The people of the Miramichi aren't getting the answers they deserve about the Arbec deal, says a concerned citizen.
Dawn MacDonald said she sent a letter to Premier Shawn Graham Jan. 27 because she didn't think she was getting answers about the potential sale of the Weyerhaeuser mill to Arbec.
"I thought it was time to go to that step."
Earlier this year, Arbec signed a tentative deal to buy the mill, but it expired in December after the company failed to secure a crown wood allocation from the province.
The Natural Resources Department said they couldn't confirm an allocation for Arbec because they didn't receive the required business or industrial plans necessary for a wood allocation application.
Arbec said they provided the province with a preliminary business plan and the province was aware of how much wood they need to run the mill.
MacDonald said she has been getting good feedback from the public about her efforts to move the issue forward and is collecting names on a petition to take to the legislature when it opens in March.
"We urge people to get out there and support this because every name counts."
She urges people to contact their representatives in government and said she plans to continue the push for action on the mill sale.
"There's power in numbers, we all know that."
MacDonald said she also sent her letter to Miramichi Centre MLA John Foran, Miramichi-Bay du Vin MLA Bill Fraser, Natural Resources Minister Wally Stiles and Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne, but didn't get an immediate response.
Stiles sent a letter to Arbec two weeks ago offering to meet with the company to discuss the issues surrounding the deal.
In an email sent Wednesday, Arbec vice-president of finance and administration Serge Mercier said the company is still working with Business New Brunswick to arrange a meeting in the coming weeks.
He also said Arbec representatives attended a meeting at city hall in August at which time they expressed their interest in the mill and indicated how much wood they needed.
MacDonald said there was enough wood to operate all the mills in the area when they were on the river and she hopes Arbec can get the mill up and running.
"My hope is the government gives Arbec the allocation it needs to put people in this area back to work."
Arbec needs about 650,000 to 700,000 cubic metres of wood per year to run the mill, but the previous Weyerhaeuser allocation would only provide half of what Arbec needs.
The company will not commit to a deal until they know they can get a sufficient allocation.
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