Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP) has recently and successfully completed discussions with the Province of Nova Scotia – Department of Natural Resources and Renewables - for a continuance of a Forest Utilization License Agreement (FULA) with the Crown, having met and exceeded all our commitments to the Province during the first agreement which began when the mill reopened in 2012. The original agreement was for 20 years and is now extended to 2043.
Earlier today a media release was issued, which you can find here Port Hawkesbury Paper Agreements Extended, Renewed - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Having a renewed and extended agreement in place continues to provide the predictability required by our company. We’re committed to maintaining our role as the economic engine for rural communities throughout the seven eastern counties of Nova Scotia. Through capital investment, employment, taxes and other benefits, we are pleased to have contributed over 2 billion dollars of economic activity since the first agreement was signed in 2012.
Our company and our employees have long been highly committed to responsible and sustainable forest management practices for the good of the environment and the sustainability of our operations. This will continue in Nova Scotia’s evolving ecological forestry paradigm. The forest management practices we follow on the Crown land managed by us on behalf of the Province are audited by third-party agencies; PHP is the only industrial company in the Maritimes that is independently certified to three internationally recognized standards.
PHP and the Province have also renewed the Sustainable Forest Management and Outreach Program Agreement (SFM&OPA). This continued partnership with the Province also means that we are able to deliver the services the Province requires based on reimbursement for costs incurred to educate and implement sustainable forest management activities on private lands; the direct benefit of which accrues to small businesses and individuals in the eastern region who are contracted or hired by PHP to complete the various land management activities currently required by the Province.
Similar to the previous SFM&OP agreement, there is a funding mechanism that provides a means for PHP to further expand activities and support for forest management on private lands. For instance, we will be able to support the development, repair, access and maintenance of roads and bridges that, while primarily focused on land management, also facilitate recreational and tourism access and use of Crown land in the region. We will also be able to support new and enhanced research activities and enhanced forestry contractor training and retraining with a focus on new technology use.
These agreements will enable us to fulfill our goal of operating an innovative, responsible, strong, and sustainable business. The industry in which we operate remains competitive, and we are very fortunate for the strong support we receive from our local communities and global customers. It also means we are always thinking about how we can grow and evolve our business to ensure we can continue to employ generations of Nova Scotians in our mill, woodlands and contracting operations.
Thank you for your interest in Port Hawkesbury Paper.
For further information, please contact:
Geoffrey Clarke
geoffrey.clarke@porthawkesburypaper.com
(902) 968-1538
