Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Environmentalists are raising concerns about the future of Nova Scotia's only operating gold mine. Gold from the open pit at the Touquoy mine in Moose River, N.S., has already been exhausted, so active mining stopped at the end of January. The mine's owners, Australian company St Barbara, say they are now turning their attention to processing stockpiles, which are lower grade ore and less profitable.
Atlantic Mining NS Inc., the subsidiary of an Australian gold mining company, has been fined $10,000 and ordered to pay an additional $240,000 in financial penalties after pleading guilty to federal and provincial environmental charges relating to its gold mining operations on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. Judge Alanna Murphy imposed the penalties Friday afternoon in Nova Scotia provincial court a week after lawyers outlined a plea arrangement to end the case.
