How are Nova Scotia’s environmental laws enforced? Is there sufficient publicly available information to assess environmental law enforcement in Nova Scotia?
The East Coast Environmental Law Association (ECELAW) and the Environmental Law Student Society (ELSS) at Dalhousie University ask these questions and provide some answers in a joint report Failure to Enforce? Time for transparent and effective environmental enforcement in Nova Scotia.
According to research carried out for this report over the last 2 years, the NS government lays 1 charge for every 500 compliance-inspections conducted. The report also found that the majority of fines issued for environmental convictions are $500 or less.
“Do businesses see these fines as merely ‘fees to pollute’?” asks Simpson, executive director with ECELAW.
From mink farming, to improper waste management facilities, to pulp mill pollution, Nova Scotians are wondering why environmental regulations are not resulting in a cleaner environment.
“We had to shut down a children’s summer camp,” explains former Yarmouth YMCA CEO Barrie MacGregor.
“We were so dependent on the lake next to the camp,” MacGregor explained. “Once the contaminating blue-green algae and resulting harmful bacteria showed up in the lake, it made running a summer camp very difficult.”
The YMCA camp has not been operated since 2010, partly due to water contamination. “We had to truck drinking and washing water in, and had to truck the kids out to another lake for them to swim,” said MacGregor. “You can’t run a summer camp in that way.”
Harrietsfield resident Marlene Brown has also suffered the impact of contaminated water. “I trusted that someone was watching out for our health,” said Brown. “I trusted the government.”
Brown and other residents realized their drinking water was contaminated by heavy metals in 2009, and the problem has yet to be fixed. “It affects my whole life. Our health and well-being depends on clean and safe water,” says Brown.
“Especially troubling,” says Simpson, “is the lack of transparency.” ECELAW’s report shows that Nova Scotians do not have access to basic information about who pollutes, where violations occur, and the nature of the violations.
“The new government has an opportunity to change this,” says Simpson.
The report recommends the government create an on-line database that details locations of offences, names of corporate offenders, nature of offences, and case outcomes. “Nova Scotians should be able to assess our government’s record on environmental enforcement,” says Simpson. “There’s no need to keep this information hidden.”
ECELAW wants to hear from Nova Scotians. “Please share your story with us,” says Simpson. “We want to hear from Nova Scotians who’ve been impacted by a lack of environmental enforcement.”
Visit ECELAW’s website at www.ecelaw.ca to get in touch and share your story.
Download the report here: http://www.ecelaw.ca/92-failure-to-enforce-final-june-2014.html
ECELAW is a non-profit organization that promotes sound environmental law and policy in Atlantic Canada, for a healthy future for all inhabitants.
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