Mi’kmaq chief implores CBRM council to vote against Big Pond RV park

The chief of a Cape Breton First Nations community has spoken out against an RV park and campground proposed for Big Pond Centre.

“Don’t go around disturbing and destroying the land — we want to respect Mother Earth, that’s what it is all about,” said Wilbert Marshall, chief of the Potlotek (Chapel Island) First Nation.

Marshall made the comments at a public hearing held this week in Sydney on an application to rezone land in the rural community to allow for the project that, if approved, would see the development of a campground with as many as 541 fully serviced RV sites on a 109-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Bras d’or Lake about 40 km west of Sydney.

The Potlotek chief said the project could both damage the land and harm the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s relationship with the island’s Indigenous people.

During his appearance at the city hall hearing, Marshall applauded opponents of the undertaking who presented a variety of arguments against the project.

“I am glad the people did their homework because I don’t think this is a good fit,” he told the hearing that was attended by Mayor Cecil Clarke and all 12 CBRM councillors.

“If this goes through, you’re going to have a detrimental effect on the relationship with the First Nations on Unima’ki (Cape Breton) — Membertou, Eskasoni, Whycocomagh, Wagmatcook, Potlotek — this can’t go through, it’s too much of a risk and there is too much at stake.”

Even though Potlotek is located about 35 km west of Big Pond Centre, Marshall said the area is part of traditional Mi’kmaq land and that his community once extended from Port Hawkesbury to East Bay.

“There are certain medicines in the area there that our people still rely on,” he said.

CBRM council will address the developer’s land-use re-zoning application on Tuesday when it meets for its regular monthly meeting. But even if council votes in favour of the application, the developer must still meet provincial and federal criteria in regard to issues such as highway access, water usage and sewage disposal.