Hantsport CKF plant
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Hantsport-Fundy Gypsum storage shed
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I travelled to Hantsport first to see what has happened to the Fundy Gypsum
terminal since it closed in November 2011 and what the current status of the
Minas Basin Pulp and Power company is now. Hantsport is a small town of about
2,000 people at the eastern end of the Annapolis Valley. In the 18th century it
had a strong economy based on shipbuilding, agriculture and shipping with some
mining (gypsum). The town has been hit by the closure of Fundy Gypsum and
Minas Basin Pulp and Power in 2011 and 2012 resp. Losing almost 200 jobs.
The Fundy Gypsum Company started in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1924 and
shut down operations in November 2011. http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/
32929-windsor-area-gypsum-mine-closes The main reason for the closure was
the dreadful condition of the USA housing market from 2008 onwards. The
business was a year-round operation, with approximately 150 employees in three
locations: Miller's Creek, Wentworth and Hantsport. The quarries in Wentworth
and Miller's Creek are located within 15 kilometers of the Hantsport shiploading
facilities (Fundy Gypsum Terminal). All rock produced at Wentworth and Miller's
Creek was transported by rail to Hantsport where it was stockpiled in a massive
storage shed. The unique aspect of the Hantsport operation was that cargo ships
could dock on the rising tide and sail at the following high tide. With an average
loading time of less than three hours for 40,000 tons of cargo, the Hantsport
facility was one of the fastest shiploading operations in the world. Ships were
specially designed to a size and draft that would allow the loading within the time
window given by the tidal regime. The closure was bad news for the Town of
Hantsport that lost $750,000/year in tax revenue.
I photographed the loading facility as well as the storage shed, which truly is
immense.
I took some photographs of the exterior of the Minas Basin Pulp and Power plant.
The mill began operations in 1927. When it closed in the Fall of 2012, it produced
100% recycled paperboard products--liner board and core board. It operated
under the holding company Scotia Investments Ltd, which also owns CKF, a
paper plate manufacturer that operates in the same location. About 40 of the 135
workers that were affected by the closure are being transferred to CKF. I have
an interview scheduled for January with one of the directors and hope to make
some interior photos in the old plant.
Dick Groot
December 2012
terminal since it closed in November 2011 and what the current status of the
Minas Basin Pulp and Power company is now. Hantsport is a small town of about
2,000 people at the eastern end of the Annapolis Valley. In the 18th century it
had a strong economy based on shipbuilding, agriculture and shipping with some
mining (gypsum). The town has been hit by the closure of Fundy Gypsum and
Minas Basin Pulp and Power in 2011 and 2012 resp. Losing almost 200 jobs.
The Fundy Gypsum Company started in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1924 and
shut down operations in November 2011. http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/
32929-windsor-area-gypsum-mine-closes The main reason for the closure was
the dreadful condition of the USA housing market from 2008 onwards. The
business was a year-round operation, with approximately 150 employees in three
locations: Miller's Creek, Wentworth and Hantsport. The quarries in Wentworth
and Miller's Creek are located within 15 kilometers of the Hantsport shiploading
facilities (Fundy Gypsum Terminal). All rock produced at Wentworth and Miller's
Creek was transported by rail to Hantsport where it was stockpiled in a massive
storage shed. The unique aspect of the Hantsport operation was that cargo ships
could dock on the rising tide and sail at the following high tide. With an average
loading time of less than three hours for 40,000 tons of cargo, the Hantsport
facility was one of the fastest shiploading operations in the world. Ships were
specially designed to a size and draft that would allow the loading within the time
window given by the tidal regime. The closure was bad news for the Town of
Hantsport that lost $750,000/year in tax revenue.
I photographed the loading facility as well as the storage shed, which truly is
immense.
I took some photographs of the exterior of the Minas Basin Pulp and Power plant.
The mill began operations in 1927. When it closed in the Fall of 2012, it produced
100% recycled paperboard products--liner board and core board. It operated
under the holding company Scotia Investments Ltd, which also owns CKF, a
paper plate manufacturer that operates in the same location. About 40 of the 135
workers that were affected by the closure are being transferred to CKF. I have
an interview scheduled for January with one of the directors and hope to make
some interior photos in the old plant.
Dick Groot
December 2012
Hantsport- CKF plant
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Hantsport- Fundy Gypsum Loading Facility
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