From: Paul <paulmazier@eastlink.ca>
Date: August 7, 2016 at 5:45:45 PM ADT
To: "newsroom@herald.ca" <newsroom@herald.ca>
Cc: "kldawson@sympatico.ca" <kldawson@sympatico.ca>, Gilbert Chandler <gjchand@eastlink.ca>, yvonne frechette <gfrechette@bell.net>, julie bancroft <julia@juliabancroft.com>
Subject: Mink Farmers sink in red ink.

Read your article regarding the above subject and suggest a more appropriate headline would be Mink Farms Stink in red ink.   I live in Hectanooga where there is a very large mink farm (capacity 50k plus) and was placed there with approval of both the Municipal and Provincial governments without, I might add, any consultation with the citizens of Clare.  Did I mention it was placed approximately in the center of the heaviest  population in our community .  We have been plagued, each year, since its inception with noxious odours, fly’s and sea gulls.  The Provincial government introduced Fur Farm Regulations in January 2016 which by the way, were influenced significantly by the Industries Lobbyist’s and it’s Membership.   However, we see that the bottom has fallen out of the Mink Industry and Governments insist on bailing them out at a cost to tax payers.

Given their financial constraights, one doesn’t have to be a genius to understand that maintenance and proper disposal of manure and food waste becomes a way of reducing costs.  This brings me to where the citizens of Hectanooga must’ not only bear the costs of deferring payments for another year but , must also bear the results of the farms from exercising applied Regulations and suffer the intensity of neglect of proper disposal of their waste.  The lake in front of my home which, never had sea gull until the introduction of the Mink Farm, is now a haven to upwards of 100 seagulls at a time, making numerous trips per day.  Keep in mind that we reside inland approximately 12 kilometers from Saint Mary’s Bay, the normal habitant for sea gulls.  I Have never heard of a species called “Lake Gulls” and therefore, conclude they don’t exist.  E-Mails to the Premier and the Agriculture Minister and his staff has fallen on deaf ears.  The Minister’s form letters insist that all is well and their are no violations, yet they can’t effectively explain the presence of the sea gulls.  As a Senior Citizen who has  contributed faithfully and willingly to  Nova Scotia, I believe I’m entitled to a reasonable explanation and not be dismissed with a condescending, patronizing and superior attitude as expressed by the  Minister and his Staff .  All we ask for our community is that Mink Farms comply with the established Regulations and those elected, appointed or acting on behalf of Government do their job and what they preach.  As you may well agree, I’ve concentrated on improving our quality of life and have not discussed the issue of the Environmental Impact of the these operations.  As I write this, I gaze out my window and observe approximately 100 sea gulls taking a breather from feeding and defecating in the lake.  How sad are our lives that we have to live our remaining years in this kind of unnecessary pain.

 

Paul Mazier

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READER’S CORNER: Stop pollution behind algae blooms   June 30, 2014 Julia Bancroft,