Northern Pulp Mill in Abercrombie, Nova Scotia Faces Potential Closure

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Nova Scotia is preparing for potential closure of the Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie. The deadline of Jan. 30, 2020 for the closure of the mill’s effluent treatment plant in Boat Harbour is fast approaching. The company is yet to submit an environmental assessment application for the new effluent pipeline. Further, the seismic testing in the Northumberland Strait is still incomplete, reports said.

There have been escalated protests against the environmental damage caused by dumping of millions of litres of effluent daily into the Northumberland Strait. As many as 19 Canadian senators have signed a letter urging the federal government to order a full environmental assessment of the Northern Pulp discharge plan. They noted that assessment by the provincial N.S. government is insufficient.

Meantime, Northern Pulp, along with six major sawmills in the province, has requested for an extension of the deadline. Unifor Canada, which represents nearly 200 unionized mill workers, too has launched a campaign calling for preservation of jobs at the mill. It pointed out that the company has invested millions in cleaning up and modernizing the mill.

The closure of the mill is feared to have significant impact on the province’s forestry sector. The closure would lead to 277 job losses, in addition to hundreds of contractor jobs. It is the key log supplier for major sawmills in the province. Incidentally, Northern Pulp happens to be the largest shipper at the Port of Halifax.