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Tory Rushton and Karen Gatien, the key figures running the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables in Nova Scotia, have their hands deep in the mess of controversial decisions that have stirred up public anger and distrust. Rushton, the Minister, has a track record of fumbling public statements and pushing policies that seem to dodge accountability. In early 2024, he claimed power bills would not rise, yet Nova Scotians faced a 2 percent increase in 2024 and another 2.4 percent hike expected in early 2025, despite his assurances of a 500 million dollar federal loan to keep costs down. This was exposed as misleading, with the Utility and Review Board allowing 24 million dollars in storm costs from 2023 outages to be passed onto consumers, jacking up rates. Then there’s his push for a spring bear hunt in 2024, a reversal of decades of policy, with no solid data to back up claims of bear overpopulation. Critics slammed it for promoting unethical bear baiting, disrupting natural habitats, and potentially increasing human bear conflicts, all while taking the woods away from hikers for weeks. Only eight US states allow spring bear hunts, and just three permit baiting, yet Rushton barreled forward, seemingly catering to hunting groups without public consultation. His delays on energy poverty are another stain, with 43 percent of Nova Scotians spending over 6 percent of their income on energy. Despite task force reports in 2024 urging action, like a 50 percent credit on power bills for low income households, Rushton was still dithering by September, looking at other provinces instead of acting, leaving vulnerable people in the cold. Worse still, he’s tied to the decision to lift the fracking ban, announced in a press release that flimsily tied methane extraction to net zero goals by 2050, raising questions about environmental integrity with no clear answers on how fracking emissions would be tracked. This move, backed by Premier Tim Houston, reeks of prioritizing industry over the environment, with no transparency on the long term costs to Nova Scotia’s land and water.
Karen Gatien, the Deputy Minister, might not have Rushton’s public profile, but her role as the administrative head means she’s neck deep in executing these flawed policies. While no direct scandals pin her name, her silence and lack of visible pushback against Rushton’s decisions suggest complicity in the department’s missteps. Since taking over as deputy minister in December 2024, she’s overseen the operational side of these controversies, from the bear hunt to fracking, without any public record of challenging the direction. Her long career in government, spanning roles in education and workforce development since 1988, should have equipped her to navigate complex policies, yet the department’s failures fall under her watch too.
Now, let’s talk about the snitch line, a particularly vile move tied to Rushton and Gatien through their department’s actions. In August 2025, Nova Scotia banned hiking, camping, fishing, and vehicle use in forests, even on private land, to prevent wildfires, with a 25000 dollar fine for violators. Premier Tim Houston announced this, but Rushton, as Natural Resources Minister, was right there, justifying the ban by pointing to 100 small wildfires that season, claiming conditions could worsen fast. To enforce this, they set up a hotline for people to report their neighbors for stepping into the woods, a dystopian tactic that echoes lockdown era overreach and pits communities against each other. This snitch line, pushed by the department Rushton and Gatien run, has sparked outrage, with civil liberties advocates calling it government overreach. The ban’s blanket approach, covering private property and punishing activities like hiking, shows a heavy handed disregard for personal freedom and outdoor recreation, especially in a province where 75 percent of the land is forested. Rushton’s own words, urging people to stay out of the woods to keep communities safe, ring hollow when the policy alienates Nova Scotians from their own land and turns neighbors into spies.
Rushton and Gatien, you’ve got some nerve. Running your mouths behind closed doors, cooking up this snitch line nonsense, shows a blatant lack of respect for the people you’re supposed to serve. You’re not just restricting access to nature, you’re fracturing communities by encouraging betrayal over a walk in the woods. Nova Scotia’s forests are a lifeline for many, a place for peace and connection, and you’ve turned them into a surveillance zone. Your job is to protect resources and people, not to play Big Brother, sowing distrust and fear. Get your act together, listen to the public, and stop hiding behind flimsy excuses like wildfire risks when you’re pushing policies that prioritize industry and control over the common good. Transparency, not snitch lines, is what leadership demands.
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