Subject: Sackville Rivers- select extensive archives you were interested in buddy

From: "Shalom M. Mandaville" <>
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2004 19:53:44 -0400

To: "Walter N Regan (HWAB-SRA rep.)" <wregan@accesscable.net>

CC: "Councillor Robert P. Harvey (Dt# 20-HRM)" <harveyb@halifax.ca>, "Councillor Brad Johns (Dt# 19-HRM)" <johnsb@halifax.ca>, "Wayne Stobo PhD (Chairman-HWAB-HRM; BIO-DFO)" <stobow@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>

Subject: Sackville Rivers- Select archives you were interested in buddy (clickable hyperlinks will be visible as underlined words and are operable only while connected to the internet). It is a lengthy email like most of mine these days since I like to give full details in order to pre-empt any misinterpretation.

No comments needed at all and kindly pardon any typos/grammar!

This has more info than any previous email on this topic and can be saved as a permanent archive_record for those interested!

[Based on discussions at Council especially during last two (2) years which I was lucky enough to watch on Channel-10 Tv, I realise you have two (2) excellent Councillors in Sackville in Mr. Bob Harvey and in Mr. Brad Johns, and possibly in Mr. Len Goucher in Bedford within the Sackville Rivers watershed, which ofcourse is a great bonus since so many politicians have little pragmatic interest in ecology!]

You and I discussed some things last night on phone which brought back several memories from the 1980s and here are all the answers!

Copied/blindcopied to citizens I think/hope who may be interested in (copied to some outside of Sackville as well to show how various pragmatically interested activists can come together although there may be some fights on the way, part of a genuine democracy)!


Table of Contents:

[I] Historic media articles you wanted info on:

[II] Buffer strips you asked about:

[III] The history behind the Little Sackville River Floodplain politics:

[IV] The brief history that led to the formation of your stakeholder group, the Sackville Rivers Association (SRA):



[I] Historic media articles you wanted info on (return):

I have easily around one hundred (100) media articles or so from the old days (mostly from the 1980s and the 1970s) but I cannot supply you all the copies as they are at different storage areas away from my place of residence since I live only in a humble apartment with hardly any storage space.

But I recall distinctly to have given you copies of around thirty (30) of the major articles when the Halifax Watershed Advisory Board -HWAB used to meet at the old DVR offices, ummmm, around 2000 or 2001!

In addition, I had scanned in some representative articles and they are all accessible from one of my web pages titled, "Select archives of the Sackville Rivers Advisory Board (SRAB)"

Alternately, they are easily accessed from the web directory, and you (and others) may find it easier to print off from there; you can view them either via the Internet Explorer browser (preferable) or use any viewer programs which can read jpeg files! Usually, the jpeg viewer prints will be of higher quality!

(return)


[II] Buffer strips you asked about (return):

I am afraid buddy your info last night re the origin of the one hundred (100) feet buffer was incorrect; that was the recommendation of the official committee of the County, the Sackville Rivers Advisory Board (SRAB), which received total support of the County's Planning Department in around 1980/81; see the brand new web page I created this morning embellishing the Guidelines of the said board.

The one hundred (100) feet buffer was NOT the recommendation of your group, the Sackville River Association (SRA), at the time; your group made a major Policy Statement to the County's MPS in January of 1989 actually asking for a one hundred meter (100 meters, not feet) buffer strip along both the Little as well as the Main Sackville Rivers.

I made a separate brand new web page as well on your group's above submission to the County PAC.

As you can see, it was signed/proposed by four (4) of your group's founding members, namely Mr. Alan McIver (a former Chairman of Bedford's BWAC as well), Mr. Shane O'Neil, SRA's Chairman Gary Dunham, and Mr. Ed Mullen.

The idea actually originated with Mr. Alan McIver and he, being employed at Environment Canada at the time, in turn got it from people there, if my memory serves me correct.

It created an awful lot of controversy at the County PAC (Planning Advisory Committee) chaired by Mr. Paul Hyland and I got `HELL' from them since they thought I was behind it; I told them firmly it did NOT originate with me, infact I and my SRAB did not support it at all as there was no credible science to back it up; I was always scientific, even then!

None of the present activists were there at the PAC meetings but the discussions would be in the old minutes of the PAC from 1989!

Important:-- That is not to say a 100-metre buffer is not a good idea, I am just giving you the history since I used to be a member of the County board (SRAB) then!

