The Nova Scotia Government has announced the deadline for the Boat Harbour Act will stand.
Premier McNeil made the announcement this morning, saying the mill had been given years to correct their actions, and that they have failed to meet the timelines set for them.
“The company has had five years and a number of opportunities to get out of Boat Harbour, and at this point we are not even close to doing that,” he said.
“The company has put us all in a very difficult position.”
He said giving Northern Pulp another two years would only be supporting a pattern of inaction.
McNeil also announced a $50 million transition fund to help assist displaced saw mill workers across the province who will be affected by the announcement.
The fund will be used for retraining and education of the workers affected and will also include an emergency fund for workers in need of immediate assistance.
McNeil said the province will also be working with the Federal government to assist the workers affected from today’s announcement.
“What I want the workers to know in that sector is I know how important that mill has been,” he said.
“The decisions made by the mill are the decisions made by the mill, but I will do whatever I can to assist those workers in transitioning into a different forestry sector in Nova Scotia.”
Paper Excellence Canada, the parent company of Northern Pulp, held a conference an hour later to announce work had begun to cease operations at the mill.
At the conference, Paper Excellence Canada CEO Brian Baarda said the decision will affect 2,700 rural jobs, as well as another 8,300 forestry jobs across Nova Scotia.
“Northern Pulp put forward an excellent plan informed by third party, subject matter experts based on sound science that showed no meaningful environmental impact,” he said.
“Northern Pulp represented a significant operational improvement, and ensured Nova Scotia’s forest sector and the thousands its employs could remain a vital part of our economy. It also enabled timely closure and remediation of Boat Harbour. The Premier chose to disregard these facts.”
Baarda announced they will begin to deliver layoff and contract cancellation notices today and will start implementing plans to close the mill.
