Strip Mine, good or bad?

[IAMCAPER]

With a large battle ongoing over the proposed stip mine between Sydney Mines and North Sydney, we thought it was only right to give the members of our board a chance to speak their mind. Included is a link to the anti-strip mine site which provides info on location as well as petitions.

www.stopthemine.org/

Do you support the strip mine? Does it pose a threat to the ecology of Sydney Mines and North Sydney?

[cbisle]

I don't support strip mining. I think that Cape Breton is well known for it's beautiful scenery. Ripping down more forests and destroying more wetland can only be a negative thing for the island. I've lived near the proposed area for the next strip mine. There is a lot of nice forest there. If you think back to when you were younger I can guarantee that some of the best memories come from being in the forest.

[adnohr]

Well I'm for and against it. The island has a bad rep of "no work" and with ppl saying no to this they are saying no to jobs , which in turn means husbands, bfs ect will have to move away to work. And speaking from expirence its no fun without an income or with a loved one across the country. But on the otherhand there are always promises to fix the land when finished but if you drive around the area particularily Little Pond you will see how fixed they get. It is not an attrative site at all!!

[cbisle]

Good points adnohr! Either way you look at it someone or something ends up losing.

[rontu88]

imo I think that chunk of land is a small sacrifice to create jobs and help the local economy, as it is terribly needed down there! That's the main reason I am here in Ontario to better myself and my two boys who are 11 and 15 now. I left in 96 and wouldn't think of moving back unless I won the lottery(but you need to buy tickets for that LOL) Retirement maybe if the moneys good.
Having said that, it's no rain forrest they wanna rip apart and if the local gov plays smart things will be done properly as far as cleanup etc...
I say go for it. ya gotta take chances in life and that statement seems to be out of the books down home. This issue kinda reminds me of the Sunday Shopping, People complain of work and money in need but don't wanna have stores open on Sundays. Is this an oxymoron or what? Get with the progam NS and join the rest of the country... NS is the last province now in Canada without Sunday shopping..... I am starting to wonder who's worse the GOV or general population. Only hurting ourselves imho.....

[cbisle]

Although I can appreciate your point of view rontu88, I don't think this would create a whole lot of jobs. I believe that Brogran's Construction already have their regular employees who would do the majority of the work. I think there would be a little bit of contract work involved but not a tremondous amount. I think a thing like the new pharmaceutical plant being built in the Northside Industrial Park is a major benefit to CB and a definite step in the right direction, however, I don't think there would be a tremendous economic spinoff from the stripmining.

[rontu88]

well i can't argue that fact for sure, i don't know much about the scope of work or how many peeps they would use.... your probably closer to the truth than I when ya think about it... Brogans do have a reputation, no dooot aboot it!! Lets hope it does something if it happens at all anyway.

Whats with this pharmaceutical plant? never heard about this.... fill me in please.

[IAMCAPER]

The issue I have with the strip mine goes way back to the coal mines. For three-quarters of a century, likely more, Cape Breton supplied the entire province with power through it's coal. We lined the pockets of government and coal operator's alike, all of whom were located off-island. Once those mines were shut-down the rest of the province abandoned us. Want proof? Just look back to John Hamm's first election campaign where he literally told the mainland that if they supported him he would stop drastically cut funding to Cape Breton. Cape Breton has been a strong Liberal supporter, for the most part, for years and this was Hamm's way of shutting us down.

I do think some good came out of this because it forced us to fend more for ourselves rather than relying as heavily as we always have on government support. However, you can't just totally pull out support overnight.

Now, with NS Power looking for alternative means to boost it's power generation they are back in Cape Breton looking for coal and wind turbines. Cape Breton has a chance to do something for itself that could dramatically boost our economy without government hand-outs. Let's not drop the ball on this.

Rontu, if you look in the Headlines section of this board you'll see an article about the pharmaceutical plant.

[cbisle]

I have to say IAMCAPER, maybe you and rontu88 are on to something. I never really looked at things that way. Maybe there is a lot more potential there with the coal than I thought. Hopefully that is the case.

[rontu88]

Well like IAMCAPER stated, the locals need to be running the show on these new projects and leave the government where they belong "suckin on tax juice" and thats it.... It's a dieing time for our roots and only the people can change it. I myself being in Ontario will still be affected emotionally seeing other family members and friends suffer even though it's not actually hurting my pocket anymore. Times are changing and the new generations need to get educated on these matters as well as future plans. Time for an OT win.

