RCMP charge men for arson, assault

Nova Scotia RCMP have arrested and charged two men for incidents last week in the southwestern part of the province following a lobster fishing dispute between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers.

A Digby County man was charged in relation to the alleged assault Wednesday of Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Michael Sack in New Edinburgh.

Meteghan RCMP charged 46-year-old Chris Gerald Melanson with assault following his arrest on Friday evening.

Melanson was released from custody on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Digby Provincial Court on Dec. 21.

The Wednesday incident followed a violent confrontation the day before when the band reported commercial fishers swarmed and vandalized a New Edinburgh buyers’ facility, and a vehicle was set on fire.

On Saturday, RCMP arrested Michael Burton Nickerson, 31, of Yarmouth County and on Sunday charged him with arson, damage of property regarding the vehicle fire.

Nickerson has been released from custody and is due to appear in Digby Provincial Court on Dec. 21.

RCMP are also investigating the overnight fire that destroyed a Middle West Pubnico lobster pound used by Mi’kmaq fishers early Saturday morning.

The building was not occupied at the time and no employees were harmed.

“This should never have happened and the people responsible should be brought to justice,” Sack said in a statement Saturday morning.

“I do believe with the proper police presence however this could have been avoided.”

Yarmouth County RCMP report one man is in hospital with life-threatening injuries and is considered a person of interest in relation to the blaze, which has been called suspicious by police.

RCMP say they have a significant presence in the area including officers from across the province and officers from P.E.I. who have specialized training in de-escalation and crowd control.

Tensions in southwest Nova Scotia have grown in recent weeks in an ongoing conflict over First Nations’ rights to a moderate livelihood fishery and the commercial lobster industry’s desire for greater Department of Fisheries and Oceans regulation of that fishery.

“I do believe with the proper police presence however this could have been avoided.” Chief Michael Sack