HALIFAX – Demonstrators donned gas masks and stood on the steps of the Nova Scotia legislature Thursday to protest a proposal from Lafarge Canada Inc. to burn tires at its cement plant in Brookfield.

Environmentalists say incinerating tires in a cement kiln releases dioxins that have been linked to cancer.

But Lafarge, whose plan to burn tires in Ontario has set off a high-profile appeal there, insists it’s a safe way to create energy.

People who live in and around Brookfield, Nova Scotia, a rural community near Truro, say economics, not the environment, is fueling the company’s plan.

Lafarge is one of three companies that have submitted proposals to Nova Scotia’s Resource Recovery Fund Board, which is responsible for solid waste management in the province.

The board said all three proposals involve burning some tires, though not necessarily in Nova Scotia.