Lake Protection Group Seeks To Strengthen Ties With County

ARICHAT - If a long-running environmental watchdog for Cape Breton's Bras d'Or Lake has its way, Richmond County will not only have more representation on the organization, it will also be a centerpiece for a new community festival planned by the group for late July and early August. 

Two representatives of the Bras d'Or Lake Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI), coordinator Stan Johnson and associate coordinator Ron Newcombe, outlined the organization's future plans and also gave a run-down on its creation and history during a presentation to the April 12 meeting of Richmond Municipal Council's Committee of the Whole. 

Developed in 2003 in response to a request from Cape Breton's First Nations Chiefs to develop an overall environmental management plan for the Bras d'Or Lake and its watershed communities, the CEPI currently meets quarterly with federal, provincial, municipal and Mi'kmaq governments, along with representatives of industry and non-government organizations (NGOs). 

The CEPI structure also has task teams, a Mi'kmaq Elder Advisor, an Elders Council, a Task Team that meets monthly and a Management Team that meets annually, Newcombe explained to Richmond municipal officials. 

Newcombe praised Richmond County for its past involvement in the CEPI and its sister organizations such as the Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve Association (BLBRA), which was successful in securing UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status for the lake in 2011. 

While Johnson and Newcombe encouraged Richmond councillors to continue sitting on the Bras d'Or Lake CEPI and the BLBRA, they also announced that the county would play a key role in an island-wide event that is designed to tie into existing summer festivals in such communities as St. Peter's, Dundee, We'koqmaq First Nation, Whycocomagh, Baddeck, Bras d'Or and Ben Eoin.

Johnson explained that this event is planned as an education device for boaters and others that use the lake, and he cited the proper use of dumping stations as an example of an educational opportunity in this regard. However, Johnson and Newcombe also stressed that such attractions as waterfront music concerts, community meals and other outdoor activities would add to the fun of the event, which is targeted to run in late July and early August.