The Keltic hearings
Day three, Antigonish
Consultation concerns take centre stage
“What level of compensation is adequate for the destruction of heritage
sites? We hold that site very sacred and we do not agree to have that area
disturbed in any way.”
~ James Desmond on the Red Head cemetery.
ANTIGONISH - Concerns over consultation – or a lack thereof – dominated
day three of the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) public hearings into
the proposed Keltic Petrochemicals project.
Presentations from the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mik’Maq Chiefs
and the Concerned Citizens of Lincolnville both featured comments about
whether the groups had been adequately consulted about the project.
The Mik’Maq’s consultation concerns, however, weren’t aimed
at Keltic.
“Just recently the 13 chiefs [that make up the Assembly]
unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the federal and provincial
governments to consult with respect to this project,” said Assembly legal
counsel Douglas Brown.
The Assembly’s presentation, which Brown said centred around
“the environmental impact that the project will have on all 13 bands”, noted
that their appearance at the hearings didn’t constitute consultations with
the province and that further meetings with provincial and federal government
officials would be required if the project was to receive the Assembly’s
blessing.
“We feel that the project, and the impacts it will have,
are going to infringe on rights that all Mik’Maq have in Nova Scotia. Those
rights include treaty, aboriginal and asserted title rights,” he said.
Brown asked the EAB to recommend that government consultations
with the Assembly either be held before the project is approved or be included
as a condition before the project goes into operation.
The presentation by the Concerned Citizens of Lincolnville,
however, was far more blunt.
Spokesman James Desmond said the group was flatly opposed
to the Keltic project and claimed the residents of Lincolnville hadn't been
adequately consulted about the potential impacts of the facility.
AMEC Engineering’s Shawn Duncan (the primary spokesman for
Keltic throughout the week’s hearings) replied that an open house about
the project was held in Lincolnville in July 2004.
Desmond said that the community hadn’t been told about the
open house. That led Duncan to say that the meeting had been advertised
“in the local paper.” At Desmond’s request, Duncan agreed to provide a list
of the six Lincolnville residents who did attend the 2004 open house.
Desmond also voiced concerns about whether hazardous waste
produced by the petrochemical and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) complex might
be accepted by the second-generation landfill site near Lincolnville.
And while Duncan reiterated comments made earlier in the
hearings that the landfill in question didn’t accept hazardous industrial
waste, he did admit that no plan had been formulated about how waste from
the Goldboro complex would be transported to a facility that could accept
it.
When pressed by Desmond on the matter, Duncan admitted that
it was possible that hazardous waste could be trucked through Guysborough
County to a suitable facility, “maybe in Montreal.” Duncan also said shipping
the waste was another possibility.
Desmond then turned his attention to the Red Head cemetery,
which is situated on the part of the complex that Keltic wants to convert
into a marine wharf. The remains of several bodies were exposed several
years ago as a result of erosion. More than 20 bodies were relocated to
a nearby site.
Desmond said the cemetery was a “sacred site” to his people
and that he had heard rumours about talks between Keltic and the Municipality
of the District of Guysborough about possible compensation for African-Nova
Scotian residents for the relocation of the cemetery.
Duncan denied any such talks had taken place.
“What level of compensation is adequate for the destruction
of heritage sites?” Desmond asked. “We hold that site very sacred and we
do not agree to have that area disturbed in any way.”
Duncan said Keltic had conducted “extensive” archeological
surveys of the cemetery and found no evidence that any more bodies remained
at the site. He added that the cemetery had been classified as being of
“elevated interest” to Keltic and that an archeologist would be on hand
throughout construction to ensure that if any more remains were found, work
would stop until the remains were removed to “a suitable location.”
The day’s other presentation was made by the Nova Scotia
Department of Environment and Labour, a provincial watchdog that conducts
environmental assessments and monitors water, waste water, health, safety
and consumer concerns.
“Several aspects of the project do have the potential to
negatively impact water resources...but we feel that these impacts can be
managed with appropriate mitigation, measures and monitoring,” said department
spokesman Kim MacNeil.
INTERVENORS:
•Assembly of Nova Scotia Mik’Maq Chiefs
•Concerned Citizens of Lincolnville
•Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour
