LETTER TO THE EDITOR OCT 3, 2023

How should CBRM Council evaluate Nova Copper’s proposal to acquire 1002 acres of CBRM land in Beechmont/Coxheath? Is the ultimate objective of having an open pit mine in the community reasonable? While CBRM does not regulate mining activity, it certainly has the duty to determine whether public property to be sold for the purposes of resource extraction is truly in the public’s best interest and this should be done prior to pushing the matter to the next levels of government.

The relevant parcels owned by CBRM contain several watersheds and watercourses. These represent critical water sources for the many hundreds of nearby residents who rely on well water (a necessity of life). The land in question is also situated above the Sydney River watershed, located approximately ten minutes from downtown Sydney and close to the Bras d’Or Lakes UNESCO biosphere.  

The residents of Coxheath and surrounding communities have expressed concern about the proposal as they similarly expressed concern years ago regarding the possible development of a quarry on lands that are very close in proximity to these CBRM land parcels. In that case, the quarry did not proceed due to public pushback. The residents acquired the lands that were to be developed and subsequently created a magnificent and much-loved recreation and tourism attraction–the Coxheath Hills Wilderness Trail. 

A reasonable expectation of the Coxheath and surrounding area residents in this case would have been a consultation by municipal staff upon receiving the proposal from Nova Copper Inc. representatives. The recently approved CBRM Forward Development Strategy, we note, aims to prioritize collaborative community planning. 

Unfortunately, neither the Cape Breton Partnership (who have been promoting this endeavor on behalf of Nova Copper Inc.), CBRM municipal staff, nor the district’s councilor have made themselves available to discuss the proposal with residents in the affected areas. There was no public consultation prior to the issue paper recommending the land be deemed surplus for sale on the Council agenda in late August 2023, nor has there been any subsequent discussion, despite repeated attempts by the Keep Coxheath Clean Association to meet with our elected municipal representatives. 

The lack of communication between residents and the municipal administrative staff in this case is striking. The issue paper that was to be discussed at Council in August 2023 provides not a hint of any possible concerns that reasonable people would have regarding such a proposal. It is inconceivable to suggest open pit mining in this particular area for numerous reasons, as it would be for just about anywhere else on an elevation closely surrounded by waterways and residences. In forthcoming press releases, we will detail the ways in which the proposed copper/metals mining operation on top of the Coxheath Hills could devastate the local environment, harm human health, and negatively impact the wellbeing of nearby communities. We also offer alternative suggestions for the use of the public lands in question. This is not a matter of opposing development, it is opposing blind accommodation to corporate interests which involve an overall negative impact to the community.

We hope that municipal councilors can appreciate how inappropriate the proposal is and that they will decline to consider selling or leasing CBRM property for the purpose of mineral exploration or extraction on the Coxheath Hills. We require greater cooperation from our representatives and request that they open an honest dialogue with the public they serve. It is also imperative that if the public feedback is not sufficient that independent evaluations be conducted to confirm the total costs/benefits of the proposal. Important and irrevocable decisions such as this should not be made behind closed doors without community input.     

Sincerely,

Laura MacNeil, President

Keep Coxheath Clean Association

Web: www.KeepCoxheathClean.org

Email: [email protected]