Nova Scotia needs responsible mining development

As a member of the St Barbara team and someone who has been proud to live in Nova Scotia from my childhood to now, it's projects like the 15-Mile Processing Hub that give Nova Scotians the opportunity to build a career in a growing field and stay within the province for their entire working life as opposed to leaving the province to work abroad.

Other areas of our economy are important, like tourism and small business development, but those areas have provided as much as they are going to without growing our entire economy, and the next level of growth in this province needs to be provided by large businesses that can employ hundreds of our fellow Nova Scotians.

St Barbara has operated the Touquoy Mine since 2019 and has done so admirably.  The project provided over $500 million in economic benefits and employed over 300 Nova Scotians for over 5 years.  And when the project ceased operating in 2023, the company spent over $18 million (to date) reclaiming the site.  The company made a commitment to Nova Scotia and taxpayers and it has met that commitment.

Should the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project proceed, I am confident that St Barbara will continue to operate the sites effectively and with an eye to responsible mining development that protects the local environment.  I am also confident that the Province of Nova Scotia has the regulatory environment in place to manage this project effectively.

This is the right project at the right time and we need smart development that allows rural areas to experience the same prosperity that has been felt for the last decade (or more) in urban areas of the province.