Manufacturer to spend $104M to relaunch Cape Breton gypsum quarry

A Canadian building materials manufacturer is set to restore and reopen a gypsum quarry in Cape Breton.

Canadian Gypsum Company Inc. (CGC), the Canadian division of USG Corporation, is spending $104 million to relaunch the quarry in Little Narrows, N.S., which operated from 1954 to 2016.

"This investment will cement our long-term commitment to the Canadian market and our dedication to providing the best experience for our customers across North America," said Chris Griffin, CEO of USG Corporation, in a Tuesday news release.

“We are deeply connected to Little Narrows and Cape Breton and thrilled to return to drive economic growth and support the local community as a neighbour and partner."

CGC is the largest supplier of raw gypsum in the world — a material used in wallboard products.

The company says the Little Narrows quarry will produce up to 2 million tonnes of raw gypsum per year once it is up and running.

The material is to be shipped by boat to CGC and USG manufacturing locations along North America's eastern seaboard, including Montreal, Que.

“We will be rebuilding our docks, rebuilding our quarry operations, new equipment,” said Griffin in an interview with CTV Atlantic. “We think the plant here will have a life of over 50 years.”

The company expects work on the quarry to take up to three years. Once operational, CGC says it will supply 100 people with mining jobs, like heavy equipment operators, lab technicians, engineers, and more.

Nova Scotia has been supplying the North American gypsum market for more than 250 years, says Allan MacMaster, Nova Scotia Finance and Treasury Board minister.

“There's going to be a lot of money spent here, every year, for years to come,” says MacMaster. “And that's going to support security for other people's work and their jobs for years to come right across the province.”

CGC says the project will include a new dock and ship loader, new crusher and conveyor systems, and new mining equipment, such as drills, loaders, excavators, and haul trucks.

CGC launched in Nova Scotia in 1907 and is now an industry leader in the building materials industry, supplying wall and ceiling products.

It operates three mines, five plants and several distribution and customer service centres across Canada.

The company expects work on the quarry to take up to three years, before everything is renovated, replaced and fully staffed.

 

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore