Nova Scotia’s Public Works Minister and Queens MLA Kim Masland. (Rick Conrad photo)

Like many longtime Queens County residents, MLA Kim Masland lived through the closure of the Bowater mill in Liverpool in 2012.

“When we lost Bowater, it was a huge blow, to not only Liverpool but to Queens County and to the western end of the province,” Masland said Wednesday.

The Nova Scotia government announced last Thursday that Paper Excellence Canada, the company that operated the former Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County, is looking at the possibility of opening a new mill in Queens County.

The company plans to conduct a feasibility study that could take nine months. It’s part of an agreement between the province and Paper Excellence to settle the company’s $450-million lawsuit it filed after the mill shut down in 2020.

Premier Tim Houston and Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton said last week that a new mill would fulfill a need identified in a 2018 report on forestry practices by Prof. William Lahey. It found that demand for forestry products in the western end of the province was seriously affected by the closure of Bowater and Northern Pulp.

Houston said that a new mill would represent a $1.4-billion investment.

Masland, who is also Nova Scotia’s public works minister, has heard from a lot of constituents about the possibility of Liverpool becoming a mill town once again.

“When we look at the reputation of Northern Pulp in Pictou, it wasn’t great,” she says.

“Environmental standards have certainly changed, environmental reporting has certainly changed. I am a rural country girl who grew up and was supported through our industries aof forestry, farming and fishing. I believe in all of them. I believe that in our province and in Queens County we can still continue that. But everything that we do does need to be done with the highest, and I mean the highest, of standards, environmentally. And that will be government’s job to make sure that if this does go ahead that all of those standards are being met.”

Masland told QCCR on Wednesday that opinions seem to be evenly split between concern about the environment and the potential for employment that a new kraft pulp mill would bring to Queens County.

“I do believe that we as a forestry sector do have the ability to supply a mill. This is tremendous economic benefit to our community, but I also understand that economic benefit and the health of a community, one can’t outweigh the other.”

She said that while people are concerned about the smell and about Northern Pulp’s environmental record, it’s also clear that residents, woodlot owners and the forestry sector in general would benefit greatly from a mill.

“Let’s think about this. In Liverpool right now, Queens County has one of the highest poverty levels in Nova Scotia. We have no industry. We have a small industry in a sawmill. We have no industry, we have tourism, fabulous, we have two wonderful resorts that offer great employment, but we really do not have any industry for people in our community. People are struggling and people deserve to have an opportunity that others have had.”

Masland said that she won’t commit to supporting a Northern Pulp mill in Queens County until she sees the results of the feasibility study.

“I would want to see the feasibility study before I would support anything. I’m not going to say I’m going to support something unless I have all the information. I’ve never done that.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Nova Scotia’s $5.2-million Community Solar Program will help community groups build solar gardens. (Sebastian Ganso via Pixabay)

The Nova Scotia government has created a $5.2-million fund to help community groups and businesses set up solar gardens and sell the electricity.

The Community Solar Program is open to non-profits, co-operatives, First Nations communities, municipalities, businesses, universities and colleges. New solar gardens are expected to be up and running by spring 2026. 

Once people subscribe, they will get a solar energy credit of two cents per kilowatt hour on their power bill.

Groups can team up to build the solar gardens. Each one can generate up to 10 megawatts of power, according to the province. One megawatt of solar power can power up to 131 homes for a year.

The program is expected to introduce up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy by 2026, according to a news release from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

“Not everyone has the ability to install their own solar panels,” Tory Rushton, minister of natural resources and renewables, said in the release. 

“This program creates the opportunity to buy solar energy from a community provider instead.”

Program details and an application form are available online here.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

A DNNR helicopter is unloaded in a field near the South Horseshoe Lake fire. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

Crews battling the forest fire near South Horseshoe Lake in Yarmouth appear to be getting it under control.

A statement from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables released Thursday evening indicates the fire is 60 percent contained.

What started as a 25 hectare fire when firefighting teams arrived on-site Monday grew to over 3,100 hectares by Wednesday.

DNRR expressed concerns Thursday afternoon about the potential for the fire to spread due to dry conditions.

But just hours later, DNRR officials announced firefighting crews made up of two helicopters, one water bomber and 40 DNRR personnel were able to keep the fire from spreading past 3,100 hectares.

Officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

As a result of the ongoing dry conditions the entire province is under burning restrictions.

Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens counties currently have a full burn ban in place.

DNRR firefighters will continue efforts to extinguish the fire on Friday.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Water bomber dropping its load on part of a wildfire near South Horseshoe Lake, Yarmouth County, Photo: Communications Nova Scotia

Provincial officials say the forest fire in Yarmouth County tripled in size and is burning out of control.

A statement from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables says the fire grew from 1,000 to 3,100 hectares on Tuesday, spreading from South Horseshoe Lake west, in the direction of Rushy Lake.

Distance between South Horseshoe Lake and Rushy Lake. Photo Google Maps

Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton says, “Conditions are still adverse, so the fire may continue to spread. However, at this time, we do not see it reaching communities and the province’s response is being managed by highly trained professionals and fire crew members who are ready to respond at a moment’s notice to keep us safe in case of emergency.”

Since Monday, the contingent fighting the wildfire has grown to include 40 provincial fire crew members, two helicopters and a water bomber sent from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Officials says Tuesday’s wind and low humidity are driving the spread of the fire.

Air quality alerts have been issued for Yarmouth and residents are asked to keep windows closed.

Conditions continue to stay very dry across the province, and a burn ban remains in place for Queens, Shelburne and Yarmouth counties.

DNRR will provide regular updates on the Yarmouth forest fire on their Twitter feed today.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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