Wrote Donna Crossland earlier today…
Nova Scotia’s ONLY Crown land maple syrup producer has their Crown lease abruptly discontinued after this maple season by DNR.
These are public forests and unceded Mi’kmaq lands.
Our government is opting for forestry operations or maybe a mine – who knows, since there is no communication or public consultations anymore. Rather than syrup from our sugar maple-dominated forests, they have some other goal.
Yesterday I attended the Hutchinson’s maple tour. The pancake brunch was held at the East Dalhousie Community Hall (my native community), so I couldn’t resist. It was a joyous and fun event up until we learned of their loss of access to sugar maples on Crown land.
Hutchinson’s was the ONLY maple syrup business taking place on public forest lands, though Chris had always rightfully pointed out that there was room for several more maple operations in public forests.
The Hutchonsons have 14 years behind them in maple syrup production, becoming the largest maple syrup producer in NS; it’s sold internationally to many countries as well as at our local grocery.
While Chris and Anna have some sugar maple forest of their own, the largest source of sap for Hutchinson’s maple products will be cut off when their Crown lease expires given the refusal from NS DNR to renew it. The entire boiler operation will have to be torn down and moved. The sap lines removed.
And what will happen to these public maple forests?? They are remarkably healthy and full of large foliose lichens that many of us admired on our visit. My guess is that most of the maple will be eventually chipped for biomass – we keep hearing the greenwashed messaging of ‘green energy’ obtained from burning wood and production of renewable jet fuel when it isn’t beneficial at all toward mitigating climate change unless strict caveats are met. Trees are more useful toward mitigating climate change when they can be left standing in the woods, surely a major benefit of maple syrup operations.
Whatever happened to Lahey’s recommendation that Crown wood be used for the highest value products? Has Houston even read the Lahey recommendations? My MLA had most certainly not read the report the last time I checked.
Just a few bottles of Hutchinson’s Maple Syrup – the one with the Nova Scotia Loyal tags – remained on the shelf today at Sobeys in Halifax. Hutchinson’s is clearly a favourite brand.
Pathetic. Idiotic…. Nope! Not even those words suit this latest ill-informed decision.
In the meantime, let’s enjoy maple syrup from our Crown lands while we can.
And a delicious coffee or maple latte purchased from the actual ‘coffee barista’ employed at the Hutchinson’s Lake Paul coffee drive through!
UPDATES
Apr 30, 2026:
N.S. maple syrup farm locked in legal battle with province over land lease
Ben Dornan · CBC News “A Nova Scotia maple syrup farm says it is fighting to stay afloat after the province gave notice to the business, which largely operates on Crown land, that it had violated the terms of its lease agreement. Chris and Anna Hutchinson have operated Hutchinson Acres in East Dalhousie, N.S., for more than 14 years. Chris Hutchinson says they tap maple syrup on more than 1,000 hectares of leased Crown land in Kings County, which makes up 90 per cent of the farm. The other 10 per cent is on private land. They received 60 days’ notice to remove all equipment and vacate the land by May 2…Anna Hutchinson says they will continue to keep the business open regardless of what happens. She says they want to keep Hutchinson Acres products local but they’ll import maple syrup from other provinces if they have to. Natural Resources Minister Kim Masland didn’t specify what terms of the lease the company violated…In a statement Wednesday, Hutchinson Acres blamed the Natural Resources Department for its financial struggles that led to the loan default. The company didn’t explain that allegation, but its 2024 legal action against the province and Farm Credit Canada sheds some light on the claim. Hutchinson alleged in the suit that the department was “negligent and/or provided false representations which induced Hutchinson” to enter a lease with the province.In the suit, it also blames the FCC, poor weather in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic for its ongoing financial hardship. Masland did not comment on that claim as the matter is still before the court…”
Apr 29, 2026:
– Hutchinson Acres: WE ARE NOT IN RECEIVERSHIP
FB Post “Our suppliers and employees (around 20 families in total) have been and will be paid. This fact is a point of honour for all business owners, including Chris and me! Premier Houston, Minister Masland and MLA Palmer have issued statements with misinformation in response to posts on social media and our interviews with the media. They are claiming we are in receivership among other things, which we are disputing. We are continuing to work with our lawyers on our response. Thank you all for your support! “
– War of words escalates between evicted maple syrup farm owners, Nova Scotia government: ‘We dispute their claims’
