Letter to the Editor
Contributed by Pamela Baker
The Chronicle Herald
February 18, 2020
I have been a Liberal voter all my life. Not a passive bystander, I have worked on six Liberal campaigns, both federal and provincial, in Ontario, P.E.I., and here in Nova Scotia. Much of my faith in the candidates whom I have supported has been rooted in the same ideology that has driven me in my career and my day-to-day life: fairness, transparency, logic, and compassion.
The last few weeks have made me question the bedrock of my belief system. As the Owls Head/Little Harbour story has unfolded, I have wondered why the Liberal government of Nova Scotia has acted in a way that is so blatantly against all the tenets of good government. Why have our elected officials (including our MLA and MP) known about this proposal for several years, yet never shared this with constituents nor held public meetings? Why do they claim this wealthy foreigner “is a genuine person who cares about the community” yet almost no one who lives in this area knew what was happening? Why is this same individual buying up every house that comes up for sale in the immediate area? Why is it that the cabinet minister who should be protecting our lands and forests is pushing for these golf courses to be built on a rare ecosystem?
And why is the developer’s company, Lighthouse Links, setting up the consultation? Should this not have been done prior to any discussion of a deal and conducted by a third party?
A MAGA hat with America scratched out to read “Make Owl’s Head Great Again” heads a Facebook page of fewer than 200 people supporting this proposal. Yet, there are over 3,000 members on [the Save Owls Head/Little Harbour] Facebook page. Most of the 3,000+ are neither against development nor golf courses; their despair is about how this “deal” was done: the secrecy and the environment it destroys.
