Owls Head from the air

Letter: Unfinished Homework by Lindsay Lee

Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin teased that he’d be making an “exciting announcement” on Monday. Here are some truly exciting announcements that he could (and should) have made before declaring his intention to run for premier

  • That Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve would be rightfully reinstated to Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan. 
  • That Nova Scotia would protect all of the properties in Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan.
  • That Lands and Forestry would adopt ecological forestry by reducing clearcutting, protecting old-growth forests, introducing a silent season to protect nesting birds, and finally, implementing the recommendations of the Lahey report. 
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RICHARD BELL: Owls Head Sale Opponents Back in Court

Richard Bell
Eastern Shore Cooperator
August 23, 2020

Full Article Here>

Opponents of the proposed sale of Owls Head Provincial Park to an American billionaire took the next legal step forward on August 18 with the filing of an amended version of their January request for a judicial review. A hearing to set a date for the full judicial review will take place on September 23, although the trial itself will probably not take place until 2021.

The amended petition challenges two different secret decisions by Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin:  the decision to de-list the park on March 13, 2019 and the decision to entertain a Letter of Offer with the golf course developer on December 19, 2019.

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MICHAEL GORMAN: Owls Head land sale put on hold as potential buyers explore their options

Michael Gorman 
CBC News
February 19, 2020

Editor’s Note: At the time of this article (February 2020), the Gilberts have not withdrawn from the Letter of Offer. Furthermore, the provincial government has made no indication that they will be protecting this property. On the contrary, Iain Rankin has said, “At this juncture, [Owls Head] was removed from potential protected areas, and there’s no plans to change that.

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Couple says the decision comes ‘after reflecting on feedback from Nova Scotians’

The couple that wanted to buy Crown land in the Little Harbour, N.S., area for a proposed golf course development has hit pause on the plan.

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