Walter, if you also check my web page on a student project of a Dalhousie biology summer class from year 2002 at Bissett Lake (Cole Harbour) and Russell Lake (Dartmouth) for which I was an invited guest-instructor, wherein I scanned in, with the support of the instructor, an excellent report of one of the groups which got almost a perfect mark, you will see they recommended 100-metre buffers as well.

A key person in that 2-person group which got an almost perfect mark (19.5 out of a 20) was Rochelle Owen of Environment Canada who took that class!

So it clearly appears the origin is some one or some section of Environment Canada in Dartmouth which is/are recommending 100-metres and to this day I have been unable to locate the source; a Directorial-level person at the said Department who has also been a member of my scientific group, the SWCSMH, Geoff Howell, tried to track it down during year-2003 but failed.

Geoff Howell left all of us and passed on to the Heaven last month at the young age of 49!

FINALLY re BUFFER STRIPS: THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF SUCH STRIPS IS THAT THEY BE LEFT IN THEIR NATURAL STATE as discussed many times at our HRM watershed board as well (see the Guidelines of the HWAB where it defines a true buffer).

So no genuine ecologist would support building of even walkways or trails within the eco-buffer as that impinges on a true buffer.

I can see why some residents lately may be upset with you guys Walter for planning to build the trail/walkway within the buffer though they could have other reasons as you told me last night.

VIMP: As I also said many times, a buffer strip will do little in treating stormwater inputs into our freshwater courses via storm sewers anyway; for more info, see typical pollutants in stormwater discharges.

The major $130,000 WRMS of the HRM also says the same thing about buffers, that they should be undisturbed and talks of the need as well for end_of_the_pipe storm sewer treatment as well! I dont want to quote the exact page numbers as this email is already getting lengthy but if any of you want to know, I will be happy to!

BUT THERE IS A REAL HAPPY STORY TO THIS; MANY SINCERE DEVELOPERS INCLUDING THE NOVA SCOTIA HOUSING COMMISSION DID INDEED LEAVE 100-FOOT BUFFER STRIPS WHEREVER POSSIBLE ALONG THE LITTLE SACKVILLE RIVER AND I KNOW THAT SINCE SOMEWHERE I HAVE A DETAILED PLAN (you can get it too from the HRM's Planning Department).

But alas, I understand the County built a ball field (or so) in the Millwood Commons within the buffer though I cannot testify to it; a local friend told me that years ago! The 100-feet, wherever dedicated to the County, was supposed to be left totally untouched.

Extremely important:-- The longest serving Chairman of the Sackville Rivers Advisory Board (SRAB), Ms. Anne Merritt, who now lives at Springfield Lake (Middle Sackville), may tell you more of the events prior to 1987!

I took over from Anne when she went to Ontario(?) since no local resident-member of the board was willing to be the leader; so I became Chairman of the board actually by default!

I knew a non-Sackville resident would be frowned upon and time showed that I was right! It is ofcourse narrow politics but who can change it? It is the same all over the world!

Had I not taken over in 1987, the board would have been closed which it actually did anyway in 1990 when all six members (five of them were Sackville residents) of the board resigned `en-masse' and I recall handing our resignations by mail, ummm, to the Chairman of the (almost) new Sackville Community Committee which replaced the Beaverbank-Sackville Advisory Board!

(return)


[III] The brief history on the Little Sackville River Floodplain politics (return):

You told me last night you were getting huge flack on it; well it is nothing new as you can see below:

The major overall study for the Little Sackville River floodplain was actually completed by the Provincial-Federal Governments as long back as year-1987 (you must have a copy of the study and the detailed plans as well)!

The recent one by Porter-Dillon for the HRM was just an update!

As Chairman of the Sackville Rivers Advisory Board (SRAB) commencing in late summer of 1987, I started promoting the floodplain among the residents, among the business community, and among elected reps as well!

I struck a local 2-person subcommittee of the SRAB which even carried out house_to_house promotion in Lower Sackville sometime in around 1988, but met with a huge FLACK from many who owned properties in the floodplain; they were totally scared of the potential downgrading of property values!

The subcommittee (one of the members even wept when she called me) just could not stand the flack and I told them to forget it and the subcommittee was immediately abandoned!

But I pursued it since I felt it was my volunteer_duty as the board chairman and I will give a few major dates below (not all by any means):--

(i) February 23, 1988: Sackville Commercial Core discussions at the Sackville High School; there was no meaningful support for the floodplain zoning!

(ii) February 24, 1988: I attended the Bedford Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) meeting on the invitation of the BWAC Chairman, Mr. Grant Walker.

