April 4, 2006
Open-pit foes not buying revisions
Smaller Point Aconi dig part of "attempt to divide and conquer’
By TERA CAMUS Cape Breton Bureau

SYDNEY — Strip mining in Cape Breton got a little tougher Monday.

Natural Resources Minister Brooke Taylor placed a three-year development moratorium on 13 potential strip mine sites in Cape Breton but stopped short of a complete ban when he announced a scaled-back version of a surface mine in the works for Boularderie Island.

Pioneer Coal of Antigonish has so far received provincial industrial approval to develop a surface mine in Point Aconi, Mr. Taylor said. The proposed site, on 288 hectares of what is now mostly wetlands and forest near the defunct underground Prince mine, had been 42 per cent larger before Monday’s announcement and contains multiple shallow coal pits illegally dug by hand over the years.

But before extensive mining begins, Mr. Taylor said, company owner John Chisholm must apply for a permit, put a citizen liaison committee in place to serve as a watchdog and draft a list of mitigation measures to protect the environment.

He said the company must also provide a bond to the province to protect taxpayers should it leave the area in worse shape or fail to protect people, the land, the ocean, freshwater streams and wildlife once deeper digging and coal extraction gets into full swing.

"I can guarantee you it’s a significant amount and it’s enough to make sure that should the proponent default, there will be adequate finances in place to do the necessary remediation," said Mr. Taylor, who wouldn’t disclose the amount during a closed-door news conference at a Sydney hotel.

But residents don’t trust the plan and say the provincial controls won’t be enough to protect their drinking water or properties from harm.

"I guess it’s time for Plan B," vowed Boularderie Island resident Earl Cantwell, one of a dozen concerned residents unceremoniously kicked out of the hotel room before the conference began, at the request of provincial government staff.

"The only thing we’ll mention on Plan B is civil disobedience . . . blocking the roads, doing whatever."

Mr. Cantwell said although the ban on other projects was "good news" for other Cape Breton residents, "it does nothing for us and it’s probably part of (government’s) strategy to divide and conquer."

"The rumour is that Premier Rodney (MacDonald) is going for election in a few weeks and maybe this was a little peace offering to see if he can help his chances in Cape Breton but I think he utterly failed."

Mr. Taylor said Monday’s announcement was a cabinet decision reflecting a change in government’s leadership and direction and is based on both public concerns and environmental reports that show there are risks to developing strip mines. But he said mines can be worked safely and effectively with controls strictly enforced.

"We have a new premier in Nova Scotia and it’s very important to all Nova Scotia that we do land reclamation and surface mining correctly and we think we can make this particular site a flagship, so to speak," Mr. Taylor said of the lone Point Aconi site approved to move forward.

The decision by Cape Breton Regional Municipality to hire an environmental lawyer to apply for court injunctions to stop anything that resembles strip mining had nothing to do with Monday’s announcement, Mr. Taylor added. A special meeting of council is expected to be convened in the next week or so on the matter.

Environment Minister Carolyn Bolivar-Getson said tougher environmental regulations have been put in place to ensure things are done right.

"Over the course of the next three years, we’ll be able to see how land can be reclaimed in a positive fashion," she said, something other government officials admit hasn’t been successful in the past.

Socio-economic harm has also been identified as a potential repercussion in Point Aconi, she said, adding before the project gets into full swing, proponents must pay the province to hire extra staff to enforce environmental regulations.

Victoria-The Lakes MLA Gerald Sampson urged the province to include Point Aconi as part of its three-year ban.

"This is outrageous," the Liberal said in a release. "The residents of Point Aconi are being used as guinea pigs and that’s unacceptable. I strongly urge the government to finally take the concerns of the residents into consideration."

Mr. Sampson said he believes Monday’s announcement by the Conservatives is "nothing more than a smokescreen to allow the strip mining to continue at Point Aconi."

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