Latest news with #BuildNovaScotia
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
First cell infrastructure upgrades to be complete this month
Social Sharing The first upgraded sites intended to expand cellular service in Nova Scotia will become operational this month, MLAs on the legislature's standing committee on community services heard on Tuesday. When the Progressive Conservative government launched the Cellular for Nova Scotia program in 2023, more than 20,000 civic addresses and 1,000 kilometres of primary roads, including parts of 100-series highways and major trunk roads, were without cellphone service. "We are striving to do 100 per cent of the province," Build Nova Scotia CEO David Benoit told reporters following the meeting. "That's the goal. Will we get there? I don't know, but we're going to try our darndest to get as close as we can to 100 per cent." Provincial report identifies dead zones across Nova Scotia Officials said $69.2 million is committed to the project to date. Benoit told MLAs that the first phase of the program will see Rogers have almost 20 of 27 existing structures upgraded by the end of this year. Meanwhile, construction on the first of 27 new provincially owned cellphone transmission towers will be complete in early 2026, with that work continuing through 2027. Most challenging areas remain to be addressed Combined, that work is expected to cover 12,300 civic addresses and 562 kilometres of roads. The final phase of the program, which is being reviewed now after a call for proposals closed, will seek to close the remaining gaps. Executive deputy minister Paul LaFleche told MLAs that that will be the most challenging part of the program. "In many areas, geography such as hills, dense forests, low-lying valleys all impact signal strength, even near existing towers," he said. Benoit and others acknowledged that there are also parts of the province with "less desirable service." In some cases, that's because federal requirements called for telecommunication companies to remove equipment manufactured in China, he said. Although this program is targeting areas with no service at all, Benoit said it's hoped that it will also improve service across the province.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Blasting complete at QEII Halifax Infirmary construction site, next phase underway
A mobile crane is used to build a tower crane at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre on May 12. (Source: Build Nova Scotia) Blasting has been completed at the QEII Halifax Infirmary construction site. The Nova Scotia government says preparation for the new acute care tower on Bell Road will now move to the next phase – mechanically breaking rock that is too close to the existing hospital for safe blasting. The province says the work will take place through the summer. Breaking rock located close to the hospital will not start until 3 p.m. The province says the work is scheduled later in the day to limit the impact on daytime clinical operations. Rock breaking farther from the hospital is scheduled to happen between 6:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. This week, work is scheduled between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sarting Monday, it will take place from 3 p.m. to midnight. The province says the new acute care tower will include: 216 beds 16 operating rooms a 48-bed intensive care unit an emergency department nearly twice the size of the current one a satellite diagnostic imaging department in the emergency department new and upgraded lab spaces additional treatment spaces For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Pictou Landing First Nation seeks judicial review of Boat Harbour cleanup plan
'I just want to make sure it's done the right way,' says chief Pictou Landing First Nation has asked the Federal Court to overturn Ottawa's approval of a plan to store contaminated sludge from Boat Harbour in an enclosed structure on nearby land. The Mi'kmaw community in northern Nova Scotia has filed for a judicial review of the decision from federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Guilbeault said last month that the proposed remediation of Boat Harbour, which for decades received wastewater from a kraft paper mill, "is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects." In a submission to the Federal Court this week, Pictou Landing First Nation argued Guilbeault's decision was "patently unreasonable." The submission mentions insufficient consultation, interference with treaty rights and violations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, among other grounds. Supporting documents have not yet been filed with the court. Image | The Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie Point, N.S. Caption: The Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie Point, N.S., viewed from Pictou, N.S., Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, a few months before it closed. (Robert Short/CBC) Open Image in New Tab The respondents are the federal environment minister and Build Nova Scotia, the provincial Crown corporation that's in charge of the Boat Harbour cleanup project. Neither party has yet filed a response. Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley, who oversees Build Nova Scotia, declined to comment on the case while it's before the courts. 'We can't really heal' Guilbeault's approval incorporated several conditions, including the creation of an advisory committee to examine alternative locations for storing the sludge. But he stopped short of mandating that an alternative site be found. Build Nova Scotia would be allowed to use the existing containment cell, as planned, and then move the sludge again if an "economically feasible" alternative is found. Pictou Landing Chief Tamara Young said she's worried that if the containment cell is used at all, her community will never be rid of the sludge. "I just want to make sure it's done the right way," she said in an interview. Young said her community lacks trust in government because of the history of Boat Harbour. Pictou Landing First Nation agreed to sell the former tidal estuary to the province in the 1960s so it could be used to treat effluent from the mill at Abercrombie Point, N.S., that was most recently known as the Northern Pulp mill. Community members have said they were duped into the deal with false assurances that the effluent wouldn't be harmful, but they soon noticed major environmental changes. "We can't really heal as a community if we keep that containment cell there," Young said. In earlier stages of planning the remediation, Build Nova Scotia said one alternative was to send the sludge to a facility outside the province, but ruled it cost-prohibitive because of the huge volume of sludge that would have to be hauled away by transport trucks. Young said the community is pushing for storage of the sludge on the site of the now-shuttered pulp mill, which would overcome the hurdle of long-distance transportation. She said she's eager for the committee that Guilbeault ordered to get to work so that option can be fully investigated.
