Cabot Cape Breton wants to build a golf course at West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.

This is weird because West Mabou Beach Provincial Park is a legally protected, natural environment, core provincial park. 

Indeed, our Minister of Natural Resources, Tory Rushton, in 2023, asked his staff to tell him if Cabot could build golf in Mabou, and was told that   "provincial regulations would not permit him to allow a golf course in a provincial park because it would damage the biodiversity or ecosystems that might be present." 

I dare say the good minister's staff was correct. 

Premier Houston, also in 2023, had this to say: "The land is protected under the Provincial Parks Act, and we have no plans to change that..." 

And everyone lived happily ever after.

(Well, I don't want to overstate things. Let's say that everyone knew that our provincial government was not going to unprotect our protected provincial parks, and, man, that was good enough for a long while.)

Until recently. 

A recent, unusual news item left this reader spitting out her morning coffee in, I don't know, shock, I guess:

CB News

Minister of Natural Resources Tory Rushton appears to have been subjected to a powerful memory charm which has left him blithely unaware that - just two years ago, in 2023 - he assured us that West Mabou Beach Provincial Park was safe from golf. 

And, to complicate things even further, it seems that said charm bounced off Minister Rushton's head and bonked Premier Houston on his nose, leaving him ignorant to the fact that his office, again in 2023, assured Nova Scotians that they have no plans to remove West Mabou Beach Provincial Park's protection under the Provincial Parks Act. 

The work of the potent charm was discovered only when Minister Rushton declared that some unnamed representatives from Cabot Cape Breton threw some "ideas" in an overnight bag and headed to Halifax to share them with him. The likelihood that a memory charm had erased all of Rushton's memories regarding West Mabou Beach Provincial Park jumped considerably when he blurted out:

"We'll have a conversation and see what takes place...

We've been very clear this mandate: if a proponent comes to the province with an idea that can bring an economic benefit, good-paying jobs and something to Nova Scotians, then we'll have a conversation, and that's where we're at right now."

I needn't point out that Rushton's recent statement makes little to no sense. 

Premier Houston has not been heard on the subject, not by ordinary Nova Scotians at least. 

This reporter hopes for a speedy recovery for Minister Rushton, and a full briefing on the situation with the unnamed Cabot Cape Breton representatives who are travelling around Nova Scotia with ideas. 

As we were posting this article, reports that Kyle MacQuarrie, MLA for Inverness, has been speaking to former Premier Rodney MacDonald about letting Cabot into West Mabou Beach Provincial Park:  "We really didn't discuss specifics about it, just kind of the idea that something might happen or just general ideas ..." 

It is odd that MacQuarrie would be thinking that "something might happen" but he doesn't seem to know what it would be.

Give him a call (888-968-7652) or send him a note [email protected].

This story should have ended before it started. 

Our provincial parks are legally protected. 

Premier Tim Houston

[email protected]

902-424-6600

Minister Tory Rushton 

[email protected]

902-597-4039