UPDATED: Westville rescinds motion for strip mine exploration

WESTVILLE, N.S. — WESTVILLE, N.S.

You really can fight town hall.

100846. a battle that lasted nearly a year, town council in Westville has withdrawn its motion to allow for coal exploration in the Cowan Street area.

In late 2018, council agreed to allow Pioneer Coal to look into the feasibility of an open pit mine.

An ad hoc group calling themselves the Concerned Citizens Committee (CCC) soon sprung up, and were relentless in their opposition, citing health concerns, air and noise pollution, the potential of property devaluation and the close proximity of Walter Duggan elementary school as some of the reasons for being against the proposal.

“I think perseverance is the ultimate winner of a lot of goals,” said Clarrie MacKinnon, a former MLA and one of the driving forces behind the CCC.

“There are so, so many people that will be relieved.”

Their work paid off on Sept. 30, when Counc. Lynn MacDonald put forth a motion to withdraw her 2018 motion.

It was quickly voted on – with unanimous consent – and most of the roughly 50 people at council gave their representatives a standing ovation.

“We do have the right to change our mind,” said MacDonald, who admitted that she’d been inspired by the recent climate change protests around the world.

“We have an obligation to listen, open-mindedly.”

MacDonald said that while those against coal exploration in Westville were vociferous in their opposition, council heard very little from residents who may have supported it. “If there was a silent majority, they were very silent.”

MacKinnon and others on the committee told council they would be willing to work with council to find ways to make use of the area that had been designated for exploration. MacDonald said she noticed a tension lift when council reversed its stance.

“I felt good when I went home,” she said. “It was really playing on my mind, maybe even more than I thought it was.”