Canadian Province Rejects Fracking

A Canadian provinces continue to take differing stances on the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing, with the annoucement Wednesday by the Nova Scotia government that it would introduce legislation to prohibit fracking for an indefinite time frame

Energy Minister Andrew Younger said Nova Scotians have made it clear they are "not comfortable" with fracking.

"There is not a community in this province ... where there's a large number of people pushing to allow hydraulic fracturing," said Younger, continuing that the ban would remain in place until the province's population is ready to embrace the industry.

The Minister referred an April study by The Council of Canadian Academies which concluded that despite the significant economic benefits associated with the shale gas industry, there was significant uncertainty on the risks to the environment and human health.

"That contributed quite a bit to this debate," Younger said.

Last week a panel of Nova Scotia experts released a report calling for more independent research is done on health, environmental and economic impacts of fracking before the technique was permitted.

The development of shale gas reserves has been a has been a dominate issue in the election campaign in the adjacent province of New Brunswick.

Present Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward has been promoting the economic benefits of shale gas development for the province, while New Brunswick Liberal Leader has called for additional scientific investigations.

In October 2013, protests over shale gas development in New Brunswick spiralled into violence, with forty arrests and five police cruisers burned following an attempt by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to enforce an injunction to end a blockade by shale gas opponents protesting the activities of energy company SWN Resources Canada.