Tag Archives: Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is announcing $1.7 million in funding for silviculture projects by small, private woodlot owners.

“Nova Scotians asked for positive change in the forest sector and government is delivering with more silviculture investment to help the environment and the economy,” said Charlie Parker, Minister of Natural Resources.

“This funding was committed to implement the Natural Resources Strategy. It will help create healthier forests, promote growth of quality wood, improve wildlife habitat, protect water quality, and create productive and sustainable forest stands.”

The funding will be administered by the Association for Sustainable Forestry.

“Any new silviculture will be based on a forest ecosystem classification pre-treatment assessment, which leads to better decisions regarding forest management prescriptions and the right treatment for the site,” said association co-ordinator and professional forester, David Sutherland.

About $750,000 of the funding will be focused on small, private woodlots with certified forests. This funding will be co-ordinated by two non-profit groups, the Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association and the Federation of Nova Scotia Woodland Owners. About $950,000 will be provided to non-certified eligible small private woodlots to support their silviculture work. Up to 50% of the funding will go to support forest management practices and treatments that are applied to uneven, aged forests.

“This is an important investment in small private woodlot owners, recognizing their commitment to sustainable forestry, absolutely essential for a future in the forest industry,” said Wilma Stub, executive director of the Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association.

“Allocating silviculture dollars specifically for certified woodlots is a win-win situation,” said Andrew Fedora, executive director of the Federation of Nova Scotia Woodland Owners. “Landowners who have invested their time and money into becoming green certified will have greater support for their efforts and the province gains further assurance that silviculture dollars will be spent in the right areas, for the right reasons.”

Source: Government of Nova Scotia

Yesterday, May 9th, the Government of Nova Scotia introduced legislation that could result in better pension benefits for the workers and pensioners of the NewPage mill in Port Hawkesbury.

“Government recognizes that buying annuities in today’s market could mean a significant loss of benefits for NewPage employees and pensioners,” said Minister of Labour and Advanced Education Marilyn More. “We are taking steps today to give these women and men an option that could result in some market recovery and some restoration of lost value.”

Within six months of a pension plan closing, its administrator prepares a financial report that compares the value of the plan’s assets with its obligations. After that report is approved by the province’s superintendent of pensions, annuities are purchased to provide plan members future pension benefits.

NewPage’s four pension plans are underfunded. If annuities were purchased now, pension benefits would be reduced by up to 40 per cent.

The bill introduced this week would give the NewPage pension plans up to 11 years to recover from low investment returns and interest rates. While there are no guarantees about future market performance or interest rates, long-term performance has been positive.

It would also give members information to help them make their choice, the right to opt in or opt out of the extended wind-up, and an annual update of how the plan is doing each year of the extended wind-up.

“This bill will give our pensions a chance to grow and to take advantage of higher interest rates in the future,” said Archie MacLachlan, vice-president of Local 972 of the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union, which represents NewPage’s unionized workers. “Our members understand that there are risks involved in the stock market and that interest rates may remain low for many years.”

Three of the NewPage pension plans are for unionized workers in the mill, office and clerical positions and woodland operations and the other is for salaried, non-unionized workers. As of Sept. 30, 2011, the four plans included 646 active employees, 763 retired members, 46 inactive members and 53 deferred members.

Source: Government of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is repealing its Stora Forest Industries Limited Agreement Act and amending the Crown Lands Act.

The province feels the changes will provide economic, environmental and social benefits to Nova Scotians by revising the way forests on Crown land can be managed.

“Nova Scotians want government to change the way their natural resources are managed to ensure that they are used sustainably and these legislative changes will bring the long-term stability needed in good forestry management,” said Charlie Parker, Minister of Natural Resources. “We are helping to protect forestry jobs while managing our forests in a sustainable way.”

The Stora Forest Industries Limited Agreement Act was implemented in 1959 to provide a licensing agreement for accessing timber on Crown lands to a specific company at the mill at Port Hawkesbury. Subsequent owners of the mill also operated under the act. The mill is now for sale.

