'Democracy is being attacked': Lone demonstrator at RCMP HQ in St. John's wants criminal investigation into World Energy GH2
Mike Cooze was the demonstrating by himself on Apr. 22 in front of the RCMP Headquarters premises. Having spent over $400 on signs, he says he plans to tour the whole city with his demonstrations. - Sanuda Ranawake
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Mike Cooze was the sole demonstrator at the RCMP headquarters in St. John’s on Monday, April 23.
Cooze says this is the first of many protests about the several proposed wind hydrogen projects in the province, but his main focus is on the World Energy GH2 project on the Port Au Port peninsula.
Cooze isn’t stopping his demonstration at the RCMP headquarters. After spending more than $400 on signs, he plans to tour the whole city with his demonstration.
“I’m going to the supreme court tomorrow, and then the Confederation Building. After that I’ll go to the media places, so NTV, CBC, and all that,” he says.
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Cooze wants the RCMP to set up a criminal investigation into what he says are multiple issues with how the World Energy GH2 project was greenlit recently.Cooze has made a number of allegations about what he says is the company’s wrongdoings and is questioning the environmental benefits of the projects.
Mike Cooze demonstrated by himself on April 22 in front of RCMP Headquarters in St. John's. Having spent over $400 on signs, he says he plans to tour the whole city with his demonstrations. - Sanuda Ranawake
“This is not about green energy. This is black energy painted green. This is about the money. It's the money they’re after. It was done in secrecy for the money. It is greed, it is money, there must be more. This will destroy our land, our water for Germany,” he says.For its part, the Port au Port Wind Power and Hydrogen Project (Project Nujio’qonik GH2) has met all regulatory requirements and has undergone and been released from a thorough provincial environmental assessment process.World Energy GH2’s website says the company has a commitment to keep people and the environment safe and outlines each step of the process involved in developing the project.
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Cooze says he’s determined to "save democracy." He’s on the lookout for a lawyer and says people should raise their voice.
“If you think you are the right person for the job, please contact me. If not, move forward on your way.”
“I'm also asking the public, I'm asking public servants, and I'm asking private enterprise if you have any information regarding government corruption, please contact the RCMP and step forward.”
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In a previous interview with The Telegram, Cooze said the province should have better priorities than wind projects.
“We have people coming from all around the world, every corner. Our tourism industry that we invested in the last 20 years has paid off. We have people coming from every nationality, from every corner of the world, to see what we have,” Cooze said.
“We have an environmental assessment group in town and stuff. But with that said, these are all public servants. Some of them are environmental scientists and there's a bunch of them down there because they had a love for the environment.”
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He says it’s after the projects get in the hands of politicians that problems really start to occur.
“At the end of the day politics and dirty politics is how environmental assessments are handled.”
Cooze is determined in his fight. He says he’ll keep coming back. And his signs are following him.
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Sanuda Ranawake is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Indigenous and rural issues.
Sanuda Ranawake, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Telegram
