Statement from Premier MacLauchlan on proposed Northern Pulp effluent treatment facility
January 23, 2018
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Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change House of Commons Ottawa, ON KlA OA6 |
Premier Stephen McNeil Government of Nova Scotia P.O. Box 726 Halifax, NS B3J 2T3 |
Dear Minister McKenna and Premier McNeil;
I am writing you today regarding Northern Pulp's plans for a new effluent treatment facility for its Pictou County mill.
Specifically, I share the concerns of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island fishers that an outflow pipe placed into the
Northumberland Strait could have unintended consequences for our commercial fishery and aquaculture industries.
The Northumberland Strait has one of the more sensitive areas within the Gulf of St Lawrence with unique tidal and water circulation patterns. The federal government has committed to increasing and enhancing protection for all marine species, habitat and sensitive ecosystems in the Gulf through the development of Marine Protected Area Networks.
An effluent pipe that would allow as much as 75,000 cubic metres of fresh warm water to be directed daily into the
Northumberland Strait is not a project that our government will support as proposed.
I understand that a Level 1 environmental assessment will be conducted this summer. I ask that a more comprehensive assessment take place and that the impact on Island fisheries is taken into consideration as part of this work.
I am confident that we all agree that any development that risks the habitat and reproductive cycle of species such as lobster or that threatens the livelihood of thousands of families dependent on the fisheries in the Northumberland Strait cannot proceed.
I am confident our shared commitment to both our environment, and the jobs and economic impact associated with the fishery, will prevail and that a decision will be made based on sound science and the input of all partners.
I look forward to discussing this environmentally sensitive matter in greater detail.
Sincerely,
Wade MacLauchlan
Premier of Prince Edward Island
Cc: Hon. Richard Brown, Minister of Communities, Land & Environment
Hon. Robert Henderson, Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries