Province wants federal assessment on Northern Pulp’s plan

The Government of Prince Edward Island has repeated its request for a federal assessment on the effluent treatment plan proposed by Northern Pulp given the project has direct implications on the shared area of the Northumberland Strait. 

Northern Pulp, located at Abercrombie Point in Nova Scotia, put forward its proposed plan earlier this fall to extend a pipe into the Northumberland Strait to discharge treated effluent. The Nova Scotia government said it will be making its decision on the proposal in the near future. It originally gave Northern Pulp a deadline of January 2020 to come up with an acceptable effluent treatment plan.

“Our request to have a federal assessment on the proposal reflects our strong concern about the protection of the shared marine environment in the Northumberland Strait. The Northumberland Strait is an invaluable resource for fisheries, aquaculture and recreation. Fishers and aquaculturalists on both sides of the Strait, along with First Nations and environmentalists, have voiced reservations about the proposal.”

- Fisheries and Communities Minister Jamie Fox

Premier Dennis King has written to the new federal environment minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, to again express the provincial government’s request for a federal assessment of the potential impacts on the shared area of the Strait. He expressed the need to ensure that the decision is based on sound science and evidence.

“The Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association is concerned that there could be short and long-term impacts on the marine environment,” said Minister Fox. “The provincial government fully supports the commercial and aquaculture sectors and will continue to work with them to address their concerns.”

Media contact:
Wayne MacKinnon
Senior Communications Officer
Department of Fisheries and Communities
(902) 314-3407
wemackinnon@gov.pe.ca