Tim Houston

Tim Houston apologized and announced he would fully restore funding, walking back proposed budget cuts that affected people with disabilities, seniors, and Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian students, acknowledging the cuts were wrong and that their impacts “weigh heavily.”

Tim Houston says the province cut arts and culture funding to address a $1.2 billion deficit, prioritizing protection of frontline services—particularly health care and education—over cultural programs. He frames spending priorities as safeguarding core public services.

Tim Houston supports reducing interprovincial trade barriers and views the Ontario–Nova Scotia direct-to-consumer alcohol agreement as a stepping stone toward nationwide free trade; he favors tackling visible barriers like direct alcohol sales to help consumers and producers.

Houston says he must manage provincial finances and accept budget changes while maintaining a commitment to equity; he defends the government's actions as necessary, pledges support for education, employment and health in African Nova Scotia communities, and will listen and adjust if harm occurs.

Tim Houston defends keeping his high-paid chief of staff who also serves as general counsel and a multimedia staffer despite budget cuts, saying legal support is needed for major decisions and communications staff help convey government achievements and support community mental health.

Tim Houston defends the province’s budget reductions addressing the $1.2-billion deficit, saying cuts will be concentrated on administrative and management areas to protect front-line services including health care, education and housing.

Tim Houston supports the province’s levy on electric and hybrid vehicles as necessary revenue for road maintenance, arguing EVs cause greater wear due to heavier weight and therefore should contribute to road funding.

Houston acknowledges a projected $1.4 billion deficit and says the government will control spending without impacting frontline services while pursuing economic growth — including natural resource development — to generate new revenue and urges a growth-focused mindset.

Tim Houston supports selling Nova Scotia’s remaining U.S. alcohol inventory, says the province will not order more U.S. products once sold, and frames the removal as a 'thorny issue' addressed in consultation with federal negotiators while acting as a cooperative Team Canada.

Houston says his spending priority for the Nova Scotia Loyal program was acting quickly and using vendors with prior relevant experience to 'get it going,' emphasizing speed and research-driven changes while asserting he was not involved in awarding contracts.

Tim Houston says there are "many perspectives" on cost-sharing and personally advocates Nova Scotia pressing for a larger portion of the Chignecto Isthmus project costs—saying "I would always ask for a lot for Nova Scotia" given the risk to the province.

Tim Houston is not entertaining buying back Nova Scotia Power and opposes returning it to public ownership. He wants the utility to function fairly for Nova Scotians while creating alternatives, and argues a buyback would be cost‑prohibitive given the province’s debt and deficit.

Tim Houston says past governments failed to develop renewables, arguing they didn’t move fast enough on wind and solar. He supports accelerating renewable energy development, highlights a direct-to-consumer renewable company to challenge the utility’s monopoly, and credits his government’s interventions.

Houston strongly supports a large-scale offshore wind buildout dubbed 'Wind West' including transmission to enable exports; he has urged Ottawa for tax credits, low‑interest financing and direct investment, and he insists private investors are already interested and the project will proceed.

Houston supports developing offshore wind under provincial terms that balance revenue with industry attraction: he tabled legislation setting a $7,000-per-megawatt annual fee (with later option of a gross-revenue royalty), emphasizing not being overly aggressive so as not to scare developers and to ensure direct benefits for Nova Scotians.

Houston supports a regional assessment and a clear, streamlined regulatory framework to revive offshore oil and gas. He says the assessment will speed regulatory approvals, improve Nova Scotia’s 'chances for success' and provide industry confidence for investment.

Houston opposes Nova Scotia Power’s proposed rate increases and its monopoly business model, urging modernization and a diversified energy system (offshore wind, solar, tidal). His department presented evidence to reject the rate-hike application, though he won’t overrule the regulator.

Houston criticizes Nova Scotia Power’s monopoly model and proposed rate hikes, urging the utility to modernize and diversify into offshore wind, solar and tidal. His department opposed the rate increase application, though he won’t overrule the energy board if approved.

