Ban quarry developments, urge N.S. environmentalists

Anenvironmental group in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley wants the province to immediately declare a moratorium on the development of new quarries.

Steve Hawboldt, with the Clean Annapolis River Project,is urgingthe ban before a decision is made this week on whether to allow the development of a huge quarry on Digby Neck.

Bilcon of Nova Scotia, a subsidiary of Clayton Concrete, Block and Sand of New Jersey, is proposing to operate a basalt quarry at White's Cove. It would involve quarrying rock out of about 120 hectares of a 150-hectare site over 50 years and shipping it to the United States.

Hawboldt believes the provincial rules governing pits and quarries are too lax in Nova Scotia. He wants a ban until those rules can be tightened up.

"If the ruling on White's Cove is positive that is, if it's a go then it'll open the floodgates," he said.

But Environment Minister Mark Parent said placing a moratorium now on all new quarries would be premature.

"Well, it's an interesting suggestion, but it seems to be somewhat premature, because a more logical sequence would be to wait to see what the panel review says," Parent said.

A provincial-federal environmental assessment heard from more than 100 people during a public hearing this past summer. The report from that review panel is expected before the end of the week.

Parent said his department will analyze the situation after receiving the report. Quarry regulation is a balancing act, he said, because road builders and contractors need access to gravel.

The proposed quarry has split the small community of White's Cove, with some people welcoming the well-paying jobs that would come with it. Other people are concerned the quarry will destroy rich fishing grounds.

The Green Party of Nova Scotia is opposed to the quarry.

William Lang, deputy leader of the party, told the panel reviewing the project that allowing an American-based company to ship two million tonnes of gravel a year for the next 50 years to the United States would be "unethical."

"When 100 per cent of this material is being exported to a foreign country, and our province is receiving zero royalties from it, I think it is a totally different playing field than a local quarry mine that is there for Nova Scotians," Lang told the panel in June.