The warden of Inverness Co. says councillors support an extension for Northern Pulp reps’ new effluent treatment facility.
Municipal councillors voted unanimously to send a letter to the premier in support of the one-year extension requested for the construction of the facility in Pictou Co. at their recent committee of the whole meeting.
Officials with the provincial government have ordered Northern Pulp reps to stop diverting untreated effluent into Boat Harbour by January; mill reps’ proposed plan includes a new effluent treatment facility with a pipe that would deliver treated effluent to Caribou Harbour.
Betty Ann MacQuarrie, the warden of Inverness Co., tells The Hawk they also want to make sure the environment is considered when provincial officials make their decision.
“We did ask that the one-year extension could possibly be accepted,” she says. “We also made sure that consideration was given to environmental implications in that decision making, so we sent the letter at our council meeting.”
MacQuarrie says there are concerns for the forestry, fisheries and tourism industries.
She says Northern Pulp reps needs more time to plan.
“We don’t like seeing people suffering as a result,” she says. “We would like to see them have more time to get their act together.”
MacQuarrie says they asked the premier to accept the one-year extension.
She says this issue is very dividing.
Photo credit: Paper Excellence
