Premier Rodney MacDonald’s concern that government assistance to Stora Enso Port Hawkesbury might set a precedent a…
Premier Rodney MacDonald’s concern that government assistance to Stora Enso Port Hawkesbury might set a precedent appears to be ringing true. According to a report by CBC, the Nova Scotia premier said, “if we do something for Stora we have to be mindful that there are other large industrial users and employers out in Nova Scotia and we have to be fair across the board. And we will be fair.”
The company has threatened to close down the mill if it cannot secure tax breaks, cheaper energy prices and concessions from its employees.
Now, according to another CBC report, Bowater Mersey Paper is waiting to see how the situation will resolve, as it also plans to seek aid from the province. According to the report, the mill is set to come up against a 15% electricity cost hike, an increase it will little be able to afford.
“We’re very, very worried because if the province or the [federal government] or even if the municipality could give them a tax cut then what’s fair for one is fair for all,” the CBC reported Doug Adams, deputy mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality as saying. “They’d want it here,” he said.
Stora Enso executives have set the summer as a deadline for the provincial government to make a decision.
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