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Nova Scotia government refuses to release environmental racism panel recommendations

Justice Minister Becky Druhan says the findings will guide equity reforms without explaining why they remain undisclosed

 Filmmakers Elliott Page and Ian Daniel arrive at the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax before the 2019 screening of There’s Something in the Water.
 Halifax activist Augy Jones led the province’s Environmental Racism Panel.
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Becky Druhan speaks to reporters in Halifax in January.

Overview

  • The panel’s recommendations have been withheld more than a year after their expected December 2023 delivery, with no official reason given for the delay.
  • An eight-member body chaired by Augy Jones was appointed in June 2023 to examine how racism affects environmental planning in Black and Indigenous communities.
  • Opposition NDP leader Claudia Chender called the secrecy “disheartening” and interim Liberal leader Derek Mombourquette deemed it “disgraceful,” demanding public access to the report.
  • Druhan, responsible for the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism, said the unreleased report will inform systemic change but declined to confirm if she has seen its contents.
  • The panel’s work highlights longstanding cases of environmental racism, including landfills near Shelburne’s Black communities and the Boat Harbour cleanup at Pictou Landing First Nation.