Latest news with #PictouLandingFirstNation
Winnipeg Free Press
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Nova Scotia chiefs say province needs to improve consultation on natural resources
HALIFAX – A representative for the Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi'kmaw Chiefs says the provincial government needs to do a better job of consultation as it seeks to develop the province's natural resources. Chief Tamara Young, of Pictou Landing First Nation, told a legislature committee today that the province's duty to consult with the Mi'kmaq needs to be more than an afterthought or a 'box to be checked.' Patrick Butler, the senior Mi'kmaq energy and mines adviser, confirmed during the hearing that chiefs were not consulted before legislation that was passed in March lifted a ban on uranium and a moratorium on fracking for natural gas. Butler says they also weren't consulted when the Natural Resources Department said it was issuing a request for proposals for uranium exploration at three sites in the province earlier this month. He described the relationship with the department as 'rocky and inconsistent' and says it's always better when the Mi'kmaq are informed as early as possible when it comes to natural resources development. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. The department's deputy minister, Karen Gatien, says the government is committed to consultations, but she agrees that it should be done earlier where possible. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Pictou Landing First Nation seeks judicial review of Boat Harbour cleanup plan
'I just want to make sure it's done the right way,' says chief Pictou Landing First Nation has asked the Federal Court to overturn Ottawa's approval of a plan to store contaminated sludge from Boat Harbour in an enclosed structure on nearby land. The Mi'kmaw community in northern Nova Scotia has filed for a judicial review of the decision from federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Guilbeault said last month that the proposed remediation of Boat Harbour, which for decades received wastewater from a kraft paper mill, "is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects." In a submission to the Federal Court this week, Pictou Landing First Nation argued Guilbeault's decision was "patently unreasonable." The submission mentions insufficient consultation, interference with treaty rights and violations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, among other grounds. Supporting documents have not yet been filed with the court. Image | The Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie Point, N.S. Caption: The Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie Point, N.S., viewed from Pictou, N.S., Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, a few months before it closed. (Robert Short/CBC) Open Image in New Tab The respondents are the federal environment minister and Build Nova Scotia, the provincial Crown corporation that's in charge of the Boat Harbour cleanup project. Neither party has yet filed a response. Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley, who oversees Build Nova Scotia, declined to comment on the case while it's before the courts. 'We can't really heal' Guilbeault's approval incorporated several conditions, including the creation of an advisory committee to examine alternative locations for storing the sludge. But he stopped short of mandating that an alternative site be found. Build Nova Scotia would be allowed to use the existing containment cell, as planned, and then move the sludge again if an "economically feasible" alternative is found. Pictou Landing Chief Tamara Young said she's worried that if the containment cell is used at all, her community will never be rid of the sludge. "I just want to make sure it's done the right way," she said in an interview. Young said her community lacks trust in government because of the history of Boat Harbour. Pictou Landing First Nation agreed to sell the former tidal estuary to the province in the 1960s so it could be used to treat effluent from the mill at Abercrombie Point, N.S., that was most recently known as the Northern Pulp mill. Community members have said they were duped into the deal with false assurances that the effluent wouldn't be harmful, but they soon noticed major environmental changes. "We can't really heal as a community if we keep that containment cell there," Young said. In earlier stages of planning the remediation, Build Nova Scotia said one alternative was to send the sludge to a facility outside the province, but ruled it cost-prohibitive because of the huge volume of sludge that would have to be hauled away by transport trucks. Young said the community is pushing for storage of the sludge on the site of the now-shuttered pulp mill, which would overcome the hurdle of long-distance transportation. She said she's eager for the committee that Guilbeault ordered to get to work so that option can be fully investigated.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Pictou Landing First Nation seeks judicial review of Boat Harbour cleanup plan
Pictou Landing First Nation has asked the Federal Court to overturn Ottawa's approval of a plan to store contaminated sludge from Boat Harbour in an enclosed structure on nearby land. The Mi'kmaw community in northern Nova Scotia has filed for a judicial review of the decision from federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Guilbeault said last month that the proposed remediation of Boat Harbour, which for decades received wastewater from a kraft paper mill, "is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects." In a submission to the Federal Court this week, Pictou Landing First Nation argued Guilbeault's decision was "patently unreasonable." The submission mentions insufficient consultation, interference with treaty rights and violations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, among other grounds. Supporting documents have not yet been filed with the court. The respondents are the federal environment minister and Build Nova Scotia, the provincial Crown corporation that's in charge of the Boat Harbour cleanup project. Neither party has yet filed a response. Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley, who oversees Build Nova Scotia, declined to comment on the case while it's before the courts. 'We can't really heal' Guilbeault's approval incorporated several conditions, including the creation of an advisory committee to examine alternative locations for storing the sludge. But he stopped short of mandating that an alternative site be found. Build Nova Scotia would be allowed to use the existing containment cell, as planned, and then move the sludge again if an "economically feasible" alternative is found. Pictou Landing Chief Tamara Young said she's worried that if the containment cell is used at all, her community will never be rid of the sludge. "I just want to make sure it's done the right way," she said in an interview. Young said her community lacks trust in government because of the history of Boat Harbour. Pictou Landing First Nation agreed to sell the former tidal estuary to the province in the 1960s so it could be used to treat effluent from the mill at Abercrombie Point, N.S., that was most recently known as the Northern Pulp mill. WATCH | A timeline of Boat Harbour from the 1960s to 2019: A brief history of Boat Harbour and Northern Pulp 5 years ago Duration 6:29 This timeline covers major events from the 1960s to 2019. It begins with the construction of the pulp mill at Abercrombie Point to Premier Stephen McNeil's 2019 announcement that the Boat Harbour effluent treatment site would close. Community members have said they were duped into the deal with false assurances that the effluent wouldn't be harmful, but they soon noticed major environmental changes. "We can't really heal as a community if we keep that containment cell there," Young said. In earlier stages of planning the remediation, Build Nova Scotia said one alternative was to send the sludge to a facility outside the province, but ruled it cost-prohibitive because of the huge volume of sludge that would have to be hauled away by transport trucks. Young said the community is pushing for storage of the sludge on the site of the now-shuttered pulp mill, which would overcome the hurdle of long-distance transportation. She said she's eager for the committee that Guilbeault ordered to get to work so that option can be fully investigated.
