Say no to gold mining within our watersheds

To the Editor:

Northern Nova Scotia watersheds that supply communities from Tatamagouche to Wallace to Wentworth are being needlessly threatened by the Mcneil government.

Rather than protecting the precious resource of water, the provincial government is blindly promoting exploration for gold in the Cobequids.

It’s not as if we need the gold. Most gold is either stored as bars or used for jewelry. There is already plenty mined for uses such as medicine or electronics. Under today’s mining conditions, Oxfam America estimates that to produce a single gold wedding band generates 20 tons of mine waste. It is this waste, and the water and chemicals used to separate gold from this waste, that threatens watersheds.

In 2018, the model of development which brought us the Pictou pulp mill is no longer acceptable. Provincial government grants, tax rebates, and subsidized infrastructure helped earlier governments “lure” industries like the mill – leaving taxpayers with continuing costs and environmental damage while foreign owners reaped profits.

Yet, the Mcneil government pushes exactly the same outdated model, assuring us once again that they will insist on “best practices.”

In the case of community watersheds, “best practices” are obvious: don’t allow gold exploration or mining within our watersheds

Wilf Bean

Tatamagouche, N.S.