Vulcan secures environmental approval extension for quarry project

CANSO — With a two-year continuation of its environmental approval secured last month, work on meeting conditions is getting underway on the long-delayed Black Point quarry near Canso, says a spokesperson for Alabama-based Vulcan Materials.

“We are excited and look forward to advancing,” Manager of Community and Government Relations Atisthan Roach told The Journal in an email last week.

According to an update on the project, filed by the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) last month, “The Minister (Timothy Halman) has authorized an extension for the commencement of work effective March 12, 2024, and expiring April 26, 2026” under a Class I Cooperative federal-provincial environmental assessment.

It added that Vulcan – a major purveyor of crushed, stone sand and gravel for the North American construction industry – must begin “on or before” the expiration date unless granted another written ministerial extension.

Now, said Roach, “we are fulfilling the conditions of the environmental assessment (EA) approval and are currently working next steps which include preparing various plans as required in the Part V Industrial Application, including: erosion plan, stormwater plan, post-develop plan, dust management plan, spill plan, and emergency response plan, to name a few.”

Commenced in 2014, the project underwent an extensive round of community consultations with people who lived in the immediate project vicinity, commercial fishers, Indigenous groups, and others. Documents filed with the provincial government at the time stated that poll of 350 residents – conducted by the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) – indicated 76 per cent local support for the project, “with half of those declaring that they ‘strongly support ‘ (it). Eighteen per cent stated that they neither support nor oppose it, while six per cent of interviewees said they ‘oppose’ (it).”

In her April 26, 2016, environmental assessment approval, then-Minister of Environment Margaret Miller stated that while she was “satisfied that any adverse effects or significant environmental effects of the undertaking can be adequately mitigated through compliance with the attached terms and conditions, this approval is subject to … approval under Part V of the Environment Act (Approvals and Certificates section).”

Despite this, lackluster markets – later worsened by COVID – prompted the company to postpone its plans and seek regular two-year extensions from provincial authorities until conditions improved.

When Vulcan announced the project’s restart last October, Roach told The Journal, “We are thrilled to continue work… (with) a directional time goal of 18 months (2025) to begin developing the 354-hectare property on the south shore of (the bay) … Much work needs to be done before we can put the first shovel in the ground.”

At the time, MODG Warden Vernon Pitts said the news was “fantastic … More than 16 years ago, the municipality carried out an exploration program together with a drilling program to prove that there was an attractive aggregate resource at Black Point. Vulcan has the financial wherewithal to get this project done in a timely fashion, and more so … There will be great-paying jobs during construction and during operations.”

With the new extension in place, Roach said last week: “Our project remains unchanged.”

According to its website, Vulcan expects to spend between $80-110 million building the quarry and a 200-metre-long marine terminal and load-out facility adjacent to it, from which it will “off-load” aggregate onto Panamax size bulk carriers for transportation to ports along the Eastern and Gulf Coast of the United States. Once operational, the site is expected to create 50 jobs and “be a significant employer in Guysborough County throughout (its) expected 50-year lifespan.”

Said Roach: “We held a community liaison committee meeting on April 11 at Queensport Firehall, and provided the group with a project update. We continue to visit the area regularly as we work towards breaking ground. These visits have included ongoing dialogue with stakeholders and rights holders, as well as other partners such as Nova Scotia Power.”

She added: “We have a goal of submitting the Part V application in September … (and) we will soon begin additional field activities, including wetlands and surface water studies.”

Alec Bruce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal