Protest on land and sea
Thousands against effluent pipe going into Northumberland Strait
Signed, sealed and delivered. If the intent of the #No Pipe Land and Sea Rally in Pictou Friday was to send a message to government and Northern Pulp that people will not tolerate a treated effluent pipe going into the Northumberland Strait, organizers realized their goal.
“We are strong, we are united and we are stubborn,” said Ronnie Heighton, president of the Northumberland Fishermen’s Union. “We don’t like to be bullied, we don’t like to be lied to and treated like our knowledge doesn’t matter.”
Thousands of people on the water and marching in the streets took part in the two hour #No Pipe Land and Sea Rally that organizers hope will send a message to the federal government that it needs to step in and conduct its own assessment rather than leaving it in the hands of the provincial government.
The province says Boat Harbour must be closed by 2020 and a new treatment system for the mill must be in place, which led to plans by the company to pump treated effluent to the strait. The province has agreed that a 30-day class one environmental assessment is the right way to proceed once Northern Pulp files its plans for its new treatment plant and pipe, but fishermen and their supporters say a more rigorous environmental study is needed by the federal government.
In order for the federal government to become involved, organizers say there must be a solid expression of public concern so fishermen and support groups such as Friends of the Northumberland and the First Nations community have hosted local rallies in the past as well as encourage everyone to write their own letters of the concern.
Friday’s rally drew national media attention and started with boats coming from Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick joining Nova Scotia fishermen the mouth of Pictou Harbour.
Boats could be seen coming in all directions as they gathered at noon and the chatter over the radio was steady with communication about the rally itself or chants of “No Pipe.”
At one point, fishermen took to their mics and reported where they were coming from so local fishermen knew they had support outside their zone. When they entered the harbour, led by boats from Pictou Landing First Nations, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, they circled close to the shoreline of Northern Pulp that acted as a backdrop to the rally.
The fishermen were joined on the waters by people in kayaks and canoes and cheered on as people lined the banks of the harbour.
Other participants came by car, bus and foot to march with land supporters through the streets as they waved placards and shouted, “No Pipe, No Way” and other chants in their 10-minute walk to the waterfront.
It was evident from early on that the day was going to be large, especially when a bus pulled off the local ferry and into parking lot where people were gathering to march.
“We rolled in from P.E.I.,” said Mary Moore-Phillips from Lennox Island First Nations. “There are cars and trucks and a boat coming from Prince Edward Island. We are all here for a good cause to save our waters.”
She said a boat of supporters left Lennox Island at 3 a.m. so it would be in Pictou for the noon start time while their chief would be leading the way with other First Nations leaders from across the Maritimes.