[IAMCAPER]

Well said Rontu! It can be frustrating to see how the powers that be run things. We have more resources than we could ever need for ourselves but we refuse to take control of them. The coal and wind turbines are just the beginning. Look at the fight between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland over the offshore rights to the natural gas. I know it would likely never happen but what a perfect chance that would have been for Cape Breton so say, "to heck with the mainland, you've screwed us for the last time". Cape Breton should have cut it's ties with Nova Scotia and signed a deal with Newfoundland to develop the off-shore. How grand would it have been to see the two poorest regions in Canada join together to develop their own natural gas pipelines. Not only would we be self-sufficient, we would also get an even share of the pie when it comes to federal transfers. Actually, the province of Nova Scotia would receive a lot less from the Feds because of the loss of Cape Breton "the eastern leetch"

I still can't believe that the Nova Scotia government sunk so much money into it's off-shore even though it doesn't get any of the natural gas! It's all shipped to Maine!!!

[rontu88]

Yup you're bullseye on that gas situation.... I can't recall actual numbers on it precisely but I know that Alberta Provincial Gov makes more in one year than our dumb dumbs will make in the whole time of the signed contract, partly because of its route directly to Maine. It is really sad to see these types of transactions and we do have more natural gas then the middle east has sand surrounding our shorelines. And that's only a drop in the bucket to what's actually out there. It takes a lot of resources to just find this stuff and we only began to tap it so far. The deal with NFLD is definitally lame as we both are in dire need for this "under the sea cash crop" and we all know it's gonna drag out for years. It's time to stand up and be counted. Too much greed on the go. God help us!

[IAMCAPER]

Another article on stipmining:

Over in Sydney Mines, they’re strip mining. Proponents call it surface mining, but everyone acknowledges that it amounts to the same thing. It’s been done in Little Pond and Alder Point, too. And strip mining is coming to the Port Morien-Birch Grove area, another site southwest of there, and the Point Aconi area, possibly as soon as next year.

Proponents say surface mining provides employment in Cape Breton, boosts the local economy, and will help solve some of the problems created by King Coal’s legacy: subsidence.

Opponents say it ruins the landscape, poisons the water, and causes a myriad of other environmental blights.

It’s called strip mining for two reasons. The first is that the technique involves stripping away topsoil, stripping off the overburden, and removing the resource. The second reason is that classic strip mining is done in successive strips across a parcel of land. After the first strip is done, the material from the next strip is used to fill in the first strip.

It is the first definition that most people use when referring to surface mining, although there are various techniques, such as high wall mining, that can be used after the surface is stripped away.

It is a semantic argument, the nuances of which usually mean very little to the public, most of whom worry more about the results than the names.

Underground coal mining in Cape Breton was almost 300 years old when it was shut down about five years ago. The first organized mine started in 1720 on the north side of Cow Bay near Port Morien. Since then, millions of tonnes of coal have been taken out of the ground all over the island.

When the mines were finally closed in the late 1990s, they left behind miles upon miles of underground labyrinths. The room-and-pillar method was common, with large blocks of coal taken out in “rooms” with smaller pillars left to support the ground overhead.

The coal seams vary in width and depth, with some mines coming up from underground to within a few feet of the surface. These are the most common locations for subsidence, the term referring to ground that has fallen down into the old pits.

Making matters worse, the old mine maps don’t show areas that have been bootlegged; that is, areas that have been mined illegally by individuals or groups digging their own so-called crop pits. In some cases, the pillars have been chipped away, while in others, the pillars are gone, supported only by lumber.

Paul MacDougall was born and raised in Sydney Mines. As a child, he played out back in the public forest bounded by Main Street (also known as Halfway Road), Tobin Road and Haley Street. After he built his own home on the old family homestead, his children were allowed to play out there, too. They aren’t allowed out there anymore, though.

“We knew there were mines out here, but we didn’t know what the level of threat was,” he says. “And when I found out the level of threat, it scared me. It was just like it was carpet bombed with subsidence.”

In Dominion and Glace Bay, houses have cracked and backyards have subsided. The high school in Dominion had to be demolished because of severe damage from subsidence.

The same thing could be happening now, or could easily happen in the future, in communities across Cape Breton. There’s no way to predict when and where it will happen next.

Initially, Paul’s was one of the strongest voices against strip mining in Sydney Mines, until he got a closer look at the problem in the area just beyond his backyard. Now, he vows to fight for proper reclamation and is one of the unofficial local watchdogs calling the mining company to account for its work there.

The public extensively uses the Halfway Road forest. It’s a beautiful area for a walk in the woods, hunters have gone after deer there in the past, and its bog attracts other wildlife and plants.

Paul MacDougall and Paul Finney, another Sydney Mines resident, are in the process of establishing a community organization to apply for government funding that will eventually turn the Halfway Road forest into a safe public park. Strip mining to remove the remaining coal and fill in the old tunnels, shafts and rooms is just the start.

