Province Continues to Support Region of Queens Municipality

The province continues to work with the people and communities in Queens County, to help build a brighter future following the closure of the Bowater mill.

Queens MLA Vicki Conrad, on behalf of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Percy Paris, announced today, April 10, the province will cover the remaining municipal costs for the Queens General Hospital project.

"The closure of the Bowater mill was a devastating blow to families and businesses along the South Shore, and as expected, the Region of Queens Municipality experienced a sudden loss of tax revenue, making it harder to fund some capital projects," said Ms. Conrad. "Last December, Premier Darrell Dexter promised to work with local officials to ensure important projects stay on track while local councils take some time to plan and adapt.

"This will ensure this important community project is completed, despite the municipality's lost tax revenue from the mill closure."

The province will pay an additional $500,000 toward the renovations and improvements at Queens General Hospital, relieving the Region of Queens Municipality of its final two payments of $250,000 to the South Shore District Health Authority. This will bring the province's total contribution to the Queens General health project to $3 million.

"Our council made a $1-million commitment to the Queens General health project when times were better, before the mill closed," said Christopher Clarke, mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. "This funding has mitigated the amount of tax increase that would have been necessary to offset the loss from Bowater, and so, we very much appreciate the province stepping forward."

"The people of Queens have shown generosity and courage in these hard times by continuing to support fundraising efforts for improvements, renovations and updates to our hospital," said John Murray, a board member of the South Shore District Health Board and chair of the Funds Raising Committee of the Queens General Hospital Project. "Thanks to our community and to our municipal and provincial partners, this project is on track."

The province will soon announce details of an agreement with the Municipality of District of Lunenburg to help offset its lost tax revenue.

The forest industry is changing and the mill site can offer a place for Nova Scotians to lead that change.

The province continues to offer support to the local workforce and is moving ahead with plans to create a bioresources centre that will change the face of the forestry sector. Innovation will be a key part of protecting and creating jobs, now and in the future. This approach will attract private investment and support research and development of new products not yet imagined. The Lunenburg-Queens Transition Action team, with representation from provincial departments and agencies and municipal governments, will meet later this week to discuss actions taken since December 2012 and plans for moving forward.