By Willy Palov in the Chronicle Herald “The dispute between the embattled owners of a Nova Scotia maple syrup farm and the provincial government took another heated turn. Chris and Anna Hutchinson, who own Hutchinson Acres in Lake Paul, near Aylesford, have been given notice by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources their 10-year lease is being terminated and they’ve been instructed to vacate several hundred acres of Crown land by Saturday. Although they also operate on a parcel of their own land that makes up about 10 per cent of the overall 900 acres that they farm, the eviction from the government tract would be devastating to their business.Kim Masland, Nova Scotia’s minister of natural resources, wrote in a statement Tuesday, “The province maintained the leases for two years after the company was placed in receivership by its lender, giving the company more time to try to resolve the situation.” But under the supervision of their legal counsel, the Hutschinsons released a statement of their own Wednesday, saying that assertion is inaccurate. They also took issue with separate comments made by Premier Tim Houston and a social media post by Chris Palmer, the MLA for Kings West, who delivered similar messages to Masland’s. “Premier Houston, Minister Masland and MLA Palmer claim we have not been good partners, saying we failed to meet the terms of our agreement and stating they tried many times to work with us. We dispute their claims,” the couple’s statement read. “Since Day 1, we have operated in good faith, including meeting our financial “We are a healthy business, ready to grow, and no court has placed Hutchinson Acres into receivership, contrary to what the province has claimed…Court documents show that on May 8, 2024, the Hutchinsons had a debt of close to $2.5 million to Farm Credit Canada (FCC). The documents also show FCC turned the file over to a private receiver in November 2023. But that process does not necessarily mean an automatic progression to a collections or asset seizure stage, mainly because the Hutchinsons are working through the matter in the courts. In other words, if they lose their case, it can become what’s called a court-appointed receivership, and only then will the next phases of the insolvency process officially move forward. But if the Hutchinsons prove to the courts they have the capacity to be solvent and cover their debt requirements, the receivership designation may be removed…”
Apr 28, 2026:
Letter
– Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin MLA write letter to Minister asking questions, posted on her FB Page.
View letter at right.
– Chris Palmer, Kings West MLA’s Post on FB “As the MLA for Kings West, I am always saddened when any business has to make the tough decision whether it can continue to operate. I can assure my constituents that on multiple occasions I have worked to facilitate solutions and a good working relationship between Hutchinsons Acres and DNR. Here is a statement from the Department of Natural Resources in regards to the matter and I hope it can clarify some questions you may have. I have been advocating within government for the land in the area to continue to be productive for the maple syrup industry and recreational activity, and believe in the economic opportunities there.
Please see below a statement from Natural Resource Minister Kim Masland:�Nova Scotians and their government are proud to support our amazing local businesses and producers across the province. Nova Scotia Loyal started out as an economic development program promoting local growers, harvesters, crafters and manufacturers to build demand for local products and to put more money directly into the hands of our local producers. It has now become a movement with more than 2,000 Nova Scotia businesses signed up, including Hutchinson Acres. We hear the concerns from the public and understand because we also want to see our local businesses grow and succeed .
The Province gave notice that the Crown land leases held by Hutchinson Acres will end on May 2, 2026. This notice came after the company failed to meet the terms of its lease agreements. We tried on numerous occasions to work with the company to find a solution, but an agreement could not be reached. The Province maintained the leases for two years after the company was placed in receivership by its lender, giving the company more time to try to resolve the situation.
The overarching issue for the Hutchinsons is before the Courts and involves other parties beyond the Province of Nova Scotia. We expect the issue of whether Hutchinson Acres is entitled to any compensation to be decided by the Court.
We have seen some troubling misinformation circulating on social media. While we cannot comment further on the legal proceedings themselves, we can confirm the ending of the lease has nothing to do with alternative uses of the lands. Once the process ends, we will want that land to produce maple syrup, and it will go to tender.”
