Strong turnout for June 5 meeting at the local fire hallPublished Jun 09, 2025 • 4 minute readBrad Redden speaking to the large crowd gathered at the River John Fire Hall Thursday (June 5) evening for the discussion on possible uranium exploration in the area. Redden, with a background in both geology and municipal politics, has spoken at community meetings in all three sites in the province which have been targeted. Photo by Richard MacKenzie /The NewsRIVER JOHN – The word reverberating throughout the June 5 meeting at the River John Fire Hall, regarding proposed uranium exploration in nearby Louisville, was “pause.” “Premiere (Tim) Houston, we are asking you to pause before granting any licenses for uranium exploration,” said organizer Barb Harris to start the meeting. Harris ended it with the same direct message. 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It was followed by the province issuing a request for proposals (RFPs) from exploration companies. The RFPs were given a June 11 submission date. Harris explained there would be a 28-day evaluation period with possible exploration work beginning in mid-July. She said it’s a tight timeline, so it’s important for people to let the government know of their concerns and wish for more consultation as soon as possible, or at least before July 7. “The only responsible step for the Houston government to take now is to pause before granting any licenses for uranium exploration and carry out consultations and a rigorous, science-based evaluation of risks and benefits before deciding whether exploration for uranium can proceed,” Harris read from a prepared script. Article content Organizers Barb Harris (left) and Linda Little address those attending the meeting in River John on June 5, regarding potential uranium exploration in the Louisville area. Photo by Richard MacKenzie /The NewsLouisville is one of three sites across the province pinpointed by the province. The others include Millet Brook (near Vaughan) in Hants County and East Dalhousie in Annapolis County. All three are known sites for uranium deposits. Among the reasons for asking for a pause, listed during the meeting, were: Uranium exploration was banned in Nova Scotia for 44 years because of identified long -term, irreversible risks to water, health, and the wider environment. The ban was put into place after broad consultation with the public and First Nations, and the evaluation of risks. The ban was removed without consultation and without evaluating the risks. This endangers watersheds, communities, individuals, and existing industries. We need a pause to prevent harm – especially when the harm can be long-term and irreversible. SPEAKERS AT MEETING Noah Purves-Smith, introduced as the ‘map guy’, provided those in attendance with detailed images of the watershed in the area. His presentation helped folks understand the various connections between the different bodies of water in the area and how one contaminated body could impact an adjoining one when it comes to a soluble mineral such as uranium. Article contentAlso speaking during the event was Brad Redden who has an educational background in geology and experience in municipal politics. From the Annapolis Valley, Redden went into detail about the soluble nature of uranium, its long-lasting impacts, and his thoughts on the province not having a “regulatory culture.” He said he has done talks in all three locations on the potential exploration list, starting with the one in East Dalhousie which is near his home. “It’s entirely about passing along information,” he said of his contribution to the discussions. “And coming from municipal politics, it’s also about raising the concern about a lack of consultation, which, I think, is really painful. We don’t have a good track record of mining regulation in this province, so that is a huge issue as well.” Noah Purves-Smith going over a map he developed to help people understand the watershed area around River John. Photo by Richard MacKenzie /The NewsNOT SURPRISED Following the roughly hour and 45-minute meeting, Harris said she was very happy with the large turnout but not at all surprised by it. Article content“This evening was about providing people with information they suspected was true, but they weren’t quite hearing the whole story,” she said, a reference to what she suggested was some “misinformation” being released by the government to justify lifting the ban on uranium exploration after all these years. Information such as using successes in Saskatchewan with uranium as a good sign when they don’t correlate with Nova Scotia, and stressing the word ‘exploration’ because it sounds less damaging. “Now they have heard another part of the story and, I think, it fits in with what they’ve been worried about. So now, they have reasons to feel more confident in that they’re right to be worried, and they should do something.” Municipality of Pictou County Warden Robert Parker speaks to the crowd gathered at the River John Fire Hall June 5, for the meeting regarding concerns about potential uranium exploration in the area. Council for the county has agreed to send a request to the province to pause the process to allow for more consultation to address resident concerns. Photo by Richard MacKenzie /The NewsHarris talked about living in Springhill and seeing that community step up in opposition to strip mining being proposed. Article content“People who had never stood up for an issue, as far as a community issue, did,” she said, adding it came from a community with a long history of coal mining. “They showed strong community spirit and sense of identity. So, when it’s something like that, people will come together. “And it’s the same here in River John, in the Vaughan area or East Dalhousie; when people care about the community, care about one another, and don’t want to see their community destroyed, they’ll come together” Maps on display, courtesy of Noah Purves-Smith, for the public meeting in River John on Thursday (June 5).Harris said they are also coming together for future generations. “As Brad said, this isn’t something we can be flippant about because it will go away soon; this is very serious,” she said. “I’m glad we were able to share some of the information we did here, and I think the Premier will hear from the people in River John. So will our MLAs and we will go from there.”Article content
River John residents want proposal process put on pause
