The Nova Scotia government saw fit to sign the Whitehorse Mining Initiative and declared 31 sites in the province as protected under the Parks and Protected Places fiasco. Then, it went through the motions of having public input via a tribunal. I find it ironic that the Yukon chose the same type of people we had, with no representatives from any industry (“Yukon miners cry ‘foul’ over Tombstone park process,” T.N.M., March 6/00).
Our panel was made up of a retired civil servant, a biologist, an environmental lawyer, a school teacher and a country warden. Of the 31 sites selected, many had mineral occurrences and potential that had been recorded in the government’s own files. One of these sites was the Jim Campbell Barrens.
Although there were many excellent and well-researched presentations made at the various public meetings throughout the province, we lost. The decisions had already been made and none of the sites was withdrawn. The province ended up setting aside more land than was called for in the Whitehorse Mining Initiative.
I am not against preserving the environment, but economics should play a part in the big picture. Parks don’t make money; the bottom line is in large resources. Many people are employed by every resource job created, and these jobs are high-paying. A park is seasonal and the few related jobs are usually low-paying.
An environmentally planned mine need not be a hazard or occupy a large area. If you took all the mines in Canada, they would occupy an area only half the size of Toronto. I don’t know where the balance is with this issue, but one has to be found that can satisfy both sides. We’ve had too many Windy Craggies.
The people of the Yukon should remember that resources, not tourists, developed their territory. I find it offensive that people in power are being brought into the fray from British Columbia to help activists win another round for parks that few will ever get to see.
(The author is past president of the Nova Scotia Prospectors Association.)
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