COUNTER-SUE PULP MILL

Northern Pulp is holding the province to account over the agreement signed by the Savage Liberals in 1995. The latter broadly indemnified the three-times-removed owners of the mill from any lost profits caused by government action.

Government inaction was what they were used to, and both Stephen Mcneil and now Tim Houston deserve credit for facing down the bully. The bully is back again, in B.C. court for bankruptcy protection, where it was revealed that they are counting on the taxpayers of Nova Scotia to pay off their creditors in B.C. to the tune of $450 million in lost profits through the 2020s (Oct. 20 story).

One presumes they figure to have fully stripped our forests of use by the time this is resolved, and will move on. To do so, of course, they must present a revamped environmental plan, and let me tell you folks, it's a doozy! Now only 20 per cent of 2019's sulfur, 25 per cent of the particulates, 50 per cent of the chlorine dioxide and a whopping 91 per cent of the greenhouse gases will descend on the good people of Pictou County (and beyond, no mistake.) They're promising to spend $350 million of our money to modernize their mill. The effluent, presumably, will go back into Pictou Harbour.

We won't know for certain until Northern Pulp presents its environment plan in November, but suffice it to say Hector's home may not be as pristine as she left it! Northern Pulp has not been a faithful actor, neither the First Nations nor provincial governments of any stripe. Do we continue to reward bad actions, or is it past time we started launching some counteractions of our own?

Gar Macdonald, Coldbrook