The Atlantic Offshore Wind Coalition (AOSWC) is a partnership between the Ecology Action Centre, East Coast Environmental Law and Sierra Club Canada.
The AOSWC is working to support the renewable energy transition by advancing responsible offshore wind development as a key part of Atlantic Canada’s clean energy future.
If developed responsibly, offshore wind—combined with energy storage, efficiency upgrades and strong ocean protections—can create local jobs, benefit communities and play a vital role in decarbonizing Canada’s power grid.
The AOSWC brings trusted legal, policy and social expertise to offshore wind development in Atlantic Canada, prioritizing respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, meaningful engagement, ocean protection and transparent, participatory assessment processes.
The AOSWC brings valuable experience in several key areas critical to successful development. These include marine spatial planning to balance competing interests, tiered assessments that prioritize sustainability and account for cumulative effects and centralized site identification to ensure alignment with existing plans and policies.
By working directly with communities, the AOSWC helps identify tangible social, environmental and community benefits that will lay the foundation for the long-term, sustainable economic opportunity offshore wind can bring to our region: a just transition to renewable energy, and a cleaner, more resilient electricity grid.
Help Shape Our Future: Opportunities for Public Participation
Help Shape Our Future: Opportunities for Public Participation
Offshore wind Call for Information - Oct. 16, 2025 to Jan. 16, 2026
In October 2025, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator announced a Call for Information that invites feedback from Indigenous rightsholders, fishers, industry, government and the general public on offshore wind licensing in Nova Scotia.
Specifically, the Call for Information invites feedback on the subject-matter of the Strategic Direction that the Government of Canada and Government of Nova Scotia issued jointly in September 2025. See our infographic for more.
The Call for Information is open until Jan. 13, 2026, and a Call for Bids is expected to follow in the winter or spring of 2026. For more information, see this regulator infographic about the Accord Acts offshore renewable energy land tenure process.
Public information webinar - Nov. 25, 2025
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator is hosting a free public webinar on the offshore wind Call for Information. Click here to learn more and register.
AOSWC Wind Licensing Webinar - Dec. 2, 2025
Join the Ecology Action Centre, Sierra Club Canada, and East Coast Environmental Law for a webinar on offshore wind licensing in Nova Scotia!
In October, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator issued a Call for Information to inform Nova Scotia's first offshore wind licensing process. The Call for Information invites feedback from Indigenous rightsholders, fishers, industry, government, and the general public on several topics, including:
- the selection of marine sites that will be opened to offshore wind development in the Sydney Bight, Middle Bank, and French Bank Wind Energy Areas;
- potential bidding criteria for Nova Scotia's first Call for Bids for submerged land licences, including:
- technical expertise and project delivery capacity;
- financial strength and project delivery readiness;
- engagement and community benefits;
- local content; and,
- environmental sustainability and coexistence between offshore wind development and existing ocean users;
how the Regulator should evaluate bids;
- the terms and conditions of submerged land licences that may be issued to offshore wind developers, and,
- possibilities for fisheries compensation.
Join us to learn more about how this Call for Information will shape the future of offshore wind regulation in Nova Scotia and how you can get involved by sharing your knowledge and perspective during this public engagement process.
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025
Time: 7 – 8:30 p.m. AST