“The behaviour of the Liberal government has made Owls Head Provincial Park into an election issue. Our government – elected officials that we chose to represent us – orchestrated three years of secrecy. That decision benefited a private developer at the expense of the public, the environment, and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia. This disregard for a fair and transparent process has fractured trust in the government,” writes Lindsay Lee.
To: Rafah DiCostanzo
CC: Premier Iain Rankin
July 24, 2021
Dear Ms. DiCostanzo,
Even though Owls Head Provincial Park wasn’t a designated provincial park, it was represented as one for many years. In fact, Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan actually identifies Owls Head Provincial Park as an existing (not proposed) park. Justice Kevin Coady wrote:
The evidence on this motion clearly establishes that Owls Head was portrayed to the public as a Provincial Park. Government documentation and maps, going back as far as 1978, refer to the area as ‘Owls Head Provincial Park’.…The public had every reason to assume Owls Head was a provincial park and, therefore, attracted protections not available on Crown lands.
Simply by looking at the following list, would you (or more to the point: the average citizen) be able to tell me which of these HRM parks are legally protected?
Shubenacadie Canal Provincial Park
Wellington Provincial Park
Blind Bay Provincial Park
Elderbank Provincial Park
Spry Bay Provincial Park
Lake Charlotte Provincial Park
Mount William Provincial Park
Paces Lake Provincial Park
Portobello Provincial Park
The behaviour of the Liberal government has made Owls Head Provincial Park into an election issue. Our government – elected officials that we chose to represent us – orchestrated three years of secrecy. That decision benefited a private developer at the expense of the public, the environment, and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia. This disregard for a fair and transparent process has fractured trust in the government.
I’m extremely disappointed that the Liberal Party (to which I belong) has chosen to dig in its heels when it could become a true environmental leader by rectifying this situation. It’s not too late, but it soon will be. My vote – and many others across the province – depend on it.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Lee
Disappointed Liberal
PS: The answer to the question is that none of those “provincial parks” listed are designated. This is not just a problem in HRM. Across the province, parks awaiting designation are now in jeopardy due to the government’s decision to treat “Nova Scotia Lands Proposed or Pending Protection” like an à la carte menu for developers.
