Letter to the Editor
Submitted by Lindsay Lee
The Chronicle Herald
January 7, 2020
Read on the Chronicle Herald’s website
Bill Black’s Jan. 2 column, “Rankin’s policies tack far to the left of McNeil,” includes a brief but untenable statement about Owls Head Provincial Park. “Noting the significant level of local support, he (Iain Rankin) believes that an environmentally sensitive proposal for a golf resort at Owls Head could be approved.”
It’s absurd to claim that an environmentally friendly golf course is possible in this location, as it would raze the biodiverse wetlands and rare plant ecosystems.
Moreover, Black and Rankin have both decidedly ignored the unprecedented betrayal of public trust, the absolute disregard for public consultation with Nova Scotians, and the dangerous precedent this sets for all of our green spaces.
Perceived “local support” cannot retroactively make secretly delisting a provincial park reserve OK. It’s premature to presume the level of local support, as the government has still not conducted any consultations, locally or provincially.
Even if there were unanimous support across Nova Scotia (and there most certainly is not), it still wouldn’t excuse our government for spending three years preparing to secretly delist Owls Head Provincial Park behind the backs of its own citizens. The truth is, our provincial government removed a provincial park reserve from a provincial protection plan. Delisting the property is, therefore, a provincial issue. The delisting and possible sale of this parkland — which many reasonably believed to be protected — has the power to set a dangerous precedent for our nature reserves, provincial park reserves, and wilderness areas. Certainly, that affects all Nova Scotians.
Lindsay Lee, Halifax