Merydie Ross is the NDP candidate for Lunenburg West
“We have all been shocked by the Liberal government supporting the secret sale of Owl’s Head to a foreign developer. As I run to represent Lunenburg West, I can’t help but worry about the future of natural spaces in our area.
Recently, Rachel Kendall, the popular South Shore @wildwetlands enthusiast, and I met at Cherry Hill Beach, here in Lunenburg West. Rachel’s advocacy around saving Owl’s Head from being secretly sold for development has garnered her local acclaim. Rachel worries that if Iain Rankin and the Liberal government could secretly sell Owl’s Head to developers, the Liberals could also secretly sell Cherry Hill Beach.
Please click to enlarge
In their pre-election announcement this spring, the Liberal government failed to include Cherry Hill Beach as a proposed protected area. A favourite local beach for many, Cherry Hill Beach is sensitive habitat for species at risk, including the iconic and endangered piping plover. Not only has the Liberal government failed to protect important natural spaces, like Owl’s Head and Cherry Hill Beach, but the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia ruled that the Liberals have failed to adequately protect species at risk.
By contrast, an NDP government would immediately move to protect all the remaining areas listed in the 2013 Parks and Protected Areas Plan, which includes Owl’s Head and Cherry Hill Beach. An NDP government would pass the Owl’s Head Act, preventing areas that are pending official protection, like Owl’s Head and Cherry Hill Beach, from being delisted without undergoing a public consultation process. The NDP would prioritize recovery plans for species at risk.
Nova Scotia should be a world leader in protecting our inland, coastal, and marine environments. With myself as your MLA and the NDP in government, we can become a future world leader in this and so many more ways.”
