Future of natural resources the topic of public discussion

Nova Scotians are invited to community meetings in May and June to share their ideas about the future of the province's natural resources.

The meetings will be hosted by the Voluntary Planning Natural Resources Citizen Engagement Committee. The volunteer committee is gathering Nova Scotians' views to help government develop a long-term natural resources strategy for the province.

"Our mandate is to engage the citizens of Nova Scotia in discussions about what they value in terms of natural resources, so we really encourage people to participate," said Rick MacDonald, co-chair of the committee. "We want to hear Nova Scotians' long-term vision for natural resources in the province - specifically for biodiversity, forests, minerals and parks."

The scope of the citizen engagement process and questions to help start conversations are on Voluntary Planning's website at http://vp.gov.ns.ca. The documents will also be available at community meetings and Access Nova Scotia centres in May.

The documents will also provide a framework for written submissions, which will be accepted until July 31. They can be submitted on the Voluntary Planning website, by fax at 902-424-0580, or by mail to: Voluntary Planning, Suite 600, 1690 Hollis St., Halifax, N.S., B3J 3J9. Nova Scotians can also call Voluntary Planning at 902-424-8644 or toll-free at 1-866-858-5850 to give comments.

Local meetings will take place May 20 at the Black Cultural Centre, 1149 Main St. in Dartmouth and on June 9 at the Holiday Inn, 1980 Robie St. in Halifax. Both meetings will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.