Meredith Fisher from the local chapter of Seniors for Climate Action Now (SCAN) at the Farmers Market on Saturday [click photo to enlarge]
“This is a democratic country and we have the right to say what we want and don’t want,” Fisher says. “That is our social licence.”
She adds that NB Power should understand that.
“Get this idea right out of your head and move on to something that’s more relevant and advantageous for all New Brunswickers,” is her message to the provincial utility.
Fisher and fellow SCAN member Logan Atkinson have been staffing a booth at the Sackville Farmers Market nearly every week since last summer when NB Power first announced its plans for a 500 MW gas plant on the Chignecto Isthmus.
“Any socially responsible corporation would look for community engagement and support,” Atkinson says, adding that NB Power should not be pushing ahead without that social licence.
“I don’t think they have that here,” he says, noting that for every 20 visitors to the SCAN booth, 18 or 19 express opposition to the gas plant.
“What we’re trying to do is educate people who visit the market for their shopping, get them on our mailing list and keep them up to date on what’s developing and the resistance to the gas plant. That’s our principal purpose,” he says.
Better alternatives
Both Fisher and Atkinson argue it makes no sense to claim that a dirty, fossil-fuel-burning gas/diesel plant is the best back-up for clean, renewable energy such as wind and solar when utility-scale batteries are available.
According to the Moncton Times & Transcript, Premier Holt told reporters last month that batteries could cost up to $10 billion, but Atkinson says that’s not even close to being true.
“The gas plant estimate is about a billion dollars and we think that battery technology, which would be perfectly clean and would last much longer, could be done for not much more than a billion. Other jurisdictions are doing this successfully, so that’s what we think the right route is,” he says.
When asked why he thinks NB Power doesn’t seem to know this, Atkinson says officials there must know.
“I think they’ve made bad decisions over the years in failing to invest in renewables, and they’re caught now,” he says.
“So, they think this is a quick fix to a problem they’ve created over the last 20 years or so.”
He accuses NB Power of trying to instill panic and fear by warning about electricity shortages and blackouts based on population growth in southeastern New Brunswick, when the population is actually declining.
Data centres
“The other thing is, and we only have suspicion, no proof, is that much of the power that will be generated will be siphoned off to support a new industry in New Brunswick that we’re not really comfortable with, things like data centres, for example, that are big consumers of electricity,” he says.
Both Fisher and Atkinson are hoping NB Power officials will get a strong message on January 14th about the lack of social licence for a gas plant in Tantramar when they participate in a public meeting at the Crabtree Auditorium on the Mount Allison University campus.
“We’re saying this loud and clear, this is not the direction to go, no way,” Fisher says.
Now there just making terms up LOL. Desperate or what? This makes it look ridiculous.
They made up “social licence”? That will be news to all the people who’ve been using the phrase for decades.
Just because you haven’t heard the term, doesn’t mean it does not exist.
Ontario really isn’t sending their best, eh Bill? Can we hire you as a shit disturber for the next meeting?
Hmm. Thought this was a farmers market not a left wing protest market. There’s a place for this and unfortunately this isn’t the place. For either side of things. Vendors should be ashamed if they stand by and allow one sided view points ruin a place where people want to go to purchase goods.
This is Democracy. Set up your own booth. All opinions are allowed! Set up your own booth if you want to, nobody is stopping you.
Exactly the response I’d expect. Such a predictable one. It’s a farmers market. Not a political theatre. Other vendors have been turned away because the market decided it only wants certain vendors. I doubt anyone with different views than those against the pipeline would be permitted and as my point I don’t agree with it either side.
Wow, how sad. When did you you move to Sackville?
Considering what the US did overnight of the 2nd-3rd January, this US backed/owned plant that would be “sold to NB Power” should be instantly stopped. Why should Canadians/New Brunswickers agree to help further empower the US when it’s no better than Russia right now?
Thanks Bruce and Happy New Year.
So I recently took a moment to chat on a dog walk with a prominent activist and retired teacher involved with this activism [Penny]. I said that I was aware of the group due to all their signs around town on the lawns that read “Stop Tantramar Gas Plant” .. but I also told her that a good idea for the activists working so hard on this is rather than hiding their efforts on a private Facebook group they might want to engage on the public space we used to call Twitter to reach a much wider audience and engagement – which would be possible by having their own hashtag #StopTantramarGasPlant and regularly interracting with others in the area who, like me, do not use Facebook, and do not attend at protests etc. More transparency on this group of activists who are partnered “SCAN” and who claim on their website to work with natives for their core goals: “SCAN! recognizes the central role of Indigenous Peoples in the implementation of our core purpose–addressing the climate emergency”
Just some friendly advice as I am sure that our well-intentioned seniors in all their wisdom value free speech and more information sharing on this issue.
Of note the people who are not opposed to the plant would likely not want to talk to people at the table set up with Meredith Fisher et al as they are not wishing to be confrontational or disagreeable with someone so passionate on this project… so the numbers of support in the community may be difficult to judge and perhaps what needed to happen or still could happen is a Referendum in the region on this project appealing directly to Susan Holt with the results — much like they should have done when they pushed in an Amalgamation with Daniel Allain of the Conservatives [the man now running for leadership of that party in 2026].
There is really one simple question to be asked when making a decision to oppose this American Gas Plant in Tantramar:
Do you want to live in a place that has clean water and clean air and can sustain a clean and healthy environment for our future here?
Yes or No?
A well intentioned senior,
Meredith Fisher
Latest on the gas plant:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/tantramar-gas-plant-bills-9.7042511