In the fall of 2009, the federal government sent up a $1 billion fund called the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program. The goal of the program was to provide pulp-and-paper firms with a subsidy for the “black liquor” produced as a byproduct of the kraft paper manufacturing process. “Black liquor” can be used as a fuel.
Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was one of several government MPs to announce $278 million in disbursements from this fund bringing the total drawdown from this fund so far to $616 million. Today, Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis was in Matane, Quebec where he announced a grant of $18.9 million to the local Tembec mill.
Also: Today, we crunch the numbers on where the money is going from this program on a riding-by-riding basis:
By political colour:
- Mills in Conservative ridings to receive grants: 23 worth $520.7 million
- Mills in NDP ridings getting money: 8 worth $49.1 million.
- Mills in BQ ridings getting money: 2 worth $43.7 million
- Mills in Liberal ridings getting money: 1 worth $21 million
By province:
- Mills in BC getting money: 12 worth $319.2 million
- Mills in AB getting money: 6 worth $188.3 million
- Mills in NB getting money: 5 worth $55.8 million
- Mills in ON getting money: 5 worth $24.5 million
- Mills in MB getting money: 3 worth $3.1 million
- Mills in QC getting money: 2 worth $43.7 million.
- No money so far for NF, NS, PE, SK
UPDATE: There may be no money from this program for NF or SK mills because, according to data I just found at Industry Canada's Web site, there are no mills in either of those provinces that produce paper other than newsprint. This program is aimed, I believe at makers of kraft paper. The Industry Canada data lists the Paper (not Newsprint) Mills so they could be kraft, tissue paper or other kinds of paper. There are 91 such mills in the country, more than half of which are in Quebec and Ontario.
Here's all the grants so far:
| Plant | Location | Amount | Party | MP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zellstoff Celgar | BC Castlegar | $40,000,000 | NDP | Alex Atamanenko |
| Domtar | QC Windsor | $24,800,000 | BQ | Andre Bellavance |
| Pacific Forest Industries | AB Boyle | $62,900,000 | CPC | Brian Jean |
| Domtar | ON Espanola | $995,000 | NDP | Carol Hughes |
| Domtar | ON Espanola | $700,000 | NDP | Carol Hughes |
| Domtar | BC Kamloops | $24,100,000 | CPC | Cathy McLeod |
| Domtar | BC Kamloops | $33,500,000 | CPC | Cathy McLeod |
| Domtar | BC Kamloops | $17,300,000 | CPC | Cathy McLeod |
| Weyerhaeuser | AB Grande Prairie | $32,000,000 | CPC | Chris Warkentin |
| DMI | AB Peace River | $40,570,000 | CPC | Chris Warkentin |
| Canfor | BC Prince George | $4,400,000 | CPC | Dick Harris |
| Canfor | BC Prince George | $11,200,000 | CPC | Dick Harris |
| Canfor | BC Prince George | $100,200,000 | CPC | Dick Harris |
| Cariboo | BC Quesnel | $41,500,000 | CPC | Dick Harris |
| Domtar | ON Dryden | $1,900,000 | CPC | Greg Rickford |
| Domtar | ON Dryden | $20,800,000 | CPC | Greg Rickford |
| Irving | NB Lake Utopia | $22,000,000 | CPC | Greg Thompson |
| Nanaimo | BC Nanaimo | $3,560,000 | NDP | Jean Crowder |
| Nanaimo | BC Nanaimo | $750,000 | NDP | Jean Crowder |
| Tembec | QC Matane | $18,900,000 | BQ | Jean-Yves Roy |
| Howe Sound | BC Port Melon | $6,000,000 | CPC | John Weston |
| Howe Sound | BC Port Melon | $36,700,000 | CPC | John Weston |
| AV Nackawic | NB Nackawic | $2,050,000 | CPC | Mike Allen |
| AV Nackawic | NB Nackawic | $320,000 | CPC | Mike Allen |
| Twin Rivers Paper | NB Edmundston | $21,000,000 | LPC | Jean Claude D'Amours |
| Tolko | MB The Pas | $810,000 | NDP | Niki Ashton |
| Tolko | MB The Pas | $1,260,000 | NDP | Niki Ashton |
| Tolko | MB The Pas | $1,000,000 | NDP | Niki Ashton |
| Cascades | ON Trenton | $83,000 | CPC | Rick Norlock |
| West Fraser | AB Hinton | $15,000,000 | CPC | Rob Merrifield |
| West Fraser | AB Hinton | $170,000 | CPC | Rob Merrifield |
| West Fraser | AB Hinton | $37,680,000 | CPC | Rob Merrifield |
| Irving | NB Saint John | $10,400,000 | CPC | Rodney Weston |
David – recheck your information – the correct name of owners of the pulpmill in Boyle Alberta is Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries also known as Al-Pac – you can see their information here – http://www.alpac.ca/
David here's the thing. Unless you can come up with the number of mills in Canada by political party help ridings your figures are meaningless. Sure there is more money allocated to CPC ridings but unless you can prove otherwise it may be because they have more mills in there ridings.
In other words you need to know 'x' mills in CPC held ridings, 'y' mills in LPC ridings, 'z' mills in NDP ridings and 'q' mills in BQ ridings. Otherwise you cannot prove there has been a disproportionate amount of money spent in one favour of one political parties held ridings over another.
Also the terms of the subsidy. Do the mills have to apply for the funds? Do they have to have a plan on how to use the 'black liquor' as fuel before funds are allocated?
There are so many unanswered questions.
David, I know you love to do this sort of article but it lacks context. For instance, I don't believe there are any mills in the GTA, or on the Island of Montreal, which accounts for about 54 Liberal ridings. Then add in a couple more in Vancouver and one in Winnipeg, not to mention Ralph in Saskatchewan, and you are looking at a pretty small number left which just might contain a mill.
Perhaps you could provide a list of all the Liberal ridings where mills actually do exist.
Many thanks.