“The Stora act is old and outdated. It may have met the needs of a previous era, but today government is seizing this opportunity to modernize forest legislation to be more sustainable,” said Parker.

“These changes should give forest industry companies and investors increased confidence that our provincial government backs an active industry,” said Steve Talbot, executive director of Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia. “With longer licensing agreements, companies will be able to plan for the longer term, continue providing secure jobs and a sustainable industry across the province.”

Proposed amendments to the Crown Lands Act would allow the province to enter into long-term licensing agreements with forestry operators across the province. Licensing agreements allow companies access to timber on Crown lands and state terms and conditions companies must meet to have access.

Currently, the province can only enter into short-term agreements. The proposed amendments would extend agreements up to 20 years, and allow for renewals. Renewals would be granted if forestry operators met the province’s standards and regulations.

Source: Government of Nova Scotia – Department of Natural Resources

The Nova Scotia Government has listened to the pensioners of NewPage Port Hawkesbury and has indicated they will table legislation to delay the windup of NewPage’s underfunded pension plans.

Premier Darrell Dexter said he has discussed the proposal with non-unionized employees and the Communications, Energy and Paperworks Union, and said his government will give the idea “speedy consideration,” but couldn’t say when the legislation will be tabled.

The new owner of the mill, Pacific West Commercial, is not taking ownership of the pension plans of the previous owner – NewPage. Pensioners are hoping the pension plan will not be wrapped up immediately, because that will mean each worker will lose up to 30% of the value of their pension.

The premier says delaying the windup could help pensioners because the value of the plan could increase if the stock market recovers.

Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie says he supports the move to deal with pension plans that are underfunded by more than $100 million.

Source:
N.S. to delay windup of NewPage pension (CBC)

CBC News is reporting that Northern Pulp has been ordered by the Nova Scotia government to fix its air pollution equipment and that their power boiler stack hasn’t had an operating scrubber for the last 6 years.

A new operating permit last year imposed dozens of conditions on Northern Pulp, and most of them have been met, except for a January deadline to clean up the emissions from the power boiler.

Sterling Belliveau, Nova Scotia’s environment minister, said it was a long-standing problem. “Previous governments had the opportunity to deal with this issue. They didn’t; we are,” he said.

Read more:
Northern Pulp ordered to fix air pollution problem (CBC)

The Christmas Tree Research Centre at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College is researching how to grow a balsam fir that will stay fresh for longer periods of time.

Christmas tree growers are particularly interested in balsam fir that can retain their needles for longer periods of time, so they can ship their trees to great distances.

The research program is expected to cost $6 million. Once a method or product is developed, the SMART Christmas Tree Research Co-operative intends to patent it.

$2.4 million has been already been announced from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), over 5 years, from the Atlantic Innovation Fund.

To help raise more money towards the $6 million goal, the SMART Christmas Tree Research Co-operative is selling preferred shares in their co-op. The shares are $500.

So far, selling the shares has brought in about $50,000.

Owning shares in the SMART Christmas Tree Research Co-Operative will yield dividends from the successful commercialization of any production technologies arising from the SMART Christmas Tree Research Project.

The Christmas Tree Research Centre at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College is established in partnership with NSAC, Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia (CTCNS), SMART Christmas tree Research Cooperative, Christmas tree producers of Atlantic Canada, Provincial Departments Agriculture, Natural Resources in NS, NB, NL, University of New Brunswick. This initiative is funded by Atlantic Innovation Fund, NSERC, ACAAF (AgriFutures), NB Growing Forward, CTCNS, Smart Christmas tree Research Cooperative, provincial Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

Read more:
Christmas Tree Research Centre (CRC)
The Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia
Share Subscription (SMART Christmas Tree Research Cooperative Ltd.)
Funding urged for smart Christmas tree research (CBC)

Darrell Dexter, the Premier of Nova Scotia, is in Port Hawkesbury at this hour, making a funding announcement for the idled Port Hawkesbury mill.

