Power Beyond Coal
It's 2025 and Nova Scotia is still home to one underground coal mine
—the Donkin mine—
located on the eastern shore of Cape Breton. This is not just any mine; it’s the world's only subsea coal mine, and it's wreaking havoc on our environment and local communities. The Donkin mine is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, destroys local wetlands, and harms the health of nearby residents.
Cow Bay Coalition - Cape Breton
Who We Are
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We are a grassroots organization looking to create transparency and build a culture of environmental health and social resilience in the region
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Our members include mobilized residents, actors, non-profits and businesses within the Cape Breton Region
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We envision a community that understands, engages, and collaborates on local action against Donkin Mine, working collectively towards a healthier and more resilient environment for our current and future generations
What We Do
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Raising public awareness about the serious environmental and health issues associated with the Donkin coal mine
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People living around the mine struggle with sleepless nights and worsening health, plagued by the harmful pure tonal noise of ventilation fans that run 24/7 to dilute methane—the most potent greenhouse gas. Despite community members sending hundreds of letters to local and provincial representatives over the past five years, there has been no substantive mitigation measures, and residents continue to suffer from sleep deprivation, leaving their homes just to get a good night's sleep.
The government admits that Donkin is one of Nova Scotia's largest greenhouse gas emitters, with annual emissions equivalent to 1 million tonnes—on par with the total vehicle emissions of a city the size of Quebec City. Yet, despite this, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has greenlit the mine's operation until 2030.
The Donkin coal mine is not only harmful to the local environment and residents, but also unsafe and unsustainable for its workers. Since opening in 2017, it has been repeatedly shut down due to safety hazards and violations, operating for just 47 of its 90 months.
This is a crisis for our health, our environment, and our fight against climate change. We urgently need to phase out coal mining, remove coal from our energy grid, and transition to clean, renewable power. Equally important is ensuring a fair and just transition for workers and the economy in Cape Breton.
It's time for the government to prioritize our health, safety, and economic future!
Sign up to be a Community Climate Hub! We will work with you to look at your skills and find meaningful ways to be involved in the change happening within your region.
The Community Climate Hubs (CCH) program recognizes and believes in the power of citizens and grassroots community-led action in building social movements that propel municipalities forward to implement climate justice-focused policies, and works to empower and connect these citizens and grassroots groups across municipalities together through the Community Climate Hub model and overarching Hub network.