Why Nova Scotia Needs a Mill

News that Paper Excellence and the Province of Nova Scotia reached a settlement agreement is welcome. This positive development could see over $1 billion invested in rural Nova Scotia and create hundreds of jobs. These jobs can lift families out of poverty, make home ownership a realistic goal, and reduce our province's rampant reliance on food banks.

Economic Impact

An economic impact assessment showed that forestry jobs pay well above the provincial average. It found that the direct employees at the mills earn an average income of $66,500. The average income for those employed in indirect activities, including forestry and support services, is $58,200. Nova Scotia’s average income is just over $43,000.

These jobs are also green. In Nova Scotia, the forestry sector takes more carbon out of the environment than it emits. We plant more than 12 million trees per year, around eight million trees are regrown annually on the land we manage, and the products we produce lock carbon away, preventing its release into the environment.

Moreover, a mill is an essential part of ecological forestry. The province tasked Professor Bill Lahey with reviewing forestry practices. His report showed what Nova Scotia needs to do to implement ecological forestry on Crown land.

Under the ecological forestry model, Crown lands are divided into three groups: conservation areas where no activity happens, areas where we can perform light touch forestry like thinning, and areas dedicated to tree farming. Only 10 percent of Crown land can be used for tree farms.

If the mill in Liverpool moves forward, it will become a major buyer of what the sector calls low-grade wood or fibre. This is material that comes from thinning, removing downed trees, or the leftovers from lumber production. Lahey’s report argued that we need new markets for this material.

Scare Tactics Won’t Work

Unsurprisingly, professional activists want to block this important development and spread disinformation about the state of our forests.

Each year, the Province of Nova Scotia produces a Registry of Buyers Report, which outlines harvest levels and economic activity in the province.

According to the latest report, total harvests are dramatically down. In 2005, we harvested over 6 million cubic meters. In 2022, this number fell to 2.6 million cubic meters. In less than 20 years, harvest rates declined substantially. When placed in historical context, these harvest levels are nearly at all-time lows. The last time we harvested this amount was in 1937.

This means we are harvesting one-third of what can be harvested sustainably. There is plenty of room for forestry to grow without sacrificing the health of our forests.

New Mill, New Tech

A new mill will also bring the latest technology. Gone are the days of smelly emissions and heavy use of clean water. The latest mills reduce odour and water use. They also reduce the waste they produce. For example, the newest mill in Finland purifies wastewater and repurposes waste into new products such as biogas and pellets.

We can bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to rural Nova Scotia. These jobs are greatly needed. In Nova Scotia, over 20 percent of children live in poverty. Whenever we let professional nay-sayers chase away good jobs, we are further locking families into a cycle of poverty and denying them the opportunity for a better life.