Not worth the devastation

The proposed mines are a repeat, on a larger scale, of the Touquoy Gold mine, managed by the same company. Anyone in favour of this project should visit or look up the Touquoy mine site . No matter what remediation is promised, thousands of acres will become wasteland where nothing will grow for generations to come, not to mention long term concerns related to sediment and ground water contamination. As a member of Eastern Shore Forest Watch I have extensively reviewed and commented on the previous proposals for Beaver Dam, Eleven Mile lake and Cochrane hill proposals. The present proposal does not seem to improve on the previous one and affect even more surface area. The grade of the gold ore is so low that this type of mining is extremely energy intensive, resulting in a lot of green house gases emission. This is compounded by loss of forests, which are sink of CO2, and loss of habitat and biodiversity. All this in the name of jobs which will turn out to be fewer, more part- time and for less long than promised now, as has been the case in the Touquoy mine. Is this the legacy we want to leave to our children and their children? When are we going to learn from our mistakes? 

The impact of this project is so significant that it is essential that it be reviewed, assessed and overseen by the Federal government as much as the Provincial government. The benefit for Nova Scotians are slim compared to the costs, and gold is not even a critical metal in short supply.