Tag Archives: Bowater Mersey

Nova Scotia has released a report that summarizes what Nova Scotians said are the best ways to use the 1.5-million acres of Crown land in the province’s western region to ensure sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits for communities.

The report summarizes comments received at nine open-house consultations in March and April, at stakeholder meetings, and through online submissions.

“The responses we’ve heard confirm that Nova Scotians are passionate about land use,” said Natural Resources Minister Charlie Parker. “Overall, Nova Scotians have told us that they want to be involved in managing their land, that long-term environmental, social and economic sustainability is vital, and that they recognize different land uses need to be balanced.”

The report summarizes attendance and overall public response:

• about 676 people attended the public open houses
• 66 people (representing 57 stakeholder groups) attended stakeholder meetings
• 166 people submitted ideas online
• 44 separate submissions were received through other channels

The key themes from the submissions and stakeholder focus groups are drawn together in the summary report. The comments will help develop a sustainable plan for the land, which includes lands purchased from Bowater Mersey Ltd.

The report outlines the most prominent issues for stakeholders, including:

• tourism and recreation
• forestry
• vehicular access
• sustainability
• protection
• resource extraction
• continuing consultation and engagement processes

The final land and resource management plan for the western Crown land plan will include sustainable forestry management, as described in the province’s natural resources strategy, The Path We Share. It will also meet new policies and guidelines for better forest management.

The summary report is available at: http://novascotia.ca/natr/land/western-land .

Nova Scotia author Libby Broadbent has written a novel about life in a forestry town after the mill closes.

ForestTalk asked Libby to describe her book for us:

I am a high school teacher and author living in Liverpool, NS where it has been almost a full year since Resolute Forest Products shut our Bowater Paper Mill. It’s been tough, but we’re still kicking, because that’s what we do here in Nova Scotia. Big corporations pull the plug on industries we have relied on for decades, hundreds of people are suddenly jobless, the oil sands beckon our men away… but we still laugh, we still pay our bills, and sometimes we enjoy a little karaoke on the weekends.

Last spring my man and I were barbequing deer steak on the deck, talking about what kinds of jobs he and most of our friends would be able to find in the coming months. We were having the conversation that many families were having: where to find work? What to do with the severance? What about the pensions? And that’s when it hit me. Boom. The plot for a novel.

“Indefinitely Idled” was born. Hal Stevens has lost his job of twenty three years when the local mill shuts. His wife is a nightmare. His daughter is struggling with her self-image. His mother has Alzheimer’s. Then the lesbian shows up. She’s a financial planner from Toronto, hired to help the guys sort out the financial tangles, but she has a broken heart and an alcohol problem. There’s a divorced bed and breakfast owner with a dying cat. A guy who thinks he buried his wife in his back yard. And a Korean foreign exchange student.

And of course, karaoke.

“Indefinitely Idled” is both poignant and comical, serious and lighthearted. It is not a political rant, nor is it a slander of the companies that abandon our small towns. It is a fictional mill, in a fictional town. It’s a story of a family facing difficult times, in typical Nova Scotia fashion, with road kill and bad weather and beer. Published this April, “Indefinitely Idled” is available in print and for kindle on amazon.com. The book launch will take place on Thursday, May 9th at 7pm in Liverpool, NS, at “Spirits on the Mersey”, the local bar previously called Alley Nine.

I’m writing this article for ForestTalk because the forum comments on this site became part of our conversations last spring as the Bowater Mill went through its convoluted shut procedures. Emotions were running high, and I was inspired by the eloquence of the people posting their thoughts and reactions to this challenging event. The resilience and work ethic of the people in this town deserves recognition. I hope my novel does that.

So many of our friends have taken jobs out west… two weeks on, two weeks off… big money, maybe, but also big upheavals to their lives. These are men and women who have faced a bleak reality with grit and determination, and are making the most of a bad situation without uprooting their families and abandoning the communities they have called home for most of their lives. That is Nova Scotian resilience, something that no big corporation can shut down.

I’m proud to say that my small town is shrugging off the heavy cloud of our mill shut. Things aren’t easy, that’s for sure, but we have new businesses opening, we host incredible cultural events, our tourism industry is alive and well. And we continue to laugh at ourselves, and complain about the weather. We’re Nova Scotians, after all. We’re survivors.

~Libby Broadbent

Learn more:

• Indefinitely Idled by Libby Broadbent
• Libby Broadbent on amazon.com
• www.libbybroadbent.com

Bowater Mersey’s private road sign is removed, giving residents access.

The province of Nova Scotia recently purchased 555,000 acres of land from the former Bowater Mersey mill.

