Dear Premier Houston and Minister Masland,

I congratulate you both on the opportunity to serve all Nova Scotians.

I read Premier Houston’s mandate letter to Kim Masland, Minister of Public Works dated 14 September with concern. You write:

“As Minister of Public Works, you will:

Within the first 90 days of your mandate, prepare a timeline for completion of all tasks below over the next four years. The initial timelines are to be updated quarterly thereafter.

• Double the Gravel Road Reconstruction Program.
• Double the Rural impact Mitigation Fund.
• Honour road commitments made by the previous government in their five-year plan.
• Develop infrastructure to support the health system.
• Remove the tolls on the Cobequid Pass, starting the process immediately.
• Invest in new and expanded connections to HIAA from key strategic destinations and new destinations. Where possible, new cargo routes will also be extended with a primary focus on speed to market.
• Clearly enshrine in legislation a mandate that all new government buildings and any major renovation must be net-zero will help to decrease our GHGs over time.
• Ensure that new provincial buildings are net-zero and that all major provincial building retrofits will be low-carbon, reducing embodied carbon and ensuring 75% of domestic office floor space (new leases and lease renewals) will be in net-zero carbon climate resilient buildings starting in 2030.
• Within the first six months of your mandate, review the ownership of all non-essential assets by the province.”

There is no mention of:

• The need to meet the clear aims and requirements set out in the current Provincial Sustainable Transport Strategy.
• The Traffic Safety Act and associated Regulations, which remain a work in progress.
• Active Mobility.
• A current road safety crisis that disproportionately affects senior vulnerable road users.
• The need to urgently develop a provincial road safety strategy in conjunction with key road safety stakeholders.
• The need to reassess the decision to enable car travel and parking (instead of Park & Ride) for 90% of visitors to the Halifax Infirmary hospital site.
• The need to support a transition to sustainable and efficient mobility in urban areas that will address disproportionate and unsustainable levels of car use.
• How and why the current five year spending plan, likely requiring billions of dollars until 2026, should be reviewed due to a climate emergency, and emissions targets.

Transportation enables us to do the activities we need and want to do. Walking, biking, driving, and taking the bus help us get to work, to the market, to the doctor, and even out to the ocean to play. Transportation is essential to our quality of life, economic progress, and overall health. Over the last century, we have become increasingly dependent on one type of transportation: the automobile. The car has made our lives easier in many ways. It allows us to move quickly and travel much farther than was once possible. However, our current transportation system and patterns of land use development, which have been designed around the personal vehicle, need to change.

The above is not my words. This is introductory content from Nova Scotia’s current Sustainable Transportation Strategy, found on the NovaScotia website. 

I appreciate Nova Scotian travel is grounded in car use, even in urban areas where experts agree this is unsuitable and unsustainable. However, the Provincial sustainable transport strategy sets out comprehensive research-backed reasons why a shift in lifetime travel habits is needed, and how it can happen: By ensuring all infrastructure decisions and funding commitments are made using a sustainable transport lens.

It is difficult to understand how and why such a thoughtful and expertly written collaborative strategy has been sidelined. Perhaps established habits of investment and travel are too easy to maintain? The same old emphasis on highway twinning, parking lots, new roads and bridges remains the funding mainstay within the Liberal five year infrastructure plan, which you have chosen to honour.

The Sustainable Transport Strategy sets out an approach to infrastructure investment that a Government placing sustainability and fiscal responsibility at the centre of policy choices cannot afford to overlook. 

Investment that increases capacity for more cars will induce demand for more car use, creating a vastly more expensive and dangerous future for everyone. It requires the bulk of investment to be focused on creating and maintaining expanded road networks, preventing meaningful investment in an adequate network of public transport, bus and cycle lanes, sidewalks and frequent safe crosswalks. 

I fully anticipate a response outlining your limited commitments to cycle routes, a proposed new ferry route from Bedford, and multi-use trails used mainly for ATV’s or health and fitness. This is not adequate. Ireland has committed 70% of its transport funding to active mobility. Wales has announced a freeze on new road infrastructure investment due to the climate crisis. These are both countries with significant rural road networks, many which I am sure Nova Scotian traffic engineers would understand desperately require widening and improving. 

A commitment to the existing direction found within Nova Scotia’s sustainable transport strategy must be acknowledged as the appropriate orientation for transportation infrastructure that meets the needs of current and future Nova Scotians.

Opportunities to part-fund lasting change including Halifax’s bus rapid transit network cannot be overlooked or regarded as secondary in importance to Highway twinning or new roads. This is an investment with immense cost saving potential for generations of residents. With adaptations it can potentially also serve as a Park & Ride service for both downtown and the Halifax Infirmary hospital, thus preventing the need for car parking and road widening where there is least room and most expense involved.

With new governance, now is the right time to announce a fiscal review of the current spending commitments within the five year infrastructure plan. For the current budget year, the capital highway spend is expected to reach $500 million. By 2026, it will likely require billions of dollars. 

A review can be led through both a lens that acknowledges the relevance of the current sustainable transport strategy and by proposing a ground-breaking Provincial road safety strategy examining cost effective road safety strategies including alternatives to Highway twinning. I would welcome the opportunity to be involved, as I am sure would many residents, academics, experts, staff, stakeholders and professionals.

With best wishes

Martyn Williams

If you walk, cycle or use a wheelchair and are affected by road safety issues, please join HRM Safe Streets for Everyone. If your local crosswalk needs a crosswalk flag, please contact the Crosswalk Safety Society. Please remember to report issues affecting your safety to our municipal authorities using the 311 service.

The post Martyn Williams: Letter to Kim Masland, minister of Public Works, and Premier Tim Houston appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Despite the climate emergency the three main federal parties aren’t clearly in favour of ending oil and gas activities in the Nova Scotia offshore by the end of 2022.

That’s the disappointing message contained in the parties’ responses to a questionnaire sent out by the Offshore Alliance, a coalition of 18 fisheries and environmental groups active in the province.

The Conservative Party didn’t respond, and neither the Liberals nor the NDP provided a clear yes when asked about their intentions if elected.   

“In government, New Democrats would work with stakeholders to develop policies that would best meet the needs and concerns of all those who share the offshore waters,” the NDP states in response. 

The Liberal and NDP parties’ commitment to end all oil and gas subsidies appears to be a bit more firm, although the two parties’ responses are still dressed in ambiguity, particularly around dates.

In contrast, both the Greens and the Communist Party respond to both questions with a clear Yes.

“It was disappointing to see these partial responses from the Liberals and the NDP, quite frankly,” says John Davis, a spokesperson for the coalition, and director of the Clean Ocean Action Committee, a fisheries organization representing 9000 vessel owners, captains, crew members and fish plant owners.  

“I don’t know what more it’s going to take. The western part of our country is in flames or in flood or in drought, take your pick. Our oceans are being stressed dramatically, oxygen levels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are way depressed, mainly because of the amount of carbon that’s been entering our oceans from the atmosphere,” Davis says. 

“Meanwhile, 84% of Nova Scotian said we should be getting off carbon and working toward a green economy. How can our elected officials be so far behind that important public sentiment?”

A questionnaire sent to the provincial parties in August shows the same ambiguity in the response from the provincial Liberals, but the position of the provincial NDP is much more firmly in favour of ending offshore exploration than its federal counterpart. 

Climate change is the main driver behind ending subsidies and offshore oil and gas activities, but not the only one, Davis says.

Despite their claims to the contrary, the oil industry does not have any capacity to clean up an oil spill in our waters. The waters are too rough and the tides and currents are too high, says Davis. 

“In Nova Scotia we have an unbelievable resource of protein energy in our oceans. The Nova Scotia fishery provides over $2 billion in export value, provides 25,000 jobs and makes substantial contributions to the provincial GDP. To put that resource, which the world really requires, at risk in order to extract more hydrocarbons, which the world does not need, and which endangers our planet just doesn’t make sense,” Davis says.

Open letter to the new provincial government

Earlier this month the Offshore Alliance sent an open letter to Premier Tim Houston, calling for all oil and gas subsidies to be terminated by the end of 2022, and for a moratorium on all offshore activities while a full public inquiry is being held on the ecological risks and impacts of continued offshore oil and gas development .

The letter also calls for support for affected oil and gas workers.

There are actually many things we don’t know about the offshore oil and gas exploration, says Noreen Mabiza, energy coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, explaining the call for the public enquiry.

“We want to see a cost benefit analysis, considering all the investments that are going into our offshore, and determine if that’s really worth the cost  in terms of pollution and harm to the environment. It is actually really hard to find any transparency around the numbers,” Mabiza says.

We must never forget that the benefits of the clean economy that we’re working towards should be shared by all. The people who today make a living in the fossil fuel industry need to be part of the discussion. And when we talk about benefits being shared, Indigenous and Black communities, women, immigrants, and other traditionally underrepresented groups need to be brought into the conversations and be part of the solutions, Mabiza says. 

See also: “A captured bureaucracy“ – John Davis of the Clean Ocean Action Committee on Nova Scotia’s cozy relationship with Big Oil

The post News brief: “I don’t know what more it’s going to take” – Federal parties vague on ending oil and gas activities in Nova Scotia’s offshore appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Activists with Extinction Rebellion are determined to stop the aerial application of glyphosate-based herbicides in Colchester County. That’s why they have set up several encampments in woodlots set to be sprayed sometime between now and September 30.

