Proposal for gas-fired power plant in Tantramar lacks transparency, says veteran journalist [video]

In this wide-ranging interview, journalist Bruce Wark discusses NB Power’s plans for a controversial gas-fired plant that would be located about 20 kilometres north of Sackville.

Wark has been writing frequently about issues related to the contentious plans on his website, the New Wark Times, ever since plans for a power plant located in the Tantramar area were revealed earlier this summer.

On Thursday, he joined the NB Media Co-op’s David Gordon Koch and Lisha Francis to discuss the latest developments, as hearings are underway at the Energy and Utilities Board to determine whether the regulator will conduct a full review of the project.

NB Power is arguing that it shouldn’t be considered a capital project — and therefore not subject to a review — because the facility will be owned by the Texas-based company ProEnergy.

“The panel hearing the arguments seem to be at least partially sympathetic to NB Power’s argument,” Wark said. The hearings continue Friday.

The veteran journalist also discussed his experiences reporting on the project, including a public Q&A session held by the company on Aug. 13 at a local civic centre, where members of the public were barred from using any recording devices. Wark was ejected from the civic centre by security after taking a photo.

That kind of restriction makes it hard for reporters to their job and reflects larger problems with transparency related to the project, he said. “There is not a lot of transparency here.”

He also discussed the question of Indigenous consent for the project. The company, ProEnergy, has claimed that the gas plant “will be owned by ProEnergy and the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council,” an organization governed by seven First Nation chiefs.

But Wark reported last month that the company has been unable to back up its claims that the project has Indigenous support, and that the chiefs hadn’t actually agreed to invest in the project.

Elsipogtog First Nation and Kopit Lodge – an organization that defends Indigenous rights – have also stated that they and the larger Mi’kmaq community weren’t consulted about this project, contradicting earlier claims by ProEnergy.

Other topics discussed include environmental concerns related to fracked gas in the context of the climate crisis, the complexity of reporting on issues marked by legalese and engineering jargon, and widespread local opposition which the project has generated so far.

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. Lisha Francis is a student at St. Thomas University and a member of Elsipogtog First Nation. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).