Churchill, Hon. Zach <MINDNR@gov.ns.ca>

Wed 2/26/2014 10:28 AM

To: David Patriquin;

Mr. David G. Patriquin, Member of the Board

Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization

3650 Hammonds Plains Road, Unit 14, Suite 300

Upper Tantallon, NS  B3Z 4R3

Dear Mr. Patriquin:

As Minister of Natural Resources, the Premier has asked that I respond to your email of February 11, 2014 regarding your concerns about the commitment to supply Northern Pulp NS Ltd. with 125,000 green metric tonnes (GMT) of wood fiber from Crown lands in western Nova Scotia.

Government indicated publicly this promise was made to Northern Pulp by the previous government while they were in talks with the company.  This fiber would come from Crown lands in the western part of our province, but no specific area was ever designated for company harvesting rights at that time.  We will honour this commitment made by the NPD, but the area from which Northern Pulp will harvest this fiber is still in question pending the release of the Western Crown Lands Planning Report and summary of extensive consultations held in western Nova Scotia last year.  Any long term allocation in western Nova Scotia will be in accordance with the outcomes of this report.

The Premier has also recently indicated Northern Pulp will not be given their full ask of 500,000 GMT of wood fiber in western Nova Scotia.  The company will be required to share the resource in your area and will not have complete harvesting rights of Crown fiber in western Nova Scotia

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Zach Churchill

Minister of Natural Resources

c Honourable Stephen McNeil, Premier

Honourable Randy Delorey, Minister of Environment

Honourable Labi Kousoulis, MLA, Halifax Citadel-Sable Island

            Denise Peterson-Rafuse, MLA, Chester-St. Margarets

            Iain Rankin, MLA, Timberlea-Prospect

            Joachim Stroink, MLA, Halifax Chebucto