Yesterday morning I witnessed the mining
commission hearing of the 26 Penobsquis citizens asking for compensation for
what has been happening to them since 2004.
The citizens believe they have suffered the
effects caused by subsidence (sink holes), such as loss of well water,
emotional stress, loss of property value and loss of way of life.
I have heard and read public comment in defense of
the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and the shale gas industry development
in the area. Too often the public comments suggest the citizens don’t even
deserve a hearing. Arguments are made that subsidence has a history in the area
preceding the establishment of potash mines and petroleum industry drilling in
the area.
While listening to the “David and Goliath” –
citizens representing themselves in a struggle with corporate lawyers – I kept
thinking of the history of flooding on the Saint John River.
This spring in the Perth-Andover area an ice jam
caused flooding damage to properties. I began weighing how these property
owners were any different than the citizens of Penobsquis. If, indeed, there is
any difference at all.
For example there is a long history of flooding
along the Saint John River, just as there is a history of subsidence in the
Penobsquis area. The province’s crown corporation, NB Power, has dams on the
river.
The Department of environment has challenges
predicting flooding, just as it has challenges predicting water loss and the
other effects of subsidence in Penobsquis.
Premier David Alward is reported to have been
prompt in the Perth-Andover flooding and “committed to disaster financial
assistance for flood victims.”
Yet, the citizens of Penobsquis are being put
through a grueling “David versus Goliath” months-long struggle over the effects
of subsidence in the past ten years on the flood plain of the Sussex area
beginning eight years ago.
The news link below on the flooding this spring,
on the other hand, quotes the New Brunswick Premier David Alward: "I want
to reassure affected residents that we are doing everything we can to ensure
that their immediate needs are being met… Work is beginning to investigate the
possibility of a long-term solution to the flood risk in the area, but for now,
our priority is helping people to get back to normal as soon as possible.”
The story continues: The Department of Public
Safety says 180 properties in Perth-Andover, the Tobique First Nation and
surrounding areas have been inspected after the flood.
There have also been roughly 200 applications for
financial assistance.
Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors said
adjusters have started meeting with homeowners to assess their property losses.
Residential property owners could be eligible for
up to $80,000 for repairs, while small businesses may be eligible for more
money.
People with property "deemed to be beyond
economical repair may be eligible for a buyout."
A temporary Service New Brunswick office has been
set up in Perth-Andover to distribute authorized Disaster Financial Assistance
advanced payments.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/04/03/nb-perth-flood-nbpower-947.html
Why am I listening to citizens in Penobsquis
suffering through a mining commission hearing? Telling me that those who lost
their wells now have fire hydrants on their farmlands doesn’t cut it.
In 2004 the citizens told the government of New
Brunswick that “PotashCorp was doing seismic testing…. Did the government hold
PotashCorp accountable? Did they investigate the true cause, given all the
anecdotal reports of the residents?”
If the government can ask only for what appears to
be the lowest royalty rate for potash and shale gas; if it can maintain the
highways for hundreds of tankers of brine to haul from the Penobsquis mine to
Saint John Harbour; if it can give the potash and shale industry tax breaks,
cut rate services and subsidies, why are the citizens locked in this oppressive
struggle in the banquet room of the All Seasons Motel in Sussex.
Greg Cook, a Nova Scotia born poet and literary
biographer, has lived in Saint John for the past 13 years. He is a former
executive director of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia and a former chair
of the Writers’ Union of Canada. His latest book is Songs of the Wounded (Black
Moss Press).
