No Kings No Uranium

Political heat is the radiation that may indicate a dangerous attitude of “My way or no Highway” beginning to glow as Premier Houston reacts to less than enthusiastic support of renewing uranium mining in Nova Scotia.

Some Press Coverage of Uranium Mining in NS

Haley Ryan of CBC News reports that Premier Houston sent West Hants and Pictou County lengthy lists of projects and groups that have seen provincial funding.

Houston said the province has invested about $227.3 million into Hants County — aside from health care — through about 88 projects and groups since he took office in 2021.

The list of projects and funding recipients included flood-risk infrastructure, public housing maintenance, Highway 101 twinning, the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia, legions, bridges, Mermaid Theatre, ground search and rescue teams, and a bullet point item saying simply "various programs."

"These are just a few of the investments and I have no doubt that your council has many more wants and needs. We would love to be able to meet every ask, but to do that, we need the resources to move forward," (Ryan, n.d.)

Taryn Grant of CBC News reports that the Province plans to issue exploration licences for uranium this summer even as some municipalities ask the province to hit the brakes on uranium exploration in N.S.

"We just have had no communication," said Coun. Brian Connell, who put forward the motion in Annapolis.

"No one can believe how fast the province is moving on this, and many feel that that is by design," said Coun. Alison Smith, who put forward the motion in Lunenburg.

Coun. Alison Smith says the Municipality of the Distrtict of Lunenburg is not taking an advocacy position yet on uranium exploration and mining; it simply wants things to slow down. (Alison Smith/Facebook)

Smith said she was not asking for a vote on whether uranium development should happen. But she noted that there may be an opportunity to take such a stance in the near future.

Last month, Smith and her colleagues asked for a staff report on the risks of uranium mining and exploration in the LaHave River Watershed. Smith said she expects that report back next week.

"When we have more facts in front of us, we may want to take a 'for' or 'against' advocacy position," she said.

The request for a pause builds on several months of public outcry about the province's plans for uranium development. (Grant, n.d.)

In a report by Lyndsay Armstrong of The Canadian Press, published by the CBC, Mi'kmaw chiefs in Nova Scotia advise that continued failure to consult on uranium exploration is a harmful mistake. Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Tamara Young says 'The lack of consultation is unacceptable,'

In her statement, Young said the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia understand that Nova Scotia's economy is facing international pressures.

"But any resource development in Mi'kma'ki must include our consent and participation as we are the rightful owners of these lands, waters and resources," Young said, speaking as co-lead of the environment, energy and mines portfolio on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs.

Rosalie Francis, a Mi'kmaw lawyer whose firm is based out of Sipekne'katik First Nation, said the province risks further damaging their relationship with Mi'kmaw communities and sabotaging the potential uranium industry by failing to consult adequately and early.

"By choosing not to consult, it scares away investors, destroys the relationship and gets us back to starting at zero," Francis said in an interview Tuesday.

"It all comes down to trust, and this completely diminishes any kind of trust." (Armstrong, n.d.)

Taryn Grant of CBC News reports that Premier Tim Houston says the province will keep pushing for more resources development even after there was zero interest in Nova Scotia's call for uranium exploration.

The mining association said the province is "on the right track," and now needs to streamline the permitting process for mining projects.

Opposition politicians said the lack of bids on uranium licences begs questions about Houston's "agenda."

"Where is the urgency coming from when Nova Scotians didn't ask for this and there doesn't seem to be interest from industry?" said NDP MLA Lisa Lachance in a statement.

Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said he was not surprised.

"Obviously, at this point right now, industry isn't looking at uranium in the province," he told reporters. "I think we need to engage with communities and take a pause." (Grant, n.d.)

Perhaps consultation with other elected representatives, possible industrial partners, and Mi'kmaw communities before executive proclamations to continue pushing for more resource development would be a more democratic process with a higher probability of offering less “smoke” and more “fire”.

References

Armstrong, L. (n.d.). https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/uranium-exploration-consultation-mikmaw-chiefs-1.7559302. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/uranium-exploration-consultation-mikmaw-chiefs-1.7559302 

Grant, T. (n.d.). There was zero interest in Nova Scotia's call for uranium exploration | CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/there-was-zero-interest-in-nova-scotia-s-call-for-uranium-exploration-1.7559745 

Grant, T. (n.d.). 3 more municipalities ask province to hit the brakes on uranium exploration in N.S. | CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/3-more-municipalities-ask-province-to-hit-the-brakes-on-uranium-exploration-in-n-s-1.7558276 

Ryan, H. (n.d.). N.S. premier says municipalities who want funding must allow 'economic development' after uranium concerns | CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/n-s-premier-municipalities-want-provincial-funding-must-allow-economic-development-uranium-1.7562763 

Ancestors Connection to the Mi'kmaq of Pictook

The original people living in the area now known as Pictou were the Mi'kmaq and had been living in the area for hundreds and possibly thousands of years. The early name that the Mi'kmaq had for the area was Pictook, meaning exploding gas, probably related to the coal fields in the area. They assisted the early European settlers with hunting, fishing and the ways of the land. If it weren't for them, many of our European forefathers would never have survived through those long cold winters.

Pictook, Fisher's Grant, Pictou Landing

 

Uncle Roger MacPherson writes in ”Some Descendants of JAMES MACPHERSON of Fisher's Grant, Pictou County, Nova Scotia“ that in 1776, the 8th Duke of Hamilton was appointed to form a regiment to reinforce British forces in North America. Recruiting took place mainly in the Lanarkshire district but also in the Highlands and in the Hebrides. Its ranks included Highlanders and Lowlanders. Six companies were raised and sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1778 to reinforce the Garrison there. The regiment fought the American Revolutionaries in the Northeast. In October, 1783 the 82nd regiment sailed from New York for Halifax. Those who elected to remain in Nova Scotia as settlers were released there and given grants of land, and the remainder returned to Scotland, where they were disbanded on 31 May 1784. A tract of land containing 26,030 acres in Pictou County, (the former Fisher's Grant) was set aside for those soldiers of the 82nd who wished to settle and it became known as the 82nd grant. The land was surveyed and divided into lots for the soldiers to draw their number. Some sold their lots without seeing them; others visited the lots and promptly returned to Halifax to re-enlist. About fifty actually moved to Pictou County. These included James McPherson ( my great- great- great -great -great grandfather) and his brother John, who were each granted 100 acres

 (n.d.). History of Pictou | Town of Pictou | Birthplace of New Scotland. Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://www.townofpictou.ca/home/history-of-pictou/

Getting Involved in change after Covid19

One of the themes running through the YouTube video Designing and Constructing a TRUE Net Zero City. (https://youtu.be/ap3NCou1rSc ) is that the current Covid-19 crisis may be the pause before the opportunity to make significant changes in how we use and share resources on our planet.

Trends to act upon

The Economist reports that rich countries are trying radical economic policies to counter Covid-19. The Economist article comments that history suggests that the effects will be permanent.

 The vast majority of economists support these measures. Nominally they are temporary, designed to hold the economy in an induced coma until the pandemic passes, at which point the world is supposed to revert to the status quo ante. But history suggests that a return to pre-covid days is unlikely. Two lessons stand out. The first is that governmental control over the economy takes a large step up during periods of crisis—and in particular war. The second is that the forces encouraging governments to retain and expand economic control are stronger than the forces encouraging them to relinquish it, meaning that a “temporary” expansion of state power tends to become permanent.1

Joseph Zeballos-Roig writes that Spain is moving to permanently establish universal basic income in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://i.insider.com/5e8b4b8ac0232045ff29f7f5?width=1200&format=jpeg&auto=webp

 Nadia Calviño, the country's minister for economic affairs, told the Spanish broadcaster La Sexta on Sunday evening that the government was planning to introduce the cash handouts as part of a barrage of policies meant to help people get back on their feet.
She said enacting basic income was "mostly aimed at families, but differentiating between their circumstances."
Calviño didn't offer a specific date as to when basic income could be rolled out in the country. But she said the government hoped it would become "a permanent instrument."
"We're going to do it as soon as possible," she said. "So it can be useful, not just for this extraordinary situation, and that it remains forever."2

In the publication Climate Change and Cities urban planners have done an assessment report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network. Urban planning and urban design have a critical role to play in the global response to climate change. Actions that simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and build resilience to climate risks should be prioritized at all urban scales – metropolitan region, city, district/neighborhood, block, and building.

