It’s a matter of trust

Both sides in the ongoing controversy that surrounds Northern Pulp have drawn lines in the sand. Northern Pulp says it will likely be forced to shut down if they can’t pump its treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait, while on the other side, hundreds of fishermen and their families, among other stakeholders such as tourism operators, are adamantly against risking the environment and the fishery that has sustained families for generations.

It really does come down to a matter of trust. Can we trust an industry, government and science that once promised us that the environmental impacts of the pulp mill would be minimal but in the end created the polluted Boat Harbour?

In a situation such as this, no company could say with certainty that there would be no environmental hardship. But even if it were possible to make such a claim, what would be acceptable enough that would make the fishing industry willing to roll the dice on their futures and their prior investments? Five per cent? Ten?

The fishing industry wants a firm guarantee. But there is no guarantee. There never is.

Fishermen are going to rally their boats together on Friday in Pictou Harbour, promising to “put on a show,” as Northumberland Fisheries Association president Ron Heighton told The News last week.

They want to raise awareness, they want to get the federal government to get involved in the process, and seem to be unwilling to let the Province of Nova Scotia take the lead on this one, quite possibly because the province has let us down before with respect to past dealings with the pulp mill, under various ownerships.

When the pulp mill opened back in the late 1960s, it provided hundreds of good jobs, and still does, not to mention the various spinoff employment opportunities that are part and parcel with such an operation, jobs that affect not just the people in Pictou County, but in other areas of the region.

There are no 100 per cent guarantees in this situation. No one can say without a doubt that the effluent will not have an impact on the environment or fisheries, just like no one can say the fish will always be plentiful.

But can we as a larger community get to a level of trust in ourselves as pulp mill employees, fishermen, environmentalists and be opened to working together with the best interests of all in mind to solve the problem?

In the end, it is a much better approach than drawing lines of unyielding opposition in the sand.