Nova Scotia residents and tourists could take part in many activities that would allow them to be active in the present environment. Camping, diving, kayaking, bird-watching and hiking are becoming more attractive to more people than golf. All of this could be made available, while maintaining ownership for present and future Nova Scotians.
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Re: Bill Black’s March 20 column, “Give golf course bid at Owls Head fair shot.” Give them a “fair shot,” Bill? Right between Nova Scotians’ eyes, maybe!
Mr. Black certainly has a way with numbers, but in his one-sided defence of the sale of Crown land, he neglects to mention the biggest number of all: the fact that at a time when real estate prices are rapidly rising, our government is doing its sneaky best to sell our Owls Head Provincial Park, without any consultation, to two wealthy Americans for a paltry C$326 an acre!
I can see it now on CNN Breaking News: “Nova Scotia’s dumb government is doing its utmost to sell its priceless waterfront parkland to Americans for only US$238 an acre.”
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If the public land is destroyed, do folks really believe that the golf course owners will let you wander down the fairways? Do they really believe that buyers will flock to purchase very high-end houses or stay in swanky hotels built around the “links”?
Picture this as you tee up, preparing to drive a long one down to the rocky cliff: The fog is so thick your caddie pulls out his GPS to show you where and how far to aim. After a few practice swings, you step up to the ball, take a deep breath, and after swallowing a dozen or more blackflies, you cough and spit up all you can as you try to steady yourself and catch your breath.
Harsh words have been spoken. Neighbours have been pitted against each other. The Owls Head/Little Harbour community and concerned Nova Scotians are divided.
Was this the ultimate goal? By conducting business in secret and providing no consultation, the Nova Scotian government has created two sides.
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In view of Premier Iain Rankin’s recent statement to Steve Murphy in CTV News interview that “I would not be for a project that would have long-term adverse impact to a sensitive ecosystem,” it is astonishing that under his direction Owls Head Provincial Park would have been delisted as a protected area and that development of golf courses on the property, surely causing the aforementioned “adverse impact to a sensitive ecosystem,” would have been approved.
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Maritime Noon
CBC Radio
March 17, 2021
Topic: How to Make Rural Communities and Small Towns Better Places to Live
Listen on CBC Radio’s Website>
Peter Barss: Hi. I have two points to make, and they’re related. One is, I don’t believe that the preservation of our environment is at the top of the list of the government. The perfect example is Owls Head.
Re: “Secret Owls Head deal could haunt Rankin” (March 6 column by Jim Vibert). Nova Scotians need another golf course like a hole in the head! It appears we have approximately 65 golf courses in our province and one would think that would be enough, given our small land mass and population.
The people of Nova Scotia own Owls Head Provincial Park and we all have a stake in what happens to our Crown lands! I am extremely disappointed that Premier Iain Rankin, as former Minister of Lands and Forestry, delisted and planned to sell our asset without consultation with Nova Scotians. So much for transparency! Is this going to be his modus operandi?
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Dear Premier Iain Rankin,
Thank you for paving the way for wealthy visitors, and perhaps even some Nova Scotians of modest means, to own ocean-front property at very affordable prices. The sales agreement you signed as Lands & Forestry minister with Lighthouse Links to sell Owls Head Provincial Park for $336 per acre is truly groundbreaking. Wow, 744 acres of lovely Nova Scotia coastal land for just $250,000. And the way you managed to keep the transaction away from prying eyes for nine months was wonderfully innovative. Too bad that nosy CBC reporter had to stick his oar in and blow your cover.