January 20, 1997

Premier John Savage
PO Box 726
Halifax, NS
B3J 2T3
 

Dear Mr. Savage:

We are writing to express our deep concern over recent decisions by the Department concerning the Parks and Protected Areas Systems Plan, the atmosphere those decisions have fostered in the Province, and the general lack of progress by the Province in implementing the Systems Plan.

We recently responded to urgent requests by citizens of Queens County to address their Council, who are presently considering a resolution to express their opposition to the Systems Plan. The resolution is spearheaded by wood fibre producing interests who oppose the protection of, and their exclusion from, any more Crown land in Nova Scotia. 

Those interests have been encouraged by the Province's recent exclusion of the Barrens from the Systems Plan, to make it available to mining interests. This very point was specifically referred to by Queens County Mayor, Chris Clarke, in his address to Council. He further added that it was his understanding, in light of the Barrens decision, that the Systems Plan was on hold and open to negotiation with the Province.

Presenting to Council that same day in support of the plan was a Department of Natural Resources employee, who emphasized to Council he was presenting as a citizen of Queens County only, and not as a representative of the DNR. The Council took particular note that he was acting on his own as was not speaking on behalf of DNR.

The Tobeatic Wilderness Committee wishes to express specific concerns as follows:

The Committee expresses their opposition to the exclusion of the Jim Campbell Barrens from the Systems Plan, at the request of mining interests. This constitutes a dangerous precedent that is currently causing repercussions around the province; a precedent that erodes the spirit of the Systems Plan, and further complicates its implementation.

 

 

The Committee objects to the fact that this decision was made by cabinet without due public process, as a response to industry pressure. It also calls into question the validity of the public process citizens participated in prior to adoption of the Systems Plan, when 582 submissions were made. No public submissions were asked for in the decision by cabinet to exclude candidate areas. The Jim Campbell Barrens belong to all Nova Scotians collectively, and their opinion was ignored by this process. 

The Committee asks for reinstatement of the Jim Campbell Barrens as a fully protected Candidate area and for a full provincial public process review of the Barrens issue.

The Committee is frustrated at the slow pace at which the Province is moving toward implementation of the Systems Plan, and legislation to protect the Tobeatic. Waiting yet another year or more to see the Candidate areas included in the Crown Lands Act is simply unacceptable. The candidate areas, especially the Tobeatic, are under real threat NOW.

 

 

The Committee further expresses its opinion the Crown Lands Act will not, on its own, provide any significant protection for Candidate areas.

The Committee urges the Province to enact specific legislation to protect these areas immediately.

The Committee wished to express its frustration that the DNR and Parks Division are unwilling to publicly defend the Systems Plan. That one of the DNR's own employees had to go before an elected Council as a private citizen to defend the Systems Plan is a public embarrassment to all those involved in the process, and to the DNR in particular. 

 

 

The Committee feels that its own role, and that of similar groups within the province, in defending the integrity of the Tobeatic and the Systems Plan is not being reinforced by the resources of the Department.

The Committee's demands that the Province take a leading role in defence of their own plan, and institute a public information and education process to explain the aims and purposes of the SYSTEMS PLAN to Nova Scotians.

The Committee has been involved in the issue of the protection of the Tobeatic for the past five years. The committee has lent its support, and consequently the support of the individuals, groups, Municipalities and agencies the Committee represents, to the Systems Plan as initiated by the Province.

 

 

The Committee urges the Province to:

Uphold and promote the objectives and spirit of the Systems Plan.

Maintain the integrity of the thirty-one candidate protected areas through meaningful legislation.

Enact effective legislation on a more aggressive timetable.

Respect the recommendations of the public process in which the citizens of Nova Scotia participated.

Confirm the status of the Tobeatic "Finger" as an integral part of the Candidate area.

cc: The Honorable Eleanor Norrie, Minister; Dale Smith, Parks Division, Department of Natural Resources; The Honorable Don Downe, Minister.

January 29, 1997
LETTER from MUNICIPALITY of the COUNTY of ANNAPOLIS COUNCIL to
ELEANOR NORRIE, Minister, Department of Natural Resources

January 29, 1997

Hon. Eleanor Norrie
Minister
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 698
Halifax, NS B3J 2T9

Dear Ms. Minister:

The Municipality of the County of Annapolis wants to thank you for your letter dated January 10, 1997 regarding the Parks and Protected Systems Plan.

We were concerned that the exclusion of Jim Campbells Barrens from the Systems Plan would start a "ripple-effect" across Nova Scotia and make the remaining sites vulnerable to pressure from mining and forestry interests.

