Donkin Mine column misses the point
Re: ‘Donkin Mine is good for Cape Breton’, column in the Cape Breton Post, Oct. 13.
No one is disputing that Donkin Mine is good for Cape Breton. The dispute is Kameron Coal’s plan to transport the coal by barge. The concept of the pier and barging system for Port Morien and Mira Bay will create massive exclusion zones that will displace 100-plus fishermen.
Donkin Mine vice president Shannon Campbell’s assertions that fishermen were listened to during consultations is very misleading and our voices weren’t heard. According to Campbell’s column, he states that Kameron coal’s acquisition of Xstrata included all permits and approvals but according to documents signed by Sterling Belliveau (former NDP Minister of Environment) existing permits/approvals weren’t transferable. As of September, 2018, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources hadn’t received an application from Kameron to install a pier in Morien Bay.
The Environmental Assessment Approval that was signed in July 2013 is now outdated by today’s standards. A request for a meeting with Nova Scotia Environment Minister Margaret Miller and Energy Minister Derek Mombourquette has been sent.
Starting from day one with Xstrata, the fishing industry/communities have said that we wouldn’t support the pier/barge system but we do support the mine.
Campbell’s column letter says that rail is too expensive and time consuming to permit and build. In other words, Kameron’s bottom line is more important than protecting the fishing industry and our environment which has sustained this area when all other industries closed down. Kameron Coal and Campbell were well aware of the controversary with barging the coal when they acquired the mine four years ago. Why didn’t they start the process to install a rail line then? Is the damage to the fishing industry/ communities just the cost of doing business for Kameron?
Campbell fails to mention that now Kameron Coal wants to do seismic testing of the ocean floor. They want to blast air cannons through the water into the bedrock, damaging or destroying everything in its path. The hydro-carbons that would be distributed into the water column would choke the lobster, larvae and other marine life. Just think coal dust on miners’ lungs. Properties along the Mira Bay and in Mira River will also see the effect of coal dust washing along the shores and in the air.
Recently our province hosted the international G-20 Summit in Halifax. Environment ministers from all over the world attended. The ministers discussed the urgency of pollutants on the marine environment and steps that must be taken to protect the world’s water. To think that our government would allow this to happen in our waters is ludicrous.
Campbell continues his column by saying he’s a local boy and attended school here. Well, guess what? So did the fishermen and their crew. These same fishermen and their crew stood strong during the down years in the fishery but never gave up. They nurtured the fishery and now Campbell and his company want to displace and destroy the fishing grounds.
Finally, the importance of protecting the marine environment and adjacent communities should be given priority before a larger profit margin for Kameron Coal. Yes to the mine. No to the barge/ pier.