In September 2020 similar actions, in Hants County, contributed to an early halt to that year’s aerial spraying program in the province.

In August of this year, Nova Scotia Environment approved applications to spray 1,172 ha (2,895 acres) of private forested land in Colchester, Cumberland, Guysborough, Halifax and Hants Counties. Extinction Rebellion is asking that all spraying is halted, not just where it has a physical presence.  

At this time there are two separate camps, Nina Newington of Extinction Rebellion Annapolis County tells the Nova Scotia Advocate, and there are plans for a third one. Yesterday the camp where she is staying was visited by the RCMP and the landowner, and they were told to leave. The camp was moved to an adjoining lot, but their daytime presence has not been affected.  

“We wanted to keep the protest going so we didn’t want to get arrested at this time,” Nina says, explaining the move.

There is a lot of public feeling against the spraying

Support for the activists is remarkable, Nina says.

“Yesterday we encountered this woman, getting ready for hunting season. She was really angry and horrified to see the spray signs, and told people about it, but nobody felt like they knew what to do. There is a lot of public feeling against the spraying and a lot of stories of health effects from past spraying are making the rounds,” says Nina.

Daytime visitors and longer term campers are always welcome, says Nina, while emphasizing that such visits require advance notice and a bit of coordination with Extinction Rebellion.  

We would be thrilled to have reinforcements. And if people live far away, but they see that the spraying is also set to happen near them, they can contact us for information about how to check out that location, and start talking to their neighbours, contact your MLA, contact your mayor or your counsellor or whatever.

The forest defenders are also asking that people write to Tim Halman, the minister of Environment. People can also call Irving, the owners of the lands to be sprayed or ARF Enterprises, the company that does the spraying, and sign an online petition and more. 

Glyphosate was found to be “probably carcinogenic to humans”

Scientists are divided on whether the herbicide is safe and many of its long term effects on woodlands, soils and animals remain unknown.

Glyphosate was found to be “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015. A report by the British Soil Association suggests that in terms of glyphosate’s impact on soil ecosystems we know very little.

Critics have also argued that herbicide spraying supports an approach to forestry that is fundamentally flawed in that it reduces ecological diversity and stability and thus increases vulnerability to the effects of climate change.

I can’t stand by and watch this nonsense go on

Nina was also among the people camping out in DIgby County last fall to protect the habitat of a threatened mainland moose population from clearcutting. Also at the camp is Jacob Fillmore, the young man who went on a 23-day hunger strike looking to meet with Chuck Porter, at that time the minister of Lands and Forests,  to discuss the fate of the mainland moose. 

A shot across the bow: Government offices occupied across Nova Scotia as Jacob Fillmore ends hunger strike

I asked Nina how she felt before she decided to once again brave the elements and possibly the RCMP to get her point across.

“I have a vegetable garden full of tomatoes, and I have to confess that the thought crossed my mind that I would rather be at home canning my tomatoes,” Nina says.

“But I can’t stand by and watch this nonsense go on. We need to get mobilized, and I don’t know how to do that without going out and putting my body in the way, together with others. Nothing else seems to make any damn difference. I don’t even know if this will make a difference, but you know, here we are.”

A list of suggested actions in support of the forest defenders with all the details you need can be found here.

See also: News brief: Maine on the verge of banning aerial spraying of glyphosate

The post News brief: Camps pop up on glyphosate spray sites in Colchester County appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

Today, concerned citizens are camped out on several forested sites approved for aerial spraying with glyphosate-based herbicides, including sites near Otter Brook and Halfway Brook in Colchester County. 

In August,  Nova Scotia Environment approved applications to spray 1,172 ha (2,895 acres) of private forested land in Colchester, Cumberland, Guysborough, Halifax and Hants Counties. Aerial spraying is scheduled to continue until September 30^th. 

In 2020, the sprays planned for Annapolis, Hants and Kings counties were cancelled following the establishment of Don’t Spray Us camps on sites in those counties. 

The Don’t Spray Us campers are asking for a halt to spraying on all approved sites this year. They are calling on Nova Scotians to tell Tim Halman, the new Minister of Environment and Climate Change: End the aerial spraying of forests in Nova Scotia once and for all.

Nina Newington, Extinction Rebellion Annapolis County, said:

“Here we are again, putting our bodies in the way of the government-sanctioned poisoning of forests in Mi’kma’ki. Glyphosate sprayed from a helicopter on clearcuts in order to kill off the natural regrowth of the Wabanaki-Acadian forest, never mind what else and who else gets poisoned: does that sound like something we should be doing in 2021? 

COVID has shown that we Nova Scotians can put our common wellbeing ahead of profit and convenience. As we face the climate and biodiversity crises, it’s obvious we must protect the health of nature if we want a healthy future for ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

Corporations are not allowed to create toxic waste dumps on their land, just because they own it. Spraying the land with poison from the air because it is cheaper than paying workers to thin trees on the ground has to stop. This practice has no place in proper forestry. Cape Breton put a moratorium on aerial spraying of herbicides and pesticides years ago. In 2001, Quebec banned the use of glyphosate in forestry. In New Brunswick this month, Indigenous leaders, consulted about the practice, called for an end to it. Have the Mi’kmaq been consulted in Nova Scotia?” 

The post Press release: Don’t Spray Us camps pop up on glyphosate spray sites appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o_L_HdORWy3DC4n8BNrabET5eahodzO8?usp=sharing

Models include (now approved) Case 20761 (Rouvalis) two ~30-storey towers + penthouses near the corner of Spring Garden and Robie (the Carlton Block.) and Case 22927 (Westwood) a 23-storey building at Robie near Quinpool where HRM staff recommended 6-storeys. 

An additional proposal, Case 2021 (Dexel), for two more towers of similar height on that same block, was NOT be on the agenda on Sept 7. DOH has illustrated how taken together with the Rouvalis the four towers have greater height, scale and mass than the Nova Centre. These will destroy ~110 affordable housing/commercial units and add 31,000t CO2e of greenhouse gas emissions from construction alone-a conservative estimate.

Unfortunately councillors took almost no interest in the actual renderings or modelling or to understand what could be learned by viewing available empty space and a proposed 9-storey option that would require the demolition of a single building instead of 12-14. This scale would be 40% less carbon intensive per square measure than the proposed towers because of less carbon intensive materials used per square measure.

3-D Models should be available to community, HRM staff and council before such failed decisions are made. Sadly HRM Council has changed regulations to accommodate these developments through Development Agreements and the Centre Plan with nothing in return. It now claims nothing can stop them. 

Please view and share these important models, with those interested and keep the discussion alive! HRM needs to provide such models prior to consideration of any development. It is imperative that the Centre Plan should be modelled – citizens have a right to know.

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DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS HALIFAX

https://www.developmentoptionshfx.com/; developmentoptionshfx@gmail.com;

(see attached renderings below)

Note: Some of the files are large and require time to load. 

The post Media advisory: Seeing is Believing — Development Options Halifax 3-D Models and Images appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – How many times have you heard someone say, “There was nothing I could do. I was just following the rules”? 

If you think back on some of the great travesties of history, they didn’t happen because of one act or decision—or even one individual. They were made possible by many acts and many people, including those who had some power to influence the course of events but chose to abdicate their responsibility rather than rock the boat.

So why am I talking about this?

Last Wednesday evening, the Halifax and West Community Council held two virtual public hearings prior to approving three new highrises on the Halifax Peninsula. You may recall the #SizeMatters e-newsletter and video I sent you last week, explaining why it’s a bad idea to build highrises when municipalities are supposed to be reducing carbon emissions (the embodied carbon footprint of highrises is huge). It’s also a really bad idea to force people out of affordable housing units in order to make way for luxury highrises at a time when the affordable housing crisis is so severe that some people see no other option than to pitch a tent in the city’s parks.

But you already know all this. Which brings me to the word “excuse.”

noun: excuse; plural noun: excuses
“a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.”

It’s important to understand how excuses are used in the context of decision-making that impacts our lives. Let’s take the example of a municipal decision to approve building highrises—though I encourage you to extrapolate the steps below to see if they ring true for an issue you’re grappling with.

Municipal Decision-Making Process to Maintain the Status Quo

Step 1: Create regulations that will serve the outcome you want (Halifax Regional Municipality Centre Plan) 

• First, hold a public consultation process that will allow decision makers to say they heard from LOTS of people
• Then cherry-pick from the public’s feedback to serve the outcome you want; be sure to blur any information that suggests more people were opposed to the new regulation(s) than in favour

Step 2: Make the approval process as complicated as possible

• Place the most obscure and uninspired ad possible in the local newspaper to satisfy the requirement to notify the public about an upcoming hearing or approval process
• Use lots of case numbers to refer to the plan or amendment going before the Council; delete any wording that might clarify what’s being discussed and how it might impact local communities
• Direct people to your website, where they will be bounced from page to page in a vain search for answers; throw in several links to PDF docs with lots of legal mumbo jumboStep 

Step 3: Make the public feel stupid and uninformed when speaking on the matter

• Insist that the concerns community members are raising aren’t relevant; for example, if someone raises a concern about the carbon footprint of a highrise development, point out that the municipality doesn’t have jurisdiction over building codes (DO NOT let the conversation veer to anything the municipality does have jurisdiction over, such as building heights or approving building developments)
• If members of the public persist, clarify that the issue at hand is the approval of a pre-approved plan, which has met the regulations that were previously enacted to approve it

Step 4: Play your EXCUSE card

• Using a sympathetic, authoritative, or patronizing tone (or a combination of all three), explain that you’re limited in what you can do in this situation—i.e., Council can only vote on whether or not the proposal meets the regulations (the ones these same councillors voted in or perhaps inherited)
• The vote then passes swiftly; efforts to lay blame at anyone’s feet are successfully mitigated

It’s a pretty simple, tried-and-true playbook. It’s particularly effective at giving the impression that some sort of democratic process took place; even though some might not agree with the outcome, how can anyone fault “democracy”?

