After three days of public silence, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil delivered a decision that could define his time in office — his government will not amend the Boat Harbour Act, forcing the closure of Northern Pulp’s effluent facility by the end of January.
The move keeps a promise McNeil made to a First Nation almost five years ago and ends what his own government has referred to as one of the province’s worst examples of environmental racism.
But it likely forces the closure of Northern Pulp, the Pictou County mill that is the largest player in the province’s forestry sector, and could kill as many as 2,700 forestry-related jobs.
“The company has had five years and any number of opportunities to get out of Boat Harbour and at this point we’re nowhere close to that,” he said.
Source: Top Northern Pulp official speaks as premier refuses to grant extension | CBC News