Northern Nova Scotia development thread

[David1gray]

Be awhile, here is whats going on in Northern Nova Scotia lately

Restaurant, physiotherapy office planned for new plaza

STELLARTON – The manager of the new shopping plaza on Lawrence Boulevard in the Albion Business Park hopes to see the building full of businesses within about six months.

Global Pet Foods has already opened in one of the vacancies in the recently completed building and a physiotherapy business will be opening soon.

There is also a restaurant whose owners have said they will be coming although the deal has not been finalized, said Jason White, who is overseeing the project for owner Steve Smith, who also owns Central Supplies.

“It wouldn’t be your typical fast-food, but it wouldn’t be your fine dining sit down,” said White.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/Business/2012-1...or-new-plaza/1

Tender extended again for new school

NEW GLASGOW – The closing date for tenders for the design and construction of a new Primary-Grade 8 school has been extended again.
This extension, which moves the closing date to Jan. 21, is the latest amendment in the tender and procurement process for a new school in New Glasgow.
The Minister of Youth and Education Ramona Jennex says the extension is to allow for modifications to the original tender requested by the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board and the community.
“We’re taking into account an addition of three classrooms, I believe.”

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...r-new-school/1

[David1gray]

Province nominates record number of immigrants: Move could bring more people to Pictou County

The provincial government has nominated a record number of immigrants to live in Nova Scotia to help address labour shortages.

The government’s immigration strategy, entitled ‘jobsHere,’ aims to attract international professional and skilled workers, with an emphasis on keeping them in the province.

"We have the potential for 700 families to choose Nova Scotia, to put down roots and to be a part of the province's growing economy," said Marilyn More, minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.

A press release from the Department of Immigration dated Dec. 31, 2012, noted that the federal government provided an additional 200 immigration nominees on top of the existing cap of 500 to the province, bringing the total to 700.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...ictou-County/1

County looking to erect wind turbines in Riverton

PICTOU – County council is moving head with plans to build turbines in the Riverton area.

Seaforth Energy was recently awarded the contract to construct three 50 KW wind turbines on land that lies behind Valley View Villa.

Municipality of Pictou County CAO Brian Cullen said the county owns about 400 acres of land behind Valley View Villa and Adult Residential Centre and the turbines will be placed about a half a kilometre back from the villa.

“At this point we are scoping out the project,” he said. “We have completed the geo-technical work in November and now we are scoping out the options for construction. The towers are being built now and we hope to have them erected in April.”

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...-in-Riverton/1

[David1gray]

Linacy department wants info on fire service needs at new jail

PICTOU – County council is sending off a request to Nova Scotia Justice Minister Ross Landry to meet with the Linacy Fire Department over its concerns about fire services being provided at the area’s new jail.

Coun. Andy Thompson said rural fire departments such as Linacy are trained and equipped to handle mostly residential fires so firefighters feel they need more information as to what is expected of them if a fire breaks out in the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility currently being built in Priestville.

“This has changed the water on the bean in that district and they want to start a conversation to see if they can work together with the correctional facility,” said Thompson.

He said the Linacy department wants to know what fire and equipment regulations are required as well as to tour the correctional facility in Burnside.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...-at-new-jail/1

Premier officially opens collaborative emergency centre in Pugwash

PUGWASH – Nova Scotians living in the Pugwash area are already seeing the benefits of same-day or next-day medical appointments and 24/7 access to emergency care thanks to the collaborative emergency centre at the North Cumberland Memorial Hospital.

Premier Darrell Dexter joined representatives of the Cumberland Health Authority in Pugwash Wednesday to officially open the province's newest CEC.

"This government is committed to ensuring families across Nova Scotia have access to the care they need, when and where they need it," Premier Dexter said. "Collaborative emergency centres are an innovative solution that is helping to deliver on this commitment. In fact the model has proven so successful that other provinces are now jumping on board."

Since the Pugwash facility opened in September, more than 1,100 patients received care sooner from the team of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and paramedics that staff the centre.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...e-in-Pugwash/1

[David1gray]

Gas talks on for Michelin

If negotiations go the way Heritage Gas and local politicians hope, Michelin Tire could be the first user of Nova Scotia’s natural gas in Pictou County.

That would be welcome news for Pictou West MLA Charlie Parker, who also serves as Natural Resources minister.

He said Heritage Gas, which distributes natural gas in the province, has been talking to numerous commercial businesses in Pictou County including Michelin with the hopes of either running lines to them from the mainline that passes through Pictou County or trucking it as permitted by legislation passed by the province.

“We’re very hopeful that there will be some way found that will allow for natural gas to be used here by our industries,” Parker said.

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...for-Michelin/1

[David1gray]

New elementary school for Bible Hill priority

TRURO - Providing education with less resources, a new school, and reviewing current schools are a few of the major projects the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board has to tackle this year.

The board's vice-chairman, Keith MacKenzie, said an ongoing concern, based on recent education cuts, is providing adequate education with fewer tools.

"The challenge is to maximize the optimum support for our children with limited resources. Instead of being progressive we are doing the best with what we have," said MacKenzie.

A number of conversations around the CCRSB table during 2012 revolved around the effects of education cuts that were dictated by the provincial government. Concerns were not only for last year's job and resource cuts but how future years would fare.

...

http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local...ill-priority/1

Tidal power firm still eyes N.S.

A Vancouver tidal power developer says it remains interested in Nova Scotia ventures, even though it won’t be involved in putting a turbine in the Bay of Fundy this year.

Clean Current Power Systems was partnered with French company Alstom on a plan to put a one-megawatt test turbine into the water near Parrsboro during the second half of this year.

But the two companies recently announced that they were terminating their 2009 licensing agreement.

Clean Current president Chris Gora said Tuesday his company is continuing to develop smaller-scale turbines, which it hopes could be included in other proposed tidal projects in the province

...

http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...-still-eyes-ns

[David1gray]

Big firms eye switch to gas

Companies like Michelin, Northern Pulp look at plans to bring energy source to area

Big industries in Pictou County stand to save big bucks if the prospect of trucking compressed natural gas or building a pipeline to the area pans out.

Michelin Canada Inc. and Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corp. are two of the energy-hungry industries crunching numbers to study the viability of switching to natural gas.

The cheaper energy source could breathe life into the cluster of industry towns in the area.

“There is some very real potential that over the next couple of years we can get a pipeline built to Pictou County,” Heritage Gas Ltd. president Jim Bracken said in an interview Wednesday.

...

http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...-switch-to-gas

[David1gray]

Truro civic centre opening date up in air

TRURO — Delays continue at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre here and officials are now reluctant to put an opening date on the project.

“We don’t want to deliver a facility that’s partially complete and/or has deficiencies that won’t withstand the test of time,” said Paul Smith, the project manager. “We would be remiss in compromising that for the sake of opening two weeks or four weeks earlier.”

The $48-million facility, which includes an NHL-sized ice surface with 2,500 seats, an aquatics centre, climbing wall, fitness centre and meeting space, was originally expected to open last autumn. It’s since missed a number of opening dates and is now running over budget.

Smith said delays are related to a number of issues, many of them unforeseen. Several tender packages came back “a lot more over budget than we expected,” he said.

...

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novasco...date-up-in-air

[David1gray]

Giant Tiger begins expansion of Lower Truro store

“Bigger, brighter, better,” he said, of the expansion that began on Monday and which will see the store grow from its current 18,960 sq. ft. to 25,230 sq. ft., an increase of 6,270 sq. ft .

“It’s just a pleasure to walk through,” he said, of other Giant Tiger stores that have undergone similar expansions. “More convenient shopping, easier to get around. Because we know we are a busy store and sometimes it gets a bit crowded. This will make the customers’ experience a lot easier to get around.”

Brake described the shopping experience for customers at locations that have already expanded as the “difference of night and day.”

“And the biggest thing they’re saying is, their prices never went up.”
Construction is expected to be completed by June 22. And while the store’s product line is expansive now, Brake said the expansion will enable him to increase his inventory even further.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/Business/2013-0...medium=twitter

[David1gray]

As you all can probably tell, there hasn't been much going on around Northern NS but here are a few updates.

MacKay says ship design contract could benefit Pictou County

HALIFAX – Ottawa announced a $288 million contract between the federal government and Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax for the design of new Arctic offshore patrol ships Thursday and Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the economic benefits could be felt in Pictou County.

MacKay said he knows Pictou County residents are already working in the Irving Shipyard and this contract will support up to 200 jobs, with work on the ships expected to begin in 2015.

“The overall procurement award to Irving was predicated on the fact that they would indeed share the wealth. Subcontracts, pieces of the ship itself and perhaps some of the work could potentially go to MacGregor’s Machining, to Aecon Fabco, to other local service providers,” MacKay said in an interview. “There are also, under the national project, smaller ships, smaller supply vessels that could in fact be built in the local yard in Pictou and again, some of the subcontracts could be felt in our local economy.”

MacKay said he hopes this design contract and the other shipbuilding contracts in Halifax will entice Nova Scotians who have moved west looking for work to come back home.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...ictou-County/1

Equipment being removed from Nova Forge

TRENTON - As valuable equipment is shipped to the U.S. from yet another closed plant in Pictou Country, recently terminated Steelworkers are calling for greater support for local jobs and industry.

United Steelworkers (USW) members were outside Nova Forge in Trenton today to bring attention to the plant's dismantling and the first shipment of equipment to the parent company in Texas.

"It's a sad day for workers and their families to see the plant dismantled and the equipment taken out of our country," said Darcy MacInnis, a third-generation Nova Forge worker and vice-president of USW Local 3172.

"More families are now faced with the prospect of having to leave their homes and community to find work," MacInnis said. "We have to reverse this trend. We need our political leaders to do more to defend good jobs and support industry in our region."

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...m-Nova-Forge/1

[David1gray]

Committee recommends closing Highland Consolidated School permanently

TRURO – The options for Highland Consolidated students should be narrowed to options two and three, both of which would see the permanent closure of Highland Consolidated School.

That was the recommendation from a Chignecto-Central Regional School Board committee of the whole meeting held Wednesday evening.

A joint committee of educational and operational services held a meeting previous to the committee of the whole meeting Wednesday to narrow the options the board had to choose from for the future of Highland Consolidated students, from the original nine options to two options. The joint committee recommended at the committee of the whole meeting that the board put forward options two and three for analysis as part of the capital construction funds submission to the province.

Option two would see Highland Consolidated close and its students remain at Dr. W.A. MacLeod Elementary and MacLeod would be renovated to become a Primary to Grade 8 school to accommodate a middle school program.

If the board chooses to go forward with option three, Highland Consolidated would be closed and three existing schools would be renovated into Primary to Grade 8 schools: G.R. Saunders, Walter Duggan and Dr. W.A. MacLeod would all be renovated to accommodate a middle school program and become Primary to Grade 8 schools in this option.

...

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...-permanently/1

Northumberland Fisheries Museum gets $246K

The Northumberland Fisheries Museum in Pictou is expanding with support from the Government of Canada.

Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Regional Minister for Nova Scotia, today announced $246,500 in federal support for the project on behalf of the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

“Our investment in the Northumberland Fisheries Museum further develops the historic Pictou waterfront, strengthening its position as a tourism destination as well as showcasing the important contribution of the fisheries to the local economy,” said MacKay

The Government of Canada’s investment helps the Northumberland Fisheries Museum and Heritage Association to construct a fisheries exhibit centre at the Museum’s existing wharf on the Pictou waterfront. The centre will connect to the museum’s lobster hatchery facility and replica lighthouse, creating an expansive waterfront exhibition centre that will be a key part of the Town of Pictou’s waterfront tourism experience.

