Reaction mixed to news of possible new paper mill in Liverpool area

Ashley Christian is president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce. (Rick Conrad)

The Nova Scotia government announced this week that as part of a settlement agreement, Northern Pulp will study the feasibility of opening a paper mill in the Liverpool area.

We asked some people at the South Queens Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting on Thursday for their reaction.

Here’s what they said. 



Liverpool could be site of new Northern Pulp mill

An undated aerial photo of the former Bowater Mersey plant in Brooklyn. (Queens County Historical Society Photo Collection, housed at the Queens County Museum)

The pulp and paper industry may be making a comeback in Queens County.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced on Thursday that Paper Excellence, which owns Northern Pulp in Pictou County, will be launching a feasibility study into whether it can open a mill in Liverpool.

He was speaking at a news conference in Halifax. His opening remarks were broadcast to a crowd of local politicians, chamber of commerce members and forestry sector workers at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool.

SEE ALSO: Reaction mixed to news of possible new paper mill in Liverpool

The possible new mill in Liverpool is part of a settlement agreement to resolve the company’s $450-million lawsuit against the province.

“The Pictou mill is not reopening,” Houston said. “The province has agreed to support Paper Excellence in the idea of building a new kraft pulp mill in Queens County, in the areas around the former Bowater mill.

“With the support of the region’s forestry sector, the company believes that Liverpool could again support a new mill, and I agree.”

Houston said the company will likely launch the feasibility study in the next few weeks. It is expected to take up to nine months.

“Let’s keep in mind a new mill is not a guarantee. If the company decides not to proceed with the new mill, Nova Scotia’s interests are still accounted for and protected. But if there’s a business case and the company brings forward a project, it could mean an investment of more than $1.4 billion in our economy.”

Bowater, which operated in Brooklyn from 1929 to 2012, employed hundreds of people in Queens County. It was founded as the Mersey Paper Company Limited by industrialist Izaak Walton Killam.

When it closed, it threw 320 people out of work. It also affected people in other industries.

Many of the employees retired or left for jobs in western Canada or elsewhere. The region fell into an economic funk. And it took years for the local economy to begin to recover.

Houston said a new mill would be good news for Queens County and for the province’s 35,000 woodlot owners.

“We are building a stronger economy for Nova Scotians, and a new mill has enormous economic potential. It could kickstart a new chapter for communities along the South Shore and the province’s economy overall.”

Northern Pulp closed its mill at Abercrombie Point, Pictou County, in 2020, after the Nova Scotia government under Stephen McNeil refused its application for a new effluent treatment facility. It had been pumping effluent into nearby Boat Harbour, sparking protests from the Pictou Landing First Nation.

Houston said Thursday that any new mill in Queens County will have to meet modern standards.

“Let me assure you that any project that comes forward will need to meet today’s standards, and will undergo environmental assessments, significant public engagmeent and indigenous consultation. We will also hold the company to a high standard for the Pictou mill site.”

Many of the people at the Astor for the announcement Thursday would not comment afterward. Queens MLA and Public Works Minister Kim Masland declined to comment. She said all media inquiries were being handled by the premier’s office. 

The forestry workers in attendance did not want to be interviewed, but were happy with the announcement and said that the “industry’s needed some good news”.

Mayor Darlene Norman said she was limited in what she could say publicly. 

“For those who understand the forestry sector, this is a wonderful opportunity for Queens.”

The possibility of a new pulp and paper mill in Queens County came to light this week when CBC reporter Michael Gorman reported on Wednesday that an announcement was imminent.

Kerry Morash worked at Bowater for 19 years and was also the Queens MLA for the Progressive Conservatives from 1999 to 2006. He welcomed the news that the industry might return to the area.

“I think it’s a big opportunity for the community and western Nova Scotia,” he said in an intervew. “And especially when you look at the storm damage that we have and we have a lot of wood laying down in the forest from Pictou to Yarmouth and that’s getting drier and getting ready to catch on fire. If we can clean up the forest and produce a product and make some employment, envrionmentally friendly and sustainbably, it’s all good news.”

Ashley Christian, president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, said she wants to make sure a mill is safe and sustainable.

“As long as all environmental regulations are being met and taken really seriously, I think that we in Queens County would welcome industry, we welcome jobs and what that would provide for our community.”

As part of the settlement agreement with the province, Paper Excellence has to top up Northern Pulp pension plans by $30 million to protect the former employees’ pensions. It also has to pay $50 million of its own court costs. 

