Construction Work Begins at the Whale Sanctuary
Posted October 17, 2026 by Whale Sanctuary Project
Workers are completing excavation and preparing the staging area for the buildings and marine operations area. We’re delighted to announce that construction is now underway at the Whale Sanctuary site in Nova Scotia. With power and internet now installed, the next steps include replacing the old wooden dock area and preparing the staging area with 3,500 tons of rock and soil, raising the level of the whole building site by about half a meter for extra stability and long-term protection from climate change.
In this video, you can see two excavators at work. Our CEO, Charles Vinick, explains their tasks and where the buildings will be located.
The main building will house the veterinary suite, animal care areas, food preparation (for thawing and cleaning fish), administrative areas, research areas, and a dive locker for the team and security. Another building will accommodate net loft, boat operations, and marine activities to support the team members working with the whales.
Over the next few weeks, during this initial phase, the old wooden dock area will be entirely replaced, preparing the site for building foundations as shown in the video. A slipway will also be constructed on another part of the wharf, allowing small boats without propellers (jet-powered) to enter the bay safely, avoiding potential harm to the whales.
Your support has made all this possible over the past two years:
- Two full years of site search on both coasts of North America.
- Four years of mandatory environmental testing and surveys.
- Ongoing consultations with federal, provincial, local, and first nation governments, leading to an Order in Council to issue the lease for sanctuary waters.
- Nearly a year of final negotiations before the lease was signed by all parties.
Your continued support will help complete wharf reconstruction and site preparation for foundations by the end of the year.
The next steps include fabricating and installing the perimeter net that will surround the sanctuary waters, along with the bay pen that will serve as the initial care and observation facility for newly arrived whales. We are seeking to raise full capital funds for these crucial stages. If you're able to help, please reach out.
Stay tuned for regular updates on progress at the sanctuary site.