SAMSON TO ECOLOGY ACTION CENTRE: STOP GIVING GOVERNMENT COVER TO ABANDON COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Date: Thursday January 7, 2010

(Halifax, NS) Liberal MLA for Richmond Michel P. Samson is criticizing the Ecology Action Centre for careless comments one of the organization’s representatives made in a press release yesterday regarding the problems facing Nova Scotia’s coastal communities.

Jennifer Graham, the coastal co-ordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, is quoted in today’s edition of the Chronicle Herald as saying that “rebuilding seawalls and other shoreline protection structures is not the solution” when it comes to insulating the province’s coastal communities from storm surges and rising sea levels.

Earlier this week, Samson called for Federal assistance in rebuilding the breakwater in Little Anse - a small community which was battered by the powerful weekend storm.

Samson believes that comments like the one made by Graham are irresponsible and unintentionally provides government an excuse not to take action.

“The shoreline infrastructure in Little Anse and other coastal communities across Nova Scotia needs serious attention from the Federal government,” says Samson. “With each winter storm, the people living in these areas are in jeopardy of being cut off from emergency services and access roads. Flooding and storm surge damage will continue to worsen unless upgrades to the existing seawalls are completed.”

Samson agrees with the EAC’s assertion that preventing Nova Scotians from building in high risk areas in the future is a sound course of action, but he says abandoning communities that have existed for hundreds of years is not an option.

-30-