Alton Gas project cancelled after years of opposition

After years of delays, court hearings and strong Mi'kmaw opposition, the Alton Gas project on the Shubenacadie River has been cancelled.

In a release Friday, Alton, a subsidiary of Calgary-based energy company AltaGas, said the project has received "mixed support, challenges and experienced delay."

In 2018, AltaGas also "divested its interest" in the Nova Scotia natural gas utility, the release said, as the company repositioned to focus on other areas like energy export opportunities off the west coast of North America and natural gas utilities in the U.S.

"With the sale of the Nova Scotia utility, the repositioning of the business and the challenging nature of the storage project economics, AltaGas has decided not to continue with the development of Alton and to move forward with decommissioning the project," the statement said.

In the coming weeks and months, Alton Gas will discuss next steps related to decommissioning the project with federal and provincial regulators, the Mi'kmaq and other interested parties.

As the decommissioning moves forward, Alton said it will continue working to minimize their environmental impact "as we remain committed to the health of the Shubenacadie River estuary."

Dorene Bernard, a social worker, academic and member of the Sipekne'katik First Nation, has been a protest leader for years on the issue. She has said protesters have a sacred duty to protect the 73-kilometre tidal river.

In a Facebook post Friday, Bernard congratulated all the water protectors and land defenders. 

"You all have powerful voices and they have been heard," she said.

The Alton company thanked the people and organizations that contributed to the development of the project, including more than 70 Nova Scotia companies that provided goods, services and labour. 

"We appreciate your engagement and commitment to Alton and believe that natural gas storage remains extremely important for the Maritimes and New England market, with natural gas demand continuing to grow in Nova Scotia among businesses and homeowners," the company said.

The Alton project has been on hold since protests started in 2014, and a protest camp was set up near the river two years later. In 2019, Alton Gas has applied to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to have protesters removed from the area and a straw house was bulldozed.

Last March, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled that the province had to resume consultations with Sipekne'katik First Nation over their environmental concerns before the Alton project could get underway.

Justice Frank Edwards ruled Margaret Miller, the former Nova Scotia environment minister, was wrong when she concluded the province had adequately consulted with the First Nation about the project.