ARB to hear case
The Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board (ARB) announced on January 31 that a decision hearing will be held from April 24 to 28 in Conference Room ABC Keating Centre, St. FX University for Town Point Consulting Inc.'s application to build close to a 90-acre farm to grow 9 million oysters in 23,000 floating oyster baskets in the waters of Antigonish Harbour. The announcement is at https://arb.novascotia.ca/hearings/public-hearing-applications-town-point-consulting-inc.
Friends of Antigonish Harbour (FOAH) opposes the proposed oyster farm on multiple grounds, including health and safety of boaters and lobster and recreational fishermen, interference with use and enjoyment of the harbour as a public resource, and potential for negative environmental impacts. FOAH does not consider that any economic benefits to the people of Antigonish Town and County will exceed current economic benefits (commercial fishermen, tourism, property development, construction, wild oyster harvesting, food fishing, etc.) that depend at least in part on unobstructed access to and use of harbour waters.
The ARB hearing provides a number of ways that the public can participate in the decision-making process.
Written comments can be sent to the ARB at aquaculture.board@novascotia.ca before April 3.
Application can be made, at the above email, to the ARB to make a sworn oral statement or affirmation at the hearing, of no more than six minutes, before April 3.
A request for intervenor status at the hearing may be made by submitting the application form found at http://arb.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/nsarb_intervenor_status_application.pdf, before February 14. (Approved intervenors will be provided documents to be considered during the hearing.)
More information on how to participate in this hearing can be found at https://arb.novascotia.ca/how-participate Please note that the ARB requires that any contact include a person's full name and civic address, the Town Point application (numbers 1442, 1443 and 1444), and how any comment relates to the “the factors to be considered in decisions related to marine aquaculture sites” (see below).