In March 2026, Natural Forces Technology Developments LP submitted an application to amend the Waterford Parish Planning Area Rural Plan. The application requests a change to local land-use rules to permit large-scale wind turbines (facilities generating more than 3 megawatts) in areas zoned Rural (RU).

This request is tied to a proposed development called the Paqt’smawei Sipu Wind Project. The full concept includes up to 42 wind turbines built in two stages:

  • Phase 1: Up to 11 turbines located within the Waterford Parish Planning Area Rural Plan, within the Kings Regional Service Commission boundaries.
  • Phase 2: Turbines located in neighbouring Hammond Parish and on provincial Crown land, outside of the Kings region. This phase is subject to a separate zoning process within the Fundy Rural District, which is administered by the Fundy Regional Service Commission.

It is important to know that while the application was prompted by this specific project, the proposed Waterford Parish Planning Area Rural Plan amendment is broader. If approved by the provincial Minister, the change would apply to all Rural-zoned land within the Waterford Parish Planning Area. This means any future large-scale wind project in the planning area would also be governed by these revised zoning rules, including more stringent land use provisions and public input requirements.

On this page:

The Role of the Kings Regional Service Commission

The Kings Regional Service Commission serves as a neutral administrator for this public process. Our primary job is to ensure that every resident has the opportunity to participate in the consultation and have their voice heard.

Neither the Commission Board, internal staff, nor contracted planning consultants hold voting, approval, or rejection authority over this rural plan amendment.

Our legal duty under the Community Planning Act is to host the public hearing, collect all written and spoken feedback from residents, and pass the complete, unedited public record along to provincial decision-makers.

Under Section 51 of the Community Planning Act, sole decision-making authority rests with the provincial Minister of Local Government. If the Minister approves the amendment, any future large-scale wind turbine developments would require site plans, noise studies, and development applications that would be evaluated by the Planning Review and Adjustment Committee (PRAC) before a permit could be issued and construction could proceed.

What is a Rural Plan?

Much like zoning in towns and cities prevent incompatible land uses occurring close to one another (like an airport in a large residential neighbourhood, for example), ensuring that land use in rural communities aligns with provincial regulations and best practices, with input from those who call that community home, is important to allow a balance between social, environmental, and economic considerations. Land use regulations also enforce safety requirements, fire regulations, and other building and planning aspects that help communities thrive.

Unincorporated communities, like Waterford, do not have an elected Mayor, Council, or administrative staff to manage land use requirements. The Kings Regional Service Commission is mandated under the Community Planning Act to administer rural plans and provide technical advice, public input, and local context to the Minister of Local Government to support the regional perspective provided by the elected representatives on the Rural District Advisory Council.

The Minister is the ultimate decision-maker in unincorporated communities, as per the Community Planning Act.

Process to Date

To bring transparency to how this file has moved forward, here is the timeline of reviews and decisions to date:

Environmental Review (October 2025 to June 2026): The applicant submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the provincial government in October 2025. This technical review focused on environmental protection, wildlife, and community impacts such as noise and shadow flicker. On June 15, 2026, the Province issued a Certificate of Determination allowing the project to move forward to the land use approval evaluation, under 33 specific environmental conditions. This environmental approval is managed entirely by the Province and does not automatically change local land-use or zoning rules, nor does it automatically permit construction that is outside of the parameters of the existing Waterford Parish Planning Area Rural Plan.

Planning and Government Review (March to April 2026): Kings Regional Service Commission planning staff, along with provincial planners and provincial government departments, reviewed the requested land-use changes. Comments from these experts were compiled into a detailed planning report. A required 30-day First Nations consultation process was also conducted, during which no formal comments were submitted.

Phase 1 Site-Specific Decision (June 2026): Because the overall rural plan amendment process takes significant time, the developer applied for a site-specific “similar or compatible use” approval for the 20 properties involved in Phase 1. On June 16, 2026, the independent Planning Review and Adjustment Committee (PRAC) approved this similar or compatible-use application with strict conditions. This approval applies only to those 20 specific properties for Phase 1. It does not approve the broader rural plan amendment currently under public review.

Community Dialogue and Input (June and July 2026): During the June committee meeting, local residents raised important questions about turbine heights, setback distances, visual impacts, and the timing of public engagement. Provincial planning officials briefed commission leadership, and the Chief Executive Officer met directly with concerned residents to hear their perspectives and ensure their questions were included in the consultation process.

Statutory Community Consultation (August 2026): As part of the legislated duties of the Regional Service Commission, planning staff held a public hearing in the community of Waterford to ensure that public comments were recorded as part of the information package that will be submitted to the Minister for consideration.

Planning staff reviewed the technical details of the proposed amendment, including:

  • Medium (up to 3MW) turbines are currently permitted within the Waterford Rural Plan with a height exemption and subject to setback, noise, and shadow flicker limits.
  • Large (3MW or more) turbines are proposed to be added as a conditional use, meaning the Planning Review and Advisory Committee (PRAC), an independent planning review committee, would need to approve any project and a public input process would be triggered as prescribed by the Community Planning Act. This is more strict than the current rural plan and would provide residents with more opportunities to provide input to PRAC prior to any project being approved.
  • The proposed setback requirements, distribution infrastructure, and roads, are in alignment with provincial standards and setbacks from nearby dwellings is double that of the provincially recommended standard.
  • It was noted that windmill technology has evolved, and the specific turbines for the Paqt’smawei Sipu Wind Project, reviewed by PRAC and technical staff, meet the current requirements under the Rural Plan with the exception of energy output. Newer generation turbines can generate more electricity with longer blades and shorter hub heights, within a similar footprint to older turbines.
  • Future applications must still provide an engineered site plan, noise studies, Environmental Impact Assessment certification, and a detailed decommissioning plan.

Following the technical briefing, members of the public were invited to provide their uninterrupted comments to be captured for the official record. Several residents voiced their concerns, requested additional information be considered, and shared their perspectives of the project. These comments were captured verbatim and will be included in the consultation package that will be provided to the Minister to inform the formal decision process.

Once there were no more formal comments from the public, the proponent (Natural Forces) was provided with an opportunity to share technical details and address any of the comments and questions they heard during the public portion. These comments were also captured for the official record.

How You Can Participate and Make Your Voice Heard

Public input is an essential part of land-use planning. Your comments on this proposed rural plan amendment become part of the official record sent directly to the Minister.

Here is how you can review the file and share your views prior to the August 20, 2026 submission deadline:

Review Project Documents

In Person: Visit the Kings Regional Service Commission office at 27 Winter Street, Sussex, NB, during standard office hours (Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm).

Online:

Written Comments

You can submit written feedback before August 20, 2026 directly to the Minister:

By Mail or Drop-off: Paul Jordan, Provincial Planning Director, Provincial and Community Planning Unit, Department of Environment and Local Government, PO Box 6000, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1

By Email: planning-urbanisme@gnb.ca

Or you can submit written feedback before August 20, 2026 to Kings Regional Service Commission:

By Mail or Drop-off: Kings Regional Service Commission, 27 Winter Street, Unit 1, Sussex, NB E4E 2H9

By Email: info@kingsrsc.ca (Please include “Waterford Rural Plan Amendment” in the subject line) Written comments received by the deadline will be included in the official record provided to the Minister of Local Government as part of the decision process.