We spoke to cencerned resident Bill Zebedee about a concerning environmental issue stemming from the development of Eisner Cove, a isolated wood and wetland that was the subject of protests in the HRM when the government approved its destruction to build affordable housing.
Shovels hit the ground in 2022 as protesters attempted to sway government into relocating the development. Wildlife and the benefits of the wetland were at risk as trees fell and infill began. A small portion of Eisner Cove was spared at the time, the area has a long waterway, stretching from beyond Russell Lake to the harbour where it empties.
Bill says this source of water, which is supposed to be protected from construction debris, is heavily silted. This poses a significant issue for wildlife such as amphibians and birds, deer and squirrels and many other wildlife, as stilted water is not safe for drinking and may contain other pollutants that could also affect plant life in the area.
Bill has been working to bring awareness of this issue to both governments and the developer. Here is some of our conversation regarding his concern.
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Who is the developer and what is their responsibility
"Clayton Developments, part of the Shaw Group. They are the ones who approached HRM to create what was called The Southdale Future Growth Node (SFGN), which is now Mount Hope Village. Funny thing, the SFGN wasn't even on the radar of HRM until Clayton wrote a letter to former CAO Jacques Dube and cced Savage. I don't know the name of the construction company"
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What are the agencies contacted by you and their responsibilities
"I have spoken with HRM, about this and they said it wasn't their responsibility, so directed me to the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC). ECC investigated the first complaint in 2024 and the investigator said, in their report, that the water was "innundated" with siltation. HOwever, all they did was speak with the developer, who promised to fix the siltation barrier (thick black fabric to prevent soil from getting into the water. They were not fined (I have several FOIPOPs indicating that."
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Does this waterway meet up with Russell Lake?
" Russell Lake, from what we can tell, empties into Eisner Cove Wetland, which stretches on the south side of The Circ, and empties into Eisner Cove in the harbour."
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What else?
" Other question you asked was about siltation. It is small contaniments that enter the watercourse. It can be caused by surface water runoff (which is what the ECC looks at), but can also happen from groundwater, which they don't seem to acknowledge."
He also adds
" The first logging road, on the Lynn Drive side, was plowed through in 2020. Tree and grubbing (removal of top soil) began in 2022."
We look forward to sourcing information from the developers and agencies involved and will follow up with more information as we receive it.
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