Residents fed up with noise from idled Donkin mine
The Donkin Mine has been closed for more than a year, but residents who live near the shuttered mine site say they are still living with noise that is bad enough it is causing them to lose sleep.
"We can hear it loud enough that it wakes us up in the middle of the night," says South Head, N.S., resident Michael Lea, who lives about seven kilometres across the water from the mine site.
Lea says the noise is coming from the idled Donkin Mine, which closed in March 2020. Since then, it's been in maintenance mode – with a handful of employees onsite keeping the ventilation system running. Lea says he and other members of the Cow Bay Environmental Coalition held a meeting Tuesday night and that people are simply fed up.
"To be honest, I'm past the stage of being nice. I'm actually angry. Because it's been close to two years," Lea told CTV Atlantic.
The area's councillor says he's been getting several complaints a week about the Donkin Mine noise and that they're coming from people who live all across the widespread, rural area of eastern Cape Breton.
"Since I've been elected, the Donkin Mine has been my most prominent file -- there's no question about it," says James Edwards, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillor for District 8.
Edwards adds he and other elected officials have spoken with representatives from Kameron Coal, the company that owns the Donkin Mine, but so far, a solution hasn't been found.
"The mine is looking at a noise reduction model from a firm in the United Kingdom that they're hoping to utilize, but that's been going on for several months now," Edwards says.
Meanwhile, the area's MLA has also been fielding plenty of complaints on the file. "Personally, I feel a great deal of frustration with the lack of progress," says Brian Comer, Progressive Conservative MLA for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg.
Comer says he's reached out to the ministers of Environment and Climate Change, as well as Energy and Mines, but adds no one with regulatory authority to fix the problem has come to visit.
"There's no specific timelines or accountability, which I think is the significant issue with the community," Comer said.
CTV Atlantic's attempts to reach Kameron Coal for comment were unsuccessful.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec confirms first two cases of monkeypox; 20 other suspected cases under investigation
Quebec's health ministry announced Thursday evening there are two confirmed cases of monkeypox in the province, while 20 other suspected cases are still under investigation.

Monkeypox: What is it and how does it spread?
A growing number of countries, including Canada, the U.S., Spain, Portugal, and the U.K, are reporting an unusual outbreak of monkeypox. Here is what we know about this rare virus.
Canada banning Chinese telecom giant Huawei, ZTE from 5G networks
Canada is banning China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE, another Chinese company, from participating in the country's 5G wireless networks, citing national security and cybersecurity concerns. Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino made the announcement about prohibiting products and services from these 'high-risk vendors,' in Ottawa on Thursday.
U.S. accuses Russia of weaponizing food in Ukraine war
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia on Thursday of weaponizing food and holding grain for millions of people around the world hostage to help accomplish what its invasion of Ukraine has not -- 'to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people.'
Abortion accessibility in Canada: The Catholic hospital conflict
A leaked draft showing that the U.S Supreme Court justices are preparing to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling has sparked debate in Canada, including whether Catholic hospitals can impede your access to abortion.
Maud Lewis painting, once traded for grilled cheese sandwiches, sells for $350K
A painting by Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis that was once traded for a few grilled cheese sandwiches, recently sold for an astounding $350,000 at auction.
Ed Sheeran 'over the moon' at birth of second daughter
Famed British singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, have welcomed the birth of their second daughter.
Prince Charles acknowledges suffering of residential school survivors
Prince Charles says he and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were departing Canada with 'heavy hearts' and a deeper understanding of residential schools after their royal visit wrapped in the Northwest Territories.
Charity calls on government to help resettle 300 LGBTQ2S+ Afghans trying to escape to Canada
A charity that focuses on helping LGBTQ2S+ refugees facing violence and discrimination internationally is calling on the Canadian government to partner with them to facilitate a way out for hundreds of Afghans who have reached out to them in desperation.