Like many smallish and inelegant towns that dot the coastlines and crossroads of the continent, Shean’s postwar, post-industrial economy is in disrepair and highly politicized. The lengths that some civic leaders will go in order to do “what’s best” for a town like Shean sometimes requires a leap of faith that has unintended consequences. When a global corporation plans a daring scheme to exploit coal from a seemingly inaccessible source – and thus to secure Shean’s economic future – politicians try to marginalize the few voices of dissent.

By Frank MacDonald