Darrell
                                      Dexter's NDP government finally
                                      published the Fur Farm Act.Some
                                      think this is nothing more than a
                                      confidential wish list of ways to
                                      avoid pesky environmental laws
                                      affecting the fur farm
                                      industry..... The so called FUR
                                      FARM ACT has actually been around
                                      since 2006, but in the form of a
                                      loose set of voluntary rules from
                                      Department of Agriculture. ASK
                                      CHRIS d'Entrement MLA who was the
                                      Minister of Agriculture at that
                                      time. He may ( or may not ) agree
                                      that mink farmers had been
                                      actively lobbying their
                                      politicians to give them more
                                      user-friendly environment laws
                                      that would allow them to expand
                                      their businesses
                                      ...............Darrell Dexter held
                                      those rules back from the public
                                      since his election, having already
                                      satisfied the mink lobby with a
                                      solid commitment to give them
                                      immunity from pesky environment
                                      laws while he carried out his term
                                      in office. 
                                      He kept his word to the mink
                                      farmers, cashing in part of Nova
                                      Scotia's share of Harper's
                                      BORROWED STIMULUS BILLIONS in 2008
                                      .How did he do this? Those who
                                      care have been trying to find out
                                      ever since they figured out what
                                      was going on.Specifically, our
                                      government has successfully hidden
                                      its secret agenda from public
                                      scrutiny with a determined and
                                      well funded campaign 
                                      of information management ,
                                      press/media manipulation, and
                                      inter-party sharing of all the
                                      under-the-table spinoff deals.
                                      While we weren't looking, millions
                                      were transferred to new mink farms
                                      under provincial Department of
                                      Agriculture direction.
                                      Secrecy was maintained , we were
                                      told, for proprietary reasons and
                                      for protection against
                                      eco-terrorists .
                                      It's a deal that should be
                                      investigated as a criminal
                                      conspiracy, but don't plan on it.
                                      People have lost their confidence
                                      in the legal process as they tried
                                      to find and stop obvious
                                      environmental infractions. But
                                      politics and patronage always
                                      protects its own, and before long
                                      all the legal balances and
                                      countermeasures had been bypassed
                                      or "fixed". 
                                      Eventually it reached a point
                                      where citizens' complaints were
                                      simply being overlooked and the
                                      public had absolutely no faith in
                                      their government agencies to
                                      protect them. Environmental
                                      inspectors are a rare commodity
                                      around mink farms.
                                      Opposition parties have had little
                                      effect, disappointing their most
                                      ardent political supporters. They
                                      should be ashamed for their
                                      deliberate denial of the problem,
                                      and for talking from both sides of
                                      their mouths.
                                      
                                      THE BIGGEST LIE OF ALL can be seen
                                      on the 
                                      Q&A sheet on these regulations
                                      that has been put out by the
                                      Government of Nova Scotia. (See: http://www.gov.ns.ca/agri/mink/pdf/FurIndustryRegulationsQAs.pdf)
                                      
                                      In response to the very first
                                      question: "What is in the fur
                                      industry regulations?" it says
                                      "The regulations clearly state
                                      that no discharge of contaminants
                                      is permitted from the farm
                                      property to a watercourse." 
                                      
                                      My own thoughts: That's Bullshit,
                                      not minkshit. There is not one
                                      single recommended treatment that
                                      would remove water-soluble
                                      phosphorus ,or any other water
                                      soluble nutrient from the waste
                                      stream runoff of a mink
                                      farm.(unless you think a few acres
                                      of cat-o-nine tails will soak up
                                      the poop from a million mink)
                                      Brand new farms that have been
                                      built under the NDP regime do
                                      nothing to remove the
                                      water-soluble "manure nutrients".
                                      They don't tell you this, but the
                                      new mink farms around here still
                                      let the runoff drain into the
                                      woods and still bury their
                                      carcasses on their own land.
                                      
                                      This Document is not about law.
                                      Instead it's a Contract of
                                      Entitlements that will allow
                                      business as usual for the fur
                                      industry.
                                      
                                      There's an election coming..
                                      We need to talk personally to all
                                      the candidates, and make it clear
                                      that we need to FIX OUR
                                      PROBLEM....
                                      My vote goes to the first
                                      candidate who has the balls to
                                      stand up publicly for everybody's
                                      right to CLEAN WATER.
                                      
                                      John Halley Horton
                                      Forest Glen
                                
                            He kept his word to the mink farmers, cashing in part of Nova Scotia's share of Harper's BORROWED STIMULUS BILLIONS in 2008 .How did he do this? Those who care have been trying to find out ever since they figured out what was going on.Specifically, our government has successfully hidden its secret agenda from public scrutiny with a determined and well funded campaign
of information management , press/media manipulation, and inter-party sharing of all the under-the-table spinoff deals.
While we weren't looking, millions were transferred to new mink farms under provincial Department of Agriculture direction.
Secrecy was maintained , we were told, for proprietary reasons and for protection against eco-terrorists .
It's a deal that should be investigated as a criminal conspiracy, but don't plan on it.
People have lost their confidence in the legal process as they tried to find and stop obvious environmental infractions. But politics and patronage always protects its own, and before long all the legal balances and countermeasures had been bypassed or "fixed".
Eventually it reached a point where citizens' complaints were simply being overlooked and the public had absolutely no faith in their government agencies to protect them. Environmental inspectors are a rare commodity around mink farms.
Opposition parties have had little effect, disappointing their most ardent political supporters. They should be ashamed for their deliberate denial of the problem, and for talking from both sides of their mouths.
THE BIGGEST LIE OF ALL can be seen on the
Q&A sheet on these regulations that has been put out by the Government of Nova Scotia. (See: http://www.gov.ns.ca/agri/mink/pdf/FurIndustryRegulationsQAs.pdf)
In response to the very first question: "What is in the fur industry regulations?" it says "The regulations clearly state that no discharge of contaminants is permitted from the farm property to a watercourse."
My own thoughts: That's Bullshit, not minkshit. There is not one single recommended treatment that would remove water-soluble phosphorus ,or any other water soluble nutrient from the waste stream runoff of a mink farm.(unless you think a few acres of cat-o-nine tails will soak up the poop from a million mink)
Brand new farms that have been built under the NDP regime do nothing to remove the water-soluble "manure nutrients". They don't tell you this, but the new mink farms around here still let the runoff drain into the woods and still bury their carcasses on their own land.
This Document is not about law. Instead it's a Contract of Entitlements that will allow business as usual for the fur industry.
There's an election coming..
We need to talk personally to all the candidates, and make it clear that we need to FIX OUR PROBLEM....
My vote goes to the first candidate who has the balls to stand up publicly for everybody's right to CLEAN WATER.
John Halley Horton
Forest Glen