Latest news with #HantsCounty
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Hants County, N.S., residents rally to oppose uranium mining in the region
A Hants County, N.S., resident who planned a weekend meeting to discuss uranium mining in the area says residents in attendance voiced concerns about potential environmental and health harms and a lack of government consultation. Sarah Trask, who lives in the community of Vaughan, N.S., said in an interview Monday the community meeting to discuss proposed uranium mining in nearby Millet Brook filled a local fire station Saturday. 'The response was overwhelming,' she said, adding that the goal of the meeting was to bring information about uranium mining to the community 'because the province hasn't consulted with us.' The provincial government added uranium to its list of priority critical minerals May 14, and it issued a request for exploration proposals for three sites with known deposits of the heavy metal. Companies interested have until June 11 to submit their proposals. The locations are: an 80-hectare site in Louisville in Pictou County; a 64-hectare site in East Dalhousie in Annapolis County; and a 2,300-hectare site in Millet Brook in Hants County. Much of these areas fall on private land. The government has previously said companies selected by the province would have to seek permission from landowners to explore. However, Section 26 of the province's Mineral Resources Act allows the natural resources minister to intervene if there is a stalemate. The province did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Trask said speakers at Saturday's event included a municipal councillor, a Mi'kmaq elder, two members of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and local residents. Some of these speakers voiced concerns that uranium exploration could result in potential water contamination or exposure to radon gas and radioactive dust. Trask said a project with such a high potential for risk should require extensive consultation. 'The province hasn't consulted with anyone, including First Nations and our municipalities. Usually we would hear these things through our municipal government, but these conversations just weren't had, which I feel is quite shocking,' she said. The Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi'kmaw Chiefs has repeatedly voiced concerns about government's lack of consultation with its communities as Nova Scotia pushes to develop natural resources. Legislation passed in March lifted a full ban on uranium exploration and mining that had been put in place in 2009, although there had been a moratorium on such activities since 1981. Premier Tim Houston has said the legislative changes were needed to help the province withstand economic challenges from American tariffs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
CBC
02-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Hants County residents voice concerns over 'undesirable' uranium mining proposal
Uranium mining in Hants County is such a hot-button issue there wasn't room for everyone who showed up at a meeting over the weekend. More than 100 people attended the meeting in Vaughan, N.S., on Saturday to learn more about the Nova Scotia government's plans for uranium exploration in the province and, for many, voice their opposition to any potential mining. "We believe there's no safe way to operate a uranium mine this close in proximity to an established community," said Chad Pothier, who was born and raised in the area and helped organize the meeting. The community is right next to one of three areas the province wants to open for uranium exploration after it lifted a ban on the practice earlier this year. Those areas include a 64-hectare site in East Dalhousie in Annapolis County, 80-hectare site in Louisville in Pictou County, and a 2,300-hectare site in Lower Vaughan in Hants County. Residents in Hants County have said they haven't received any notification from the government about possible exploration on or near their land. Pothier said he scrambled to organize Saturday's meeting after only recently learning the province was considering a return to uranium exploration. "It was gut-wrenching," he said. "I didn't even know where Millet Brook was [but] it's directly across from my property." History of mining opposition Many of the people in attendance signed a petition against uranium exploration in Hants County and provided their contact information to be kept current with the latest information. "I think it doesn't matter where in Nova Scotia we live, it's important to speak up against this undesirable, incredible proposal," said Elizabeth Skelhorn, who lives in Windsor. Skelhorn said she has family roots in the Martock and Windsor Falls areas and she's always been opposed to uranium mining over concerns about safety. The area has a history of residents advocating against uranium mining, which played a part in a moratorium being imposed by the province in 1981. That ultimately evolved into the outright ban. "I'm not certain that residents feel as though they've received answers from … 1980, and here we are in 2025 and they have the same questions and same concerns," said Kayla Leary-Pinch, councillor for West Hants Regional Municipality. Leary-Pinch, who represents the district where the uranium deposits have been identified, said she went to the meeting to listen to constituents. NDP House leader Lisa Lachance was in attendance, but organizers said PC MLA Melissa Sheehy-Richard, who represents the area, didn't come because she had received threats related to the province's plans for uranium exploration. Sheehy-Richard's office did not respond to a request for comment before publication. Lachance said the province is trying to push uranium exploration without anyone noticing and many Nova Scotians are upset about it, but urged everyone to remain respectful.
