Cape Breton ‘decline’ column earns a rebuttal

Does Adrian White really believe that Cape Breton residents have myopic vision or, in other words, that we can’t see the forest for the trees? He also states in his most recent column (‘Can we stop Cape Breton’s frightening decline’, Cape Breton Post, Oct; 23) that we have a nasty attitude and it’s our fault that Cape Breton hasn’t reached its full potential.

Let me correct some of his fallacies.

White starts his ramble citing 1970s school enrollment data and claiming that the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Board (CBRSB) had 41,000 students at that time. Actually, the CBVRB didn’t exist in 1970. Sydney and the surrounding towns had their own school board with Cape Breton County having the largest enrollment. He is correct when he talks about the overall population decline around the island, but he leaves out the fact that people aren’t having large families anymore.

White continues by writing about the negative connotations that surrounded the announcement of 44 jobs in New Waterford. I believe he missed the point on that completely. People are happy with the new jobs, but the jobs, based upon what was written in the Post on Oct. 10, were already taken by the time the announcement was made public.

White even takes a swipe at some councilors, insinuating that the reason some expressed reservations to the new library was only to rally their voter bases. Ouch!

He then gives us an economic lesson in declining revenue/taxation base, but stops short of reminding us of all the big companies who closed up shop when the government subsidies dried up.

Now turning to the issue involving Kameron Coal, it is very obvious that White definitely needs to stop using alternative facts. Perhaps he was south of the border too long. Kameron Coal doesn’t have a permit to construct a pier in Port Morien. As of September, the American-based company hadn’t applied for a permit to construct a pier. Fishermen have asked for verification of whether new permits have been issued.

Yes, there are many wharves/ breakwaters around the island and the fishermen are allowed to fish in and around them all. Perhaps we can forgive White for not knowing that Kameron Coal’s plan for Morien and Mira Bay includes a huge exclusion zone in which no fishing will be allowed. Yes, coal peppered the beaches around this area for decades, but the problem is barging. The foreign-owned company wants to transfer coal to large freighters in Mira Bay. How much coal spillage into these bays would be an acceptable level for White? It’s easy enough to spew his thoughts when his livelihood isn’t at risk.

White seems more concerned over Kameron Coal’s profit line than the fishing industry that has survived for 300 years in our area. This survival was against all odds. Remember the 1990s ground fish closure?

That was a prime example of government not listening to the fishermen, Yes, Mr. White we need to celebrate success and I would suggest that you start by celebrating the tenacity of the fishermen and their communities who have stuck it out through the hard times.

Finally, we don’t need a fairy to magically appear to fix things for us. What we do need are people who know their facts and engage truthfully with the community. No nasty attitudes or myopic vision here. Josephine Kennedy Bateston