Point Tupper, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Point Tupper is a small rural community located in Richmond County, Nova Scotia
on the Strait of Canso
in western Cape Breton Island
.
, of Belle Vue, Canso, member of Parliament for Richmond (Nova Scotia electoral district), who started to promote a township on the site, a project which he continued doggedly until his death in 1921. According to Paint, the site was named by Sir James Kempt
after Ferdinand Brock Tupper
, the Guernsey
historian.
, directly opposite on the western shore of the Strait of Canso. The Intercolonial Railway line continued east from Point Tupper to Sydney
, making Point Tupper an extremely important port for the economy of Cape Breton Island.
In 1955, the Canso Causeway
opened, closing the railcar ferry service and resulting in a decline in Point Tupper's economy as railway facilities were removed or abandoned.
) also created a sheltered ice-free deepwater port to which Point Tupper's waterfront uniquely suited for the increasing number of modern deep draught cargo ships entering service following World War II
.
In the early 1960s, the government of Robert Stanfield
created Industrial Estates Limited
as a provincial Crown corporation. IEL designated major portions of Crown land fronting the Strait of Canso, including virtually the entire peninsula from Point Tupper to Port Malcolm in Richmond County
as well as a corresponding area on the western shore between Mulgrave and Melford in Guysborough County
. New highways and roads were constructed and railway lines were extended to service the various properties and lakes were converted to reservoirs.
One of the first industries to locate at Point Tupper was Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer Stora
which opened one of the largest pulp mills in eastern North America in the early 1960s. Stora merged in the 1990s with Finnish pulp maker Enso
to form Stora Enso
. In 2007, Stora Enso sold its North American production facilities including the Point Tupper mill to NewPage Corporation
. NewPage closed the mill in September 2011 after it filed for bankruptcy.
To service the electrical requirements for the pulp and paper mill, Crown corporation Nova Scotia Power
constructed the Point Tupper Generating Station
, a new oil-fired power plant at an adjacent property; it was converted to coal in 1986. These industries were soon followed by a gypsum
loading terminal for gypsum being mined by Georgia Pacific in River Denys
and delivered to Point Tupper by rail - ironically the ship loader was on the same site as the former railcar ferry dock.
Point Tupper was also the site of several failed industrial policies, when the Gulf Oil refinery was closed and mothballed in the late 1970s and later dismantled, although its storage tanks remain to this day, now operated by NuStar Energy
. Another more infamous folly involved a heavy water
manufacturing plant built in the 1970s following the 1973 oil crisis
by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
(AECL), but quickly closed and later mothballed and dismantled. A gypsum drywall manufacturing plant also closed after experiencing difficult economic conditions. A new company, Federal Gypsum, attempted to reactivate the mothballed drywall plant in the early 2000s (with massive government subsidy) but subsequently went bankrupt.
During the late 1990s, Point Tupper's strategic location proved useful when the Sable Island
natural gas project located a gas liquids processing plant. In the early 2000s, Nova Scotia Power built a large bulk coal terminal. A liquified natural gas terminal was under construction at the southern end of the Point Tupper Industrial Park at Bear Head but this has since been discontinued.
Richmond County, Nova Scotia
Richmond County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:Named in honour of Sir Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and Lennox, who was Governor General of British North America 1818-1819, Richmond County was created in 1835....
on the Strait of Canso
Strait of Canso
The Strait of Canso , is a strait located in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It divides the Nova Scotia peninsula from Cape Breton Island....
in western Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
.
History
Extensive land grants in the area were acquired in 1863 by Henry Nicholas PaintHenry Nicholas Paint
Henry Nicholas Paint was a Canadian politician, shipowner and merchant.-Career:Henry Paint was the son of Nicholas Paint, JP, by Mary Le Messurier, both of old Guernsey families which had been trading with Nova Scotia since at least the mid-18th century; a 'Paint Island', off Canso, is recorded in...
, of Belle Vue, Canso, member of Parliament for Richmond (Nova Scotia electoral district), who started to promote a township on the site, a project which he continued doggedly until his death in 1921. According to Paint, the site was named by Sir James Kempt
James Kempt
General Sir James Kempt, GCB was a British Army officer, who served in Holland, Egypt, Italy, the Peninsula, and British North America during the Napoleonic Wars...
after Ferdinand Brock Tupper
Ferdinand Brock Tupper
Ferdinand Brock Tupper , was one of the leading historians of the Channel Islands.He was born in Guernsey in 1795 to parents John Elisha Tupper and Elizabeth Brock , sister of Sir Isaac Brock.In 1845 he published The Life and Correspondence of Sir Isaac Brock, KB, which contains a wealth of...
, the Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
historian.
Transportation boom and decline
In the 1880s, Point Tupper became the eastern terminal for a railcar ferry service operated from the port of MulgraveMulgrave, Nova Scotia
Mulgrave is a small town on the Strait of Canso in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada; immediately across from the town of Port Hawkesbury. As of 2006 the population was 879....
, directly opposite on the western shore of the Strait of Canso. The Intercolonial Railway line continued east from Point Tupper to Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, making Point Tupper an extremely important port for the economy of Cape Breton Island.
