NDP Points Finger at Province over Mackenzie Mill Situation

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 05:03 PM

Victoria, B.C. - The New Democrats are putting the blame on the Provincial Government over the current situation at the former Pope and Talbot pulp mill in Mackenzie.

The Ministry of Environment issued an emergency order Sunday, essentially taking control of the operation to prevent an environmental disaster. Workers haven't been paid for 5 weeks and had threatened to walk of the job. Officials said the order was necessary to protect the environment and the public from the potential of a chemical spill.

NDP forest critic Bob Simpson says taxpayers will now be on the hook for millions in cleanup costs because the B.C. Liberal Government failed to ask Worthington to post an environmental bond.

"They didn't ask the new owners to post an environmental bond which would have covered off the kind of emergency we're witnessing now."

Simpson accuses Forests Minister Pat Bell of being in over his head when he applauded the sale to Worthington. Bell told the media earlier this week that he was unaware that former CEO, Dan White, was convicted for money-laundering in the 1990s.

"Minister Bell wanted to make himself look like a hero in finding a buyer for the mill, so he didn't ask any questions."

The Provincial Government says it plans to go after the owners of the mill to recover costs associated with the cleanup.

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Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 05:03 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: RUEZ on January 28 2009 8:12 PM

That sucks. When he purchased the mill it must have given hope to a lot of people, and now they are right back to square one.

Posted by: camoose on January 28 2009 8:23 PM

You're up Yama. Let's have your usual rant about unions and NDP.

Posted by: xommilf on January 28 2009 8:37 PM

Somebody didn't do their due diligence.

Posted by: enviro on January 28 2009 8:56 PM

When I heard that some Edmonton real estate developer purchased the mill, something smelled.

The transaction was strictly an insolvency matter and was approved by the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Nothing to do with approvals from the provincial government.

With the NDP currently lagging behind the Liberals by a 14% spread in the latest Mustel poll, their allegations against the provincial government are certainly suspect.

In fact, the NDP's allegations are both inept and disingenuous. Anybody willing to buy their argument certainly deserve to vote NDP in May. ;)

Posted by: enviro on January 28 2009 9:02 PM

Posted by: just the facts on January 28 2009 9:07 PM

i will gladly vote for NDPjn may the Liberals are out they don,t have a clue when its comes to helping the people of this province they just take care of the rich

Posted by: diplomat on January 28 2009 9:19 PM

Not only that, but the BC NDP wants us to forget the untold millions it poured into the Prince Rupert pulp mill rescue effort which (some might say predictably) turned into an expensive fiasco - for the taxpayers, of course.

Did the NDP at that time require bonds to be posted by the owners?

BTW, when somebody is convicted for a crime and serves his sentence, doesn't that pave the way for re-acceptance into society or is this person condemned forever to a life of scorn and suspicion from others?

What exactly has the past money laundering to do with the present state of the pulp mill and the need to prevent chemical spills?

Puzzled, to say the least, by the usual antics of the opposition.

Posted by: diplomat on January 28 2009 9:25 PM

Let's eliminate all the rich and then when we are all poor we can only blame each other when things don't work out.

Didn't they try that in the former now defunct USSR and elsewhere, like in Cuba?

Posted by: enviro on January 28 2009 9:36 PM

Posted by: Oldun on January 28 2009 10:05 PM

Could you post that again enviro. I
didn't understand the first three all the same.

Posted by: Born in BC on January 28 2009 10:24 PM

Typical hilarious statements from the NDP. We would be in the exact same place if P&T never sold the mill since they are never going to get out of bankrupcy in this current climate. The government would have been on the hook no matter what. They let the sale go through in an attempt to save some Mackenzie jobs and now the NDP is critisizing that move. Idiots. Complete idiots.

Posted by: Denaljo on January 29 2009 5:18 AM

The NDP cost the taxpayers millions. Guilty! The Liberals are costing us BILLIONS! They are such good stewards of our money we should vote for them again. The first time
I voted for the Gordo gang of lap dogs I was just a Tard: if i vote for them again I would be a RE-TARD!!!

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on January 29 2009 7:22 AM

Hey camoose, what does the story have to do with the unions? Is there something missing in the story?

Looks to me like the workers at the Mackenzie mill are being very responsible and people to be proud of for their efforts and the province is lucky to have those people watching that mill.

The NDP on the other hand... Just an embarassment to everyone. When the NDP say they will fix it so you never work again, they mean it.

Posted by: diplomat on January 29 2009 8:12 AM

NDP: The BC Liberals - damned if they do, damned if they don't. Name of the game. Period.

Posted by: justhefacts on January 29 2009 7:48 PM

just the facts,
Please, you don't do justice to our name sake. Your a little too spaced out.

I don't see the rich or the poor doing very well these days. Vote away...your valhalla awaits.