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The Green Beacon project aims to make the community centre, and the communities of Main-à-Dieu & area, sustainable - both fiscally and environmentally - as well as a model for other coastal communities wishing to 'go green'. Read more»


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January 16, 2012

Progress with MV Miner removal

The Main-A-Dieu Community Development Association has been actively working to have the MV Miner, which washed up onto the shores of Scaterie on September 20th, 2011, safely removed from the island. Our community along with those from the surrounding area fear that if this vessel remains as is, our already fragile fishing industry stands to be further comprised.

This past weekend we finally had some encouraging news; the Hon. Charlie Parker announced that the province of Nova Scotia is in negotiations with salvage companies contracted by the owner of the MV Miner to remove the wreck from Scatarie.

We will be announcing a Public Meeting to discuss what the removal plan should include and hope that members from all communities come out to share their insight.

Please check out the links below from the Cape Breton Post for up to date information regarding the MV Miner.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2012-01-13/article-2864238/Province-negotiating-with-salvage-companies-for-MV-Miner-removal/1

http://www.capebretonpost.com/Opinion/Editorial/2012-01-14/article-2864184/Glimmer-of-hope-from-Scatarie/1

http://www.capebretonpost.com/Opinion/Letters-to-the-Editor/2012-01-11/article-2859838/Damaged-seawall%2C-grounded-freighter-illustrate-government-inaction/1


November 4, 2011

A letter from the Dieu ….

THE MAIN-À-DIEU COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
2886 Louis–Main-à-Dieu Rd., Main-à-Dieu, NS, B1C 1X5
Tel: (902) 733-2258 | Fax: (902) 733-2653
Email: reception@coastaldiscoverycentre.ca | Web: coastaldiscoverycentre.ca

The Honorable Denis Lebel
Minister of Transport
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

November 1, 2011

Dear Minister Lebel,

On behalf of the Main-à-Dieu and Area Community Development Association, I am writing to urge you to take urgent and effective action to remove the wreck of the gaining bulk carrier MV Miner from the shores of Scaterie Island, located just offshore our small fishing village and its pristine waters. When the vessel ran aground on the Island’s shoals on September 20, I fully anticipated such action in due course from your Department. The licensing of the craft, evidently unfit for towing by tug across the Atlantic, was after all a Federal decision in which the Provincial authorities had no say; in addition, the danger not only of an oil spillage or other toxic leaks but of the vessel’s disintegration at the hands of the sea posed a clear and present danger to the fragile marine environment on which our community’s economic wellbeing and social character overwhelmingly depends. The onus in preventing such a disaster, we all assumed, would fall primarily on the Federal Departments of Transport, the Environment, and Fisheries and Ocean.

Instead, the steps directed from Ottawa, amounting essentially to removing fuel from the wreck and verifying that it does not pose an imminent threat to other shipping, are, while minimally necessary, woefully insufficient to the task at hand. Indeed, with winter fast approaching and fall storm season already here, it is now the Provincial government that is paying a Dutch salvage company, Mammoet, to remove as much potentially hazardous chemical and other material remaining onboard. In our considered estimation, however, the potential for serious, sustained pollution and contamination can only be averted by the removal of the remaining structure of the ship.

Naturally, the most obvious responsibility for dealing with the consequences of the accident lies with the owners of the MV Miner. Unconscionably, however, the Federal Government issued its license for the vessel to be towed with no stipulation that the owners insure the vessel against mishap; nor did the Government ascertain the financial state of the company in the event legal action be required to compel and fund remedial measures. We now learn that the ‘company’ is a shell, about as structurally sound as the MV Miner itself, with no assets and located out of Canadian legal reach in the Marshall Islands.

In view of this glaring failure of Federal oversight of the licensing process, and in light of the clear Federal responsibility to protect the Canadian coastline from harm and pollution, I implore you to review your Department’s response to the crisis to date and to elaborate, in cooperation with all relevant levels of jurisdiction, an action plan commensurate to the scale of the crisis.

If it would help to expedite or facilitate the process of review, our Association would be happy to host, at your earliest convenience, an emergency strategy session here in the village for officials and experts from your and other relevant Departments. We also stand ready, at any time, to offer any information or assistance you may require.

