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N.S. earmarks $7M from Northern Pulp transition fund to sustain silviculture operations

The province of Nova Scotia is dedicating $7 million from its previously announced $50-million transition package to boost silviculture activities and forest road building after Northern Pulp’s closure, Premier Stephen McNeil announced Thursday.

According to The Canadian Press, McNeil discussed the investment after the first meeting of the province’s forestry transition team.

The team is responsible for distributing the funds for the government’s support program, which aims to transition workers affected by the pulp mill’s closure to new jobs and skills.

The $7 million will support between 250 and 300 workers over the next year, says transition team lead Kelliann Dean, who is also the province’s deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs and trade.

The funds will be earmarked for private and Crown lands in the western and central regions of Nova Scotia.

Paper Excellence confirms ‘hibernation’

Also on Thursday, Paper Excellence publicly stated that it will pursue reopening the mill by completing a new environmental assessment report for its proposed wastewater treatment facility.

After the draft terms of reference for that are finalized in April, the company will have two years to submit the report.

“Our team is currently focused on supporting our employees, developing plans for a safe and environmentally responsible hibernation, and working with the government of Nova Scotia and stakeholders to determine next steps,” Paper Excellence said in a statement.

Northern Pulp is set to close Jan. 31 upon enforcement of the Boat Harbour Act, which legislates that the mill must remove its current effluent drainage pipe from the waters adjacent to Pictou Landing First Nation.

The province has not yet approved the company’s plan for a replacement treatment facility.

Read the full story from The Canadian Press on our partner site Manufacturing AUTOMATION.