Sydney Tar Ponds

Come Share Your Concerns, Tell Us Your Values, and Give Recommendations

As part of the environmental assessment for the Donkin Coal Mine, Sierra Club Atlantic invites community members to join us in gathering information about local community values, features in the region that could be impacted by the project, and their recommendations regarding the project.

This information will be used as part of our submission to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency regarding the project, and will be used by regulators to reduce or eliminate environmental impacts of the project.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 29^th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm,

WHERE: Port Morien Fire Hall, Port Morien, Nova Scotia

WHY: To gather local information about concerns & possible impacts as a part of the environmental assessment of the Donkin Coal Mine.... Read more »

Submission to the Senate Committee on Energy

Re: Bill C-38

John Bennett, Executive Director

Sierra Club Canada

Thursday, May 31 201

 ... Read more »

#BlackOutSpeakOut Update

We are just a week away from #BlackOutSpeakOut day (June 4th). I can tell you the campaign momentum is building! The list of participating organizations is over 100 and growing! Maude Barlow just told me The Council of Canadians is also joining the protest. All across the country Canadians are recognizing that silence is not an option in face of the war on nature and democracy.

This week here in Ottawa we have two events:

Event #1:... Read more »

Dear Friends,

It has been a busy few weeks here in Ottawa and across the country. People everywhere are talking about devastating changes to environmental law and regulation (Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and Fisheries Act) undemocratically crammed into the federal budget.... Read more »

Sydney Tar Ponds

Sydney, Nova Scotia's infamous "Tar Ponds" contain 700,000 tonnes of toxic sludge, of which 40,000 tonnes are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To put this figure in perspective, the Tar Ponds contain over 20 times the amount of toxic sludge than New York's infamous Love Canal.

It has been over 20 years since the federal and provincial governments launched a $34 million project to clean up the Tar Ponds. Taxpayers spent $60 million on an incinerator to burn sludge from the ponds, but the piping system to transport the toxic waste didn't work and the project was abandoned. Finally, it was decided to solidify the ponds by pouring cement into the site, in hopes of stabilizing the toxins.... Read more »