At the BWAC, the reaction was exact opposite to what I faced in Sackville; they actually gave me HELL for not putting intense pressure on the County re the floodplain zoning as well as on better Erosion & Sedimentation controls; I told them quite clearly the board had no powers.

BWAC was heavily concerned with all the (alleged) pollution from upstream, i.e., from Sackville!

(iii) April 28, 1988: My presentation to the County Urban Services Committee; building restrictions in the floodplain were shot down!

(iv) May 04, 1988: I was a guest on Info Beaverbank (or Bedford) Sackville cable show hosted by Mr. Malcolm MacKay who subsequently became the MLA for Sackville.

I cant recall every thing Malcolm said then or whether he supported the various studies either!

(v) May 10, 1988: I made a detailed presentation to the Sackville-Beaverbank Advisory Board chaired by a superb County Councillor, Frank Sutherland.

At the meeting, I faced huge flack from Mr. Paul Hyland (whom you know) and Councillor Sutherland had to come literally to my rescue in a strong firm way which I will never forget as I get older but I have extensive safe records anyway!

(vi) June 18, 1988: I organized a mini well advertised semi-technical-conference titled, "Abatement of flash floods of the Little Sackville River" at the Cobequid MultiService Centre; some floodplain engineering experts from both Environment Canada and from the NS Dept. of Environment addressed the audience.

I never even spoke at those conferences (unbelievable, huh!), I acted as the moderator/organiser in those days but all the pressures were on me! Floodplain management was the main topic addressed at that conference.

Then my team produced a full half-hour Channel-10 Cable Tv show on Shaw Cable which was broadcast subsequently my most cable stations I recall!

(vii) September 06, 1988: I made a special 45-minute presentation to the full County Council arranged for by Councillor Murdock MacKay of Lower Sackville (and one of my strong supporters)!

But there was no focused interest on the part of the County Council then either to institute floodplain zone regulations as recommended in the expensive Federal-Provincial study!

(viii) September 27, 1988: I was an observer-attendee at another meeting of the Beaverbank-Sackville Advisory Board; the guest presenter was John Jones PEng, a very senior engineer from the NS Dept. of Environment.

While people were courteous with him (i.e., no one gave him flack), but there was no focused support either!

(ix) December 05, 1988: I was invited to address the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) again.

The prime presentation to the PAC was by County Planner, Paul Morgan MCIP (still with HRM now).

County Drainage Engineer, John Sheppard PEng (still with HRM), was there as well but he was silent and smiled broadly (I will never forget it)!

But I spoke in strong support of Paul Morgan's County proposal and I dont know if he remembers it now!

This time PAC's Chairman, Paul Hyland, was more courteous but made strong claims that he can find other experts who will totally contravene the study of the Federal/Provincial Governments, ALAS!!

(return)


[IV] The brief history that led to the formation of your stakeholder group, the Sackville Rivers Association (SRA) (return):

At the third mini well advertised conference that I organized at the Cobequid Multi Service Centre on June 18, 1988 (the previous two were on April 09, 1988 and May 28, 1988), some of the audience were getting extremely impatient all of a sudden for pragmatic development controls and action which totally surprised me Walter since until early 1988, no one in Sackville was in the least interested in the Rivers; I used to place even some `paid adverts' in the newspapers to recruit committed members to the board as we had only two at the early stages and six was what mandated by the County (per Valerie Spencer MCIP).

Then I suggested that those totally frustrated with the "SYSTEM" form an independent no-ties-to-anyone group since the County board I chaired was not free to do what we totally wanted under the strict advise of the County's Director of Planning, Valerie Spencer MCIP!

Very Important re how your group, the SRA, was formed:-- Then Sackville contractor, Mr. Gary Dunham, whom I never saw until that day on June 18, 1988, offered to take the leadership and, with my full psychological support, went around asking the audience to sign up; he collected several names and that is how, your group, the Sackville Rivers Association (SRA), atleast had its beginnings!

Many groups in the metro area inclusive of in Dartmouth have risen over the whole last thirty (30) years and several have disappeared and I frankly doubted how long your group would survive on a pragmatic level!

BUT YOU GUYS HAVE TOTALLY AMAZED ME RE YOUR LONGEVITY AND SPECIAL SALUTATIONS FROM A OLD-TIMER (i.e., myself) WHO HAD NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR SACKVILLE ALL MY LIFE!

PS: Indeed, one of my first (gopher's) field work projects was actually in Upper Sackville, way back in 1967, and I will never forget the local stalwarts and the first settlers, the Maxwells!

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SATYAM EV JAYATHE (i.e., let Truth always triumph)!