HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s environment minister says there is no set deadline for Northern Pulp to submit a cleanup plan of its shuttered mill site near Pictou, N.S.

Tim Halman told reporters following a cabinet meeting the next step for the company is to submit a reclamation plan for the site that will be assessed by his department.

Halman says that once the plan is submitted the government will have more to say about its expectations for the site, which used to produce bleached kraft pulp — an ingredient for paper.

Northern Pulp announced last week it was launching a court-supervised sale of its assets.

The company has been under creditor protection since closing the mill in June 2020 after it failed to meet provincial environmental requirements for a new effluent treatment plant.

Under a settlement agreement with the province the cost for the company to implement its mill site closure plan is $15 million.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.

The Canadian Press