‘Sears Sanctuary’ threatened by NB Power’s proposed 500 MW gas plant

The late Wallie Sears’s daughter Paula says her father would be dismayed by NB Power’s proposal to build a big natural gas generating plant 1.5 kilometres from land his family donated as a sanctuary for native wildlife and plants.

“He would shake his head and say, ‘What will be left for the future?’” Paula Sears wrote in a message in response to questions from Warktimes.

The Sears family donated the 160-acre property to the Atlantic Wildlife Institute (AWI) in 2018. Wallie Sears, who covered local news and sports for more than 60 years, spent part of his childhood on the property which had been in his family since 1875.

“It is extremely disappointing to consider what will happen to the wildlife and the flora and fauna in this area, should this project go ahead,” Paula Sears added.

“I thought about what my father would say. He always dreamed of that area being developed and young families starting to call it their home again,” Sears writes.

“In his mind, however, I doubt very much that this was the development he would envision.”

She also wrote that she fully supports recent comments made by AWI directors Barry Rothfuss and Pam Novak opposing the Centre Village natural gas development on the grounds that it would have devastating effects on the extremely sensitive ecosystem of the Chignecto Isthmus.

‘Absolutely shocking’

During an interview this week, Rothfuss and Novak said AWI had planned to use what they called the “Sears Sanctuary” for conservation as well as an area for education and research.

They pointed out that their main, 120-acre location would be only 4.5 kilometres from the big gas plant and directly downstream from it.

“It’s absolutely shocking to us that this is happening this close to us,” Novak said, “in this region that is such an environmentally sensitive part of the province.”

Meantime, the federal impact assessment agency is inviting comments on the project until August 13th.

So far, online comments have been overwhelmingly opposed including those by Howling Creek Farm and Nature NB.

Bruce Wark worked in broadcasting and journalism education for more than 35 years. He was at CBC Radio for nearly 20 years as senior editor of network programs such as The World at Six and World Report. He currently writes for The New Wark Times, where a version of this story first appeared on July 31, 2025.