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Minister tours Irving paper mill

The Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, toured facilities at Irving Paper Limited where he observed the positive impact of the Government’s funding on the region’s pulp and paper industry and jobs in New Brunswick. Irving Paper Limited received $8.3 million through the PPGTP in 2011 for a project to increase the energy efficiency of its operations.

“Our positive investments are helping Canada’s forest industry increase their energy efficiency and global competitiveness,” said Minister Oliver. “Projects like this in Saint John serve as evidence that our Government is contributing to lasting environmental and economic benefits in our communities.”

“The federal Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program has delivered proven positive results in terms of cleaner air, fuel efficiency, competitiveness and impact on local businesses,” said Mark Mosher, Vice President of Pulp & Paper Operations for J.D. Irving, Limited. “Specifically, this program contributed significantly toward a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gases, a 50 percent reduction in energy costs, $30 million spent with local subcontractors and $25 million invested in the purchase of materials from local suppliers.”

Under the PPGTP, J.D. Irving, Limited received $33.4 million to help improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of its pulp and paper facilities in Lake Utopia and Saint John, New Brunswick. Of this total, $9.5 million was invested in Irving’s two Saint John mills — $8.3 million for Irving Paper and $1.2 million for Irving Pulp and Paper — and $23.9 million was invested in its Lake Utopia mill.

Together, Irving’s Saint John projects are saving enough energy to heat over 10,000 homes on an ongoing basis while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from these mills by approximately 30,000 tonnes annually.

Three years after its launch, the PPGTP has significantly improved the environmental performance of Canada’s pulp and paper industry through a record level of investment in green technologies. The 98 projects supported by the PPGTP are having direct positive environmental, economic and social impacts on recipient mills and the communities they sustain. These benefits include support for approximately 14,000 mill jobs, improved air quality, and lower fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.