Paul Sobey lashes out at Northern Pulp Mill over smell

Nova Scotia business leader Paul Sobey says he's fed up with the Northern Pulp Mill and the effects of the mill's smell and particulate matter on the town of Pictou.

"If you had travelled there yesterday or today, you couldn't even see the town of Pictou through the haze of emissions coming from the mill," said Sobey, the former CEO of Empire Co. Ltd.

He said the haze from the mill in Abercrombie Point has a sulphur-like smell and drifts across the town, getting in people's clothes, homes and cars.

The smell is forcing people to stay in their homes and is preventing tourists from visiting the area, according to a group representing business people in Pictou.

Speaking with CBC's Mainstreet, Sobey said he feels the mill has a social responsibility to get to the bottom of what is wrong and fix what is causing the smell and release of particulate matter.

He feels the situation is an embarrassment for the province.

"In my view, they have to fix their issues and problems and if they can't do that, the government of Nova Scotia is going to have to turn around and protect the health of the people of the province," said Sobey.

Further adding to his frustration is the fact Northern Pulp has received money from the provincial government in the form of repayable and forgivable loans to upgrade the mill.

Sobey is a member of the group Clean Pictou Air.