For Immediate Release
August 6, 2021
K’jipuktuk (Halifax): Mi’kmaw Grandmothers and members of the grassroots “Save Owls Head” movement will be hosting a rally at Victoria Park in Halifax on August 7 at 1:00 PM, calling on Nova Scotian voters to protect our provincial land and parks at the ballot box.
“We are demonstrating on behalf of people and parks across the province,” said Sydnee McKay, the founder of the Save Owls Head Provincial Park Facebook group. “The citizens of Nova Scotia want a government that truly cares about protecting our environment, not a government that’s willing to sell off our parks in secret deals with American billionaires.”
“The fight to save Owls Head Provincial Park is mobilizing voters all across the province because the Liberal government has put parks at risk in communities across Nova Scotia,” said Lindsay Lee, one of the leaders of the Facebook group. We know from the last election that small numbers of committed citizens can have a big impact. This issue could make the difference in some critical ridings. Our Facebook group has more than 9,300 members, and the online petition has 31,000 signatures so far.”
“The fact that the Mi’kmaw Grandmothers came from as far as Eskasoni (Cape Breton) to be with us here today is a powerful statement,” McKay said. “We are honoured to be with our Mi’kmaw allies. Together, we are taking a stand.”
According to Mi’kmaw Grandmother Elizabeth Marshall, “our broken relationship with nature is putting the lands and waters at risk. I never thought I’d see the effects of climate change in my lifetime. The environment is already in crisis. If we don’t treat what we have as precious, what will be left for our grandchildren? That is why I got involved in this fight.”
In 2018, the Liberal government agreed to delay consultation with the Mi’kmaq and the general public at the behest of the American billionaire who wanted to buy the land in secret. Marshall knows that there is a better way forward for Nova Scotia, “If we act with love and according to our beliefs, then I know we’re going to get stronger and be successful in the end. I have never fought a battle for the land and water and lost. I have full faith we’re going to win for Owls Head Provincial Park.”
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