Tim Houston criticized Nova Scotia Power's post-cyberattack billing practices, alleging inflated and consecutive charges. He wrote to the Nova Scotia Energy Board asserting that knowingly overbilling would be regulatory fraud and that misreporting revenue to markets constitutes securities fraud.

Tim Houston strongly supports developing large-scale offshore wind in Nova Scotia, calling its potential 'remarkable,' asserting the province can produce vast amounts of clean energy offshore (tens of gigawatts), and signing an MOU with Massachusetts to advance collaboration.

Houston strongly supports offshore wind development, praising Wind West as exceptionally appealing and viewing renewable projects as major opportunities for Nova Scotia’s energy growth. He expresses enthusiasm for Wind West as a key renewable opportunity while promoting broader energy expansion.

Tim Houston opposes Nova Scotia Power's proposed residential rate increases for 2026–2027, urging the Nova Scotia Energy Board to reject the request and demanding the utility improve performance and transparency before asking Nova Scotians to pay more.

Houston says his government is exploring a suite of initiatives to address Halifax traffic, specifically questioning the usage of high occupancy vehicle lanes and whether underused lanes could be repurposed to improve traffic flow.

Tim Houston opposes allowing Nova Scotia Power to securitize coal-plant costs, saying he doubts accounting maneuvers would save ratepayers money and that he is not in favour of permitting the company to recover those costs through such a mechanism.

Tim Houston says Nova Scotia Power is 'out of touch' and has called for the utility's proposed rate increases to be walked back or significantly reduced, opposing the magnitude of the current rate proposal.

Tim Houston said the province did not consider Macer Forest Holdings’ initial bid should 'win the day' and indicated Nova Scotia would participate in the auction, entering with a 'thoughtful, sincere bid' to pursue acquisition of the timberlands.

Tim Houston supports renewed offshore petroleum and natural gas exploration and is actively promoting the province’s open call for bids; he believes industry interest has risen sharply and that local gas production would help lower power rates.

Tim Houston said the proposed golf-course development within West Mabou Beach Provincial Park will not proceed. He emphasized government decisions weigh benefit to Nova Scotians, noting the Department of Natural Resources deemed the proposal unreasonable and not in the province's best interest.

Tim Houston's stated position is that designated protected properties should be maintained as protected and not altered or removed, with the exception that their status could change only if a court directs otherwise.

Houston supports moving the Whale Sanctuary Project forward and defends the cabinet's decision to grant a 20-year lease on Crown lands and coastal waters despite opposition, saying consensus can be difficult to achieve and noting strong support for the project.

Houston says Nova Scotia has no near-term plans to purchase small modular reactors but will engage and learn from Ontario. He signed an MOU and appointed himself energy minister to be directly involved and to monitor and understand nuclear possibilities.

Houston personally prioritized energy and natural-resource development, appointing himself energy minister to push offshore wind, critical minerals and onshore/offshore natural gas development — asserting he will lead these projects and that they can be done sustainably and done right.

Tim Houston advocates reviving offshore petroleum and natural gas extraction in Nova Scotia, asserting the province has enough offshore gas for decades and that renewed, safe development would generate billions in revenue and power the regional economy.

Tim Houston downplayed near-term uranium development, saying the push for uranium "was kind of toast right now" and "I'm really moving on," while promising "fulsome consultation" and scientific review if any project is proposed, adding "We're just not there right now."

Houston supports developing offshore wind to adjust Nova Scotia's energy mix, arguing it could stabilize and ultimately reduce power rates over the medium to long term despite higher initial costs; his government will intervene in regulatory reviews to challenge rate hikes.

Houston supports maintaining and enforcing the provincial woods/burn ban in counties where wildfire risk remains high, while easing restrictions in areas where Natural Resources data show the fire index is no longer extreme, basing enforcement decisions on professional assessments.

Houston said he is concerned about the increasing frequency of wildfires and is prioritizing equipping firefighting teams with the best available assets, arranging helicopters now while deferring purchase of a fixed-wing water bomber pending future evaluation.