I don’t know at what point our democracy was hijacked, but it has been—just like our economy, which our grandparents probably wouldn’t recognize today.

Once upon a time, it was possible to support a family on one income, and buying a home was within reach. Now young people find themselves living in their parents’ basements, paying down their student debt, and trying to save enough money to move out on their own.

I’m sorry to say there’s no payoff message here, only a question:

How do we go forward at this moment in history when the future of humanity will be determined in our lifetime?

I know it’s heavy, but as the scientists keep reiterating, it’s not about whether the Earth will survive—it will. The only question is whether humans will too. More importantly, perhaps, is whether it’ll be a world we will want to be alive in and will want for our children and grandchildren.

History doesn’t care much about excuses. Those who wield them at the expense of humanity are never judged kindly in the end.

Those who do muster the courage to speak out may not be celebrated at the time, but their integrity is not forgotten. 

Thank you, Councillor Patty Cuttell, for voting NO on the proposal pertaining to the two highrises at Robie, College, and Carlton Streets. It’s telling that even though you’re an urban planner by profession, the concerns you raised as a planner still couldn’t save the day.

Tynette Deveaux is the communications coordinator of the Sierra Club Atlantic. As the Atlantic Activist she writes regular essays which are published as Sierra Club mail outs., This article is republished here with the author’s kind permission. You can sign up for the Atlantic Activist mail outs.

The post Halifax City Hall: How to get a rubber stamp approval appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Yesterday well over 100 people gathered at the Grand Parade in front of Halifax City Hall to remind politicians that climate change is very much on their mind and that they demand political action.

As climate rallies go Halifax has certainly seen larger ones. However, when the rally is part of a Canada-wide action day, and with no signs that the climate crisis is abating, you’d think it merits a bit of media attention. 

“I’ve been very disappointed in the media for not making the climate emergency more of a central issue. It is hardly talked about. I don’t hear pundits talking about it. I don’t hear journalists asking follow-up questions to our candidates and our leaders about it,” said For our Kids organizer Kim Fry, who recently arrived in Nova Scotia.

Noreen Mabiza of the Ecology Action Centre: Our world is on fire. The smoke has hardly cleared from the unprecedented wildfires in Western Canada, the impacts of climate change are upon us. Nova Scotia faces one of the highest sea level rises in Canada, bringing with it danger to our communities, destruction of ecosystems and impacts on businesses big and small. The Ecology Action Centre is a member of the Offshore Alliance. Together, we call for federal parties to commit to ending all subsidies and support for oil and gas exploration and development in Nova Scotian waters and ensure a just transition for all workers.

What a just transition means is the cost of phasing out fossil fields cannot be unfairly borne by the workers, and the benefits of a clean economy should be shared by all. Solutions should be found by centering the voices of workers and addressing the inequities faced in many communities. People from Indigenous and Black communities, women, immigrants and other underrepresented groups need to be brought into the conversation. 

Lilian Hougan-Veenema of the school strike team:The 2019 election was the first time I felt personally invested in politics, specifically because of the mass climate movements that I was a part of. For the first time in my life, it felt like politics and political change were accessible to me. I was not alone. Many of my classmates, who at one time weren’t interested in politics, suddenly cared about the climate crisis, and completely grasped the gravity of the situation. You could feel a sense of hope and excitement among youth about climate activism. And this hope manifested itself in real political action, including the strike in 2019, which I believe was the largest in Nova scotian history. 

But as we watch climate concerns slowly disappear from the political and media narratives, and governments again and again choose the well being of corporations over the well being of the people, hope and passion among young people also disappears. Therefore, it is vitally important that the climate crisis is a major topic of debates coming up, and that politicians are questioned at every single level of this campaign. 

I know that my peers care deeply about the environment, but they need to see it talked about they need to see politician discussing about their climate change platforms, they need to see the climate crisis covered in the media and they need to see adults in their life show that they care, so they can be inspired to fight for what they believe in.