Premier Dexter’s announcement includes:

• A total of $14.8 in funding
• $5.8 million of the total will be used to maintain the mill’s hot idle until a sale of the mill to Pacific West Commercial Corp. is complete
• $9 million for the Forest Infrastructure Fund to keep the mill’s supply chain intact until September 30, 2012. This money will come from jobsHere, Nova Scotia’s plan to grow the economy.
• Nova Scotia will allow the mill to access another $10 million under a 2006 agreement with former mill owner Stora Enso that relieved the province of an obligation to provide the company with additional Crown land

This funding announced today totals $14.8 million. This brings the total new investment to protect jobs at the mill since 2011 to $27.3 million.

“My main concern is for the workers, families, and businesses in the Strait,” said Premier Dexter. “Although negotiations with Stern Group are taking longer than hoped, I am optimistic that we will secure a deal that will see the mill back in business in this community and sustainable for years to come.”

The province believes an operating mill would provide about 330 direct and 600 indirect jobs in woodlands, sawmills, power generation and other indirect industries. Re-opening the mill would also help to retain about 500 spinoff jobs in the community.

Negotiations continue about energy, fibre and labour. Any energy agreement between Nova Scotia Power and the Stern Group is subject to approval by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. The sale of the mill will be contingent on acceptance of terms by NewPage creditors and the court.

Source: Government of Nova Scotia

Bowater Mersey in Nova Scotia started a 3-week shutdown yesterday.

Resolute Forest Products has said the shutdown is due to a saturation in the world markets as well as a shortage of new orders.

This is the second shutdown at the Bowater Mersey mill since before Christmas.

Late last year, unionized workers at the mill voted to cut 110 jobs in an effort to reduce labour costs and help save the operation, which used to employ about 300 people.

The provincial government also recently announced a $50-million rescue package aimed at saving the mill.

Source:
Bowater Mersey paper mill in Nova Scotia begins three-week shutdown (The Western Star)

Unionized employees at Maritime Paper Products Ltd. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia went on strike this morning.

The workers are members of Local 1520 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.

The workers voted 90% in favour of a strike earlier this week. The union said the employer wants more flexibility to schedule senior employees and concessions on benefits and pensions, while the workers were not prepared to give in to those demands.

There are 118 members in Local 1520. They have been without a contract since May 2011.

Maritime Paper Products Ltd. manufactures corrugated cartons and other custom packaging.

Source:
Maritime Paper workers go on strike (CBC)

Holdright Lumber Products, a lumber company on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is being sued by Nova Scotia Business, Inc. over an unpaid loan.

Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) is the province of Nova Scotia’s business development agency.

NSBI has made three significant loans to Holdright Lumber Products. The first was in September 1998, for $65,500 and a second in February 2003, for $189,000.

In March 2006, NSBI issued another loan to the company for $150,000 to help the company return to fully operational state (after a fire at the mill), that combined with the principal and interest remaining unpaid from the first two loans, added up to $430,000.

On Friday, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice filed suit in the Supreme Court on behalf of NSBI, seeking full payment of the $430,000 loan, plus interest. The suit names the directors of Holdright Lumber Products – Carolyn Ann Holdright and Neily Roy Holdright.

The federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency also loaned Holdbright Lumber $151,928 in 1998 so the company could buy and install a dry kiln system, and then another $64,750 in 2002 to “acquire value-added processing capabilities.”

Holdright Lumber’s mill was rebuilt twice due to fire – in 1998 and in 2003. The lumber mill closed in 2007. About 20 people were employed at the mill.

Read more:
Nova Scotia Business, Inc sues Cape Breton Lumber firm for $430,000 (The Coast)
NSBI sues bankrupt lumber mill to recoup loan (The Chronicle Herald)