Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau said it's a good use of taxpayers' money to use available space. (CBC)

The provincial government plans to spend about $500,000 renovating part of the community college in Shelburne to make space for relocated fisheries workers.

About 15 aquaculture jobs are moving from Halifax to Shelburne early in the new year.

The workers will be placed in a 3,600 square foot office at the Nova Scotia Community College.

The government owns the NSCC building, so there's no lease cost. But operating costs will increase by $7,000 to $14,000 a year with the extra light and heat use.

The government is in the process of moving dozens of jobs from Halifax to other parts of the province.

The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, which represents the workers, said most of them will not move.

Under a protection guaranteed in their collective agreement, civil servants who refused relocation were given a list of vacancies from which to choose an alternative job.