The post Photo view: Canada on Fire rally in Halifax appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

Halifax/K’jipuktuk Residents Join National Mobilization for Emergency Climate Action  

Communities across Canada push all parties and candidates to present plans to end fossil fuel expansion and pass a sweeping just transition ahead of the Federal Leaders’ Debates. 

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA – Later today, community members will rally at Grand Parade in Halifax as part of a national day of action raising the alarm on the urgent need for increased climate ambition from Canadian politicians. 

“We’re in an election that was called after a summer where most of Canada was either on fire, covered in smoke, flooding or facing some other climate impact, with rural and Indigenous communities being hardest hit” Brian Gifford explained. “This is what a climate emergency looks like and it’s time for politicians to propose solutions that actually meet the scale of this crisis.” 

“We’re calling on all candidates and political parties to commit to two things, stopping fossil fuel expansion and passing just transition legislation that works for people, not fossil fuel billionaires,” said Kim Fry. “We can’t afford to keep ignoring the biggest gap in Canada’s climate plan – tackling soaring oil and gas emissions.” 

Across Canada, more than 60 communities joined in the day of action just ahead of the federal party leaders gathering for debates in French and English. 

“Over the next two nights, millions of people will hear from our party leaders, and it’s about time they were asked point blank if they have a real plan to meet the climate crisis,” Chris Gusen, Canada Digital Organizer for 350.org said. “Voters deserve more than tired talking points, so we’re hoping tomorrow, federal leaders step up and tell the truth that Canada can’t meet our climate obligations unless we stop fossil fuel expansion and get to work on a just transition.” 

Halifax/K’jipuktuk Residents to Rally as Part of Cross-Canada Mobilization to Demand Politicians Take Climate Emergency Action 

What: In response to the wildfires, extreme heat and other urgent climate impacts across Canada and around the globe this summer, Halifax residents will rally at the Grand Parade to demand the federal government place a moratorium on new fossil fuel expansion and enact a sweeping transition.

When: September 8th, 330-5pm 

Where:  Parade Square (Grand Parade) Halifax  1770 Barrington St

Photo/Video Opportunity: Speakers include Noreen Mabiza from the Ecology Action Centre, Brian Gifford, Lilian Hougan-Veenema from School Strike for Climate, Kim Fry from For Our Kids and performances by Braden Lam and Sandy Greenberg. Opportunity to interview local residents calling for increased climate ambition.

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The post For Immediate Release: Cross Canada actions to tackle Climate Emergency appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

SEDABOOKTOOK (Guysborough) – The regions in which Nova Scotians choose to live are mostly ours to decide, be it in an urban setting such as a town or city or, like me, in a rural area. Nova Scotia’s reality is that the majority of its population (60%) live in rural regions. To put that into perspective, according to Statistics Canada (2020), Nova Scotia has an overall population of approximately 979,351 thereby putting 587,611 in its rural parts.

Within Nova Scotia we have 49 municipalities with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) being my place of residence. Encompassing those 49 municipalities are 4 regional municipalities, 25 towns, 9 county municipalities and 11 district municipalities.

Between the Halifax Regional Municipality, population of 431,479 (2017) and the MODG having its residents numbering 4,670 (2016), you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know which region carries the biggest stick when it comes to exerting influence and projecting dominance over the remaining 48 municipalities.

Insert into the population numbers the varying influence that smaller regions have when they go up against more populated portions. Such an examination will readily reveal that the disparities between our province’s municipalities are directly influenced by the number (power) of voices from their members and their levels of taxation.

Two additional realities are that many rural areas are experiencing reductions within their populations and an aging issue amongst their residents who remain. Yes, we rural dwellers are 60% strong province-wide but as individual locales we are hurting and the pain is getting progressively worse.

This article does not have the space to delve into all of the ramifications of less residents therefore I ask you to consider a few: How will businesses survive, taxes be paid and justifications made for the services necessary for our overall well being?

One pie-in-the-sky idea being frequently put forth is that industrialization developments will solve many of our problems. I emphatically disagree with that proposal. Industrialization goes contrary to why people live in rural areas as well as forever changing the environment. The 60% of Nova Scotians who reside rurally do so because of the ways of life within those areas. I believe that the majority of Nova Scotians, and many others, appreciate all that non-industrialized regions have to offer and the many ecological benefits they provide.

My argument today is that with regional inequalities we must change our urban-versus-rural mindsets. Be it COVID-19, the out-migration of residents, our aging population, the destruction of natural habitats or the reduction in local amenities, Nova Scotia is undergoing a transition into new ways of living that are being accompanied by revised needs and required services.

The status quo is not the answer; we need “blue-sky” thinking. Nova Scotia prospers or suffers as a whole with each region mattering as much as another. The divide of “us against them” does not give positive outcomes; it instills hostilities that have long-term and negative consequences.

