‘We’re going to be here every morning’

Boats to block effluent pipe survey efforts in Pictou Harbour

Fishing boats blocked Pictou Harbour Nov. 5 and were expected to remain there all week.

Fishermen were promising to continue the protest throughout the week to voice objections to Northern Pulp’s plan to put a pipe carrying treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait.

“It’s not going to be violent, we’re just going to block Pictou Harbour,” said fisherman Darryl Bowen. “If they come out, we’ll just get in front of them.”

In a phone interview, Bowen said the boats were on the water from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Nov. 5 and were expected to return every day this week.

“There was no sign of the boat this a.m., but we’d been hearing rumours that they’d be starting surveying this morning (Nov. 5),” he said. “We’re going to be here every morning.”

The protest action comes two weeks after Northern Pulp’s survey boat was turned around by fishermen.

Northern Pulp is trying to map the harbour to come up with a route to run its treated effluent pipe. The current effluent treatment facility, which empties into Boat Harbour, is required to close by January 2020.

Northern Pulp’s director of communications, Kathy Cloutier, has said that the survey boat isn’t currently in the water and also that the safety of the company’s employees and contractors is the number one concern.

RCMP Cpl. Ron Bryce has said that the RCMP are keeping an eye on the harbour.

“Everybody has the right to protest, of course, but we just want to make sure that cooler heads prevail and that everybody abides by the law, and that they’re safe on water and on the land.”