HAZEL HILL — Barely five months after going public with the idea, a Nova Scotia company and its U.S. partner say they have made a “final investment decision” to build an aggregate quarry and marine terminal near this seaside community that could generate up to 100 construction jobs and nearly as many permanent full-time positions in the area.
Morien Resources Corp. of Halifax intends to file its environmental assessment with the provincial government this spring but, according to its president and CEO, Dawson Brisco, “this is not some speculative play or project. We’ve already made a final investment decision … there is a real operational need for this stone.”
The company plans to develop the operation on Chedabucto Bay in the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) with Carver Companies – a privately owned U.S.-based construction materials and infrastructure firm that operates quarries and transportation assets in several eastern states.
“Carver operates a quarry in New Brunswick, and that is going to be running out of rock in the next five years,” Brisco told The Journal in an interview last week. “Lazy Head is intended to replace that. This will become a core asset for them.”
The project was first outlined to residents last fall at a community open house in Hazel Hill, where Brisco described it as being in the “early stage.” At that meeting, he presented plans for a granite quarry and marine shipping terminal, with crushed stone to be loaded onto vessels at a deep-water wharf for export to U.S. markets.
The development, one built in phases, would include a quarry pit, on-site processing facilities, stockpiling areas and a marine load-out terminal, with aggregate moved by conveyor to a deep-water wharf for shipment by vessel.
The presentation also described the footprint, site layout and access routes, and showed that further technical, environmental and regulatory studies would be required before construction could proceed.
Since that meeting, Brisco said, Morien has completed the drilling program at the site, using a helicopter to fly in equipment and personnel, rather than building access roads. “The reason I chose to do that is that we didn’t have to cut any trees, which is not the usual way quarries or mines are drilled.”
The drilling confirmed the quality and consistency of the granite resource, as did subsequent laboratory testing. Said Brisco, who is also a professional geologist: “The rock was exactly what we wanted. It’s 100 per cent what we call homogenous, or just uniform granite … it’s exceptionally high quality in terms of the lab results.”
An extensive review of current and potential developments in the MODG – prepared by retiring chief administrative officer Barry Carroll in December – lists Lazy Head as a major $200-million capital project, promising about 100 construction jobs and 50 to 75 permanent operational positions.
With an estimated production capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year and a project life of nearly 100 years, it says, the municipality also stands to earn annual tax revenues of between $300,000 and $500,000.
Last week, Brisco confirmed Morien expects to create at least 75 permanent positions once the operation is fully up and running. “What our models internally have is that as a minimum,” he said, adding, “We want to employ people from the area as much as possible.”
He also proposed what he described as two community benefit funds. “We’re going to launch a community development fund and a wellness fund. The community development fund is about $340,000 a year, and then the wellness fund is about $170,000 a year.”
He said the company will hold another public open house next month to update residents on the project and present the results of its recent work. “On March 11, we’re going to be hosting our second event at the Hazel Hill Community Centre. We want to go back to the community and show them the results of the work that we’ve done and where the project is at now.”
High hopes and a firm financial commitment notwithstanding, the project still hinges on securing access to the 220-hectare Crown-owned property through a transaction with the province that typically involves an exchange of land of equal value, as well as obtaining environmental approval.
“That’ll all be done in parallel,” Brisco said. “Immediately upon being permitted, this quarry is meant to go into development.”