December 2, 2011

JP Cormier & the Elliott Brothers are coming to the Dieu!

JP Cormier and Elliott Brothers Concert to be held December 8th, 2011 at the Coastal Discovery Centre in Main-A-Dieu.
Concert starts at 7:30 pm and tickets are $20.00.
Children 12 and under are free.
Email reception@coastaldiscoverycentre.ca or call 733-2258 for more info!

December 9, 2011

The Dieu Vs. The MV Miner

Here is the Press Release sent out oh behalf of the Main-A-Dieu Community Development Association regarding the MV Miner ….

PRESS RELEASE
Thursday December 8, 2011

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION DISMAYED AND FRUSTRATED AT LACK OF FEDERAL RESPONSE TO EMERGENCY APPEAL ON
MV MINER

On November 1, the Main-à-Dieu Community Development Association wrote to the Federal Minister of Transport, Denis Lebel, requesting an emergency meeting to discuss the removal of the retired bulk freighter the MV Miner, wrecked and disintegrating on the shoals of Scaterie Island – a protected wilderness area at the heart of our ecologically sensitive lobster and scallop fishery – since September 20. Over a month later, we have yet to receive a reply, notwithstanding the visit to Sydney on November 23 of the Minister of State for Transportation, Stephen Fletcher, to meet with ‘all concerned parties’ – excluding, perversely, our community, the party most directed affected and concerned of all.

The official snub of our appeal stands in striking contrast to the proactive and concerted efforts of political leaders and representatives in the province – foremost among them NDP Premier Darrell Dexter, Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner and Liberal-appointed Senator Jane Cordy, Conservative MP Alfie Macleod, and our CBRM Councillor (District 1) Brian Lahey – to seek an adequate and timely Federal response. On November 15, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality unanimously adopted a resolution urging Minister Lebel to immediately elaborate “an action plan to remove the wreck”. As the resolution correctly states, “the licensing of the craft, which was evidently unfit for towing by tug across the Atlantic, was a Federal decision on which Provincial authorities had no say”; in addition, the license was “unconscionably” issued “with no stipulation that the owners” – as it transpires, a shell company with no assets – “insure the vessel against mishap.”

In the face of its clear legal, jurisdictional and moral responsibilities, the Federal government’s repeated assurance that the MV Miner poses no threat to either navigation or the environment holds no more water than the wreck itself. Even before the full descent of winter, the situation is inexorably worsening. The waters in the immediate vicinity of the vessel are frequented both by working fishing boats and pleasure and tourist craft; portions of the hull’s steel plating have already washed away, to reach land who knows when or where, and potentially harmful materials may soon enter the ecosystem and food chain.

Given the certain consequences of continued delay, prevarication and evasion of duty, we repeat our call to the Minister for a crisis meeting; for concerted action, rather than the insult of silence, in response to our just demands.

For more information, please contact
Amanda McDougall, Project Coordinator
Main-à-Dieu Coastal Discovery Centre
733-2258 or 733-2020



Campaigns

Right to Heat

A government knows it’s got an ‘election issue’ on its hands when even the so-called middle class is talking about it. Indeed, it seems the high cost of fuel – and what it will mean for the cost of home heating this winter – has made it onto just about everyone’s agenda. Read more»

Resources

Heating Assistance Rebate Program

A rebate of up to $200 for low- and modest-incomers who heat their home with oil, electricity, wood, propane, wood pellets, natural gas or coal. Applications have been mailed to 54,000 Nova Scotians who received the rebate last year. You can download the application form here.

Past, Present & Future in a Rural Fishing Village: Sustainable Communities in the 21st Century

The Boats of Main-à-Dieu
A multimedia narrative history

Follow a boat from its building to its blessing; listen as generations of local residents share their memories of fishing and the sea; witness the area's transformation in light of the era's cultural, economic and technological developments.

Time & Tide
A people's history of Main-à-Dieu & area

Based on original footage and interviews, augmented by a wealth of archival material from local residents, the film revolves round four main themes: fishing and the sea, community and church, war and peace, daily life and leisure.

Green Beacon, Bright Future
5-year Plan & Sustainability Vision

An experimental development model for the Coastal Discovery Centre, and a 'green-print' for other communities wishing to go green and reduce operating costs. Read the document, discuss it, and send us feedback.