Minister of Ministre des Fisheries and Oceans Peches et des Oceans
Ottawa, Canada K1A OE6
DEC 13 2016
Mr. John Davis Director Clean Ocean Action Committee < jbdavis~eco-nova.com >
Dear Mr. Davis:
Thank you for your correspondence of June 10, June 22 and June 24, 2016, on behalf of the Clean Ocean Action Committee (COAC), regarding offshore oil and gas exploration and development on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia .. I regret my inability to meet with you at this time, and the delay in my response.
I understand that COAC is requesting to permanently remove Parcels 3 and 4 that were included in the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) 2015 Call for Bids, from future consideration for hydrocarbon exploration and development. Your specific concerns regarding the removal of these areas from such consideration fall under the purview of my colleagues, the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Michel Samson, Nova Scotia Minister of Energy. Hence, I have taken the liberty of sharing your correspondence with them for their consideration.
I acknowledge your concerns regarding fisheries and assure you that the protection of the marine environment, wildlife and fisheries is a priority for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Through its Memorandum of Understanding with the CNSOPB, DFO regularly provides expert advice and regulatory determinations on matters related to the Department's mandate. These include the identification and implementation of appropriate measures for the protection, mitigation and monitoring of marine resources, wildlife, fisheries and ecosystems.
As you may be aware, CNSOPB required Shell Canada to prepare emergency response plans for its Shelburne Basin Deep Water Exploration Project. DFO was involved in the review of the Net Environmental Benefit Analysis prepared in support of these plans. Through its Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat process, and in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Natural Resources Canada, the Department examined the documentation supporting Shell Canada's analysis for its spill response plan. DFO determined that this report, which included an analysis supporting the use of sub-sea dispersant application as a response option in the event of a large sub-sea blow-out oil spill, was acceptable.
.. ./2
Canada - 2 -
· DFO continues to work with the CNSOPB, ECCC and Shell Canada to provide ongoing . advice, information and data required for project planning and management.
Thank you for writing, and I trust I have addressed your concerns.
Yours sincerely,
•Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., Q.C., M.P. Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
·• c.c.: The Honourable Jim Carr, P.C., M.P. Minister of Natural Resources Mr. Colin Fraser, M.P. West Nova Ms. Bernadette Jordan, M.P. South Shore - St. Margaret's The Honourable Michel P. Samson, M.L.A. Minister of Energy Government of Nova Scotia Minister I Ministre (DFO/MPO)
From: John Davis
From: John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee PO Box 363 Clark's Harbour Nova Scotia, BOW lPO
Date: June 10, 2016
To: The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister's Office
200 Kent Street
Station lSNlOO
Ottawa, Ontario
KlA OA6
Hello Minister Leblanc,
Attached please find an earlier email which was sent to Colin Fraser, MP and Bernadette Jordan, MP and copied to your office on Friday, June 10, 2016. This email seems to have been lost so I am re-sending it as an attachment.
Also please find attached a letter from the Municipality of Barrington on the South Shore of Nova Scotia stating their concerns about oil and gas development on the Scotian Shelf and the need to protect spawning and nursery grounds which are critically important to the health of the renewable resources on the Scotian Shelf. This letter is in addition to the letters from other Municipal units contained in the attached email.
Also please find a report compiled by the "Clean Ocean Action Committee" (COAC) which clearly indicates the immense issues our fishery and coastal communities face.
The final attachment is a letter from John Davis, Director of COAC to Mr. Keith Macleod, Chairman of the Board, Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board. We have had no functional response to the concerns that we have raised we now need your assistance and the assistance of other Federal Ministers to resolve this critically important issue. You will note in the attached email that we have letters and resolutions of concern in support of our efforts to protect our spawning and nursery grounds from the following Towns and Municipalities:
1. Municipality of Lunenburg 2. Municipality of Shelburne 3. Municipality of Barrington 4. Town of Clark's Harbour 5. Municipality of Argyle 6. Municipality of Yarmouth 7. Municipality of Digby 8. Town of Digby
We have commitments to provide letters or resolutions that have not yet been received from:
1. Municipality of Clare 2. Town of Lockeport 3. Town of Yarmouth 4. Town of Lunenburg
We need to have this issue resolved in the short term. The regulations of the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board allow interested oil and gas companies to re-nominate the sites in question for oil and gas exploration at any time.
Please accept this e-mail as an urgent request for a meeting, at your earliest convenience, to further explain our concerns and to solicit your assistance in successfully resolving this issue.
Very Best Regards,
John Davis, Director
Clean Ocean Action Committee
902-499-4421
2 Minister I Ministre (DFO/MPO)
From: John Davis
From: John Davis [mailto:jbdavis(@eco-nova.com] Sent: June 10, 2016 6:47 PM To: ([email protected])
From: John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee PO Box 363 Clark's Harbour Nova Scotia, BOW lPO
Date: June 10, 2016
To: Colin Fraser, MP West Nova House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario Canada, KlA OA6
RE: Assistance in arranging meetings concerning Scotian Shelf spawning, nursery and fishing grounds and oil and gas resource development.
Hello Colin,
The Clean Ocean Action Committee {COAC} Executive Board is writing to request your assistance in arranging meetings with the following three Ministers: 1 Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change And finally with: Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources. We believe that it will be Mr. Carr, who will be the final arbiter on the issue of removing areas 3 and 4 as described by the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) from all future exploratory lease site auctions. We would like to meet with Mr. LeBlanc and Ms. McKenna prior to Mr. Carr so that they can be informed of the issues we face and hopefully speak in support of our efforts.
As you know COAC represents over 9,000 vessel owners, Captains, crew members, fish plant owners, operators and workers all who depend on the renewable resources provided by the Scotian Shelf multi species fishery. We have, over the last several months solicited support for our position from all the Municipal and Town Governments on Nova Scotia's South and South Western Shores. We now have in hand letters and resolutions from the following towns and municipal Units:
1. Municipality of Lunenburg 2. Municipality of Shelburne 3. Municipality of Barrington 4. Town of Clark's Harbour 5. Municipality of Argyle 6. Municipality of Yarmouth 7. Municipality of Digby 8. Town of Digby (Please see Attachments}
We have commitments to provide letters or resolutions that have not yet been received from:
1. Municipality of Clare 2. Town of Lockeport 3. Town of Yarmouth 4. Town of Lunenburg
Colin, we know that you fully understand that these Municipal and Town Governments and the fishing industry which supports them economically are the "Impacted Communities" referenced in the Liberal Party position papers. To quote:
"Canadians must be able to trust that government will engage in appropriate regulatory oversight, including credible environmental assessments, and that it will respect the rights of those most affected, such as Indigenous communities. While governments grant permits for resource development, only communities can grant permission."
Right now the sites, numbers 3 and 4, as described by CSNSOPB in their 2015 lease site auction map are not actively available in a CNSOPB auction. This status can change at any time as anyone in the oil and gas industry can "Nominate" a site whenever they wish. Waiting until September is not an option. We in COAC feel that it is imperative that we speak with our Federal Ministers as quickly as is possible so that they can understand the issue and so that we can make our position on this critically important issue fully understood. We the impacted communities who are reliant on the renewable resources on the Scotian Shelf do not " grant permission."
2 For oil and gas exploration in sites 3 and 4 which are on, and contingent to, our most important spawning, Nursery and fishing grounds. We need your help in seeing that these areas are protected and that the economic life blood of our many coastal communities is not put at unnecessary risk.
Thank you for your assistance with arranging these meetings. The issues we are putting forward are both time sensitive and critically important and they require action at the Federal level.
Very Best Regards from South West Nova Scotia Thanks again for your help
John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee [email protected] 902-499-4421
3 Minister I Ministre (DFO/MPO)
From: John Davis
From: John Davis [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: June 10, 2016 6:47 PM To: ([email protected])
From: John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee PO Box 363 Clark's Harbour Nova Scotia, BOW lPO
Date: June 10, 2016
To: Bernadette Jordan, MP South Shore-St Margaret's House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario Canada, KlA OA6
RE: Assistance in arranging meetings concerning Scotian Shelf spawning, nursery and fishing grounds and oil and gas resource development.
Hello Bernadette, The Clean Ocean Action Committee (COAC) Executive Board is writing to request your assistance in arranging meetings with the following three Ministers: Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change And finally with: Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources. We believe that it will be Mr. Carr, who will be the final arbiter on the issue of removing areas 3 and 4 as described by the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) from all future exploratory lease site auctions. We would like to meet with Mr. LeBlanc and Ms. McKenna prior to Mr. Carr so that they can be informed of the issues we face and hopefully speak in support of our efforts.
As you know COAC represents over 9,000 vessel owners, Captains, crew members, fish plant owners, operators and workers all who depend on the renewable resources provided by the Scotian Shelf multi species fishery. We have, over the last several months solicited support for our position from all the Municipal and Town Governments on Nova Scotia's South and South Western Shores. We now have in hand letters and resolutions from the following towns and municipal Units:
1. Municipality of Lunenburg 2. Municipality of Shelburne 3. Municipality of Barrington 4. Town of Clark's Harbour 5. Municipality of Argyle 6. Municipality of Yarmouth 7. Municipality of Digby 8. Town of Digby (Please see Attachments)
We have commitments to provide letters or resolutions that have not yet been received from:
1. Municipality of Clare 2. Town of Lockeport 3. Town of Yarmouth 4. Town of Lunenburg
Bernadette, we know that you fully understand that these Municipal and Town Governments and the fishing industry which supports them economically are the "Impacted Communities" referenced in the Liberal Party position papers. To quote:
"Canadians must be able to trust that government will engage in appropriate regulatory oversight, including credible environmental assessments, and that it will respect the rights of those most affected, such as Indigenous communities. While governments grant permits for resource development, only communities can grant permission."
