ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER - NORTHUMBERLAND QUARRY (MOUNT UNIACKE) - 4HA EXPANSION PLANNED TO 40HA - PART 1 of 3

Part 1 of 3

Good day to you, Mr. Rodgers, and to all relevent Government officials and members of the media, receiving a copy of this email.

The purpose of my email to you today is to voice concerns that I have over NCCI's plans to apply to NSE for an expansion permit on the above-mentioned quarry. Quarry approved by NSE in 2015. My concerns are based on my experiences, thoughts and feelings about this industrial activity for the past seven years and now health concerns going forward for no one knows how many years.

First, I want to start off by telling NSE HOW I WAS MADE AWARE OF NCCI's EXPANSION INTENT

I'm aware NCCI was required, by NSE, to advertise their intent to expand in two publishings and i've been told by others who investigated that they did not do that! I hope this will show NSE, and have some bearing on how NCCI operates and what we've been dealing with here as the area residents closest to the operation for this past seven years.

I want NSE to know that I ONLY became aware of this intent because of the hard work of some good folks looking out for their neighbours' best interests in their trying to hold Mr. Rodgers and NCCI to account. If it wasn't for those people putting up notices and socia l media posts, maybe no one would have known! How would we?

I saw a notice that was apparently done up by the quarry people but wasn't put around the community like it should've been by them. My understanding, from speaking with others, is that it went to a couple of people in an email and that's how it ended up in the hands of one of our area residents who made copies to put around. sounds to me like that quarry fellow, Mr. Rodgers, did that to make it look to you Government people that he did what he was supposed to do.

I also want NSE to know that I went to the "Open House" at the Firehall in Mount Uniacke on May 10th, hosted by Mr. Rodgers and his team. It was supposed to be two hours in length. It was nothing short of a disorganized sham of a public event. They had very few chairs for folks to sit on. Gues that should've been our first indication they didn't expect us to stay long or for many to turn out. Not hard to know why now! They had a few posters laid out for folks to view. There were no hand-outs you could take with you for information. Mr. Rodgers and his people didn't introduce themselves or explain anything, or ask if anyone had questions. They sat and talked amongst themselves, ignoring those who turned out. I went expect I'd be able to ask questions, voice concerns and get some answers. I quickly realized that wasn't going to happen. Most folks when they realized this, they left frustrated and disgusted to have wasted their time. Those who hung on, I later heard, found Mr. Rodgers and his other people to be unapproachable and if someone did try to engage with him he wasn't very interested.

This doesn't sound like what's talked about in NSE papers about transparency, good public relations and having open communications.

NCCI went through the motions "apparently" of what you require of them, but surely NSE meant for it to be more engaging and informative based!? NSE's application process says NCCI has to say what steps they took to make the public aware and to list any public concerns with the project intended. I guess they'll be sending you an application with no concerns attached and, as for the steps they took to notify folks, I can't wait to see this "for public viewing" version to see what the put. I'm guessing now that I know about it they'll be giving you a copy of that nice notice they did up and kept to themselves. We'll all know it won't be truth. NCCI will know to say otherwise will be admitting to NSE they didn't comply with the two-ad requirement. Just like they know they didn't really hold a meeting for concerns to be relayed or questions to be asked.

In my opinion, this sham of a public meeting shouldn't count as checking any boxes in their application process and NSE should be telling them they need to have a redo of this public meet. One that's better organized and gives folks a real opportunity to ask questions and get the answers.

The NSE EA registration doc Section 4 regarding the "Public Involvement" says: "when making a decision on this proposed undertaking the Minister will consider all public input about the proposed undertaking, whether positive or negative".

Then it says: "It is within the proponent's discretion, and encouraged by the NSE, to proactively work with the public to address any concerns prior to registering the undertaking in the EA process." NSE NEEDS TO KNOW IT WOULD SEEM THAT NCCI APPARENTLY DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO WORK PROACTIVELY WITH THE PUBLIC. Based on what I've told you above.

But, it would seem, as I've told you, that they did feel the need to try and fool you people in Government. Unless someone there is telling them it's okay to fool us this way and I really don't want to believe that's going on!

With no opportunity being given by NCCI at their "Open House" on May 10th to express any concerns I had, I'd like NSE to take this email as my concerns from an area resident of Mount Uniacke. and I'd like these concerns to be included with their application to expand. I will be keeping a check on that public site for "Environment and Climate Change" https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/c... to confirm if you included my concerns.

cont'd in Part 2