Support for Resource Development

I am a retired lawyer with other business interests. Nova Scotia has a long history of outward migration of many of  our young people. Some twenty five years ago a new (to me) and disturbing trend developed, as people in their 30s, 40s and 50s joined their younger cohorts by concluding that they could no longer make their way in Nova Scotia. Meanwhile the exodus of our young people accelerated. Schools closed. A rural Fire Chief recently told me that they lost a generation of recruits. Other volunteer organizations and groups have suffered noticeably. Homes became vacant; seniors moved away so as to be closer to their grandchildren.

The Covid 19 era, despite its challenges brought an influx of new people, along with hope, to rural Nova Scotia. But we need jobs and economic activity if we are to retain people. The erosion of our primary resource industries has been substantial, and we are poorer for it. No, we should not pursue resource extraction and development blindly, but we should approach the issue with open minds and with the objective of achieving responsible development.