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...gets-%24246K/1

[David1gray]

Natural gas extension to save Northern Pulp millions

Northern Pulp is about to become more cost competitive to the tune of $7 million a year.

The 19-kilometre extension of the Maritimes Northeast natural gas pipeline to the pulp mill announced Friday morning will cut its annual energy costs by half, said general manager Don Breen.

“It will also reduce our greenhouse gases by about 75 per cent and importantly, reduce sulfur dioxide emissions which will reduce the smell coming from the plant,” said Breen.

Heritage Natural Gas will spend $15.3 million and the province will chip in $2.5 million on the pipeline extension. Construction on the line that will connect from the existing line carrying Sable Island natural gas to the New England states will start this spring.

...

http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...-pulp-millions

[David1gray]

Council OKs Clairtone sale, Toyota land purchase

STELLARTON – Town council has agreed to two land purchases worth more than $1.3 million.

One deal is a conditional sale for $500,000 of the former Clairtone property on Acadia Avenue to Wind Solutions Inc., a consortium of Atlantic investors, builders, academics and materials manufacturers based in Summerside, P.E.I.

...

Word of the possible sale of the former electronics plant and surrounding property surfaced late last year with Wind Solutions, whose products include insulating windows, steel roofing and concrete forms.

At the time, Gennoe said the rather low asking price was worth it in order to sell the property and secure a tenant with a track record in an emerging market.

...

The Clairtone building occupies more than 200,000 square feet of manufacturing space and Munro indicated when news of the possible sale first surfaced that it was well built and in remarkably good shape, despite being idle for years.

...

The Toyota dealership will be located along Highway 104 between Central Supplies and the Holiday Inn Express. The location is similar to Toyota’s dealership along Highway 104 in Amherst.

...

http://www.pictouadvocate.com/2013/0...land-purchase/

[David1gray]

MODG Council
Guysborough signs community benefits agreement with Melford

By Helen Murphy

GUYSBOROUGH – A new agreement will ensure meaningful benefits to the local community from the Maher Melford Terminal project. At its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 12, Municipality of the District of Guysborough council voted unanimously to approve the new agreement between the municipality and the project owners.

"We worked on this for a long time," MODG Warden Lloyd Hines told The Journal in an interview. "This is a major milestone in the march toward project development." Hines said the agreement puts together a binding framework for the kinds of activities the company will undertake to make sure lasting benefits are realized within MODG. These benefits relate to the sourcing of labour, taxable properties and other items. "It's about the collateral impacts that projects like this can have with the community," said Hines.

Council also took action related to a land-use matter that will help the project move forward. The project proponents have been negotiating agreements of purchase and sale with landowners where the project's rail corridor is to be built. They've been working on acquiring these land parcels for the past nine months, said Hines. But they ran into a stumbling block: subdivision regulations of the Province of Nova Scotia. These regulations were drafted with residential subdivisions in mind, but they still apply to any kind of subdivision, including for rail. Hines told The Journal these regulations would have made it difficult for the company to take possession of the land in a reasonable amount of time. MODG was able to work out an agreement with the planning unit of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations that clarified that municipalities were not subject to this regulation. That opened up the opportunity for MODG to acquire the land in its name and then make them available to Maher Melford for development of the project.

"It's a major time saver," said Hines. "And it's risk-free for the municipality because the monies involved are being transferred to the municipality in advance of the land transaction, and any related costs we incur are being reimbursed."

"This is an example of the role municipal governments can play in making these kinds of projects go forward," he added. "And it shows that we have a great team on council that sees the issues, and the problems we have here such as the lack of employment, and are working hard to address that."

