You may have, possibly, heard that Cabot of Inverness golfing fame wants to build golf in a core, natural resource, protected park in Mabou named the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.

Cabot has created a website casually titled Mabou Golf Project. 

On said website, they tell us that “Cabot is deeply committed to environmental stewardship and wildlife preservation. We will work with the community and with the government to make sure we meet the highest environmental standards with this project. In addition to building a course, our objectives are to utilize industry-leading environmental practices, improve access to the beach, and enhance the existing trail system.”

Cabot, being “deeply committed to environmental stewardship and wildlife preservation” means not building golf in protected spaces.

(In a stunning sentence in the FAQ section, Cabot tells us that, “The public will continue to have access to the park.” Honestly, Cabot’s generosity knows no bounds. They will let us access our land.)

On to my main point.

West Mabou Beach Provincial Park is not the same as unprotected Crown land that can be leased.

Riddle me this, Powers That Be.

1. If a natural resource park can be leased just as garden variety crown land can be, why would our government create a plan, titled Our Parks and Protected Areas: A Plan for Nova Scotia, supported by the Assembly of Mi’kmaq Chiefs, a Mi’kmaq technical advisory group, the Natural Resources Strategy, the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act, the Climate Change Action Plan, the Renewable Electricity Plan, the Draft Coast Strategy, the Heritage Strategy, and the people of Nova Scotia who contributed more than 2,000 written submissions and attended 17 public open houses with the aim of protecting important parks and land?

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2. Why do we have the Provincial Parks Act and a Crown Land Act if provincial parks are to be treated simply as if they were crown land? Shouldn’t we look to the Provincial Parks Act when Cabot puts forth the unbelievably irresponsible request that they should have 150 acres of protected land to build a fourth golf course in Cape Breton?

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3. Why does our government tell us that, “hunting and fishing are permitted on crown land, in season and with a license” if provincial parks are to be treated exactly as crown land? Can we head into any provincial park and hunt?

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4. How is it possible for our government to announce that we reached the goal of protecting 12 % of our land and water in 2015, including the land that is West Mabou Beach Provincial Park, and then consider renting it out so that a golf course can be built? (I do not believe that Nova Scotians would stand for that level of trickery.)

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5. Why would Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Rushton tell us that they are “continuing our work toward our goal of protecting 20 per cent of the province’s land and water by 2030. Earlier this month, we designated Owls Head to become Nova Scotia’s newest provincial park, and we’re working on more.” This means that developers cannot build golf courses at Owls Head Provincial Park, right? And West Mabou Beach Provincial Park is categorized as a “natural environment” park, just as Owls Head is. Ergo, Cabot cannot build a golf course at West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.

It is clear that when crown land is designated as a natural resource provincial park it is no longer to be changed into a golf course.

Premier Houston, there are many Nova Scotians disturbed by the audacity of Cabot and your silence.

You do not have to receive an application for a lease of crown land to let Cabot know that West Mabou Beach Provincial Park has been officially protected as a special kind of park, a natural resource park described as so, in the provincial plan for parks: “primarily established to protect the ecosystems that support sensitive species or other important wildlife.”

Why not give Ben Cowan-Dewar a call?

It is the right thing to do.

Why not encourage Tim to give Ben a call?

Phone: 902-424-6600
Fax: 902-424-0728
[email protected]