Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston continued his tour of the province Wednesday with a stop in his home community of Pictou County. The premier was once again met with protesters, as a small but vocal group was waiting for him when he arrived at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce. Around 25 people, who all stayed behind a barrier, were singing and chanting. Houston engaged with the crowd and took questions from those in attendance. The atmosphere was restrained compared to a protest in Wolfville earlier this month when protesters swarmed and damaged a vehicle carrying Houston. “There are so many issues now, but what got me started coming out to the rallies was my deep concern over the peaker plants that have been proposed for Marshdale and Salt Springs here in Pictou County,” said protestor Ruben Irons. “These are gonna be big impacts for our kids and the next generation and the environment what they’re planning to do right now and we thought we were done with the fracking bit. That was already, the moratorium was put on in 2016, people fought really hard for that.” Houston says he values the opinions of those who showed up Wednesday, adding his government has to do what’s best for the province based on the science. The next stop on Houston’s chambers of commerce tour is Truro on Tuesday. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
