Report calls on N.S. to apologize to Mi’kmaw, Black communities for environmental racism
CBC
A report by a provincially legislated panel on environmental racism contains 14 recommendations — including a call for a formal apology by the Nova Scotia government — and suggests reparations should also be considered, according to a draft document obtained by CBC News.
Echoing throughout the report, which has yet to be made public, are calls for affected Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities to be empowered to work with the government rather than simply be consulted, “so that they themselves can hold government accountable to address the systemic issues that have been plaguing our communities.”
While the report does not specify dollar amounts, it does say that “remediating and resolving” situations that exist due to environmental racism and taking steps to help ensure such practices do not continue “will require investment.”
It also opens the door to the potential of reparations and notes that community land trusts could be one possible solution.
“Resourcing those in community and community-based organizations that have had their health, social and economic wellbeing harmed by environmental racism should be considered,” it says.
The 30-page draft was delivered to the provincial government in February 2024. But since last spring, multiple cabinet ministers have declined to detail its content, say whether it would be made public or confirm if they’d even read it.
Following pressure from Mi’kmaw chiefs and opposition MLAs, Environment Minister Tim Halman confirmed to reporters earlier this month that a meeting between cabinet ministers and panel members to discuss the recommendations and what to do with the report has been scheduled before Christmas.
Although government officials have said the panel’s mandate did not specify that the document would be shared beyond internal circles, the report’s conclusion suggests panel members saw a role for a broader sharing of the information.
“We look forward to the next steps of this work and hearing what Nova Scotians have to say about this report as a starting point,” the document says.
The report's 14 recommendations are:
The call for the report was the result of an NDP amendment to major environmental legislation the Progressive Conservative government passed in 2021.
Following a speech Wednesday at a Halifax Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Halman would not say whether the government is prepared to accept any of the report's recommendations.
“There has been historic discrimination against some groups in this province and certainly that’s why we have an Office of Equity and Anti-Racism to address that," he said.
Halman said government would have more to say following the meeting with members of the panel.
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