Battle over the future of Northern Pulp was a top story in 2018
Some years it’s hard to say what were the biggest story or issue in a community was. There are so many stories that impact people in one way or another – car crashes or disease that claim the life of a loved one; businesses coming or going; stories about the strengths and weakness of government bodies that impact us.
But In 2018, it’s pretty safe to say the most talked about story in Pictou County was the ongoing issues surrounding Northern Pulp’s plan to build a new effluent treatment facility and pump effluent into the Northumberland Strait.
On one side of the controversy are members of the forestry industry and Paper Excellence, Northern Pulp’s owners, who are say that if the pipe isn’t allowed, the mill won’t be able to continue. Forestry experts warn it could have a ripple effect on their industry and the overall economy of the province.
On the other side are fishermen and grassroots community people who say they are tired of trusting the government and Northern Pulp to do the right thing. No Pipe is their motto. Allied with them are those in the tourism industry who say the smell of the mill has damaged Pictou County’s prestine reputation.
In a year that saw almost weekly updates on this issue, perhaps the most visually demonstrative was on July 6, when an estimated crowd of 2,000 people gathered on land and on water in Pictou to protest the project.
The story is far from over. Northern Pulp has in recent months admitted that it is not likely going to be able to make the provincially mandated deadline of January 2020 to have a new treatment facility operational. They have now started a campaign to get the province to extend the deadline. To date the province has said it won’t. What’s still to be determined is whether the federal government will require a federal environmental assessment of the project, which could delay it further.
What’s sure, is that this issue will continue to impact Pictou County into 2019 and beyond.
Other stories of note:
Highway twinning
Some stories have no controversy attached to them and this is one of those. Everyone who knows the highway between Sutherland’s River and Antigonish will agree that it’s an unforgiving stretch of road that has claimed far too many lives.
Just this month, two people from Newfoundland joined the list of those who have been killed on the untwinned portion of highway.
But good news came in the form of an announcement that brought none other than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau into town.
On July 17 Trudeau announced that the federal government is contributing $90 million to the $195 million project, which will see 38 kilometres twinned between Sutherland’s River, Pictou Co. and Antigonish.
Shovels are expected to be in the ground by next summer with construction anticipated to begin in early 2020, with the goal to have that portion of Highway 104 twinned by 2024. Trudeau took time to specifically mention Barney’s River Fire Chief Joe MacDonald who has led the charge to have the highway twinned.
“Thank you for your dedication,” Trudeau told him. “You can and should be proud.”
Tim Houston wins the PC Leadership
Tim Houston swept to victory at the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative party convention on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Houston, a 48-year-old accountant from Pictou County, won the party’s top job after Cecil Clarke conceded following the first ballot.
“We will do more great things,” Houston said at the time. “We will go and sell this message to Nova Scotians that we are ready and that we want to earn their trust and do good things for the next 20 years.
Michelin growing
Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. announced Oct. 23 two new projects at its Michelin Pictou County site that will see more than $20 million invested into the Pictou County site and will create 150 new jobs.
In addition, the investments will make permanent 200 temporary positions that were slated previously to end in 2020, according to a release from the company.
The company stated that production will soon begin on a new winter tire line along with the North American launch of an innovative process for semi-finished materials.
“This is amazing news for Michelin in Nova Scotia, as these two projects push Michelin’s employment in Nova Scotia to more than 3,600, the highest levels seen in our almost 50-year history,” said Jeff MacLean, President, Michelin North America (Canada) Inc at the time. “This is a testament to the dedication of our employees, the support of our community and government partners, and our continued ability to deliver top-quality products for the North American marketplace.”
Viola Desmond honoured
A new $10 banknote featuring Viola Desmond’s portrait went into circulation in November, just over 72 years after she was ousted from the whites-only section of the Roseland movie theatre in New Glasgow, N.S.
The civil rights pioneer and businesswoman is the first Canadian woman to be featured on a regularly circulating banknote, which will also show a map of Halifax’s historic north end, home to one of Canada’s oldest black communities and the site where Desmond opened her first salon.
Also this year, MacGillivray Properties Ltd. shared with The News their plans to restore the Roseland.
Former DSTN plant turned over to NS Lands
This summer, after an unsuccessful attempt to find a buyer for the large facility which most recently was used to build wind towers, a court-appointed receiver transfered ownership of DSME Trenton lands to Nova Scotia Lands Incorporated – effective Sept. 7 – and began the process to auction most of the remaining on-site equipment.
“We have made every effort to find a buyer for this site. For more than two years, the receiver has marketed this property internationally, without success,” Business Minister Geoff MacLellan said in announcing the decision. “Now is the time to move forward and begin the next phase, one that will allow Nova Scotia Lands to explore other economic opportunities.”
