Premier sticks to Boat Harbour Act
In the end, Premier Stephen McNeil kept his promise to Pictou Landing First Nation and ordered Northern Pulp to stop pumping effluent into Boat Harbour by Jan 31.
Before a throng of reporters in Halifax on Dec. 20, the premier pledged to uphold the deadline laid out in the Boat Harbour Act, a decision that means the Pictou County pulp mill will close indefinitely and hundreds of jobs will be lost.
McNeil, clearly strained and at times emotional, made it clear that there would be no compromising on that end date. The premier blamed Northern Pulp for giving him no other choice, saying the company had five years since the province signed off on the act to come up with an acceptable alternative effluent treatment plant but failed.
“The company has put us all in a very difficult position and it’s decision time,” said the premier. “This is one of the hardest decisions that we as a government have had to make.
“A commitment that I made to clean up Boat Harbour was a serious one and not something our government did lightly. Many governments before us said they would clean it up but did not. We will not repeat that pattern. Northern Pulp will be ordered to stop pumping effluent into Boat Harbour.”
The existing governmentowned Boat Harbour effluent treatment plant has been in operation since the mill opened in 1967 and is legislated to close on Jan. 31, 2020, predicated on an agreement reached between the provincial Liberal government and Pictou Landing First Nation.
The premier also announced a $50-million transition fund to support the hundreds of displaced mill workers and the many more employed in the sector across the province. The transition fund will be used for retraining and education, and for emergency funding to help those in immediate need.
“I know that this could not have come at a worse time for you,” the premier said while his voice cracked with emotion. “But the company has failed to respect the timeline given to them five years ago.
“Please don’t despair. Our government will help you and support you in this transition.”
The announcement came three days after Environment Minister Gordon Wilson withheld approval of Northern Pulp’s focus report in support of its proposed effluent treatment facility that would discharge treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait.
Wilson concluded that more science-based evidence is needed to properly assess the potential risk to air, water, fish and human health. He required Northern Pulp to conduct a full environmental assessment to address the shortcomings of the focus report.
On Dec. 19 mill ownership warned that not extending the Boat Harbour deadline would result in the mill being shut down.
The premier said on Friday that he hoped his decision would not result in the mill closing for good. He said his government was still prepared to help the company meet the requirements of a full environment assessment. But that would follow a minimum twoyear period and the premier pointed out that the mill was no closer to securing environmental approval than when the process began five years ago.
McNeil had come under heavy criticism for delaying his decision on Boat Harbour, but the premier made no apologies on Friday. McNeil said he was not informed of Wilson’s decision calling for an environmental assessment until it was announced on Tuesday.
The premier said he then went about putting a plan in place addressing affected workers but also a plan that protects the province’s “environment today and in the future.”
“We looked at how do we put a fund together to help workers and transition the sector, because I believe there’s a future for the forestry sector in Nova Scotia.”
He said there are opportunities to diversify the international market for Nova Scotia’s wood products, particularly in Europe.
NDP leader Gary Burrill supported upholding the Boat Harbour Act but called the news tragic for the displaced forestry workers. While the NDP leader acknowledged that Northern Pulp failed its workers, he also said the province deserved blame for not doing enough to come up with a better resolution.
“The premier has spoken very critically of Northern Pulp and I share that view but it’s important for people to register the truth, that it was the government’s responsibility to see to it that (the mill) brought forward a proposal on a basis that would have been acceptable ... to all parties,” said Burrill.
While Tory leader Tim Houston also supported maintaining the Jan. 31 deadline, he said he was “devastated for thousands of Nova Scotian families, people who work in the woods, run porters, operate saw mills, deliver fuel, work at Northern Pulp.”
“I am totally gutted for them and our community,” said Houston. “No one wants to see their friends, neighbours and fellow Nova Scotians lose their jobs.
“I don’t have answers right now, but as I have more information, I will communicate it. There is a future for forestry here. I will do whatever I can to make sure of it.”
The $50-million transition fund will be guided by two groups picked by the premier that include government and industry representatives. The committee will be led by Kelliann Dean, deputy minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Trade, as well as a team from outside government including president of Nova Scotia Community College, Don Bureaux.