The starting point for this group was a CBC article by Michael Gorman. That article, on December 18, revealed that a secretive process was underway to remove Owls Head Provincial Park from the list of protected lands in the Nova Scotia Parks and Protected Areas Plan, and sell it to a private developer… reportedly for the development of three golf courses. It was revealed in that story that there was absolutely no public consultation nor scientific basis for removing the 661 acres of pristine coastal barrens from the protection and public ownership it had enjoyed for 45 years.
Isn’t it interesting that none of the replies from any of the Ministers or Liberal MLAs have even attempted to address the core concern: that a government was acting in secrecy and in violation of its own public commitments? On the contrary, they have responded aggressively and arrogantly, with lies and misinformation, telling concerned citizens that the 45 years that Owls Head was clearly represented as a provincial park was a “mistake.” They claim that they are within their rights to proceed with this deceitful denial of history and public consultation.
The government has moved, albeit ineptly, to try to remove all references to Owls Head Provincial Park from public websites. They have violated their own operating procedures, ignored the internal checks and balances of good governance, choosing instead to obscure their deceitful actions.
They are trying to divide the community along lines of the “environment vs the economy,” in the hopes that division will further hide their malfeasance. And that’s why I am giving the “Weasel Words Award” to the entire Nova Scotia Government Cabinet and MLAs. Shame on you all, you know better.
Stop the sale. Protect Owls Head Provincial Park.
