N.S. government doesn't appear ready to budge on Donkin coal mine reopening

Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government does not appear to be ready to budge on the conditions needed to reopen the underground coal mine in Donkin.

There have been calls for the government to get miners back to work quickly, especially with Christmas coming. 

While Brian Comer, the PC MLA for the Donkin area, says he can sympathize, workers should not have to put themselves in jeopardy to have a job.

"The impacts on the families doesn't get lost on me and it never has. But at the end of the day people have to be safe when they go to work," he said. "My message has certainly been very consistent from the beginning, that it's always been about safety for me as an MLA."

Earlier this week, about 150 people rallied in support of the mine outside the Glace Bay Miners Museum, calling on the province to get the miners back to work quickly.

Some criticized Labour Minister Jill Balser's decision to hire a third-party engineer to review the mine operator's safety plans and the length of time it's taken for a decision on reopening.

A stop-work order was issued in July after the main access tunnel's roof fell in twice in one week. Balser ordered the independent review at the end of September.

Mine staff all laid off

The results were released last week, four months after the incidents. Balser said the mine can reopen if it updates its safety plans and increases monitoring for movements in the roof.

In the meantime, mine owner Kameron Coal laid off staff due to the length of the shutdown and the uncertainty about when it could reopen.

Comer, the MLA for Cape Breton East and a cabinet minister, said his colleague made the right decision.

"I think when you're looking at safety, I don't think you can ever take too long, to be quite frank," he said.

"This has significant economic impacts on hundreds of families in Cape Breton, not just in my riding but across the island. But at the end of the day, we really have to make sure that people are safe."

On Thursday, Balser said Kameron Coal has expressed interest in restarting the mine, but she couldn't say when that might happen.

"Those conversations are ongoing with the mine right now. But in terms of timeline to conduct the work, that really is a decision of the mine," Balser said.

Kameron Coal does not comment publicly on its operations. But Comer — a member of the mine's community liaison committee, which includes representatives from the community and the mine owner and typically meets once a month — said the company needs to speak up now.

"I think it's important that the mine really starts to communicate with the community to say what they're going to do for these workers and with the safety recommendations, and to be quite frank I've been disappointed with their lack of communication up to this point."

Premier Tim Houston is expected to meet with the company early next month.

The premier's office said Houston reached out to Kameron Coal last week and offered to clear his schedule for a meeting to discuss the government's position.

According to the premier's office, the meeting will happen Dec. 7, which was the first day the company said it could be available.

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