Looking for LEED design

This needs to be done in ways that are responsive to and appropriate for local conditions.

 Urban planners and urban designers have a portfolio of climate change strategies that guide decisions on urban form and function:
 • Urban waste heat and GHG emissions from infrastructure – including buildings, transportation, and industry – can be reduced through improvements in the efficiency of urban systems.
 • Modifying the form and layout of buildings and urban districts can provide cooling and ventilation that reduces energy use and allow citizens to cope with higher temperatures and more intense runoff.
 • Selecting low heat capacity construction materials and reflective coatings can improve building performance by managing heat exchange at the surface.
 • Increasing the vegetative cover in a city can simultaneously lower outdoor temperatures, building cooling demand, runoff, and pollution, while sequestering carbon...3

SWAGR (Solidarity with Alton Gas Resistance) is a Halifax-based group of organizers from Council of Canadians, Ecology Action Centre, Solidarity Halifax and the general community. The focus of this group is to support resistance efforts against the Alton Natural Gas Storage Project, and we take our direction from frontline Mi’kmaq communities and other residents of the surrounding area.

Protecting water

In Nova Scotia, Alton Gas has a hugely destructive plan to create salt caverns in which to store natural gas, by dumping the equivalent of 3,000 tons of hard salt into the Shubenacadie river everyday. This massive 50 year project would seriously harm the river ecosystem and put the health, livelihoods and rights of the Mi’kmaq people at risk. It is also in contravention of the Fisheries Act, which prohibits the deposit of “deleterious substances” into water frequented by fish.

 Since September 2016, Mi’kmaq water protectors have been asserting their rights under the Peace and Friendship treaties by building infrastructure (the Treaty Truck House and then the Treaty Camp) on Shubenacadie River. For over 2 years, they have permanently occupied this site, effectively preventing the company from breaking the provincial, federal and treaty laws.
Now, in a surprise move, instead of opposing the Alton Gas project for not complying with federal regulations, the Federal government is looking to make completely new rules, just for Alton Gas, so that the project can go forward. This proves what Water Protectors have been asserting since last November: the current plan is not compliant with the Fisheries Act.
Article 10 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) clearly states “Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their land or territories.” Any removal of Mi’kmaq people will directly violate UNDRIP along with the Trudeau government’s promise to fully implement the Declaration.4

Aquaponics Farmers that add fish to their vegetable mix say they're combining the benefits of an ecosystem with the resource-efficiency of an water-based operation.

 “Even though [aquaponic farmers] have been operating in the U.S. for more than 30 years, we don’t have a good count,” Cufone says. That applies both to commercial operations such as Hasey’s that sell to regional supermarkets and also to backyard, or “recreational,” farms like the one Aney would like to set up. The latter are especially difficult to track. RFC wants to see aquaculture acknowledged as a positive addition to American agriculture and thereby boost its lobbying power. Haney, an RFC member, calls aquaponics, “the answer” to generating year-round income for farmers constrained by the seasons.5

These trends reported in the media today may suggest several ways to get involved now in projects in Nova Scotia that are closely related to the outcomes of the work of the Venus Project and Resource Based Economy described in the video.

References

1	(2020, March 26). Building up the pillars of state - Rich countries try radical .... Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/03/26/rich-countries-try-radical-economic-policies-to-counter-covid-19
2	(2020, April 7). Spain is moving to permanently establish universal basic .... Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/spain-universal-basic-income-coronavirus-yang-ubi-permanent-first-europe-2020-4
3	(n.d.). Urban Planning and Urban Design - Urban Climate Change .... Retrieved April 7, 2020, from http://uccrn.org/files/2019/09/ARC3.2-PDF-Chapter-5-Urban-Planning-and-Design-wecompress.com_.pdf
4	(n.d.). Stop Alton Gas – for our river, water, air, and climate. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://stopaltongas.wordpress.com/
5	(2017, August 30). Aquaponics Farmers Band Together to Set Their Industry Apart. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://civileats.com/2017/08/30/the-effort-to-keep-aquaponic-farming-afloat/