While their initial hope was to buy a single buyer for the 430,000-square-foot facility that sits on 116 acres of land, MacLellan said the sheer size of the building made it a tough sell.
“When we had conversations with potential buyers, they always were very keen on certain aspects of the site,” he said in an interview with The News. But he said no one was interested in taking on the entire magnitude of the site and the liability that came with it.
Since then, the equipment has been auctioned off.
Nail gun incident
This fall Pictou District RCMP charged Shawn Wade Hynes in relation to an incident where a 21-year-old man Nhlanhla Dlamini was injured when he was struck in the back by a nail from a nail gun.
Stacey Dlamini told The News her son suffered a partially collapsed lung because of the injury and believes the incident was racially motivated.
Hynes was charged with one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. He was arrested on Sept. 27 and released on conditions to have no contact with the victim. The charge was laid Oct. 5.
On Oct. 19 a rally was held in Pictou in support of the Dlamini family.
“We have an obligation and we have an opportunity to end racism in our province,” Stacey said at the time. “This is not a fight that is for people of colour alone. This is a fight for all of us.”
Hynes will appear in court next on Jan. 7 in relation to the charge.
Walk in Clinic Closure
On Aug. 5, the Aberdeen Walk in Clinic temporarily closed.
Doctors Chris Elliott and Tom Park own the clinic, which provided approximately 10,000 patient visits in 2017.
“We didn’t do this without a lot of thought and really don’t want to do this, but our backs are against the wall,” Elliott said in an interview with The News at the time.
The doctors said one factor in their decision was the decision by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness and MSI to exclude walk-in clinics from the enhanced fee model applied to other primary care provider office visits in the province. They argued this has a negative impact on their recruitment efforts for the clinic.
Elliott said the role of the walkin clinic has changed dramatically over the years. In the past, the walk-in was used largely by people who had family doctors but couldn’t get in to see them during their regular office hours.
But today the situation is much different. With an increasing number of people in Pictou County without a family doctor, Elliott said they’ve found themselves becoming the primary care provider for many people, doing everything from booking X-rays to monitoring chronic conditions such as diabetes or hypertension.
“We are providing comprehensive long-term care,” Elliott said.
The clinic later reopened in Sept. 17, but the doctors say the issues that initiated the closure remain.
Murder at the Travel Lodge
New Glasgow Regional Police charged Jason David Bezanson of Annapolis County with second degree murder following an alleged incident at the Travel Lodge on Westville Road in New Glasgow on Friday, Sept. 7 at 2:40 a.m.
Police responded to a 911 call at the hotel and found a 39-year-old man from Annapolis County not breathing with signs of trauma in a hotel room. Emergency Health Services and New Glasgow Fire Department immediately attended and transported him to the Aberdeen Hospital with serious life threatening injuries and then airlifted to a Halifax hospital, where was pronounced deceased.
As a result of an investigation, Bezanson was arrested and charged. Police say the two men were known to each other and the alleged incident was the result of a disturbance between them.
Bezanson was released from custody on strict conditions in November 7.
Boston Pizza sudden closure
After being open for a little more than a year, approximately 40 workers at the Highland Square Mall restaurant and sports bar were notified via email that the restaurant they worked for was closing on Oct. 26.
“We regret that the local owners of this location have decided to close their doors,” Peter Blackwell told The News in an email following the news.
“However, Boston Pizza is committed to begin anew in New Glasgow and ask that folks bear with us while we work to reopen as quickly as possible and ensure we deliver the full Boston Pizza experience for everyone in New Glasgow.
“We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this temporary closure and we look forward to seeing the residents of New Glasgow again soon.”
The last paycheck the restaurant issued was on Oct. 25, one day before the doors closed at the restaurant chain’s Highland Square Mall location.
“I was stunned,” said Fezanne Carroll who worked there since its opening on Sept. 11, 2017. “I had just been promoted four weeks before, and I was expecting that this was going to go for quite some time.”
MacKenzie pleads guilty to manslaughter
Almost three years after Nicole Campbell died, Robert Jason MacKenzie pleaded guilty to causing her death.
MacKenzie pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter on Dec. 17.
The guilty plea means that MacKenzie will no longer be going to trial and that his next time in court will be for sentencing in February.
“I’m happy there’s not going to be a trial. All we want is to make sure that he gets the right amount of time in jail,” Campbell’s aunt Anne Lawrence said outside the court.
As a part of the Crown’s plea agreement with the defence, additional charges of robbery and possession of a weapon against MacKenzie have been dropped.
“She was a sweet girl. A loving girl. She always had that smile even when she was so sad. She loved her kids,” Lawrence said. “Her kids were her world. She had that chaos, she had her own problems, but she loved, loved, loved her family.”