Port Hawkesbury Paper LP (PHP) celebrates its 8th year of operation under the ownership of Stern Partners and Wayne Nystrom. Port Hawkesbury Paper has shown that it is a critical contributor to the economy of Nova Scotia by bringing well-paying jobs, tax revenues, provincial expenditures, quality products and sustainable forestry management to the region.
The Port Hawkesbury mill site has a long history of positive contribution to the region. The mill was first developed in 1962 as a sulfite pulp mill and expanded into manufacturing newsprint and pulp for the next three decades. In 1998, the Port Hawkesbury site expanded again by investing $850 million on a state-of-the-art supercalender (SC) paper machine. In 2012, the mill at Port Hawkesbury was reopened by Stern Partners as Port Hawkesbury Paper and today continues to operate as a world-class high-tech facility, manufacturing supercalendered paper that is sold throughout North America and around the world.
Over the past eight years, Port Hawkesbury Paper has delivered on its commitment to the region and continues to build a track record of sustainable performance. Based on a recent economic impact report, some of the critical indicators of the value of this business to the region include:
- Over 1.4 billion dollars of provincial expenditures since start-up in 2012 – impacting virtually every part of the province with a supply chain that includes over 500 Nova Scotia companies
- Creating an estimated 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs, with 325 at the mill and another 700 in spinoff activities
- Provincial tax revenue of 24 million dollars per year
- Inclusive relations with Mi’kmaq communities both in terms of forest management and manufacturing operations
- Maintaining three international third-party audited forest management and chain-of-custody certifications (FSC®, SFI® and PEFC™)
- Entering into an innovative and completely new 4-year agreement with Nova Scotia Power for the more efficient operation of the provincial grid and multi-million dollar savings for all electricity customers
- Shipping over 2 million metric tonnes of paper since 2012, and becoming a leading worldwide supplier of high-quality SC paper
“The company has a deep history in eastern Nova Scotia and our business is integral to the region’s economic success,” says Allan Eddy, Director of Business Development for Port Hawkesbury Paper. “Over the past eight years, Port Hawkesbury Paper’s spending has reached virtually every part of the province, and the mill’s financial impact is critical to Nova Scotia and provides economic cohesion that stabilizes rural communities.”