Port Hawkesbury Paper says order book full six years after reopening

estimated 700 indirect jobs. The average mill income is 44 per cent higher than the average industrial wage in Nova Scotia. Under the terms of the labour agreement struck when the mill reopened, its unionized employees agreed to a 10-year contract with no wage increases.

Under its former manager of business development, the late Marc Dube, the mill had worked in some areas to diversify its operations. Eddy said his focus within the next 12-18 months will be to have another commercial activity on the Point Tupper site, with possibilities including biorefinery opportunities and landbased aquaculture, but said it was too early to discuss those projects in detail. The site has a wharf and rail access and excess warehouse capacity which provide other opportunities, Eddy said.

A project looking at the potential extraction of sugars from fibre is still underway but dependent on world markets and energy costs, Eddy said.

According to figures provided by the mill, in 2017 its annual spending in the province exceeded $170 million. Tax revenues of all types, from both direct and spinoff activities, were listed at about $27 million annually, including personal income tax, taxes on products and production and municipal taxes. Eddy noted the impact of the mill can be felt in the province as far away as past Halifax.

The mill spends more than $30 million annually on wood harvesting and operations.

Port Hawkesbury Paper has continued to invest in its thermomechanical pulp operations to improving paper production. The company also manages 523,000 hectares of Crown lands.

The orders have been strong and the market has really responded to the quality of the product...

Allan Eddy

Director of business development