Jillian Jordan is a resident from the Red Head area near Saint John. She and her husband were living in uptown Saint John until coming across a house in the Red Head area for sale – by chance. Since then they’ve enjoyed the tranquil, private beauty of their oceanside property. It’s for this reason Jillian cannot and will not support the Energy East pipeline, components of which are set to be built in her front yard should the project go through.
Below is an excerpt from Jordan’s August 16th presentation to the NEB panel:
“I’m against this project for more reasons than I can list. This project is not in Canada’s best interest.
We bought our house in Anthony’s Cove in September of 2009. I made an offer without even going inside. We own 1.6 acres of oceanfront land, 10 minutes from where we work in uptown Saint John. It’s also approximately 200 feet from the proposed tank farm.
I’ll never forget one of the first nights in our home. It was warm, the windows were open, letting the cool ocean breeze into our bedroom. We’ve enjoyed every minute of life on the seaside cul-de-sac, which is almost too narrow for two cars to pass. The road has so little traffic that our cats can often be seen napping on the road in front of our house.
With news that Irving had shelved its plans to build a second refinery in Red Head, we felt like we had won the lottery. In 2012, Irving put 20 homes it had earlier purchased back on the market. This was good news – it solidified to us Irving’s disinterest in our area – and we began renovating our dream home.
In 2014, we received a letter discussing a possible pipeline project, in the Red Head area. We were in disbelief. I spent the next few weeks with a lump in my throat.
We store our bikes, skis and fishing gear in an unused bedroom. We don’t have the garage we had always planned to build – we can’t invest more money in a home that may be the site of a tailings pond.
TransCanada keeps reiterating that they have consulted with residents. I’ve heard very few intervenors to date describe their consultations with TransCanada as meaningful.
TransCanada won’t answer my questions. That makes me suspicious of their work and their project.
Who would trust a company that doesn’t answer questions about its work? That spends an obscene amount of money funding an aggressive public relations attack on ordinary citizens concerned with the health and well-being of fellow Canadians? This information begs the question; what citizens groups does TransCanada, Energy East, or any of their subsidiaries fund?
I can’t put into words the stress and anxiety TransCanada has brought to our little seaside community. I have neighbours who won’t even talk about this project out of regard for their emotional well-being.
Red Head has a population of about 1,500 people, and the number is steadily decreasing. Every time I drive to Cape Spencer at the end of the Red Head Road, I’m struck by the number of houses that have been demolished, by the number of metal gates that bar entry into former residential driveways.
About a kilometre into the woods off the Old Anthony’s Cove Road a popular walking trail for residents bears “no trespassing signs”, warnings of video surveillance. This property is also owned by Irving. Not exactly the remote residential little enclave we fell in love with in 2009.
A large portion of the Applicant’s submission entails an environmental socioeconomic impact assessment which seemingly was completed in a vacuum without engaging those who would be most impacted by the project — the fishermen, the landowners, the homeowners, the First Nations. The people most directly affected by this project are ordinary citizens.
I believe that if the Board looks at what is in the best interest of Canada this pipeline has no place in our future, and I hope that approval of the project will be denied. If not, I want the Board to know about the Applicant’s true character.
As a resident of Anthony’s Cove, if this project is approved, my health, safety, and security is at the mercy of TransCanada. And I hope that the conditions imposed in relation to this project give me some comfort as we face the future with the worst neighbour ever.”
Read a summary of the NEB panel sessions here:
-
NEB information sessions in Saint John:
- Day #1 at Energy East NEB sessions in Saint John: risks of major spills dominate discussion
- Day #2 of NEB panel sessions in Saint John: what does this mean for N.B.?
- Day #3 at Energy East NEB sessions in Saint John: NEB gets an earful from First Nations groups
NEB information sessions in Fredericton: