A A

Westville Town Council’s regular meeting was packed, as it has been every month since last October.

At issue is a potential open-pit coal mine within the town’s borders.

Concerned citizens have been lining up at each meeting to let council know their opposition.

“We’re educating them,” said Clarrie MacKinnon, former NDP MLA for Pictou East, who is one of the group’s leaders.

Except at the latest meeting Tuesday night, council refused to allow the group of more than 60 citizens make their presentations. Instead offering to take questions and provide responses at a later date.

“It seemed at every meeting it was the same things they were bringing up every time,” said Mayor Roger MacKay, who is also the Conservative candidate for Central Nova in the upcoming federal election.

MacKay estimated the council had been hearing 15 to 20 five-minute presentations from concerned citizens at each of its meetings since last fall.

Pioneer Coal approached the town last year about doing exploratory drilling on historical underground mine works in a wooded area along Cowan Street. The Antigonish-based mining company is in the process of winding down its open pit mine in Stellarton that has been supplying coal to Nova Scotia Power.

It has been looking for new sources of coal.

In April the Department of Energy and Mines issued a request for proposals for private companies to do exploration in the area, which includes five residential streets, a former dump and Cowan Place, a mobile home park.

Nova Scotia's Department of Energy and Mines issued a request for proposals for a program to explore for coal in this area of Westville, Pictou County.

The wooded land that comprises most of the search area is in two land parcels; one that is owned by the town and one owned by a real estate investment trust, Killam Properties, which operates the mobile home park.

According to the Department of Energy and Mines, it is waiting to grant an exploration licence after a land access agreement has been secured by the proponent from the town.

“If a licence is issued, and exploration is successful, the company would then need to apply for a mineral lease, post a reclamation security, and seek environmental and industrial approvals from Nova Scotia Environment,” said Gary Andrea, spokesman for the department.

“Only after that and consultation with First Nations and community groups could a mine open. The mine review and approval process is comprehensive and can take many months,” he said.

A representative of Pioneer Coal could not be reached for comment on Friday for a description of what the mine might look like. However, MacKay said the company is proposing a mine with about a five-year life span.

Those who live near the area have a long list of concerns including potential health affects caused by dust, contamination from an old dump that lies over the mine site, pollution, truck traffic and its effect on their ability to enjoy their properties.

In Cowan Place mobile home park, residents are concerned whether they’ll be allowed to stay at all.

“Right now it’s all hearsay,” said Peter Dawson, who like others in the park owns his mobile home but rents the land it sits on from Killam Properties.

“If you go by the exploration map we’ve got concerns that we could get pushed out. The company doesn’t have any obligation to do anything for us because we rent.”

No one from Killam Properties was available for comment on Friday afternoon. However Dawson did receive an emailed response, from a local manager a month ago, saying they knew of no discussions with Pioneer Coal over access to the park.

Out on Cowan Street, Gordon Chennell took a break from whipper-snipping to slap some mosquitoes on his forehead.

He was at Tuesday’s meeting and left feeling angry.

“Myself and my wife have raised a family and carved out a nice life for ourselves,” said Chennell.

“For council to not allow us to make presentations on an issue that would affect our quality of life, well I was floored by it,” he said.

MacKay said council is waiting until it hires a new chief administrative officer before it decides on whether it would allow Pioneer Coal to develop the mine.

After getting council’s permission and an exploration licence from the province, Pioneer would have to determine if there is a viable case for an open pit mine.

Westville Coal RFP Final