...

http://www.guysboroughjournal.com/in...t-page-stories

[David1gray]

Empire has sold its Theatre Business. No word on how this will affect the support centre in New Glasgow yet.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...-film-business

[David1gray]

A few updates:

Toyota has started construction on there new dealership at Albion Place Power Centre.

I noticed that there was movement on another lot at the power centre but, have no idea what is going on there.

The drive in theatre in Westville is now offically closed for good (unless someone buys it to keep it open).

There is a proposal from NuStar Energy to build a transload facility at Point Tupper and have oil shipped in by rail and transferred to ships.

Maher Melford Terminal has also completed the land acquisition required for the project in Melford. This essentially means that as soon as they find a shipping line to commit, construction can start very soon after.

That's all I have as of right now.

[David1gray]

Drill tests to determine viability of extracting natural gas

East Coast Energy Inc. acquired this project in 2009. In 2011 the company drilled a successful small-diameter test hole, and core samples verified the presence of coal-bed methane. Last year, the company received industrial approval from the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and all regulatory requirements have been met so the province has authorized the company to drill two test wells into the Foord coal seam at a depth of about 540 metres. The permits do not allow hydraulic fracturing or fracking as it is more commonly known.

...

“That four- to six-month window is what it’ll take to tell how successful this well is,” Thompson said. “The gas is here and the gas content has been well verified over the years. Now the question is can we make it flow at a volume that’s commercial.”
...

“The beauty about the whole advancement of technology is the ability to compress and deliver. That’s another option that we have that we will be able to utilize and be able to compress and deliver to places where the pipeline may not be available.”

Right now there are about 20 workers involved on the project. They will soon be finished at the first site and move on to the second test site.

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013...medium=twitter

I read in an article by CH that there is lots of hope for this project to do very well. Here's hoping that this turns into something big for us.

[David1gray]

Micheals is coming to Pictou County. A location hasn't been announced yet but they are coming.

Michaels store coming to county

NEW GLASGOW – The news is now official: Michaels is coming to New Glasgow.
Rumours about the arts and crafts giant coming to Pictou County have been running rampant the last year, and it has been confirmed that Michaels is coming to New Glasgow.
When contacted, a representative from Michaels Stores stated, “After reviewing our list of upcoming stores, I do show that we do plan to open a new Michaels in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, which is set to open on September 19, 2014.”
In 1984, Michaels consisted of 16 stores predominantly in the Texas area. Since 1995, they have expanded to more than 500 stores across North America and that number continues to grow.
Offering everything from craft supplies to classes, party paraphernalia and more, they are preparing to set up shop in New Glasgow.
As to where Michaels will be located, that is yet to be determined. Rumours that it will be located in the Highland Square Mall have not been substantiated.
Phone calls to Brian Dobson, senior property manager, have not been returned.
According to their website, Michaels Stores is the largest specialty retailer of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall decor, scrapbooking and more.

http://www.pictouadvocate.com/2013/1...ing-to-county/

[icetea93]

Originally Posted by David1gray

Micheals is coming to Pictou County. A location hasn't been announced yet but they are coming.



http://www.pictouadvocate.com/2013/1...ing-to-county/

They are supposedly opening in Truro next year in the old Zellers space at the Truro Mall. I've also heard that Winners and Princess Auto will also open in the former Zellers space.

[David1gray]

Originally Posted by icetea93

They are supposedly opening in Truro next year in the old Zellers space at the Truro Mall. I've also heard that Winners and Princess Auto will also open in the former Zellers space.

I am glad they are finding tenants for the former Zellers, they need some new anchors there.

[icetea93]

2014 is shaping up to be a huge year for the Truro Mall. They have announced the arrival of Winners, and Yeh! Yogurt, Lids, and The Body Shop will also be opening this year and have just signed leases. The old Zellers space will be subdivided into 4 spaces (one of which will go to Winners). The other three have not been leased yet, but rumours of Michael's are still very much afloat