In 1955, the Canso Causeway
Canso Causeway
The Canso Causeway is a rock-fill causeway in Nova Scotia, Canada.The causeway crosses the Strait of Canso, connecting Cape Breton Island by road to the Nova Scotia peninsula...
opened, closing the railcar ferry service and resulting in a decline in Point Tupper's economy as railway facilities were removed or abandoned.
Post-causeway industrial growth
However the causeway, which completely closed the Strait of Canso's water flow (except for the Canso CanalCanso Canal
The Canso Canal is a short canal located in Nova Scotia, Canada.-Canal location:The Canso Canal is located in the Strait of Canso, on the eastern side of the Canso Causeway, a rock-fill causeway which opened in 1955 to carry a 2-lane highway and railway tracks from Cape Breton Island to mainland...
) also created a sheltered ice-free deepwater port to which Point Tupper's waterfront uniquely suited for the increasing number of modern deep draught cargo ships entering service following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In the early 1960s, the government of Robert Stanfield
Robert Stanfield
Robert Lorne Stanfield, PC, QC was the 17th Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He is sometimes referred to as "the greatest prime minister Canada never had", and earned the nickname "Honest Bob"...
created Industrial Estates Limited
Industrial Estates Limited
Industrial Estates Limited was a Crown corporation established by the Government of Nova Scotia in 1963.IEL stemmed from the Voluntary Planning Act, instituted by Premier Robert Stanfield's administration in the same year...
as a provincial Crown corporation. IEL designated major portions of Crown land fronting the Strait of Canso, including virtually the entire peninsula from Point Tupper to Port Malcolm in Richmond County
Richmond County, Nova Scotia
Richmond County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:Named in honour of Sir Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and Lennox, who was Governor General of British North America 1818-1819, Richmond County was created in 1835....
as well as a corresponding area on the western shore between Mulgrave and Melford in Guysborough County
Guysborough County, Nova Scotia
Guysborough County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:Taking its name from the Township of Guysborough, which was named in honour of Sir Guy Carleton, Guysborough County was created when Sydney County was divided in 1836.In 1840, the Township of St. Mary's, in Guysborough...
. New highways and roads were constructed and railway lines were extended to service the various properties and lakes were converted to reservoirs.
One of the first industries to locate at Point Tupper was Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer Stora
Storå
Storå may refer to the following locations:*Storå in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway*Storå in Lindesberg municipality, Västmanland, Sweden*Storå, a creek in Denmark's West Jutland*Storå is also the Swedish name of Isojoki in Finland....
which opened one of the largest pulp mills in eastern North America in the early 1960s. Stora merged in the 1990s with Finnish pulp maker Enso
Enso
Ensō is a Japanese word meaning "circle" and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes the Absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void; it can...
to form Stora Enso
Stora Enso
Stora Enso Oyj is a Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer, formed by the merger of Swedish mining and forestry products company Stora and Finnish forestry products company Enso-Gutzeit Oy in 1998. It is headquartered in Helsinki, and it has approximately 29,000 employees...
. In 2007, Stora Enso sold its North American production facilities including the Point Tupper mill to NewPage Corporation
NewPage Corporation
NewPage Corporation, based in Miamisburg, Ohio, is a leading producer of coated paper in North America.The company produces coated papers in sheets and rolls with many finishes and weights to offer design flexibility for a wide array of end uses...
. NewPage closed the mill in September 2011 after it filed for bankruptcy.
To service the electrical requirements for the pulp and paper mill, Crown corporation Nova Scotia Power
Nova Scotia Power
Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a power generating and delivery company in Nova Scotia. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board .-History:...
constructed the Point Tupper Generating Station
Point Tupper Generating Station
The Point Tupper Generating Station is a 150 MW Canadian electrical generating station located in the community of Point Tupper in Nova Scotia's Richmond County....
, a new oil-fired power plant at an adjacent property; it was converted to coal in 1986. These industries were soon followed by a gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
loading terminal for gypsum being mined by Georgia Pacific in River Denys
River Denys, Nova Scotia
River Denys is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Inverness County on Cape Breton Island.-References:*...
and delivered to Point Tupper by rail - ironically the ship loader was on the same site as the former railcar ferry dock.
Point Tupper was also the site of several failed industrial policies, when the Gulf Oil refinery was closed and mothballed in the late 1970s and later dismantled, although its storage tanks remain to this day, now operated by NuStar Energy
NuStar Energy
NuStar Energy L.P. is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio, Texas. The company was established in 2007 after separating from Valero. The company operates of pipeline and 85 terminal facilities across six countries allowing for the storage of almost 80 million barrels of oil making NuStar...
. Another more infamous folly involved a heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
manufacturing plant built in the 1970s following the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory...
(AECL), but quickly closed and later mothballed and dismantled. A gypsum drywall manufacturing plant also closed after experiencing difficult economic conditions. A new company, Federal Gypsum, attempted to reactivate the mothballed drywall plant in the early 2000s (with massive government subsidy) but subsequently went bankrupt.
During the late 1990s, Point Tupper's strategic location proved useful when the Sable Island
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
natural gas project located a gas liquids processing plant. In the early 2000s, Nova Scotia Power built a large bulk coal terminal. A liquified natural gas terminal was under construction at the southern end of the Point Tupper Industrial Park at Bear Head but this has since been discontinued.