Licence Renewals Deferred, Recovery Fund Bylaw Updates, COVID-19 New Gathering Limits

Reminder: Licence Renewals Deferred

On April 16th, the Board of Directors deferred licence renewals for 2020 from May-June to August-September. The deferral was in response to market conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The board felt it would be best to defer renewals to give time for the market to recover and allow licensees to return to more stable financial footing. This change was enacted under the new state-of-emergency Bylaw 238(b), which was also passed at the April 16th meeting.

Bylaw 238(b) provides the Commission with the overriding authority to extend or vary time limits for carrying out of any requirements of the Bylaw, such as postponing the annual general meeting, extending renewal deadlines, and the manner by which those requirements are fulfilled.

Online licence renewals will now open on August 10th and close at midnight on September 30th. All licenses that were set to expire on June 30th are extended until September 30th. This change is for 2020 only and it is the only change to the licensing process. All other licensing processes, including the requirement for all new licensees to renew their licence at renewal time, remain the same.

In 2021, the licence renewal cycle will revert back to May-June and all licences will expire on June 30th.

Recovery Fund Bylaw Updates

The Recovery Fund trustees met to discuss the Recovery Fund and the Recovery Fund Terms of Reference. During the meeting there was a discussion about their role as set out in the Bylaw. A legal opinion was requested and obtained regarding the Recovery Fund and the role of the trustees.

The legal opinion found that they are not trustees as strictly defined by the Trustees Act. Their role is to oversee the proper handling of claims against the Fund and to ensure the balance of the fund is maintained in accordance with the Regulations. The Recovery Fund members proposed Bylaw changes to accurately reflect their role. This included renaming the trustees to committee members and removing reference to the non-applicable Trustees Act. These changes do not impact the integrity of the Fund in any way. View the updated Recovery Fund section HERE.

COVID-19 Health Directives—New Gathering Limits Announced

On Thursday, June 18th, the provincial government announced new gathering limits. View the province's news release HERE.

For more information on COVID-19 health directives, view following resources:

Government of Nova Scotia
Government of Canada
COVID-19 Information Sheet from NS Department of Health