Most recently the Tobeatic Wilderness Committee visited the Municipality of the County of Queens to make a presentation in support of the Parks and Protected Systems Plan, and in particular the Tobeatic. This presentation was in direct response to a request from a local organization concerned that the NS Forest Products Association was lobbying the Municipality of the County of Queens. The organization believed that this lobby would jeopardize the future of the Systems Plan.

It is our understanding that the Municipality of the County of Queens thought that the recent exclusion of the Jim Campbells Barrens from the Parks and Protected Systems Plan left the plan open for public debate.

Your letter indicating the government of Nova Scotia's commitment to the Parks and Protected Systems Plan and your reference to a positive announcement in the near future that will involve the addition of the majority of the Tobeatic "finger" encourages us. The Municipality of the County of Annapolis believes strongly in the protection of these areas and we want to acknowledge our support of the plan again.

We also believe that the loss of Jim Campbells Barrens is extremely unfortunate. The Plan involved a public participation process across Nova Scotia. More than two thousand people, submitting 582 briefs, supported the protection of these sites. Exclusion of the Barrens did not involve such a process. These sites, representing twenty-seven of Nova Scotia's seventy-seven different landscapes belong to all Nova Scotians and require protection. We are concerned that legislation under the Crown Lands Act may not be strong enough. We believe the Province of Nova Scotia should enact special legislation to protect the sites for the enjoyment of all Nova Scotians now and into the future. We just have to look at Jim Campbells Barrens to give us an example of what can happen if no special legislative protection exists.

We ask for your support to begin a process to enact special legislation to protect these sites and to set a realistic, quick timetable to achieve this goal.

Thank you for your prompt response to our letter of December 18, 1996. Please contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely yours,
 

Peter G. Terauds
Warden

PGT/DER/wla

January 29, 1997
LETTER from MUNICIPALITY of the COUNTY of ANNAPOLIS COUNCIL to
CHRISTOPHER A. E. CLARKE, Mayor, Municipality of the County of Queens

January 29, 1997

Christopher A.E. Clarke
Mayor
Municipality of the County of Queens
P.O. Box 1264
Liverpool, NS B0T 1K0

Dear Mr. Clarke:

The Municipality of the County of Annapolis County has been supporting the efforts of the Tobeatic Wilderness Committee since March 1993.

The Tobeatic Wilderness Committee's mandate is to ensure the protection of the Tobeatic Wilderness area under the Parks and Protected Systems Plan; to have the Tobeatic "finger" (located in Annapolis County) included in the proposed Parks and Protected Systems Plan; and to support the Parks and Protected Systems Plan in general.

Our Council was pleased with the Province's announcement of the Parks and Protected Systems Plan and congratulated them on their initiative in a letter dated December 19, 1993 to the Minister of Natural Resources at the time, the Honourable Don Downe.

The proposed system plan for parks and protected areas in Nova Scotia is an impressive document that sets aside twenty-six (26) of Nova Scotia's seventy-seven (77) landscapes and provides protection from encroachment. Designation of these sites will protect unique and fragile ecosystems for all to enjoy and will bring the total protection of all lands in Nova Scotia to 8.03% which includes Federal and Provincial reserves.

We are aware that over 582 submissions were made during the public process of the Systems Plan, and of this number only eleven (11) were contrary.

The Municipality of the County of Annapolis is concerned with the elimination of the Jim Campbell Barrens as one of the thirty-one proposed candidate sites. We recently wrote to the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Eleanor Norrie, regarding our concern and what their actions may mean to the future of the Parks and Protected Systems Plan. In this letter we called upon the Province to enact legislation for the protection of parks and protected sites as soon as possible.

The Honourable Eleanor Norrie responded by way of letter and in the same she says, "I want to give you my full assurance that the decision regarding Jim Campbells Barren reflects a particular set of circumstances that apply specifically to that site, and that this decision does not diminish the commitment of the government of Nova Scotia to the parks and protected areas initiative overall."

The Minister also said that they would make a positive announcement shortly which will involve the addition of most of the Tobeatic "finger" area to the adjacent candidate protected area.

The Tobeatic Wilderness area "is the largest true wilderness area in the Maritimes." The Province of Nova Scotia must protect this area and other areas for their biodiversity and to continue the long standing traditions of hunting, fishing and canoeing that generations have enjoyed.

The Tobeatic Wilderness area's proximity to Kejimkujik National Park is key and gives our Counties the opportunity to boast about the only true wilderness remaining in Nova Scotia, and indeed the Maritimes.

There is a need for balance in our beautiful Province. The Tobeatic Wilderness area predominantly consists of wetlands, barrens, interconnecting lakes and waterways. The area has over 100 kilometres of canoe routes that tie our borders together - Annapolis, Queens, Digby, Shelburne and Yarmouth Counties.

