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CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Province promises more wood heat, wood buildings in wake of Northern Pulp selling off assets
Social Sharing Days after Nova Scotia's forestry sector was dealt a major blow, the province is promising to use more wood to heat and construct public buildings — although officials deny any connection between the two developments. Two cabinet ministers made the announcement Thursday at Ledwidge Lumber, a sawmill in Elmsdale, N.S. Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said every government department is being directed to look for opportunities to use wood products that are leftover after trees have been harvested and milled for lumber. The products could include mass timber, wood pellets, biomass and biofuels. Tilley said the move was driven by the province's desire to become more self-reliant, reduce fossil fuel use and produce more locally-made construction materials. "Local wood products are going to be a big part of our solution," Tilley said. The announcement came three days after news that officials with Northern Pulp were abandoning plans for a possible new mill and bioproducts hub that would have been constructed near Liverpool around the site of the former Bowater paper mill. Until its original mill shut down five years ago, Northern Pulp bought up large quantities of low-grade wood products from woodlots across the region. The mill's closure left the industry searching for new markets, and hoping the operators would restart. Earlier this week, Northern Pulp officials said they had completed a feasibility study of a proposed project in Liverpool, N.S., and found it would not achieve the targeted 14 per cent rate of return. "This is not in response to the announcement of Northern Pulp," said Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton. "This is one of many things that have been in the breadbasket to work on for low-grade wood fibre and our forestry sector. This has been worked on for some time," he said. The province said it will launch a procurement in the near future to get new wood-fired heating systems for buildings and district heat projects, which are multiple buildings using a shared heating system. It's also promising to review its policies to ensure wood heat and construction are considered in all projects and that there are no barriers to their use. Rushton and Tilley could not say how long this work would take or what it could cost. Doug Ledwidge, the president of Ledwidge Lumber, endorsed the province's efforts, noting the challenge the Canada-U.S. trade dispute has created for his industry. Forest Nova Scotia estimates the industry exports about $600 million of products to the U.S. every year. "Local is a good place to sell our products," Ledwidge said. Ledwidge Lumber is working on a new biofuel project that would use shavings, sawdust and pulp chips from its sawmill to create a liquid heating fuel. Ledwidge said he would be "pretty happy" to see the province buy the product for hospitals or schools. He said it's difficult for the forestry industry to practise ecological forestry — a system adopted by the previous Liberal government — without the market that Northern Pulp provided, but projects such as this help. "By no means is it the same volume, but it's chipping away at it," said Ledwidge. Ledwidge Lumber is also a partner in a startup called Mass Timber Company, which is aiming to build a plant in Elmsdale to produce mass timber — an engineered wood product — to be used in building construction. Patrick Crabbe, Mass Timber Company's president and CEO, said the plant could be built in two to two-and-a-half years. It is still contingent on financing. He lauded the province's new commitment to wood products, calling it "an exemplary effort." Court documents shed light on Northern Pulp's plans Meanwhile, lawyers for Northern Pulp were in a British Columbia courtroom on Thursday where they received approval for a plan to extend creditor protection while preparations continue to auction off the outfit's Nova Scotia assets. Documents filed as part of that process include the pre-feasibility assessment for the Liverpool project, which ultimately led to the determination the idea was not viable. According to the document, the project capacity would have struck "a balance between the available wood resources in Nova Scotia and the critical scale needed to be competitive on the pulp markets." A conventional pulp mill would have a rate of return below six per cent, according to the document. Northern Pulp said a new project needed to generate a rate of return of 14 per cent. "Instead, the Liverpool Project would need to monetize the full value of fibre and become a state-of-the-art biorefinery producing pulp, electricity, biochemical byproducts and capture carbon," reads the document. The price tag would have been $3.7 billion and that would not have been enough to reach the 14 per cent rate of return, according to the report. The project would have been a "first-of-a-kind for Canada and the rest of the world." "Furthermore, recent developments in global pulp markets point to a prolonged downcycle risk that would make the assumed selling price in the financial model unattainable, at least for the first years after the potential commissioning." Of Northern Pulp's assets in this province, perhaps the most significant is almost 200,000 hectares of timberlands.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
N.S. to prioritize using timber in new construction, heating of public buildings
Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley makes an announcement about the timber industry in Enfield, N.S., on July 17, 2025. (Jesse Thomas/CTV Atlantic) The Nova Scotia government says it's turning to timber every opportunity it can in the construction and renovation of new public buildings, while also moving to heating public buildings with wood products. The province's Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton and Public Works Minister Fred Tilley announced the province's new priority to utilize wood products outside the Ledwidge Lumber facility in Enfield, N.S., Thursday morning. 'Now more than ever, we want to use local products for building and heating in Nova Scotia,' said Tilley. 'That's why government is leading by example and using more wood products in our own buildings. 'It's one of many steps our government is taking to make Nova Scotia more self-reliant and energy-secure and to grow our economy and create jobs through innovation in our forestry sector.' The announcement comes on the heels of Northern Pulp's announcement this week that the company, which had long operated a paper mill in Abercrombie, N.S., is leaving the province for good. Northern Pulp was forced to shut down its mill in 2020 after failing to meet environmental guidelines set out by the province regarding its new wastewater treatment facility. The closure and permanent departure leaves a major void in the timber economy, with the absence of a major buyer of low-grade wood, which was a key source of revenue for woodlot owners, sawmill operators and others in the forestry sector. 'This will produce economic benefit for Nova Scotian families while we increase the use of local, sustainable products,' said Rushton. 'Building and heating with wood will produce jobs and reduce our carbon footprint. It's a great way to support our forestry sector and take charge of our low-carbon future.' Currently, 20 public buildings across the province, including schools and hospitals, are using wood-based heating systems and the province says two more are in development. Tilley said the province is updating its design and procurement policies to make wood a preferred choice in future construction and renovation projects, while transitioning oil-based heating systems to wood. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ridership on N.S.-Maine ferry remains lower than last year
Ridership on the CAT ferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine remains lower than last year. A news release from Bay Ferries Limited, which operates the service between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, says there were 24,613 bookings this season as of July 8. That's a drop of 19 per cent from last year, when there were 30,422 bookings by the same date. The news release says a "significant" drop in Canadian bookings is the major factor in the decline. It did not indicate whether bookings from the U.S. had also dropped. In June, the service reported a 20 per cent year-over-year drop in total bookings so far, and noted that the number of Americans taking the ferry to Nova Scotia was similar to last year. Fred Tilley, the minister of public works, which oversees the ferry, said there's a bright side to the falling number of Canadian bookings. "The fact that tourism to the U.S. is down is probably a good thing for Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada, and the fact that we can bring more tourists here is only positive for our economy," he said. MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
11-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ridership on N.S.-Maine ferry remains lower than last year
Ridership on the CAT ferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine remains lower than last year. A news release from Bay Ferries Limited, which operates the service between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, says there were 24,613 bookings this season as of July 8. That's a drop of 19 per cent from last year, when there were 30,422 bookings by the same date. The news release says a "significant" drop in Canadian bookings is the major factor in the decline. It did not indicate whether bookings from the U.S. had also dropped. In June, the service reported a 20 per cent year-over-year drop in total bookings so far, and noted that the number of Americans taking the ferry to Nova Scotia was similar to last year. Fred Tilley, the minister of public works, which oversees the ferry, said there's a bright side to the falling number of Canadian bookings. "The fact that tourism to the U.S. is down is probably a good thing for Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada, and the fact that we can bring more tourists here is only positive for our economy," he said.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia adds new cell towers at four sites to boost service in rural areas
The Nova Scotia government says it has added new cellular towers at three sites in southwest Nova Scotia and one in Halifax County. The towers were built as part of the Cellular for Nova Scotia Program, which is a multi-year, multi-phase effort to help improve service for Nova Scotians in unserved areas, a news release from the province said. 'With these towers now up and running, we're making it safer and more connected for people in these communities,' said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley, who is also the minister responsible for Build Nova Scotia. 'Whether calling for help in an emergency, staying in touch with family, working from home or learning online, reliable cellular service makes a real difference.' There are now towers at the following locations: East Kemptville, Yarmouth County Middle Ohio, Shelburne County North Range Corner, Digby County Millen Mountain in Halifax County The province says Rogers will upgrade 27 sites during Phase 1 of the program, while the provincial government will add 27 towers to expand coverage in Phase 2. Nova Scotia has spent more than $69 million on the program so far. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
