HALIFAX — Organizers behind a plan to establish North America’s first coastal refuge for captive whales say the Nova Scotia government has granted them approval to start construction on the province’s eastern shore.

The U.S.-based Whale Sanctuary Project says Premier Tim Houston’s cabinet has approved a recommendation to grant the organization a 20-year lease for 83 hectares of Crown lands and coastal waters near Wine Harbour, N.S.

The organization’s online announcement links to a cabinet order on a government website that confirms the approval, which Houston’s government had yet to announce by late Tuesday.

Project organizers say the approval means they can start building a huge, floating net enclosure for whales and dolphins retired from marine theme parks like Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ont.

They say the new lease also means the non-profit group can ramp up its private fundraising to pay for the $20-million project, which will require about $2-million annually to operate.

Charles Vinick, the project’s executive director, has said the proposed 40-hectare enclosure could hold up to 10 of Marineland’s 30 belugas, and he has suggested the refuge could open as early as next year.

But no whales or dolphins will be moved to the site until the Whale Sanctuary Project receives permits from the federal Fisheries Department and Transport Canada.

The Canadian Press