CBC
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Pictou Landing First Nation seeks judicial review of Boat Harbour cleanup plan
Pictou Landing First Nation has asked the Federal Court to overturn Ottawa's approval of a plan to store contaminated sludge from Boat Harbour in an enclosed structure on nearby land. The Mi'kmaw community in northern Nova Scotia has filed for a judicial review of the decision from federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Guilbeault said last month that the proposed remediation of Boat Harbour, which for decades received wastewater from a kraft paper mill, "is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects." In a submission to the Federal Court this week, Pictou Landing First Nation argued Guilbeault's decision was "patently unreasonable." The submission mentions insufficient consultation, interference with treaty rights and violations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, among other grounds. Supporting documents have not yet been filed with the court. The respondents are the federal environment minister and Build Nova Scotia, the provincial Crown corporation that's in charge of the Boat Harbour cleanup project. Neither party has yet filed a response. Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley, who oversees Build Nova Scotia, declined to comment on the case while it's before the courts. 'We can't really heal' Guilbeault's approval incorporated several conditions, including the creation of an advisory committee to examine alternative locations for storing the sludge. But he stopped short of mandating that an alternative site be found. Build Nova Scotia would be allowed to use the existing containment cell, as planned, and then move the sludge again if an "economically feasible" alternative is found. Pictou Landing Chief Tamara Young said she's worried that if the containment cell is used at all, her community will never be rid of the sludge. "I just want to make sure it's done the right way," she said in an interview. Young said her community lacks trust in government because of the history of Boat Harbour. Pictou Landing First Nation agreed to sell the former tidal estuary to the province in the 1960s so it could be used to treat effluent from the mill at Abercrombie Point, N.S., that was most recently known as the Northern Pulp mill. WATCH | A timeline of Boat Harbour from the 1960s to 2019: A brief history of Boat Harbour and Northern Pulp 5 years ago Duration 6:29 This timeline covers major events from the 1960s to 2019. It begins with the construction of the pulp mill at Abercrombie Point to Premier Stephen McNeil's 2019 announcement that the Boat Harbour effluent treatment site would close. Community members have said they were duped into the deal with false assurances that the effluent wouldn't be harmful, but they soon noticed major environmental changes. "We can't really heal as a community if we keep that containment cell there," Young said. In earlier stages of planning the remediation, Build Nova Scotia said one alternative was to send the sludge to a facility outside the province, but ruled it cost-prohibitive because of the huge volume of sludge that would have to be hauled away by transport trucks. Young said the community is pushing for storage of the sludge on the site of the now-shuttered pulp mill, which would overcome the hurdle of long-distance transportation. She said she's eager for the committee that Guilbeault ordered to get to work so that option can be fully investigated.
CBC
28-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Federal minister signs off on province's Boat Harbour cleanup plan
The Nova Scotia government has a green light from Ottawa for its $425-million plan to remediate Boat Harbour, but it comes with a long list of conditions that includes continuing to look for another site to store contaminated sludge in the long term. Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault issued his decision last Friday following an environmental assessment by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, work that began almost six years ago for the cleanup of the body of water near Pictou Landing First Nation that for decades received effluent from the Northern Pulp mill. In his decision, Guilbeault wrote that he determined the project by Build Nova Scotia "is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects." Under terms of the approval, an existing on-site hazardous waste containment facility would be vertically expanded, increasing its capacity from 220,000 cubic metres to almost 1.1 million cubic metres. Before that work can go ahead, however, officials at Build Nova Scotia — a provincial agency previously known as Nova Scotia Lands — must satisfy a variety of conditions including but not limited to: Communications planning. First Nations consultation. Protection of fish and fish habitat. Protection of migratory birds. Preservation of health and socio-economic conditions of Indigenous people. Retention of an independent environmental monitor and Indigenous monitors "to observe, record, and report on the implementation of the conditions" throughout the process. An advisory committee also has to be established to examine alternative locations for the sludge removed from Boat Harbour. Considering alternative storage sites The committee is a nod to ongoing concerns and opposition from the neighbouring Pictou Landing First Nation, whose chief and council do not want the sludge that's removed from the former tidal estuary kept in the area. Guilbeault's order says Build Nova Scotia shall invite Pictou Landing members to act as co-leads on the advisory body and provide whatever resources are required as they consider alternative sites. "If an alternative location cannot be found within one year, the advisory committee can continue its work for 10 years or until both parties agree in writing to terminate, whichever comes first," he wrote. The committee could also be re-established at a later date. The minister said Build Nova Scotia must "design and construct the containment cell in a manner such that the waste can be removed and the containment cell can be decommissioned" if another viable site is identified and approved. Challenges such as the cost and traffic entailed to truck the sludge elsewhere, along with potential environmental risks, all contributed to the plan Build Nova Scotia ultimately submitted. Province reviewing conditions Officials with Pictou Landing First Nation did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. A spokesperson for Build Nova Scotia said in a statement that the agency would take time to review the conditions to determine what it means for implementation of the project. "We'll be able to speak to the decision once we have completed our review," Beverley Ware said in the statement. Ware said eight years of studies and evaluation have gone into the project and the current timeline for the remediation and construction phase is four to seven years once the contract is awarded. "That time frame is dependent upon the successful proponent's submission and that proponent's approach to sequencing project activities and overall scheduling. The current budget estimate is $425 million." Company considers another option The cleanup project follows the shutdown of the former Northern Pulp mill at Abercrombie Point in 2020. The company ceased production when it failed to get approval from the province for a new effluent treatment facility ahead of a legislated closure date for effluent being treated at Boat Harbour. The work by Build Nova Scotia is intended to restore Boat Harbour to the tidal estuary it was before the pulp mill was first established in the area in the 1960s.
