Cape Breton's Magazine

having a larger risk than the average popula? tion for different diseases. Anyway, so we were able to stop them again. But that was (the) time Eric Sunbladt from Sweden came to Nova Scotia and said on televi? sion, "Nova'Scotia is sick. It must take the medicine." And Billie Joe MacLean was Mayor of Port Hawkesbury at the time, and he panicked and said, "Oh. we have to spray, we've got to spray." And Gerry Regan was Premier. And it looked like he was prepared to panic. And Vince MacLean was Minister of Lands and Fo? rests, and he didn't panic. And everything just sort of went on hold. It was very tense. And from week to week we'd think they were go? ing to make the decision at Cabinet that week, whether to spray or not. So we kept having to do something new every week. We'd do a public opinion poll one week. We'd do a phone-in. We'd do a demonstration. We did call-in radio shows all the time. And a lot of just hard slogging--writing long briefs to government, and getting them published, trying to get them published in the newspaper. Of course, the Chronicle-Herald in those days Discover Richmond County From Johnstown to Arichat, Louisdale to Lx)ch Lomond, an extraordinary mixture of Acadian and Irish, Micmac and Scottish traditions welcomes the visitor. The setting is the quiet beauty of Richmond County. The culture and heritage are centuries old. We invite you to take Route 4, the road that leads through Richmond County. It is the road less travelled, and it will make all the difference in your Cape Breton Vacation. MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF RICHMOND was unbelievably bad. And they were saying that people against budworm spraying were go? ing to cause the demise of the steel industry in Cape Breton, and the budworm was going to drop off people's Christmas trees and eat their furniture. I mean, they wrote the most ridiculous stuff. Anyway, that was a really impressive victory, because like 90% of Cape Bretoners in every poll were deadset against having aerial spray? ing of budworm. And it turned out, of course, the mill didn't close.... Stora Kopparberg has done very, very well through the whole piece. They've never had a year where they weren't making good profits. And now they're talking about expanding the mill.... I mean, I'm not against having a suc? cessful industry. I think it's great that Sto? ra did well, and that people are still em? ployed, and so on and so on. But they certainly were exaggerating their claims of what would happen if they didn't spray.... And when you look at it, every single political party--all three parties in the province op? posed budworm spraying. Now that's amazing. So when John Buchanan's government was elected, it wasn't an election issue because he said he was against the spraying of the forests. And then after (the province) decided--without any public discussion, without any notifica? tion at all--to issue permits for 20 thousand acres worth of spraying with (herbicides). they said, "Oh, well, we only said we were against budworm spraying. We never said we were against herbicide spraying."... What the government had approved for use by all three pulp and paper companies in this province was a 50/50 mix of 2,4-D and 2.4.5-T ROUTE 4 The road less travelled! La Cuisine Acadienne l_' • '' Fish & Steakhouse 11' ''Restaurant & Dining Room i'H'-'' * Fully Licensed * Charcoal Steaks • Seafoods a Speciality Home Cooked Meals Meat Pies Pizzas • Light Snacks • Chinese Food At Louisdale (902) 345-2817 Your Hosts: Lome et Val Marchand Seating 110 OPEN ALL YEAR! Acadian Cuisine in a traditional setting Newly Renovated. Luxury accommodations in a 19th Century period setting. At Arichat on Isle Madame Call: (902) 226-2200 902-535-3003 902-535-2512 NOVA SGOTIAS GOLDEN SEA Cape Breton Island,St.Peters Marina St. Peters, Nova Scotia, BOE 3r' 1/2 hour from Canso Causeway on Highway4