The folks at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (HSPP), the Coast's largest employer, can't seem to catch a break.
In recent months, the mill was hampered by the steelworkers' strike, which resulted in the layoff of 175 employees. Those employees were recalled after HSPP found a temporary wood chip supply from a non-steelworker source, and for a short respite, things were starting to look up.
Then the rapid ascent of the Canadian dollar put another serious monkey wrench into HSPP's operations. Pulp and newsprint are both sold in U.S. dollars, so the rise of our loonie really hurt HSPP's bottom line.
Throughout all this, officials at the mill tried to remain positive, tried to remain loyal to their employees and to the community in which they serve. They looked at alternative avenues to keep the mill sustainable and economically viable.
When manager of external relations Al Strang approached Coast Reporter about the mill's coal trial proposal, we were naturally skeptical. Burning coal didn't sound like a great plan, and the environmental concerns were evident. But Strang was confident that HSPP could make the proposal work. In June the numbers came in from a week-long trial and HSPP was pleased with what they saw. They even got a positive endorsement from the Sunshine Coast Clean Air Society, saying they were concerned HSPP was using coal, but that HSPP "has been open and transparent over the whole process."
Local governments, including the Town of Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast Regional District, also looked upon this proposal favourably. But that's when the house of cards started to fall. The politicians in Squamish and Howe Sound stuck their noses in where they didn't belong. They were vehemently opposed to HSPP's plans and voiced those concerns loudly with the Ministry of Environment (MOE) when the MOE started the process to review HSPP's burning permit.
This week, the MOE snuffed out HSPP's coal burning as the amended burning permit bans the use of coal at the plant.
There is no question that the influence of the Howe Sound politicians played a major part in quashing this proposal. While we see Squamish's concerns over the emissions aspect and the environmental concerns, what about the economic aspects? What happens if HSPP can't find a way to recover from this and is forced to shut its doors? Squamish knows what that's like. Remember Woodfibre?
After fighting through labour unrest and finding creative solutions to economic uncertainty, it's disappointing that the governments on the other side of the water could do so much damage to a business that's not even in their community.