Because the world is rapidly changing in a multitude of ways, we and Nova Scotia must also adapt. “Our” (with emphasis on “Our”) province needs to examine its ways of governance so as to represent its entire populace. “Our” leaders must actively seek recommendations from citizens via sincere, practical and accessible methods to enable us to prepare for whatever the future places upon “our” province.

Ray Bates, Guysborough (Sedabooktook: harbour running far back), a former school principal and Nova Scotia Community College Truro Campus faculty member (Ret’d), has been contributing his opinions to newspapers since 1998. (raybates@eastlink.ca)

See also: Peter Puxley: If not mining, then what? Towards a sustainable and prosperous rural Nova Scotia

The post Ray Bates: We must change our urban-versus-rural mindsets appeared first on Nova Scotia Advocate.

K’jpuktuk/ Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Offshore Alliance, a consortium of 18 fisheries and environmental groups concerned about the wellbeing of our fishery and tourism industries in the face of offshore oil and gas development off Nova Scotia, asked leading political parties contending for the eleven Nova Scotia seats in the federal election campaign three questions about their commitment to protect the offshore. The questions focus on extending the moratorium on oil and gas activities on Georges Bank, ending oil and gas subsidies and supports, and ending all offshore Nova Scotia oil and gas activities by the end of 2022. 

Today, the Alliance releases the parties’ responses. 

With just 12 days left in the campaign, voters in NS need to decide how they will vote. According to a public opinion poll released by Alliance members in June, 85% of Nova Scotians agree that COVID-19 pandemic recovery plans should prioritize a move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy and efficiency systems, including training and income support for affected workers. 

In light of recent landmark international reports highlighting the climate crisis and the urgent need to achieve net-zero emissions, the Offshore Alliance is calling on federal parties to commit to formally ending offshore exploration and drilling, and subsidies that support these activities.

In stark contrast to this vision, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) is promoting “exploration incentives,” “predictable regulation,” and removing “barriers for companies wanting to invest in exploration activities.” 

Which future is the preferred one for Nova Scotia? — one that addresses the climate crisis head on, or one that makes the climate crisis worse? 

A poll of Nova Scotians conducted by Narrative Research on behalf of the Offshore Alliance members shows there is an overwhelming mandate to shift away from fossil fuels and to support a just transition.

The Alliance is publishing the following parties’ responses in order to help Nova Scotians decide which parties and candidates to support this election.  

Responses to Offshore Alliance questions: 2021 federal election campaign

Questions: 

1. Will you extend the moratorium on oil and gas activities on Georges Bank as soon as possible, and certainly before December 31, 2022, when the current moratorium expires? 

2. Will you end all subsidies and supports for oil and gas exploration and development in Nova Scotian waters by no later than the end of 2022? 

3. Will you end all oil and gas activities in Nova Scotian waters by no later than the end of 2022?  

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Conservative Party of Canada: 

No response was received by Monday, September 6. 

Green Party of Canada: 

“Yes” to all three questions. 

1. Extending the moratorium off George’s Bank is definitely GPC policy and has been for some time. 

2. Ending subsidies to fossil fuel exploration off NS and elsewhere has been GPC policy since 2015 and continues to be now more than ever. 

3. And finally, YES, we will end oil and gas activities in Nova Scotia waters by 2022. 

We are the only party with a policy to place a moratorium on any exploration or development of fossil fuels in the Gulf of St Lawrence, including cancelling any activity at “Old Harry.”

Liberal Party of Canada: 

Yes. The Liberal Party recognizes the importance and environmental sensitivity of the Georges Bank area, and, together with Nova Scotia, we have taken steps to protect this valuable ecosystem. A re-elected Liberal government will continue to work in collaboration with Nova Scotia to ensure that the ecological health of this vital and unique area is maintained for the benefit of generations of Canadians to come, which includes exercising the ability under the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act to further extend the moratorium in increments of 10 years.
 The Liberal government has consistently been phasing out fossil fuel subsidies since 2015. A re-elected Liberal government will:
Accelerate our G20 commitment to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies from 2025 to 2023.
Develop a plan to phase-out public financing of the fossil fuel sector, including from Crown corporations, consistent with our commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
End any new direct government support for international carbon-intensive fossil fuel energy immediately.
Work with G20 partners to complete a peer review of Canada’s accelerated plan to phase out federal fossil fuel subsidies.
Require Canadian crown corporations to publicly disclose climate-related financial risks.
A re-elected Liberal government, working with Nova Scotia in accordance with the principles of joint management of the offshore, would focus its efforts on the safe and responsible decommissioning of abandoned projects including Deep Panuke and Sable and commit to furthering the deployment of offshore renewable technologies like tidal and wind energy. 

