“He [Premier Rankin] has argued that he sees a way for golf courses and environmental protection to work hand in hand. That’s a bit tricky in this case. For anybody who is familiar with this land and has been out to see it, it’s hard to imagine a golf development without the land being basically carpet-bombed to make it appropriate for that type of a development.”
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“Our government identified the Owls Head property as a provincial park, but unfortunately, it did not follow through on the inherent promise of that title,” said Lee. “If Owls Head Provincial Park isn’t safe then none of these provincial parks that are awaiting formal designation are safe.”
“The government has a choice. They can either do this the easy way or they can do this the hard way,” said Tynette Deveaux of the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club.
(more…)Francis CampbellThe Chronicle HeraldApril 1, 2021 Full Article Here> Inside the courthouse, lawyer Jamie Simpson challenged Iain Rankin’s March 2019 decision, as then minister of lands and forestry, to remove 285 hectares of Crown property at Owls Head from the protected areas plan and to enter into sale negotiations that Read more…
GARY BURRILL: Mr. Speaker, today’s judicial review of the Premier’s action when he was the Minister of Lands and Forestry to move Owls Head from the list of parks and protected areas in preparation for a potential sale, is a judicial review that is drawing a lot of public attention. Why wouldn’t it?
Owls Head is one of 153 areas under the 2013 Our Parks and Protected Areas plan which have never officially been designated as protected, so it’s normal and natural for people to have questions and to be concerned now about the other 152.
“We’re saying that the minister ought to have let the public know and consulted the public before making the decision to remove Owls Head provincial park from the parks and protected areas plan, in other words to remove its status as protected public land,” said lawyer Jamie Simpson, who is representing applicants Bob Bancroft and the Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association in court.
“It’s been represented to the public as a provincial park for over 40 years and it’s been serving that role, doing what it was set up to do, that is protecting a special part of the province and a special habitat for wildlife and certain rare plants and species at risk.
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This does not bode well for the renewed promises on the environment that came out of the Liberal leadership race. I also read Bill Black’s puffery piece on Owls Head last week, and still fear for the outcome of that nefarious scheme. If it goes ahead, the messages will be clear: “Business as usual” and “Wealth Trumps all” — pun intended. Has this pandemic failed to teach us anything about looking after this planet and the public good?
(more…)K’jipuktuk (Halifax) – Judicial Review applicants Bob Bancroft & Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association will have their day in court on Thursday. In solidarity with the applicants, the grassroots “Save Owls Head” Facebook group is organizing a gathering of supporters outside the Law Courts at 9:30 AM on April 1, 2021.
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On April 1, the government of Nova Scotia will be arguing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in favour of its secret deal to remove Owls Head from the protected areas plan and sell the 700-acre public park to a private development company.
They are essentially fighting the public interest in favour of the American developer. It’s not a pretty picture, is it? A government forcing its citizens to fundraise and go to court to seek fairness, truth and transparency.
Ironically, the taxpayers are also paying the developer’s costs since the government has chosen to argue on his behalf. The government lawyers are paid by all the taxpaying public, not just the few who stand to profit privately from this development.
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