Letters to the Editor

Letter: Loss of Trust

In a province now dotted with yard signs, there’s one in particular that the Liberal party should take heed of: “Stop the Gov’t Sale, Save Owls Head Provincial Park.”

Premier Iain Rankin is portraying himself as the candidate who will tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. But during his tenure as minister of Lands and Forestry, he endorsed a clandestine deal: offering to sell a biodiverse park to an American developer, who plans to grind it into sand (seriously). 

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By Lindsay Lee, ago

Help Save Owls Head Provincial Park

Take a moment and think of your favourite park. Maybe it’s a hiking trail, a coastal area, part of a snowmobile network, or a great spot for a family picnic.

Now imagine how you would feel if that park suddenly disappeared. What if your elected officials decided that your recreational spaces, the environment, and public fairness were all less important than catering to a rich developer?

That’s precisely what happened with Owls Head Provincial Park on the Eastern Shore. Our government officials orchestrated 3 years of secrecy at the behest of a billionaire in order for him to buy 5 miles of publicly owned shorefront (for a mere $216,000).

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By Save Owls Head, ago

Letter: Bad Decisions

When admitting to his 2003 DUI, Premier Iain Rankin has stated that he made a “bad decision.” He is to be commended for admitting that fact. However, there are a number of other bad decisions that he cannot, will not admit to, including:

Sale of Owls Head approved by him as minister of environment and notice of sale not acknowledged until months later when dug up by journalist. Bad decision.

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By Save Owls Head, ago

A Nova Scotia voter’s quest for a more thrivable economy

Celes Davar owns the tourism company Earth Rhythms. He lives in West Brooklyn.

As we approach a provincial election, I’m reflecting on what’s been changing in our immediate reality: climate change with severe weather impacts like more intense hurricanes in the fall; reduction in biodiversity with continued clear-cutting forestry practices; proposed habitat destruction such as the secret cabinet back-room deal to sell Owls Head provincial park to a billionaire developer to build golf courses and luxury homes while provincial policies seem to simultaneously advocate for sustainability and carbon energy reduction.

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By Save Owls Head, ago

Letter: Revolving Door

Contributed by Gillian Thomas
July 3, 2021
The Chronicle Herald

Originally published here>

Jim Vibert’s column (June 16, “Freedom of Information: Premier’s Response Hard to Swallow“) is a reminder that much needs to be done to free Nova Scotia politics from its unsavoury past.

A decade ago, in the wake of the M.L.A expense scandal, The Globe and Mail observed that, “ Nova Scotia was once known as a province where vote-buying and personal enrichment by politicians was accepted, even expected.” In the same article, Herald columnist Ralph Surette suggested that his home province was not necessarily more corrupt than other provinces but that “it hung on longer and was deeper here.”

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By Save Owls Head, ago

Letter: Release Information

Contributed by Angela Poirier
The Chronicle Herald
May 15, 2021

Originally published here>

Re: “Proponent of Owls Head golf development has acquired more than 20 area properties,” May 2.

Karen White, publicist for the proponents of this project, says, “It is unfortunate that so much misinformation is clouding an objective view of the project.” I would like to think that objective analysis would come from government and not the developer’s side of the house.

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By Save Owls Head, ago