Mi’kmaq participants move away from construction site entrance for gas project

A protest organizer says Mi’kmaq participants have shifted away from the entrance of a construction site near proposed natural gas storage caverns in Nova Scotia.

Cheryl Maloney says the aboriginal opponents will focus their efforts now on asserting their fishing rights near the Alton Gas riverside construction site in Fort Ellis.

On Monday, a small group of aboriginal protesters and non-native opponents of the project set up a chairs, tables and a canopy at the front entrance of the site about 12 kilometres from the proposed storage caverns.

The construction site is the location where the proposed project would pump water from the tidal Shubenacadie River to underground salt caverns, and where briny water will be discharged back into the river.

Opponents argue the discharged water poses risks to fish species and the environment, while the company and the province say they have done studies to show the processes will not cause harm.

Premier Stephen McNeil has said Nova Scotians should be aware that the project by AltaGas only received approval after years of consultation and environmental review.