Tag Archives: Pictou Landing
Refinancing Clearwater loan worth millions in annual cash flow for Mi’kmaw owners
Mi’kmaw First Nations that own half of Canadian seafood giant Clearwater will finally start seeing multi-million dollar cash flows from their investment thanks to a loan refinancing that slashes interest payments. Their partner in the landmark deal, Premium Brands of Richmond, B.C., lent a coalition of seven Mi’kmaw First Nations about $240 million to cover their equity purchase of Clearwater in 2020. But the loan came with a hefty 10 per cent interest rate, according to the non-profit First Nations Financial Authority. Premium has agreed to refinance $100 million of that debt through the First Nations Financial Authority at its interest rate of 4.2 per cent, the authority said Tuesday. more, >>click to read<< 12:37
Pictou Landing to operate DFO approved moderate livelihood lobster fishery
The Pictou Landing First Nation is getting ready to operate a moderate livelihood lobster fishery in waters off Nova Scotia starting Tuesday with the approval of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. About 25 members of the community have registered to fish and sell their catch under the plan and are being issued traps and tags by the First Nation, according to Chief Andrea Paul. In a news release, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs said the Pictou Landing First Nation held formal consultations with DFO and came to an understanding without having to sign any agreements or changing its position on treaty rights. >click to read< 18:24
Premium Brands and Mi’kmaq First Nations Coalition Announce Acquisition Completion of Clearwater Seafoods Inc.
“We are very excited to have a world class seafood company like Clearwater join our ecosystem.,,, said George Paleologou, President and CEO of Premium Brands. “We are also very pleased to be partnering with the Membertou, Miawpukek, Sipekne’katik, We’koqma’q, Potlotek, Pictou Landing and Paqtnkek communities. “This is a significant achievement for the Mi’kmaq,” said Chief Terry Paul, Membertou First Nation. “Mi’kmaq not only become 50% owners of the company but expect to hold Clearwater’s Canadian fishing licences within a fully Mi’kmaq owned partnership. >click to read< 09:23
RCMP Investigates – Pictou Landing chief says lobster fisher was shot at on the water
RCMP in Pictou County, N.S. have one person in custody after reports of shots fired Sunday in the area of Pictou Landing First Nation. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Lisa Croteau said RCMP responded to the incident around 5:30 p.m. She said she could not provide an exact location of the incident, only that it was “in the Pictou Landing area.” Croteau said no injuries have been reported and a police investigation is ongoing. >click to read< 06:30
Clearwater sold for $1 billion, Mi’kmaq First Nations to control half of company
In a billion-dollar deal, Clearwater Seafoods Incorporated has been sold to a coalition of Mi’kmaq First Nations and Premium Brands Holdings Corporation. The two entities will each own 50 per cent of the new company.,, The deal has been unanimously approved by Clearwater’s board of directors but is subject to approval by shareholders, says a release from the company. The release says the deal signals a massive change in the Canadian fisheries sector, “catapulting First Nations into a leading global position in the seafood industry.” >click to read< 20:17
Tensions running high on the water over First Nations lobster fishery
Strong westerly winds kept the four Cape Islanders behind the Pictou Landing wharf’s breakwater on Tuesday. “We’re not trying to hide anything,” said Zack Nicholas, who owns one of the boats. “DFO can watch us coming and going from their office.” The commercial season for lobster fishing on the Northumberland Shore runs through May and June.Twenty years after the Supreme Court of Canada acknowledged the Mi’kmaq have a treaty right to make a “moderate livelihood” from natural resources, negotiations drag on,,, >click to read< 12:23
Fishermen prepare for lobster season
Warren Francis and his family were in high spirits as they readied their brand-new fishing boat at Pictou Landing’s wharf under a sunny spring sky for the upcoming lobster season starting next Monday.,, But fisherman Ronnie Heighton, who sits on the Gulf of Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board, said that fishermen plying the Northumberland Strait for catches can “live quite happily.” “There’s never a bad day when you fish lobster,”,, However, Heighton states that danger lies ahead for fishermen who rely on the Strait for their livelihoods.>click to read<12:00
Nova Scotia’s Dirty Secret: The Tale of a Toxic Mill and The Book Its Owners Don’t Want You to Read
The story of Pictou Landing is one of desperation, of corruption and incompetence. So perhaps it’s no surprise that when Canadian journalist and anthropologist Joan Baxter tried to tell it, old forces of power moved in to silence her. The mill’s owners tried to banish Baxter and her book The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest from local bookstores. Of course, that backfired in spectacular fashion: The Mill sold out two printings and became the best-selling book in Nova Scotia Chapters and Coles book stores the month it was released. >click to read< 10:14