CBC
26-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Very disheartening,' says resident whose property could be explored for uranium
Some Nova Scotians whose properties have been selected for possible uranium exploration say they're stunned to learn their land could be part of the province's push for more natural resource development. "I'll be honest, this is quite shocking," said Ward Blatch, who owns a property in Hants County that could be opened to exploration. "The province, without even speaking to me, has made the decision to proceed.… I have no recourse. Do I? I don't know." Earlier this month, the provincial government issued a request for proposals for companies interested in exploring for uranium in three designated areas it says are known to have higher levels of uranium. Those include areas near East Dalhousie in Annapolis County, Louisville in Pictou County and Lower Vaughan in Hants County. Blatch says he has not received any notification about the potential for exploration on his land. He thinks property owners should have been consulted first. He has owned his property, which surrounds a lake, for about 20 years and always planned to build a cottage on it. However, between a windmill farm being built directly behind his land, plus now the prospect of uranium exploration, he has put his plans on hold. "It's very frustrating to spend hard-earned money to buy a piece of property with plans to enjoy in peace and quiet," he said. "This is very disheartening." Landowner permission required After the last provincial election, Premier Tim Houston said his government would focus on natural resource development with an eye to shoring up the province's economy in the face of U.S. tariffs and slowing population growth. Uranium exploration and mining have been under a moratorium since 1981 and a full ban since 2009. That ban was lifted in March. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Department said the province is preparing to send letters to landowners and municipalities providing information about the request for proposals and landowner rights. In the event of a Canada Post strike, it would look at other options for notifying landowners. Why Nova Scotia's history with uranium mining is complicated 3 months ago Duration 3:28 The Nova Scotia government has announced it will lift blanket bans for future natural resource development, allowing for future uranium research. The decision is a big change in course for a province that hotly debated developing a uranium industry 40 years ago and again in 2008. In Nova Scotia, land ownership does not include rights to the minerals beneath the surface. Those are owned by the Crown. Companies that have an exploration licence must seek permission from a landowner before exploring. Property owners and companies can negotiate an agreement that spells out compensation requirements or other conditions, but the province is not involved in that process, the departmental statement said. Some types of exploration — such as examining rocks and soil and collecting hand samples — require a licence but no additional provincial permit. Exploration that disturbs the land, such as drilling, requires both a licence and a permit. Previous exploration Blaine Brown's property in Louisville is also among the many pieces of private land included in the areas that have been designated for potential exploration. He has lived on the property for the past five years, and before that lived down the road for 37 years. Brown says a company tested the area for uranium years ago, paying landowners $50 to drill a hole on their land. He says he never heard conclusively whether uranium was found, or how much. "They never came to me and told me much," Brown says. "There were just stories and rumours going around that they had found uranium around here." Brown says he doesn't know enough about the issue to say whether he supports exploration. "I don't know what the impact is … like dangers or anything like that. I don't know." James Oickle says this is not the first time there's been uranium-related interest in his property in East Dalhousie. In the 1970s, he even did the digging to help clear the rocks so an exploration company could drill. Now, at 82, he figures he doesn't have much say in what happens. "If they're going to do it, they're going to do it, the way I understand it, whether I got anything out of it or not." Companies interested in conducting exploration for uranium must submit their applications by June 11. Any proposals will be evaluated by the Natural Resources Department, and if there is a successful applicant, that will be announced by July 7, and an exploration licence will be issued by July 11.