Three large pieces of that land had 2,500 kms of forest roads that were blocked off.  Today Nova Scotia opened 13 gates on the road, providing access to 1,700 kms of forest roads.

“The land now belongs to Nova Scotians and it is important to us economically, environmentally and socially. The lakes, streams and woods on this land were always accessible on foot or by paddling and we are now providing road access to vehicles, so long as they stay on the road.”

~ Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse, on behalf of Natural Resources Minister Charlie Parker

Some areas of the western Crown land are ecologically sensitive, and in order to protect it for future generations, they will remain off-limits to vehicle traffic. Some of the road gates are on private land, and will remain closed as the province works with land owners to determine if those roads will be opened in the future.

Maps of Western Nova Scotia Crown Land road access

Source: Government of Nova Scotia

Dave Coles, National President of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), said the announcement of the agreement with Resolute Forest Products and the Washington Post Company made by the Nova Scotia government is “great news for the forest industry”.

“This is extremely beneficial to retirees as it will have a very positive impact on the health of the pension plan for workers at the former Bowater mill,” said Coles.

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter made the announcement today in Halifax stating that the government was gaining control of the company’s assets and taking over the its liabilities, including the former employee’s pension plan.

“It is encouraging to see that the government has acquired assets that hold sufficient value to cover the liabilities of the pension plan.” added Coles. “We have here an exciting opportunity for those who are interested in community forest control”.

“We have always believed that forestry is not a sunset industry,” added Coles in closing. “Industry renewal takes vision and political will, both of which the Nova Scotia government has demonstrated today.”

Source: CEP

The province of Nova Scotia has negotiated an agreement with Resolute Forest Products and the Washington Post Company to purchase all Bowater Mersey shares for $1.

This $1 purchase price includes all assets and liabilities.

The value of the assets, including the woodlands, Brooklyn Power, the mill site and fibre inventory, cash and tax credits total $150.4 million.

Total liabilities are $136.4 million, including $118.4 million of the company’s assets funding the pension liability and severance, and the extinguishing of a portion of the company’s debt at $18 million.

Woodlands

The province now owns 555,000 acres of commercial and protected woodlands, including the Medway, Rossignol and St. Margaret’s Bay districts (valued at $117.7 million)

“Gaining control of these lands and resources allows the province to put them into the hands of those in our forestry industry who will value them most and can best generate more jobs and wealth in the province,” said Premier Dexter. “The province negotiated hard to reach a deal that gives people living in Queens, Lunenburg and all of southwest Nova Scotia renewed hope for their families, and indeed all Nova Scotia reason for optimism about a strong future for forestry.”

Bowater Mersey mill

The sale of teh mill includes bio-refining machines, valued at $5 million.

The province plans to turn the mill site into a  research, demonstration and development centre of excellence and innovation in cleaner energy, bioenergy and forestry products and technology.

Brooklyn Power

The province plans to sell Brooklyn Power to Emera, the parent company of Nova Scotia Power, for $25 million in order to protect ratepayers from the termination of the current Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which expires in 2025.

Oakhill Sawmill

The Oakhill Sawmill is NOT included in the deal announced today.  The province takes compliance with the softwood lumber agreement seriously, and excluded the purchase of the Oakhill Sawmill on this basis.

Resolute Forest Products

Before this transaction closed today, Resolute Forest Products purchased from Bowater Mersey the assets associated with the Oakhill sawmill and, in connection with the closing, certain components of the paper mill, which can no longer be used to make paper.

Resolute Forest Products confirmed that they have received a cash payment of approximately $18 million, representing a reimbursement of working capital advances by Resolute to Bowater Mersey to fund its operations, net of transaction-related items.

The Transition Advisory Team, appointed by the province of Nova Scotia after the closure of the Bowater Mersey paper mill, released its report today title Our Community Our Future.

Recommendations in the report include:

• two or three project managers hired to work on community priorities
• small business hubs to support new and home-based businesses
• better access to capital for small businesses
• more flexibility and simpler access to government support programs
• a research-development-demonstration site at the former Bowater mill property to develop and commercialize new value-added wood products, such as biofuels and engineered wood products.
• promotion of a community forest model
• work with the construction industry on the merits of wood and wood products in commercial construction
• work with farmers to identify new agricultural products and value-added businesses for their produce.

Premier Darrell Dexter responded to the report immediately, announcing the province will provide resources to hire two project officers.

The transition team, whose mandate was to engage residents in a discussion about the economic future of their community, heard from more than 500 residents, community and business leaders and youth over six months.