– 
Follow Hutchinson Acres on FB for more about the issue and their business. They wrote on Apr 27: “Neighbours, Nova Scotians, you do not disappoint. Wow. The amount of support Chris and I have received since Saturday is overwhelming. Our hearts are overflowing. You get it. Public lands can be used in productive and healthy ways. We can be an economic success story AND take care of the land. All of this is worth fighting for. Here is our plan…”
– ‘60 days to vacate the land’: Maple syrup producer in sticky battle with Nova Scotia
By Jonathan MacInnis for CTV News, Apr 28, 2026 ““We produce on a good year 75,000 litres,” says Chris Hutchinson, one of the owners. This year, however, could be the Hutchinson Acre’s last…For more than 20 years, they have been leasing Crown land from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). They’re currently two-to-three years into a 10-year lease, but three weeks ago they got a letter from the DNR telling them they had to get off the land by May 2…“The Province maintained the leases for two years after the company was placed in receivership by its lender, giving the company more time to try to resolve the situation,” she says. Masland’s statement was backed up by Premier Tim Houston. “My general understanding is that they had been leasing the land, there were some conditions to the lease maybe that weren’t met by the proponent so there’s some action being taken by the province,” he says. Anna Hutchinson says they have invested more than $2 million in their operation. For now, they say they’re not moving. “
– Nova Scotia government kicks family-owned maple syrup farm off Crown land, despite a long-term lease
By Willy Palov for the Chronice Herald, Apr 28, 2026 “…The Hutchinsons have taps in about 60,000 trees and they produce more than 75,000 litres of syrup per year, the most of any independent operation in the province. Just under two months ago, the government said the couple’s agreement was being torn up so the land could be repurposed. The Hutchinsons have been told to vacate by Saturday…“Supposedly we have to remove everything from the woods that day,” Anna said. “We’re frustrated and we’re kind of getting mad. But we also know this is our livelihood. We have no choice but to fight here. We can’t bring emotions into this. We have to do it logically. We have to do it legally, but we absolutely have to fight.” The couple said they were not given a detailed explanation why the lease is being scrapped, just a general reference to the health of the business…The Hutchinsons retained a lawyer and are exploring every legal option available to them to try to get the government to undo what they feel is a gross injustice.“We have a 10-year lease, and it wasn’t even at the end of the 10-year term,” Anna said. “But our lease has been so badly written because it was written for forestry, not for agriculture. There is a term in the lease that says that, at any time with 60 days’ notice, they can terminate the lease. We’ve been fighting that for 20 years, trying to say, ‘OK, listen, this doesn’t make sense. We can’t do things this way.’ But to no avail.”..“In January, there was a (trade) show with Gulfood in Dubai that the minister of agriculture went to and took my product to that show to showcase Nova Scotia-grown maple products,” Anna said. “A couple months later, the Department of Natural Resources said, ‘Sorry, no more.’ Well, that doesn’t make sense. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since that show was there about new and potential customers. Isn’t that the whole idea here, trying to grow Nova Scotia businesses?’” Kim Masland, Nova Scotia’s minister of natural resources, addressed the dispute in a statement Tuesday. “Nova Scotians and their government are proud to support our amazing local businesses and producers across the province. Nova Scotia Loyal started out as an economic development program promoting local growers, harvesters, crafters and manufacturers to build demand for local products and to put more money directly into the hands of our local producers. It has now become a movement with more than 2,000 Nova Scotia businesses signed up, including Hutchinson Acres. We hear the concerns from the public and understand because we also want to see our local businesses grow and succeed .“The province gave notice that the Crown land leases held by Hutchinson Acres will end on May 2, 2026. This notice came after the company failed to meet the terms of its lease agreements. We tried on numerous occasions to work with the company to find a solution, but an agreement could not be reached. The province maintained the leases for two years after the company was placed in receivership by its lender, giving the company more time to try to resolve the situation. “The overarching issue for the Hutchinsons is before the courts and involves other parties beyond the Province of Nova Scotia. We expect the issue of whether Hutchinson Acres is entitled to any compensation to be decided by the court.” The Hutchinsons wanted to express their gratitude for the community backing they’ve received the past few days. People have reached out and taken to social media to voice their outrage and demand better for the Valley entrepreneurs…”