MILLER LAKE WEST: It’s back to the courtrooms next week for the proponent looking to construct a quarry in the Fall River/Goffs area, and the residents fighting against it.
Scotian Materials is appealing their industrial approval being revoked in November 2015 on the basis public consultation did not occur. Scotian says the provincial government had no right to revoke their permit if the process was not followed correctly. They also claim, public consultation was completed on this application in 2012.
According to the residents group against the quarry, Scotian says Application # 2 is an extension of Application # 1, or is exactly the same application, and not a new application.
“The community group has provided a list of 33 variances between the two applications that prove they are not the same at all, including the company applying, the listed owners, the footprint, the annual production, the physical location, etc.,” the group says in a Facebook posting on its page “Stop the Fall River Quarry, Asphalt Plant and Concrete Plant.
“The community maintains that no public consultation occurred on Application # 2, and no real consultation occurred in 2012, as no inquiries or concerns were ever dealt with, nor any letters answered.”
The group along with the Shubenacadie Watershed Environmental Protection Society (SWEPS) are appealing the denial of their appeals on the approval as the Minister failed to provide reasons for denying the appeals. They said that Minister Randy Delorey simply stated in his denial of the appeals, that essentially they were irrelevant since the approval had been revoked.
“Minister Delorey set the proponent up with an opportunity to possibly never have to answer to any of the public’s concerns,” the group ascertains on its page.
The appeals are in Nova Scotia Supreme Court Jan. 9-11.
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com
