The Liberal government introduced legislation Tuesday to speed up settlements of land claims and to address land ownership inequities in five historic African Nova Scotian communities.
For more than 300 years, many African Nova Scotians have been living on land passed down by their ancestors without clear title, Justice Minister Randy Delorey said at a bill briefing.
Without legal certainty of ownership, many residents in these communities are unable to exercise all of the benefits of land ownership that the rest of us take for granted, such as obtaining a mortgage, dividing or selling their land, accessing housing grants or building equity in their homes, Delorey said.
This is unacceptable.
The Land Titles Initiative was launched in 2017 to help residents get clear title to land in East Preston, North Preston, Cherry Brook/Lake Loon, Lincolnville and Sunnyville.
Delorey said the initiative was intended to address a "long-standing, systemic racism, by assisting residents in those communities secure clear title to their land and righting the wrongs of the past.
The legislation introduced Tuesday is an amendment to the Land Titles Clarification Act, outlining its purpose and scope and creating an expanded role for commissioners that allow for negotiation, mediation and voluntary arbitration of claims, and to create broader authority to administer the initiative.
The amendment also formally establishes the new $3-million compensation fund, announced on March 5, to support negotiated, mediated and arbitrated resolutions of claims involving parties with competing interests.
A dedicated executive director and two commissioners were also named to help accelerate the title claims.
Under the initiative, all legal and surveyor fees are covered at no cost to the applicant, Deloreysaid.
The minister said 200 parcels of land in those five communities have already been cleared among 527 applications received. More than 850 parcels of land in those communities are eligible for land claims. The program is expected to push out to other communities in the future.
These amendments to the Land Titles Clarification Act will provide greater clarity, solidify processes and bridge gaps that will allow us to better serve the needs of our clients and communities, said Lauren Grant, manager of the land titles initiative at Communities, Culture and Heritage.
Revising the municipal subdivision requirements will help address many of our clients unique circumstances, Grant said.
I am confident that this amendment will accelerate the work and help to clear many land titles in our historical African Nova Scotian communities.
Tony Ince, minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs, said community work done in the past two years has been a teaching tool.
My government colleagues and I will continue to work with residents in these communities to identify solutions that remove barriers and support residents to achieve title to their families' lands, Ince said.
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