"My personal opinion is that it is unacceptable," Ryan said. "I think there's a certain amount of scepticism here in the town whether or not they're able to reach the targets they're presenting.

"Even if they can reach the targets, is any amount of effluent being pumped into the harbour acceptable to the people in the town of Pictou?"

Ryan recalled attending a 2017 presentation from the same company when the topic of dumping the wastewater into Pictou harbour came up.

"At that time they said that the flushing action of the harbour was not strong enough to defuse the effluent as it should. Now all of a sudden I guess it's better," he said. 

Ryan said the company has a history of overpromising and underdelivering. 

"They said we have to look to the future, not the past. Unfortunately, it's the past that creates your future sometimes," Ryan said. "Their past has done very little to create that trust for me, and for lots of people in the town of Pictou."