Mi’kmaw grassroots grandmothers and their supporters held a feast over the weekend to celebrate their win over Alton Gas.
The company announced last week that it was dropping plans to store natural gas in underground salt caverns 12 km from the Shubenacadie River.
The plan also called for dumping the leftover brine into the tidal river, where it would flow into the Bay of Fundy.
Mi’kmaw who opposed the plan said that would’ve killed fish and destroyed the water.
Grassroots grandmother and water protector Dorene Bernard of Sipknekatik First Nation says from the beginning, they weren’t consulted.
“Our treaties never ceded land, our treaties are peace and friendship treaties and they were always meant for us to take care of this land and this water for us to always be able to sustain ourselves as a people and I think it’s time the rest of Canada embraces those things,” she said.
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About 50 people joined the celebration.
Water protector Cheryl Maloney says the years of opposing the project has finally paid off.
In 2020, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled that Aboriginal title and treaty rights were not engaged in the consultation process.
“Alton gas did leave us something they left us a really strong court case and the court case says that you just say that you consulted on environmental issues, you have to consult on Aboriginal issues, you have to consult on treaty rights, Aboriginal title, and Aboriginal rights.
Alton Gas says it will discuss the decommissioning of the project over the next few months.