The team held two public forums, hosted two online surveys, visited local high and junior high schools and received more than 70 written submissions from community members.

A copy of the report, a full summary of the written submissions, surveys and ideas heard during the consultations are posted online at http://novascotia.ca/bowatertransition.

Former employees of Bowater Mersey are getting more support to help retrain for good jobs in their community.

Workers from the paper mill and the Oakhill sawmill will be exploring Nova Scotia Communuity College (NSCC) trades courses, speaking to prospective employers and learning about other opportunities to upgrade their skills as part of two Trades Information Days in Bridgewater and Liverpool, Nov. 28 and Nov. 29.

“This a great opportunity for former workers who are still deciding about their next steps to talk to employers, such as Irving, and get additional information on college programs and training,” said Queens MLA Vicki Conrad on behalf of Marilyn More, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education.

“These are hardworking men and women who deserve every opportunity we can give them to help them get back in the workforce as soon as possible.

Stephen Anthony, who worked 25 years at the Bowater paper mill as a papermaker, an oiler in the mechanical department and finally as a transportation worker, said the sessions will give him and others good information on jobs that will be in demand in the future.

“I am definitely looking forward to meeting with the employers and understanding what jobs are out there now, six months from now and a year from now.

“It is important to know what employers are looking for and I think this trade show will help put me in a good position to know what is available and what I need to do to get a job with a future.”

The information days are being hosted by the Career Resource Centres in Bridgewater and in Liverpool.

Employment Solutions, Bridgewater, Wednesday, Nov. 28
The day includes:
–-a tour of the NSCC Lunenburg Campus
–-opportunities to meet with employers
–-information sessions with apprenticeship, Employment Nova Scotia and adult education representatives
–-information on the 12-week Workplace Skills Program beginning in January
–-presentation on the START Program for Employers

South Shore Opportunities, Liverpool, Thursday, November 29th
The day includes:
–-visits with NSCC instructors from various trades and campuses
–-discussion on entrepreneurship and financial aid
–-information sessions with apprenticeship, Employment Nova Scotia and adult education representatives
–-information on apprenticeship
–-barbecue.

“We are pleased to play a part in hosting Trade Information Days,” said Craig Collins, principal of Nova Scotia Community College’s Lunenburg campus. “Showcasing the many opportunities the government, college and partners have to offer to help someone grow and enhance their skills within the trades sector is a great way to open the door to the potential within our community.”

There will also be a series of safety training courses offered over the next two weeks at South Shore Opportunities in Liverpool. Similar training will be offered in Bridgewater in December.

Source: Government of Nova Scotia

The Chronicle Herald is reporting today that the province of Nova Scotia is negotiating exclusively with Resolute Forest Products to acquire the assets of Bowater Mersey Paper Co. Ltd.

The deal would see the province acquire the mill site and woodlands of the company, and would result in Resolute covering the deficit in the pension plans of the mill’s former workers. Resolute Forest Products currently owns 220,000 hectares of woodlands in Nova Scotia.

Resolute has indicated that as a condition of any sale, the mill would not be permitted to produce paper because it would compete with Resolute’s other facilities.

The province is investigating other options for the mill, including producing high-tech fossil fuel alternatives that can be made from wood.

Read the article: Province chases Bowater assets (The Chronicle Herald)

The former workers of Bowater Mersey in Nova Scotia found out this morning that their two CEP locals have been placed in trusteeship by the national executive.

This means local members have no access to union funds without agreement by the trustee, their voting powers have been removed, and they aren’t permitted to be represented at the national convention this fall.

The union will not be seizing the locals’ assets and will ensure that bills get paid and grievances are heard.  The assets will eventually be sold.

All local union meetings are suspended effective immediately.

Resolute Forest Products indefinitely idled the Bowater Mersey newsprint mill in June.

Read more:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/137449-bowater-workers-livid-after-locals-placed-in-trusteeship (Chronicle Herald)

Resolute Forest Products has amended their estimate for the cost they will incur for indefinitely idling the Bowater Mersey newsprint mill in Nova Scotia.

Resolute Forest Products now estimates that it will incur, on an accounting basis, a charge of approximately $18 million for severance and other termination benefits and approximately $77 million of asset impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of the mill assets.

Total future cash expenditures associated with these items are expected to be approximately $17 million, $10 million of which will be incurred in the third quarter of 2012.

After adjusting for minority interests, the severance and other termination benefits are estimated to be $9 million and the asset impairment charges are estimated to be $39 million.

Future cash expenditures, after minority interests, would be approximately $5 million in the third quarter and $4 million thereafter.

Source: Resolute Forest Products