Dartmouth Cove infill proposal wrong for community

DARTMOUTH – A proposed infill project in Dartmouth Cove is wrong for the community and not the kind of development needed along the coastlines of Nova Scotia.

“There’s a clear gap in how we manage infill projects in our province. Having a dumping site like this in Dartmouth Cove near homes and city parks and trails isn’t the right thing for our community,” said Claudia Chender, NDP MLA for Dartmouth South. “There is no public benefit to this project in this location.”

While infilling with pyritic slate is common in HRM, the project proposed for Dartmouth doesn’t reflect community needs or use of the area. As climate change continues to impact weather patterns and storm severity it is important that any development along the coastline be done intentionally.

“Nova Scotia has 13,000 kilometres of coastline, much of which will be vulnerable to the harmful impacts of climate change,” said NDP Environment and Climate Change spokesperson Susan Leblanc. “With any development near the water or along our coastline we have to be thoughtful about the environmental and community impact.”

The Dartmouth Cove project still needs approval from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which will review the project’s impact on fish habitat and waterway navigation.

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