Solution Found for Canso: 100 New Jobs

One hundred new private sector fisheries jobs will be created in the historic Nova Scotia community of Canso. And many former Canso trawlermen will be back on the water with their own boat, it was announced Tuesday.

A task force, headed by Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell and including key people in the community of Canso and Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Ray White, has been working for months to find long-term sustainable solutions for the area.

At a news conference today in Canso, the task force announced the local Seafreez plant will add a shrimp line to its operation, taking advantage of increased stocks off the coast. The initiative will create 100 jobs and maintain the current workforce of 100.

The work of the Canso task force led to Seafreez's commitment to have a state-of-the-art cooked and peeled shrimp processing operation up and running by next April.

"This is a $4-million expansion. We see great opportunities in adding shrimp," said Seafreez president Bill Barry.

Mr. Colwell said co-operation among the provincial government, Seafreez, the Canso Trawlermen's Co-operative, inshore fishermen, the plant's union and town officials was key in making the proposal work.

The minister also announced that the Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board has approved an application by the Canso Trawlermen's Co-operative, led by Pat Fougere. The group will use a $600,000 loan to buy a vessel to catch shrimp and groundfish for processing at Seafreez.

"The history of Canso has always been about fishing -- now fishing can be a part of its future again," said Mr. Colwell.

Mr. White said the province and the community working together was critical in finding a solution. "The town of Canso has known some hard times, but this is more than a glimmer of hope. This is a new beginning."