The federal government has officially said ‘no’ to infilling in Dartmouth Cove.
In a statement Monday, Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson says infilling in that part of the harbour would “permanently destroy” the marine life and supportive fish habitat.
“I am not convinced that the permanent destruction of the remaining marine life in this portion of the harbour, for private benefit, is required and justified in these particular circumstances,” says Thompson.
She says there is no approved project for the land and no benefit for the community.
“It’s infilling for the sake of infilling,” says Thompson.
Infilling in Dartmouth Cove has been a hot button topic for years.
Atlantic Road Construction and Paving applied in 2023 to put loads of pyritic slate in it; something the company says would benefit the aquatic life.
The application created a lot of public backlash with many fighting to protect the Cove.
Spearheading the public outcry was advocate for Dartmouth Cove, Jill Brogan.
In an interview with Acadia News, she says it is truly a “wow moment”.
“A lot of people have come together to say, ‘no that’s wrong’, and fought tooth and nail, wrote letters, showed up, talked about it and it’s because of all of those efforts that we are here today,” says Brogen.
In fact, says in his ten years as Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Darren Fisher says he has never received more outreach on a single issue.
“For nearly four years, our community has spoken loudly against a proposal to infill nearly 7 acres of water in Dartmouth Cove with pyritic slate,” says Fisher. “It is clear that people in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour care deeply about protecting this special area.”
“Dartmouth Cove is not a dumping ground.”
Meanwhile, Bruce Wood with Atlantic Road Construction and Paving says he is appealing the decision.
In an email to our newsroom, Wood says this decision is a “pathetic demonstration of political interference”.
“After obstructing our application for two years, the politicians decide within 24 hours after we filed a lawsuit,” says Wood. “The decision is just political and not based on the law or the condition of the contaminated site our application would have addressed.”
He adds, they will be looking for “significant compensation” for the “abusive action we have endured” and the “lost economic opportunity for the development”.
Wood says the politicians involved have acted with recklessness.
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