France says no to retiring 2 orcas at proposed N.S. whale sanctuary
A proposed retirement home for marine park whales on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore has hit another hurdle.
France has denied an application to transport two orcas from Marineland Antibes to the site being proposed by the Whale Sanctuary Project, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, near Sherbrooke, N.S.
The Antibes park closed permanently this month and is legally bound to part with the whales by next December.
Célia de Lavergne, France's minister of ecological transition, said there were concerns if the sanctuary would be ready in time for the whales. That is according to a translated letter posted by the Whale Sanctuary Project online.
The minister said there were also concerns about a lack of contingency if the whales did not adapt to natural water temperatures quickly.
The Whale Sanctuary Project said it was unaware of concerns until Jan 20. By that time, a panel of scientific experts had already reached a decision.
"We are hoping that they will reconsider and come to the table and at least have a conversation with us about what's best for these animals," Lori Marino, president of the Whale Sanctuary Project, said Tuesday.
Marino said the project expressed interest in the two orcas — Wikie and Keijo — last April. She said the site in Barrachois Cove would have been ready for the whales this summer.
She said the goal was to bring them to Nova Scotia in the summer so they would have had several months to adapt before winter.
Project delays
Phil Demers, the co-founder of the advocacy group Urgent Seas, which is based in Toronto, said sanctuary is a good idea in theory. He said the Whale Sanctuary Project has lost supporters like him as delays persist.
"I think there does come a point where it becomes irresponsible and dangerous to suggest that you are a viable and a possible location for these whales when in fact you're not," Demers said.
The Whale Sanctuary Project has offered to cover the costs of care for the two whales to stay at Marineland Antibes until the Nova Scotia sanctuary is able to open.
Demers, a former marine mammal trainer, said the group should be focused on opening the sanctuary and not finding whales to use in fundraising.
'Another concrete tank'
Regardless, the two orcas in France are likely to end up at Loro Parque in Spain, according to Marino.
Neither the Marine Park or French ministry of ecological transition immediately returned requests for comment.
"They passed that law because they don't want to see these animals entertaining and concrete tanks. And now they're going to another concrete tank," she said.
"It isn't about us, it's about the whales."
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, and Transport Canada are working together on the regulatory considerations for the project.
Any application would be subject to provincial review to assess any potential ecological, disease and genetic risks, according to DFO.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Calgary Herald
2 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
RCMP union challenges bilingualism claim in province's Alberta Next survey
Article content The union representing RCMP officers is disputing that its members do not have the opportunity to advance to senior roles unless they speak French, as claimed in the preamble to a new Alberta government survey. Article content On Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith launched the province's 15-member Alberta Next panel along with corresponding online engagement questionnaires. Article content Article content Article content The panel is seeking feedback on measures Alberta could pursue to further assert itself against the federal government, with an initial focus on an Alberta pension plan, tax collection, immigration, constitutional changes, federal transfers including equalization, and a provincial police force. Article content Article content The panel's website has individual polls for each of those issues that can only be taken following a short animated video. Article content 'Because of French-language requirements, English-speaking Alberta officers do not qualify for senior RCMP positions,' states the narration for the video prior to the survey on a provincial police force. Article content The survey doesn't define what constitutes a senior position. Article content In a statement to Postmedia, the National Police Federation (NPF) president and CEO Brian Sauvé challenged the survey's claim. Article content 'As we've seen previously, the government of Alberta continues to mislead Albertans about the benefits of the Alberta RCMP,' he said. Article content Article content 'In its campaign, the government falsely claims that English-only members are barred from advancing to any senior ranks tied to government requirements. Unfortunately, this is yet another instance of the province spreading misinformation.' Article content The NPF is Canada's largest police union, representing 20,000 RCMP members, and has also been a longtime opponent of a potential provincial police force. Article content 'The National Police Federation is wrong,' reads a statement from Ellis's office. 'The RCMP has previously confirmed that all deputy and assistant commissioner positions in Ottawa are designated bilingual, as are senior positions held by civilians within senior staff.'
Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
RCMP union challenges bilingualism claim in province's Alberta Next survey
Article content The union representing RCMP officers is disputing that its members do not have the opportunity to advance to senior roles unless they speak French, as claimed in the preamble to a new Alberta government survey. On Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith launched the province's 15-member Alberta Next panel along with corresponding online engagement questionnaires.
Canada Standard
17 hours ago
- Canada Standard
European NATO states wary of buying US arms Bloomberg
Allies are reportedly put off by Trumps coercive rhetoric and rapprochement with Russia European NATO members have expressed growing unease about increasing their reliance on US weapons amid a sweeping rearmament push, Bloomberg has reported on Friday. During a summit in The Hague this week, NATO states committed to raising military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 to counter what they described as a "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security" - a claim that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Concerns have reportedly emerged about deepening dependence on the American defense industry, particularly under the leadership of President Donald Trump. According to Bloomberg, leaders fear they could be exposed to greater risks, especially in light of Trump's efforts to improve ties with Russia and past threats to annex allied territory. Boosting reliance on US arms has become "an increasingly hard sell at home," the outlet noted. French President Emmanuel Macron has long championed the idea of securing greater defense autonomy for European NATO states, urging the development of a self-sufficient military industrial base. Canada, a key NATO ally, is reportedly reconsidering its involvement in the US-led F-35 fighter jet program and may switch to Swedish alternatives. "We should no longer send three-quarters of our defense capital spending to America," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated earlier this month. Copenhagen has also displayed some resistance, telling Washington that American arms deals have become "politically difficult" given Trump's suggestion that the US annex Greenland, which is currently controlled by Denmark, Bloomberg reported. READ MORE: NATO summit grim sign for Kiev NYT Unease in the alliance has also been stoked by Trump's move to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine earlier this year. According to unnamed officials cited by Bloomberg, this decision "alarmed allies," as it raised concerns over how much control the US might wield over weapons exports in the event of a crisis. Nevertheless, a lack of viable domestic alternatives continues to bind European nations to US suppliers, according to the outlet. Decades of underinvestment have left Europe's defense manufacturing capacity underdeveloped. As a result, countries will likely keep buying American equipment to meet rearmament targets, particularly as stockpiles have been depleted by shipments of military aid to Ukraine. Moscow has condemned the EU's militarization trend and arms transfers to Kiev, characterizing the conflict as a NATO proxy war. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed NATO's concerns of Russian aggression as "nonsense," instead blaming the alliance's expansion and "aggressive behavior" for escalating tensions. (
