Updated: April 20, 2019.
Welcome to the Cooperator’s web page on the debate over establishing an Eastern Shore Islands Marine Protected Area. Here you will find all of the Cooperator’s stories about MPAs, plus links to a selection of documents, podcasts, and videos from other sources that we believe are helpful in understanding the debate over the proposed Eastern Shore MPA. If you have a document that you think should be included, please email the link to [email protected].
Most recent additions:
Fish Farm Surprise on Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore Cooperator web, July 16, 2019
DFO's Wilkenson on MPAs: Community Management, No Deadline, Eastern Shore Cooperator web, May 12, 2019
Report on the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest: a report on a flawed proposed Marine Protected Area, March 11, 2019, Stephen Richardson BSc. author.
MPA Opponent Rips "Group of Three," Eastern Shore Cooperator, April 2019
DFO Director General: No "Imposed" MPAs, Eastern Shore Cooperator, April 2019
Tasmania and Nova Scotia Sign MOU on Aquaculture, Eastern Shore Cooperator, March, 2019
Is DFO Really Listening, Tammy DeWolfe, Letter to the Editor, Eastern Shore Cooperator, March, 2019
Quick Overview: The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced on March 22, 2018 that a 2,000 square km area off the Eastern Shore as a new “Area of Interest” (AOI) under the provisions of the Oceans Act Marine Protected Area (MPA) program. The proposal encompasses the waters around the 30km of islands between Clam Harbour and Mushaboom. Since then, a fierce struggle has emerged, birthing a new society, the Association of Eastern Shore Communities Practicing Environment and Historical Access (AESC-PEHA)that opposes going forward with the current MPA process. AESC-PEHA has held several well-attended meetings, and has plastered Highway 7 with large and small NO-MPA signs.The Eastern Shore Fisherman's Protective Association has also come out against the MPA as proposed by DFO.
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When did you find out that the province was asking for public comments on two fish farm lease renewal applications from Snow Island Salmon Inc., one for a 36-hectare site in Owl’s Head Bay, and one for a 3.35-hectare site in Ship Harbour?
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Henry Decker judging fish lengths at this year's Brian Stewart Memorial Fishing Derby in Upper Musquodoboit. (See "2019 Brian Stewart Memorial Fishing Derby" in the June, 2019 Cooperator for this history of this event.
By Richard Bell
On June 22, several hundred people gathered in Tangier to bid farewell after 65 years to Lakefront Consolidated Elementary School (which began in 1954 as Central Consolidated High School). Inside the school, the multi-generational crowd poured over displays of class photos over the years, yearbooks, and other memorabilia, with the occasional burst of delight at meeting a classmate from long ago in the crowd.
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By Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
In communities around the world and along the Eastern Shore, people are sharing climate change concerns and action strategies for reducing their environmental impact. Some are making significant lifestyle changes, like building off-grid homes or getting rid of their cars to reduce their carbon footprint. Others are looking for less dramatic changes that they can make quickly. Many feel overwhelmed with the possibilities, and question if one person or family can really make any difference without a huge investment of time and/or money.
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ByKaren Schlick
Flowers, art, and sipping tea, is a perfect combination! This year, the annual Petals and Paint event at the Old School has been extended to two days; Saturday July 13 and Sunday July 14th, from 12 to 5.
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The new Tim Hortons/Shell is going up fast in Musquodoboit Harbour. Bruce Vienneau, who is building the new facility, provided lots of new information at the June Town Hall meeting of the Musquodoboit Harbour & Area Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs.
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By John Verlinden
Travelling by rail from Upper Musquodoboit to Dartmouth was not for the faint of heart in those early days of the service. During the winter, the cars were cold and people would try to gather around a coal stove to keep warm. During the summer, it was the opposite – hot and uncomfortable.
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By Mackenzie Myatt
[Editor’s Note: We are happy to have Mackenzie Myatt interning this summer at the Cooperator. She’s one of the top mountain bikers in Canada, and we asked her to share some of recent experience preparing for a recent World Cup race in Europe.]
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Any time you start talking about getting water to the core of Musquodoboit Harbour, you hear the same groans I heard at the June meeting of the Musquodoboit Harbour & Area Chamber of Commerce: “Oh no, we’ve been talking about that since I was the chair of the Ratepayers Commission back in the 1990s.” Only to be topped by an even louder groan, “I was sitting here 50 years ago talking about water.”
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