By Richard Bell
In any democracy, it’s always a fair question to look at whether the government is being reasonably responsive to requests from the public.
Now what is “reasonably responsive” lies in the eye of the beholder—so let’s take a look at whether the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been “reasonably responsive” in responding to questions about its plans for replacing Eastern Shore District High, which Minister Zack Churchill announced in the spring of 2018.
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By Richard Bell
There are at least two other efforts underway along the Shore to build more affordable housing.
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By Richard Bell
The Whale Sanctuary Project held six meetings along the Shore in its search for a location for a 40-hectare (100 acres) site to create a sanctuary for 5 to 8 beluga whales currently living in very confined tanks at marine parks. Opponents of the Eastern Shore Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) raised questions about connections between the sanctuary and the MPA, a connection that the president of the WSP emphatically denied in a letter to the Cooperator.
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By Richard Bell
At a joint press conference in Porters Lake on January 24, MP Darrell Samson and MLA Kevin Murphy announced a joint federal and provincial investment of $663,000 to subsidize access to new affordable housing in Porters Lake.
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By Richard Bell
One of the issues at the heart of the debate over the proposed Eastern Shore Islands MPA (ESIMPA) is who would have the power to change the rules in the future. Under federal law, DFO is in charge of managing MPAs. In its presentations along the Eastern Shore, DFO officials have said that DFO would create an advisory committee with whom DFO would consult closely. But in the end, DFO would be in charge.
However, there are alternatives to this top-down model. In fact, among the thousands of MPAs around the world, community-managed MPAs (CM-MPAs) are common. Even a 30-minute Google search of academic research on CM-MPAs shows that not only are CM-MPAs common; within the first two or three paragraphs of research paper after research paper, the scientists note that the stronger community participation is in the management of an MPA, the more likely it is that that MPA will succeed.
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By Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova
Protecting nature should be a major priority for any government. However, it is important that any efforts to protect our environment are done in collaboration with local communities. The proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) along the Eastern Shore provides a perfect example of the need to listen to the voices of local residents who have been effective environmental stewards of the area for generations.
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Susanna Fuller is a senior projects manager at Oceans North, a non-government organization that supports healthy communities and healthy oceans. She has been involved with coastal policy for several decades.
In an op-ed in the Chronicle Heraldon February 1, 2019 she offers her perspective on some of the questions that have surfaced about DFO’s proposed Eastern Shore Islands Marine Protective Area.
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By Richard Bell
[For all stories on the MPA, go to Debating the Eastern Shore Islands Marine Protected Area]
A group looking for a location for a whale sanctuary has found its quest getting entangled in the bitter controversy over DFO’s proposed Eastern Shore Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA). Opponents of the MPA are likely to raise their concerns this evening (Thursday) at a presentation by the Whale Sanctuary Project in Sheet Harbour at 6:30 pm at the Royal Canadian Legion, 25566 Highway 7. DFO issued a statement in the late afternoon on February 7 to the Cooperator saying that there is no connection between the two initiatives.
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By Richard Bell
[Updated: Noon, January 28. A spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has confirmed that the department has not released a press release or any other written information other than the facts and figures in the CBC story discussed in the original story below. The dates of the trip are now February 8 to February 16; the department is still working on the list of participants, other than the Minister. The number of participants may be fewer than 18. The province will be contributing $5000 per industry representative on the trip. All participants will be traveling economy class.]
In an announcement that will surely be the delight of cartoonists across Nova Scotia, CBC reported at 6:00 AM Saturday that Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell will be leading a fishing industry trip with 17 other Nova Scotians to Tasmania at a cost of $100,000. Participants will be looking at marine protected areas, aquaculture, and a Tasmanian market program for the native rock lobsters.
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