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On March 11, at 3:18am, a precipitator at the Trenton Generating Station broke, causing fly ash to rain down over the local community of Trenton, NS. The Nova Scotia Power-owned generating station, which burns 0.8 million tons of coal per year, and causes approximately 10 per cent of the province’s air pollution, imports much of its fuel from Columbia, where serious questions have been raised in regards to workers’ rights. “The government and Nova Scotia Power talk green, green, green,” said Pictou County Councillor Allister MacDonald, one of those on-hand at a demonstration outside the coal plant. “They’re talking out of both sides of their face, and the people of Pictou County are paying for it.

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A protest was held Monday outside the Trenton coal-fired generating station by people who say they worry about what the plant is doing to their health.

A malfunction on the weekend sent ash spewing into the air and onto the properties of people living nearby.

“At first I thought it was a heavy frost,” Hugh McAuley said. “Then I went out and I said ‘Holy jumping, it’s worse than usual.’”

“My car was all full of ash, and my husband’s truck and … my house and all my doorsteps all full black stuff,” Peggy Barnett said.

Residents believe there are high levels of toxic metals like arsenic in the ground around their homes.

“There’s 65 different metals in it,” said Peter Boyles. “There’s arsenic, there’s copper zinc, you name it.”

“Everybody in Trenton seems to have health concerns and health problems and I’m very concerned having little ones,” Erin Trowell said.

Residents want the coal plant to shut down or be converted.