Premier Higgs suggests it's safe to develop shale gas in N.B.

This week's throne speech saw the Higgs government reintroduce the idea of developing shale gas in the province.

"I'm the first to acknowledge we need First Nations to be part of the solution,” Premier Blaine Higgs said. “We haven't even started those discussions, so for someone to come out and say, ‘well I haven't talked to them yet.’ Well no, I haven't gotten to that point.”

Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik Indigenous groups in the province put out a joint statement Thursday, saying in part that fracking is something both First Nations have “vehemently opposed to for more than a decade.”

"I think that the time is to move to more cleaner energy like renewables,” said Rob McKee, Leader of the Official Opposition. “Something that was lacking in the speech from the throne. To go back to this archaic shale gas fracturing, I don't know if there's a business model for it of if it's pie-in-the-sky type of wishes from this premier,” he said.

The Green Party's David Coon said perhaps the premier needs to be reminded New Brunswick is in a climate crisis.

"He's like a dog with a bone in his mouth. He's a fossil fuel guy,” Coon said. “He's from that perspective, potential for more fossil fuel development here in New Brunswick and that's what he wants to make happen. Despite the climate crisis, despite the opposition of first nations, despite the opposition of many New Brunswickers.”

Higgs disputed the characterization of the development of fossil fuels’ negative impacts on the environment.

"If you look at the statistics of development of gas in all other areas who have been doing it for 40, 50 years, that is absolutely not true,” said Higgs following a reporter’s comment that shale gas development is bad for the environment.

Higgs says the development of shale gas would be a replacement to the province's use of coal power generation.