the marine coastlines. These activities are popular for tourists and locals alike, but a growing problem with reliable and low-barrier access has canoers looking over their shoulders when they stop to rest. Hikers, who enjoy the coastline from the land, are also challenged by crowding, no parking, and mounting trash at some of the province's most popular trailheads. What can be done to ensure access is clean, safe, and available as outdoor recreation grows in popularity?

In Episode 4 of Right of Way, we explore these issues and raise an important question: is it time for Nova Scotia to adopt a coastal access ethic?

Special thanks to our guests Dusan Sudek and Heather Leslie of Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia, and Lloyd Knauss of Hike Nova Scotia.

In this episode, you heard references to the following groups and ideas:
Hike Nova Scotia
Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia
Leave No Trace Canada
"Right to Roam" (also called Freedom to Roam) information

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com.

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

Whether enjoying the coast above or below the waves, surfers and divers in Nova Scotia are facing some bad breaks when it comes to coastal access. In this episode, we hear from the surfing and diving communities about how they are attempting to preserve access to the best surfing and diving spots in the province. Our guests are Vic Ruzgys, Iaian Archibald, Sarah Vanderkaden, and Michael Schwinghamer.

In this episode, you heard references to the following groups, locations, and projects:
Surfing Association of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Underwater Council
Nova Scotia Shipwreck Mapping Project
Flag Pond Coastal Access Park

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com.

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

When you visit the coast, what do you expect to see? Most people might go for the beautiful coastal landscapes or a chance to see wildlife. In this episode, we speak to two people who go to the coast for two less expected kinds of views - one that lies beneath the waves, and one that unfortunately rests on our beaches.

We hear from a Dalhousie eelgrass researcher Dr. Kristina Boerder, who shares the trials and tribulations of conducting coastal research when access is hard to find. We also speak to Angela Riley - the leader of Scotian Shores, a marine debris removal group - who explains why marine debris (like lobster traps) and beach litter (like dog poop bags) impede our access to health and clean coastal environments, and why a lack of coastal access makes it so hard to clean them up.

To learn more about what you heard in this episode, visit:
Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative
The Scotian Shores Clean Up Project
Canada's Ghost Gear Fund

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com.

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

Who owns Nova Scotia's coastline? Perhaps a better question, who controls access to it? In Episode 1, we speak with East Coast Environmental Law's Mike Kofahl and Dalhousie University law student Samuel Eisner about the complicated jurisdiction of access and control that shapes Nova Scotia's coastlines.

In this episode, we discuss a number of acts and court cases, including:
Land Surveyors Act
Beaches Act
Trails Act
Angling Act
Community Easements Act
Occupiers Liability Act
Lynn v. Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality v. Rhyno

You can learn more about the Coastal Access Project and share your coastal access story with us on our website: www.coastalaccessproject.com.

Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support of this project. Thanks also to the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University for additional support, editing from Podstarter, and cover art from Laura Bonga.

As Canadians access the shore for recreation, science, or even just to take in the natural beauty of the coast, they are being increasingly met with physical barriers to the beach, few options to park or use public transportation to get to the coast, and problems with litter and marine debris in the areas they can access. Private property ownership dominates Nova Scotia’s coastline, and while the public wants access, property owners also want to enjoy privacy and avoid the degradation of their land. In other words, in a province known as Canada’s Ocean Playground, people are increasingly asking – a playground for who?

Join hosts Nicolas Winkler and Hannah Harrison in this weekly series as they explore these questions and more concerning coastal access in Nova Scotia.

Interested to learn more about the coastal access project? Visit www.coastalaccessproject.com.