The Rick Howe Show
News 95.7
February 11, 2021
Host Jordi Morgan interviews citizens with differing views on Owls Head Provincial Park.
Owls Head Provincial Park, which had been slated for protection, was secretly delisted by the government of Nova Scotia. Elected officials had begun exploring the potential sale of this property 3 years before investigative journalist Michael Gorman alerted the public.
Disclaimer: In the interest of fairness and transparency, we have included all of the audio files and have transcribed all of the interviews. However, not all of the claims have equal merit. We’ve included a few suggested posts at the bottom of this page, which have verified information on the history and ecology of the park.
Interview with Megan Scheffers & Harvey Stevens
Megan Scheffers and Harvey Stevens speak on behalf of a group of residents that support the delisting, sale, and development of Owls Head Provincial Park. You can read the full transcript of their interview here.
“We want to build three separate courses. But you know, and I, and I want to be really, really clear on this Jordi. Like, when we say we are going to build these courses, we want to do this sustainably. Right now, you know, we are being challenged or all businesses are being challenged with these ecological issues and climate change. But we really want to do this. And we want to move forward doing this ethically, and environmentally friendly. And we want to protect the wetlands and the coastal barrens, and we are aware of the habitat for endangered species and the globally rare ecosystem. But we are going to do, or Mr. Gilbert is going to do, his utmost to take care of all of this because he is a philanthropist, and an environmentalist.”
Megan Scheffers
Christopher Trider’s Interview
“History is important […] So, this narrative that it never had any status, or that it’s un-granted Crown Land, or to try to ignore and brush aside this long history of protection, has incensed a lot of people. And I mean, thousands and thousands of people.”
Christopher Trider
Christopher Trider, co-administrator of the Facebook group Save Little Harbour/Owls Head, joins host Jordi Morgan to offer perspective on Owls Head Provincial Park. To read the full transcript of Christopher’s interview, please click here.
Calls from Listeners
“Let’s take a look at what we’ve been going through with COVID. And our government and Dr. Strang have been using science-based facts to get us through COVID. And Nova Scotia is number one in Canada, for our best results when it comes to COVID. So I strongly feel that we need to be using science-based facts when it comes to making these decisions for our environment, for the people of the next generation.”
Local resident Beverley Isaacs
“They’re looking for excuses. And most of these people, Jordi, do not live there. They’re just looking for a cause.”
Former mayor of Dartmouth, Gloria McCluskey
“I think that we need a major investment in the Eastern Shore. I just think that we need to be smart about how we do it, and to listen to the scientists who have done extensive research on this particular site, as well as the marine biologists who have been doing research on the offshore eelgrass beds.”
Lindsay Lee
“Certainly, they should have the golf course down, there is going to be a good revenue thing. It’s going to be great for Nova Scotia. […] I certainly don’t want to see one sliver of the ocean disturbed, eelgrass or whatever. So there must be a compromise there where you can put this golf course back far enough, enough controls on it that nothing, nothing goes into it. Because it should not be that close to even think of something going in there that harm the ocean.”
Bill (last name unknown)
“Your callers this morning have mentioned runoff from pesticides, runoff from siltation […] Another thing that hasn’t been mentioned, is fertilizer runoff. Because not only we have to worry about pesticides from the golf course, we have to worry about fertilizer and the impact that will have on the eelgrass.”
Craig (last name unknown)
Recommended Posts:
Timeline of Promised Protections
How Golf Courses Would Jeopardize Important Marine Ecosystems
CBC Radio Interview with Marine Biologist Dr. Boris Worm
The Important Biodiversity of Owls Head Provincial Park
Transcripts of these Interviews:
Megan & Harvey’s Interview
Christopher Trider’s Interview
Transcripts of Listeners’ Calls about Owls Head Provincial Park