If the company’s study finds a new mill in Queens County is viable, it will pay the province $15 million to settle its $99 million debt. If it finds a new mill isn’t possible, it would pay the province $30 million and pay $15 million toward the cleanup of the Northern Pulp site.

If the company goes ahead with a new mill, it would seek financing and work with the province and others to get it going.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Queens County to add more housing with $21-million water, sewer expansion

Kim Masland, Queens MLA and Nova Scotia’s public works minister, announces $10.7 million in provincial funding for a $21.5-million water and sewer expansion that gives the green light to two new housing developments in the Liverpool area. (Rick Conrad)

The Nova Scotia government and the Region of Queens are teaming up on a $21.5-million project to extend and improve water and sewer services in the Liverpool area.

Queens MLA Kim Masland on Monday announced $10.7 million in provincial funding to expand water and wastewater service to the Mount Pleasant area. The region will pitch in $10.8 million. 

The project means that two new private housing developments will go ahead on more than 60 acres of land. About 325 new housing units will be built for up to 1,200 people. It will be a mix of sold and rented space. About a third of those units could be affordable housing.

Masland, who is also Nova Scotia’s public works minister, made the announcement at the region’s municipal offices in Liverpool on behalf of John Lohr, the minister of municipal affairs and housing. 

“We need this funding, we know our community’s growing, we certainly need affordable and more housing stock within our community,” she said in an interview after the announcement.

“We’re attracting people to our community every day, there are med professionals that want to come here. This is a great project. This will allow us to build more houses.”

Masland said a municipal housing needs assessment found that Queens County needs 555 more housing units by the end of 2027. She said it’s difficult to recruit health care staff to move to the area if there’s nowhere to live.

“We need people building faster. We need homes up, we need places for people to live. We are in a housing crisis in the province and we’re going to do whatever we can to make sure we can help.”

The funding will also improve existing water and sewer services to more than 1,200 homes and businesses in the area, and help improve the amount of water available for firefighting efforts.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman emphasized that the funding will do more than help developers build new homes.

She said the current infrastructure is at or over capacity. The project will improve service for residents in Liverpool, Brooklyn and Milton.

“There are some really crucial repairs that need to be made to our system, so it can expand in all directions. This is not case-specific for specific people.”

The provincial portion of the funding comes from the $102-million Municipal Capital Growth Program. The region applied in December for the funding.

Norman said the region’s finance staff are working now to figure out how the municipal portion will be funded. The region is currently working on its 2024/25 budget.

Adam Grant, the region’s director of engineering and public works, said Monday he hopes the work will be finished in 24 to 36 months.

“So work is already underway. Following the feasibility study, we’ve migrated into some design work preliminary and that’s underway right now, looking at having designs rolled out in the fall and construction starting in the next 12 months ideally.”

The developers behind the two housing projects said Monday they were excited by the news. They’ve lobbied the municipality for the past few years to extend water and sewer services to those areas.

Both projects are near downtown Liverpool.

Larry Cochrane plans an 87-unit development on the old Dauphinee Farm property near Queens General Hospital, which would include a 24-unit apartment building.

He said he will soon begin the design phase of the project.

“I wish it was faster of course, but we’ll take that because there’s lots of work I need to do to get ready to start a project like this.”

Graham van der Pas is a partner with Rumclo Developments. They plan a three-stage development on about 30 acres of land farther up the road from Cochrane’s project.

“We’re very, very excited. We’ve been lobbying for this for the past two years. So it’s amazing.”

The Rumclo development will feature The Point, which will have 124, two-bedroom homes for sale, The Curve, with 22 three-bedroom townhouses, and Birchwood Gardens, 82 affordable rental apartments. Van der Pas said the affordable rentals will be 80 per cent of the median market rate. A one-bedroom would be about $800 a month, a two-bedroom $1,000 and a three-bedroom would rent for $1,200.

A section of The Curve will also be reserved for staff from Queens General Hospital to rent.

“I think a community like this needs it,” van der Pas said. 

“I think what our developments will bring to the town is … a significant amount of property taxes. The revenue will go up there, the economic revenue of people potentially starting businesses, new patrons for the businesses that are already existing. It’s significant.”

Ashley Christian, president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, said she’s happy that such a big investment is being made in Queens.

“We have been advocating through the chamber of commerce for more housing for a couple of years. So we’re so excited to see this huge investment, especially made by the municipality, really impressed by that.”

Christian said she’s especially happy that half the funding is coming from the province. She said she hopes that means the project won’t be a big burden on municipal taxpayers.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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