FACTS VERSUS MISINFORMATION

Misinformation online is all too common these days.

Here are a few claims that have been circulated on social media about the sanctuary, together with the facts. Some of these claims may be intentional, but not all. If you come across dubious claims and want to check them out, feel free to reach out to us

CONSTRUCTION

FACT: Permitting for a project of this scope is an evolving process across multiple agencies and phases, not a single blanket approval.

• Crown Land Lease for Sanctuary Waters: In October 2025, after we had completed four years of environmental analyses to meet the terms of the lease, the Nova Scotia government issued an Order in Council directing that the Whale Sanctuary Project be issued a 20-year lease with an option to renew.

• Construction permits: Standard municipal building permits will be applied for as needed. This is normal procedure for any construction project in St. Mary’s municipality, which has designated the site as the Whale Sanctuary Zone.

• Whale transfer permits: An Introduction or Transfer License from the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) be obtained until each individual animal has been evaluated by veterinarians and their health records have been submitted to DFO.

For more information, see this post.

FACT: Construction fencing is installed on the 30-acre property at Port Hilford Bay and land has been cleared to bring power lines to the site. R.J. MacIsaac Construction Ltd. has been retained as general contractor and has installed their construction trailer on site. This marks the first phase of sanctuary construction: mobilization, which is focused on upland infrastructure ahead of wharf reconstruction.

FACT: Construction work will take eight-to-nine months from the beginning of mobilization, subject to the capital funds being available for each stage. No whale transfer will occur until the site is fully prepared.

ABOUT THE SANCTUARY SITE

FACT: The orcas and beluga whales we are seeking to bring to the sanctuary will have either been captured in Icelandic waters and other sub-Arctic regions or will be the offspring of those whales. Either way, they are physiologically adapted to cold-water environments.

FACT: The site development plan has been reviewed and approved by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment. Where historic mining tailings have been identified in the soil on land, the approved mitigation measures include capping with soil, gravel, or concrete in areas with buildings or personnel access.

Three years of exhaustive testing and consultation with third-party experts determined that the water column is clean and free of contaminants and that the sanctuary will provide a safe and healthy habitat for its residents.

In the limited area where remnants from the historic mining remain sequestered in the submerged soil (beneath the water), the approved approach is to leave material undisturbed. And surveys confirm that the area designated for perimeter net anchors shows no evidence of mining.

The sanctuary waters have supported an active commercial lobster fishery for decades without known impacts from mining activity that occurred over 100 years ago.

For more information, see this post.

LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT

FACT: Quite the opposite is the case: The sanctuary site was, in fact, brought to our attention by the local community. Community support was a deciding factor in selecting Port Hilford Bay, and local volunteers have contributed thousands of hours to this work.

As in almost any new project, there have been some dissenting voices that precluded unanimous neighbor consent. When, in October 2025, the Nova Scotia government issued its Order in Council to proceed with the project, Premier Tim Houston spoke to these voices saying:
“Full consensus across any group of people on any issue is pretty difficult. We need to get to a realistic place and there’s an incredible amount of community support for that project … We thought there was enough to move forward.”

FUNDING

FACT: As of the end of March 2026, we do not have all the capital funds we need to complete the sanctuary. We are proceeding with construction as we continue raising the remaining funds.

FACT: Since our incorporation in 2016, the Whale Sanctuary Project has raised approximately USD $12 million in total revenue to advance the development of the sanctuary. Over the years, approximately USD $10.4 million has been invested in the following:

• Two years of site selection across east and west coasts of North America;

• Four years of environmental and marine studies, Indigenous and community consultation, regulatory and lease approvals, land acquisition and wharf access;

• Establishing the future sanctuary’s Operations & Visitors Centre in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia;

• Whale rescue, including Whale Aid Russia in 2019, in which the Whale Sanctuary Project worked with the Russian government and Russian animal protection groups to return to the ocean 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales captured illegally for sale to theme parks in China.

Marine sanctuaries require years of scientific, regulatory, and community groundwork prior to beginning construction.

ORCAS WIKIE & KEIJO

FACT: No European sanctuary site has been identified that satisfies the legal, environmental, and operational thresholds required for transfer. The Whale Sanctuary in Nova Scotia is the only option that meets the requirements set by the Government of France.

FACT: On December 13th, 2025, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition issued a statement regarding the Whale Sanctuary Project, saying that “The sanctuary’s solution is therefore today the most credible, the most ethical and the only one that complies with the requirements of animal safety and welfare.”
For more information, see this post.