News Release Archive

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/TOURISM--NEW HIGH-TECH PACKAGING
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When it comes to product marketing, the  package can be just as
important as the product inside. That fact hasn't escaped
Maritime Paper Products Ltd., which will use new technology to
produce higher quality, more appealing packages.

The Nova Scotia government is providing $584,773 from the Shipper
Assistance Program toward the cost of the project. The company
will spend another $822,000 on the technology.

"The investment we are announcing today will make Maritime more
competitive and better able to take advantage of new
opportunities in the marketplace," said Premier John Savage in
announcing details today. "That means more exports and more jobs
for Nova Scotians."

The latest investment in technology will allow Maritime Paper to
create a packaging product that is smoother and flatter than
traditional corrugated products, said Gary Johnson, company
president.

"That means improved graphic quality, which is what our customers
want," said Johnson. "It's also an excellent product for
exporting because you can get more packages in a container. That
reduces freight costs, thereby improving competitiveness in the
international marketplace."

Added Richie Mann, minister of Economic Development and Tourism:
"Companies like Maritime Paper are responding to our improved
business climate and doing what they do best -- building
sustainable jobs by increasing exports, marketing Nova Scotia
products and expanding operations.

"There's no question Maritime Paper can compete with the best and
win. It has proved that time and time again."

Founded in 1931 to serve the brewery market, Maritime Paper now
produces packaging products for a variety of markets, from food
and beverage to fishing, agriculture and manufacturing. It
operates plants in the four Atlantic provinces, including one
employing 166 people at Dartmouth's Burnside Industrial Park.

The Shipper Assistance Program, administered by Economic
Development and Tourism, was established to help companies that
faced increased transportation costs when the federal government
cut the Atlantic Region Freight Assistance Program. The
provincial program has helped 26 companies in Nova Scotia so far,
with sufficient funding available to maintain the program for at
least another year.

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Contact: Angela Poirier
         Economic Development and Tourism
         902-424-3900

         Steve MacDonald
         Maritime Paper Products
         902-481-3021

trp                       Apr. 14, 1997 - 11 a.m.