A fisheries advocate and former MP is concerned about St. John’s-based Ocean Choice International’s plans to build a fish processing and packaging plant in Nova Scotia.
OCI, along with Ottawa and the provincial government, announced the project on Friday. The $10-million plant will be built in Dartmouth with some of the funding coming from the Atlantic Fisheries Fund and ACOA.
Ryan Cleary of the advocacy group Sea-NL says that the fisheries fund was a trade-off for a concession from Newfoundland and Labrador to allow the export of unprocessed fish.
He wonders why the plant, which will have jobs in processing, packaging and cold storage, isn’t being built in Newfoundland.
Cleary says we have no idea of how much-unprocessed fish is being shipped out. He finds it strange that Nova Scotia gets a fish plant while Newfoundland gets a cold storage facility, which is to be built in Conception Bay South.
@BernJordanMP must be reminded she's Min of Fisheries and Oceans for all of Canada — not just Nova Scotia, and @OceanChoice dec to build new $10-million plant outside home province must be questioned.https://t.co/i7IDkvfhe8 @PremierofNL @TheBroadcastCBC
— SEA-NL (@SEA__NL) July 20, 2021
