Letters to the Editor

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Hampton Water First thanks you for your support yesterday

Hampton Water First wishes to thank everyone for your wonderful contributions to making today a success.  The media involvement worked out great with about 6 to 8 interviews.  Around 70 people showed up for the demo most from areas in and surrounding Hampton but many, many of our friends from as far away as Stanley.  The protest was peaceful, felt safe and, at the same time, effective.  We had a steady stream of cars and honking; the police closed off one lane on the Trans-Canada and were both supportive and helpful.  WINDSOR ENERGY yielded to our people power (interesting about that) and retreated for the moment withdrawing their plan to bring their thumper trucks through the Hampton section of the Highway.  In the process Quispamsis began to wake up with calls to 2 councillors who then called the mayor.  They discovered that without their knowledge or permission Windsor Energy seismically tested within their town limits.  Their annoyance was palpable saying that they had only heard one side at the Communities meeting in Fredericton.  We're going to invite them to a presentation at the Unitarian Church in Saint John on the 23rd.  If Quispamsis wakes up so will Saint John.  By the way most of this seismic testing is being done outside the Windsor licensed areas with permits granted by the Department of Transport!

This evening Hampton Council met with about 130 community members in attendance(usually 5 is a crowd).  They voted unanimously not to allow any seismic testing within the Hampton town boundaries.  They are also wriitng a letter to Minister Northrup requesting that he not renew the 2 Windsor licenses when they come due in the next few months.  The Hampton Town Council has also made a request that no new permits be given for drilling gas wells in the watershed of the Kennebecasis.

So it was a full day...a little light.  The clouds still very much surround us.  Our neighbour Penobsquis is continuing with its painful hearings starting tomorrow for the rest of the week.  Please go if you can.  And there is the vast problem of the unincorporated areas and their lack of power.  As one individual put it no town is an island; we are all interconnected.  We need people to look into incorporation or how a town can extend their borders to include the unincorporated areas around them.

FOR NOW...a BIG THANK YOU...it is good to be a part of such a movement where a call can go out (yesterday...unbelievable) and a group can receive so much response and so quickly.  We will persevere and we will recover this province.

Peace and Solidarity...Carl Wolpin for Hampton Water First