Save West Mabou Beach Provincial Park

West Mabou Beach Provincial Park, Courtesy of the Province of Nova Scotia

We remain concerned about “Owls Head 2.0,” a.k.a., West Mabou Beach Provincial Park. Twice in the past five years, locals have had to stand up for the park when private interests tried to take it for their own. But we can’t afford to keep going through this each time there’s a new government or a wealthy developer sets their eyes on one of our protected areas. Nova Scotia needs to update, strengthen, and clarify the Provincial Parks Act in order to save our parks once and for all—and save us a lot of headaches along the way.

Urge the Province to Amend the Provincial Parks Act:
https://ecologyaction.ca/tell-province-amend-provincial-parks-act

Golfer vs. Plover — a Nova Scotia Classic by Bruce MacKinnon

Super Speedy Email List

TO: PREMIER@novascotia.ca
CC: mindnr@novascotia.ca, Minister.Environment@novascotia.ca, + YOUR MLA

Find Your MLA: 
https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles-table

Find Your Electoral District: 
https://enstools.electionsnovascotia.ca/edinfo55/Location.aspx#mainTableInfo

Key Points, Courtesy of the Ecology Action Centre:

  • 86 per cent of Nova Scotia’s coastline is privately owned. Only 5 per cent of the coast that is protected public land.  
  • The West Mabou Beach Provincial Park is an important part of our provincial Parks and Protected Areas network. It has been protected for over 20 years.  
  • Development is precisely what these special places are protected from.  
  • Nova Scotia has a legislated commitment to protect 20 per cent of our lands and water by 2030. Giving away land that is already protected would be going backwards and will make reaching this goal next to impossible.  
  • Cabot was turned down by the Nova Scotia government with a similar proposal in 2018. A proposal in 2000 from a different developer was also rejected. 
  • Cabot has significant financial resources. If they wish to develop another golf course, they are welcome to buy private land for their private development – just like everybody else.  
  • The provincial government must be firm and make it clear to Cabot and all private developers that our provincially protected Parks and Protected Areas are not for sale – period. 
  • If the provincial government entertains this request, they will be going down a slippery slope which would open all of Nova Scotia’s Parks and Protected areas to such requests. 
  • If protected public lands are only protected until a private company wants them, then none of them are really protected at all. 
  • If the provincial government were to give away this or any of our protected public lands to private developers, they would be breaking a crucial trust with the public.     
  • Crown lands, including our protected public lands, belong to all Nova Scotians.  
  • If the Houston government approves Cabot’s request it would set a terrible precedent and will encourage more private developers to go after more of our Parks and Protected Areas network.  

Relevant Reading (and Listening):

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