Dear Chamber members,

The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce has been working closely with Chambers from across Nova Scotia, the Atlantic Provinces and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to advocate on behalf of its members to support the forestry industry in Nova Scotia.

For more than a year, we have been engaging with members working within this sector, stakeholders and government.

At 10:30 this morning the Premier confirmed that the province will not grant a temporary extension to operation of the Boat Harbour effluent treatment facility.

During the press conference Premier Stephen McNeil:

·   Placed responsibility of non-compliance entirely on Northern Pulp

·   Committed $50M to a transition fund with little details except a reference to supporting workers

·   Expressed hope that the owners would temporarily shut the plant and invest in completion of a two-year Environmental Assessment process

Following the press conference Northern Pulp’s CEO announced that layoff notices will be issued shortly, and no temporary shut down of the plant is possible.

The Chamber would like to hear from as many businesses as possible willing to offer details about the current and potential impacts on their operations that a mill closure will present.

We will be collaborating with other Chambers at all levels to ensure the voice of business continues to be heard on this issue.

The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, supported by Nova Scotia Chambers, has already taken action and their efforts will continue, supported by regional Chambers like ours. We will continue to work collaboratively with the network to hold government accountable for its commitment to support forestry workers impacted by today’s announcement, as well as to learn from this experience by investigating and revising regulatory processes that ultimately led to today’s decision.

Sincerely,

Ron Smith

President

Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce

Click below to read ACC media statement