The Municipality of the County of Annapolis asks the Region of Queens to join with most Nova Scotians in supporting the protection of the Parks and Protected Systems Plan, and in particular the very special "last true remaining wilderness left in the Maritimes," the Tobeatic Wilderness Area.

Thank you for your consideration. Please contact me If you have any questions.

Sincerely yours,

Peter G. Terauds
Warden

cc:

The Honourable Eleanor Norrie, Minister of Natural Resources
Don Rice, Chair, Tobeatic Wilderness Committee
Municipality of the District of Digby
Municipality of the District of Argyle
Municipality of Shelburne
Municipality of the District of Clare
Municipality of the District of Lunenburg
Municipality of Yarmouth

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February 12, 1997
The Chronicle-Herald: Voice of the People
LETTER from MARK TAYLOR, Yarmouth, to the EDITOR
Nature loses out

Dear Editor:

I am so saddened to learn that the Jim Campbell Barren has been removed from the protected areas list. I was one of the ordinary people who made a presentation to the government committee that established the list protecting distinct natural habitat.

I drive a nine-year-old car and live in a 100-year-old house. I use products made with minerals from the earth. I have no right to speak against mining, per se.

I do, however, protest strongly against mining interests superceding hard-won natural interests. There is no world shortage of minerals that are to be mined from that area. Neither is there a Canadian shortage of such minerals (e.g. gold).

I protest the ease with which short-term jobs have displaced an irreplaceable natural resource. I protest how lack of foresight is able to supplant long-term tourist potential and natural resource preservation. I protest how government verbiage can so quickly and easily change its tune in such an Orwellian manner.

I thank the Sierra Club for speaking out so strongly on our behalf. Too bad we can't vote for it in the next election.

---

March 11, 1997
The Chronicle-Herald: Voice of the People
LETTER from ROBY A. QUINN, Milford, to the EDITOR
Protect status

I am writing to express my dismay concerning the non-protection of the 31 protected areas identified in the Parks and Protected Areas Systems Plan.

The Jim Campbells Barren has lost a status it never enjoyed, for the sake of jobs which are non-existent - and, I suspect, having lived in Nova Scotia for many years, will remain non-existent. The Tobeatic Wilderness Area is similarly threatened.

So, what are we waiting for? The groundwork was laid two years ago. Where is the legislation?

Let's get cracking before more "reasons" are found to unprotect others of these treasures. 

---

October 22, 1997
LETTER from Tobeatic Wilderness Committee to
KEN MacASKILL, Minister, Department of Natural Resources

Dear Mr. Minister:

The Tobeatic Wilderness Committee has been working for the protection of the Tobeatic Wilderness area for the past six years., following the efforts of a generation of local citizens who recognize the uniqueness of this special area. 

Three years ago, your department initiated a progressive and comprehensive Systems Plan for the protection of a significant number of special areas in the province, the Tobeatic being the largest and most intact.

The Tobeatic Wilderness Committee supported the efforts of Parks Division in this plan, as did the overwhelming majority of Nova Scotians who participated in the public review process. We all felt that at long last, a serious commitment by the government was being made to reserve these important areas for future generations.

The legacy of the Jim Campbells Barren decision, however, has led to an elevated level of concern over your government's true commitment to protecting these special areas. This uneasiness is shared among all supporters of the Systems Plan in this province, and beyond.

There is the conception that your government is willing to give these areas nominal protected status , but is more than willing to compromise that status if a development proposal from either mining or forestry is made. The justification for such a compromise is the usual "jobs versus environment" arguement, as was used in the unfortunate decision over the Barrens. This leads to the situation where these protected areas are protected in name only, completely undermining the usefulness and credibility of the Systems Plan.

The Systems Plan was adopted after an enthusiastic and open public process, based on good science and public opinion. The Barrens decision was exactly the reverse, based rather on in-camera cabinet decisions and political expediency.

The latest cause for concern is the recent announcement by mining interests to request permission to explore an area inside the candidate boundary of the Tobeatic. The Tobeatic Wilderness Committee, along with other similar provincial and national groups, have protested any further erosion of this protected area.

While the Finger was added to the Tobeatic protected area, we correspondingly had to except the exclusion of 1,700 hectares of the Tobeatic to fulfill Crown's commitment to forestry interests.

Our committee feels that enough of the Tobeatic has been compromised, and that any further incursions such as the proposed mineral exploration must be disallowed. Any future requests by industry for access to the protected areas must be denied.

We ask that this policy be publicly affirmed by your department, and that you follow through this fall with the protective legislation promised us by your predecessor, Eleanor Norrie.

Respectfully,
Don Rice, TWC