New Democratic Party of Canada: 

Yes. New Democrats understand the vital role Georges Bank plays in maintaining Nova Scotia’s fishery. With its elevated ocean floor and wide variety of sea life, scientists have underscored its importance as a spawning spot for many fish species. We cannot overstate its importance to the economy of our coastal communities. In government, New Democrats would work with all those who share these waters to determine how best to build a sustainable economy.   

New Democrats will pursue a Nature agenda, anchored by our commitment to safeguarding ecosystems and biodiversity by protecting 30% of our land, freshwater and oceans by 2030. We will protect our oceans and our freshwater, by reducing emissions from shipping and fishing, expanding marine protected areas, reducing key threats to ocean ecosystems and implementing a national freshwater strategy.

Yes. New Democrats are committed to helping stabilize the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To that end we will set a target of reducing Canada’s emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, reaching further wherever possible to account for Canada’s fair share. We know that reaching net-zero by 2050 means taking action now, during the term of this next Parliament.

One thing we won’t do is continue down the path that Liberal and Conservative governments have chosen when it comes to spending public money on oil and gas subsidies. Under Prime Minister Trudeau, the federal government spent $18 billion to support oil and gas exploration, production, refining, transportation and more in 2020 alone – and that’s on top of purchasing the Kinder-Morgan oil pipeline. New Democrats know that public funds are best spent supporting the transition to renewable energy, rather than on profitable oil and gas companies. We will fulfill Canada’s G-20 commitment to eliminate these fossil fuel subsidies and redirect these funds to low carbon initiatives, and make sure that future governments can’t reverse this by putting in place legislation to ban any future oil, gas and pipeline subsidies.

Given our commitment to reduce Canada’s emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, an NDP government will begin discussions immediately with all stakeholders. Environmental sustainability and stewardship must be at the heart of everything we do. 

In government, New Democrats would work with stakeholders to develop policies that would best meet the needs and concerns of all those who share the offshore waters. Unlike Liberals who profess a commitment to combatting the climate crisis but take no meaningful action, and the Conservatives who are willfully blind to the crisis that is unfolding before us, New Democrats will explore options and share perspectives with all whose livelihood depends on our offshore.

The Alliance was also contacted by the Communist Party of Canada, which had heard about the questions sent to the four other parties, and requested an opportunity to respond. 

Communist Party of Canada: 

1. Will you extend the moratorium on oil and gas activities on Georges Bank as soon as possible, and certainly before December 31, 2022, when the current moratorium expires? 

The Communist Party of Canada believes that the world is at a tipping point of irreversible climate change, requiring emergency measures and action by all governments. We see the issue of drilling on Georges Bank as a climate justice, working class, and an Indigenous sovereignty issue due to its impact on fisheries and tourism in the region. We all not only for a moratorium on oil and gas activities on Georges Bank, but on all Nova Scotian waters.

In fact, our platform calls for a halt to all fracking operations and phase out of tar sands extraction and coal-fired plants starting immediately. We also call for a moratorium on the exploration and development of shale gas resources. Among our policy proposals are the cancellation of all pipeline projects based on expansion of tar sands extraction, like the Energy Saguenay LNG project in Quebec, the Coastal Gaslink, Trans Mountain Expansion, Line 9 and Line 5.

2. Will you end all subsidies and supports for oil and gas exploration and development in Nova Scotian waters by no later than the end of 2022? 

Absolutely. Not only we call for the termination of all subsidies and supports for oil and gas exploration, which we consider a de facto wealth transfer from working people to corporations and the ruling class, but we propose to replace cap-and-trade and carbon tax schemes with strict legal limits for pollution and hard caps on emissions, especially from industrial sources, to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050.

We need a fundamental change on how energy and natural resources are administered in this country. That is why our platform calls for a People’s Energy Plan, which includes public ownership and real democratic control of all energy and natural resources, including extraction, production, and distribution. 

3. Will you end all oil and gas activities in Nova Scotian waters by no later than the end of 2022? 

Yes, ending oil and gas activities in Nova Scotian waters is in line with our proposed People’s Energy Plan and transitioning Canada out of a fossil fuel-dependent economy, with a goal to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050. 

While we transition out of a fossil fuel economy, we need to guarantee jobs for energy industry workers in the renewable energy sector and in other sectors of the economy, and to do that we should invest heavily to create jobs through renewable energy and conservation programs.

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The Offshore Alliance is a consortium of 18 fisheries and environmental groups concerned about the wellbeing of our fishery and tourism industries and the environment in the face of offshore oil and gas development off Nova Scotia. Our Group has been in discussion with many Nova Scotian municipal units on this critically important issue. Twelve Nova Scotian towns and municipalities have now called on our provincial and federal governments to hold a full public inquiry on the risks and impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction so that fully informed and rational decisions can be made. 

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