“It’s not all doom and gloom,” Paul says. “It’s a mean, rotten, nasty business. You’ve got to knock down trees and take off the topsoil, disturb the land. The process, granted, is not very palatable for the public. It’s not that I really like the idea of stripping this area out, but it seems to be a necessary evil.”

Ken Stubbert, another area resident who grew up around the Halfway Road site, is opposed to strip mining. He says there is a need for remediation of some unsafe mines, but adds that the government and the mining companies have provided no evidence of a solid plan to remediate all of the problems.

He is also concerned that the Sydney Mines operation to date has not been handled properly and that the bulk sample was having a larger impact on the area than necessary. He cited a number of problems with the operation, including a breach in a sediment pond and dust kicked up by trucks and equipment, and says the government was at fault for not enforcing its regulations.

“They really should have paid closer attention to the mining and reclamation procedures that are outlined in their manuals,” he says. “This would reduce the amount of disturbances to the natural land.”

Richard Brogan, president of Tom Brogan and Sons, says the mining industry has changed over the years, and he expects the Halfway Road project will be a prime showcase for his company’s reclamation work by the end of October.

Tom Brogan and Sons have taken a bulk sample amounting to nearly 10,000 tonnes of coal out of the Halfway Road area. The sample has come from several pits that are in the process of being reclaimed. Trees were cut, the topsoil set aside and the overburden removed. Once the coal was extracted – removing the rooms-and-pillars left from years ago – the overburden was put back, the topsoil replaced, and the company is in the process of reseeding and planting trees.

The Halfway Road coal is high in sulphur and must be blended before it can be sold, but the company has committed $2 per tonne of coal to be set aside for the community’s use in further reclamation.

The coal quality is low and the sample revealed that much of the coal that should have been there has been bootlegged. The company expects the area will yield no more than 30,000 tonnes in total.

Still, Richard says his company will finish the job in Sydney Mines. “We will work with the government and we will work with the people to get that done.”

Port Morien residents are especially concerned for their area, says Leroy Peach, spokesman for a group of residents opposed to strip mining, because the community just finished a $350,000 infrastructure improvement project aimed at boosting tourism, and the land around Port Morien identified for coal reclamation is ecologically sensitive.

“The water supply for Port Morien and Donkin is at Sand Lake,” he says. “There’s an absolute certainty that mining coal there would pollute that water supply. The water supply for Glace Bay is at the reservoir; it would almost certainly impact negatively that water supply.

“The Port Morien sandbar is definitely under siege, because of the streams and brooks that flow into that estuary. This is one of the largest migratory bird areas in the Maritimes. We’re hoping to get an injunction against this company because of the water.”

Leroy also says there is no evidence the Brogan company leaves sites in better condition, and points to Little Pond as a prime example.

Richard says his mining company is willing to listen to residents’ concerns and will establish a community liaison committee to help prevent any negative impacts.

“We have to get all their concerns and work with them,” he says. “You don’t want us to be here, or there, we’ll say, ‘OK, let’s get the engineers to work on this.’ We say, ‘OK, we got a stream there, how are we going to deal with it?’ We’ll send it to our engineers.”

The reclamation work in Little Pond is not done yet, Richard adds, saying it will be finished this fall and, along with Sydney Mines, will be improved greatly in terms of safety and aesthetics.

Mining company executives used to get together and brag about their tonnage. Lately, they have started competing to see which one has the nicest site after reclamation, says Richard.

“I don’t care what store, what business you’re in, if you’re not constantly changing, you’re not going to be in business,” he says. In the mining industry today, he adds, “You better know that the environment is Number One. Because if you don’t, you better pack your bags.”

Paul MacDougall says if nothing is done about subsidence, the government will be liable and that will cost taxpayers, adding it would be better to work with government and mining companies to get something the public can use, like a park. He also says the players will be held accountable.

“If I gotta tackle this thing all by myself, I am not going away. The fact is I see an opportunity here where something good can come out of a very bad situation. I have no reason to believe this thing can’t be done.

“This thing will be done right, and if it’s not, it won’t be for my lack of trying.”

[cbisle]

Just wondering what the status was on the strip mining.

[dauphineer]

Last week my County Councilors, my MLA, my MP and alll the current candidates for his job including Howie MacDonald met with over 300 local residents at the Millville Community Hall to figure out what we can do to stop the province from devasting Cape Breton Island with strip mines.

For what every Cape Betoner should know about what's happening with the strip mnes go to:

www.c-a-s-m.org

See what you think, and please pass it on!