Right now the sites, numbers 3 and 4, as described by CSNSOPB in their 2015 lease site auction map are not actively available in a CNSOPB auction. This status can change at any time as anyone in the oil and gas industry can "Nominate" a site whenever they wish. Waiting until September is not an option. We in COAC feel that it is imperative that we speak with our Federal Ministers as quickly as is possible so that they can
2 understand the issue and so that we can make our position on this critically important issue fully understood. We the impacted communities who are reliant on the renewable resources on the Scotian Shelf do not " grant permission." For oil and gas exploration in sites 3 and 4 which are on, and contingent to, our most important spawning, Nursery and fishing grounds. We need your help in seeing that these areas are protected and that the economic life blood of our many coastal communities is not put at unnecessary risk.
Thank you for your assistance with arranging these meetings. The issues we are putting forward are both time sensitive and critically important and they require action at the Federal level.
Very Best Regards from South West Nova Scotia Thanks again for your help
John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee [email protected] 902-499-4421
3 Minister I Ministre (DFO/MPO)
From: John Davis
From: John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee PO Box 363 Clark's Harbour Nova Scotia, BOW lPO
Date: June 10, 2016
To: Colin Fraser, MP West Nova House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario Canada, KlA OA6
RE: Assistance in arranging meetings concerning Scotian Shelf spawning, nursery and fishing grounds and oil and gas resource development.
Hello Colin,
The Clean Ocean Action Committee (COAC) Executive Board is writing to request your assistance in arranging meetings with the following three Ministers: Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change And finally with: Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources. We believe that it will be Mr. Carr, who will be the final arbiter on the issue of removing areas 3 and 4 as described by the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) from all future exploratory lease site auctions. We would like to meet with Mr. LeBlanc and Ms. McKenna prior to Mr. Carr so that they can be informed of the issues we face and hopefully speak in support of our efforts.
1 As you know COAC represents over 9,000 vessel owners, Captains, crew members, fish plant owners, operators and workers all who depend on the renewable resources provided by the Scotian Shelf multi species fishery. We have, over the last several months solicited support for our position from all the Municipal and Town Governments on Nova Scotia's South and South Western Shores. We now have in hand letters and resolutions from the following towns and municipal Units:
1. Municipality of Lunenburg 2. Municipality of Shelburne 3. Municipality of Barrington 4. Town of Clark's Harbour 5. Municipality of Argyle 6. Municipality of Yarmouth 7. Municipality of Digby 8. Town of Digby (Please see Attachments)
We have commitments to provide letters or resolutions that have not yet been received from:
1. Municipality of Clare 2. Town of Lockeport 3. Town of Yarmouth 4. Town of Lunenburg
Colin, we know that you fully understand that these Municipal and Town Governments and the fishing industry which supports them economically are the "Impacted Communities" referenced in the Liberal Party position papers. To quote:
"Canadians must be able to trust that government will engage in appropriate regulatory oversight, including credible environmental assessments, and that it will respect the rights of those most affected, such as Indigenous communities. While governments grant permits for resource development, only communities can grant permission. 11
Right now the sites, numbers 3 and 4, as described by CSNSOPB in their 2015 lease site auction map are not actively available in a CNSOPB auction. This status can change at any time as anyone in the oil and gas industry can "Nominate" a site whenever they wish. Waiting until September is not an option. We in COAC feel that it is imperative that we speak with our Federal Ministers as quickly as is possible so that they can understand the issue and so that we can make our position on this critically important issue fully understood. We the impacted communities who are reliant on the renewable resources on the Scotian Shelf do not " grant permission. 11 For oil and gas exploration in sites 3 and 4 which are on, and contingent to, our most important spawning, Nursery and fishing grounds. We need your help in seeing that these areas are protected and that the economic life blood of our many coastal communities is not put at unnecessary risk.
Thank you for your assistance with arranging these meetings. The issues we are putting forward are both time sensitive and critically important and they require action at the Federal level.
Very Best Regards from South West Nova Scotia
2 Thanks again for your help
John Davis, Director Clean Ocean Action Committee [email protected] 902-499-4421
3