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Posted by Richard Bell
January 14, 2020, 3:07 PM
Eastern Shore Cooperator
The Cooperator spoke with MP Sean Fraser about the provincial decision to make Owls Head available for sale. Fraser was just returning to his political duties after stepping back to deal with the tragic loss of his infant daughter.
Fraser looks at the Lighthouse Links Development Company’s proposal as yet another decision where striking a balance between economic development and protecting nature is at issue. He spoke fiercely about his personal commitment to protecting the environment: “I am absolutely committed to the protection of nature. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time working on protecting nature [he served a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment in the last Parliament.]”
He noted that the Liberal government is already committed to protecting 17% of Canada’s lands (higher than Nova Scotia’s current 13% target), and that during the most recent campaign, the Liberals promised to raise this target to 25% 2025 and 30% by 2030.
But thus far, he was excited by the economic potential of the Lighthouse Links proposal, provided it met all regulatory requirements. “It’s worth hearing out the investor to make sure they have a fair chance. As Central Nova MP, it’s been a project for me to identify opportunities for growth on the Eastern Shore, and tourism is one opportunity we should be pursuing. If you look at Eastern Shore, it got around 2% of NS’s total tourism revenue last year. When I drive the Shore, I can’t think of an area that’s much more beautiful. With a potential anchor tenant, the beneficiary won’t be just the owner of the golf courses, but all the other tourism operators on the shore, from coffee shops to camp sites to little restaurants.”
