Marystown aquaculture project stuck in red tape, says owner Paul Antle

Last week, Paul Antle was mulling over a bid to become premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This week, he's out of the race and voicing his frustrations with the provincial government bureaucracy.

His aquaculture project in Marystown is stalled again, as he awaits instructionfrom the provincial government on an environmental preview report he will need to submit before he can move ahead.

"The red tape in our bureaucracy right now is mind-blowing," Antle told The St. John's Morning Show."It's almost getting anti-business."

Capital moves around the world all the time and it goes to places where there's less resistance.- Paul Antle

Antle's company, Marystown Marbase Cleanerfish Hatchery, submitted an overarching environmental plan in December. A response from Environment Minister Derrick Bragg was due in January, but the deadline was extended twice.

The decision came down Feb. 17, asking Marbase for more information in a full environmental preview report. The department has 60 days to send Marbasea guidelinefor the report, and Marbase has three years to file a full report.

In an emailed statement, the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment saidbefore any project proceeds, it ensures"they do so in an environmentally acceptable manner."

Antle said he understands the importance of environmental concerns, but said the process is garbled.

"Everything is bogged down.It's dragged out," Antletold TheSt. John's Morning Show."[It takes a] very long time for regulatory processes.Environmental reviews multiple, multiple, multiple times. We have to get back to balance between the environment and the economy."

The proposed project would see the former MarystownShipyard turned into a lumpfish hatchery. The fish would be sold to salmon farms andused to eat sea lice in salmon cages.

The Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment wanted to know more about the impact of the project on wild lumpfish, the company's water treatment and waste management procedures, and a plan to deal with mass mortality.

Antle bought the old shipyard in March2019 for $1 million. Marbase has signed agreements with two unions to create about 60 jobs during construction and 30 jobs whenthe plant is running.

He said he has Norwegian investors who have been waiting patiently for the project to get started.

"Capital moves around the world all the time and it goes to places where there's less resistance," Antlesaid.

Antle said there is no timeline for when the project could be released from the environmental assessment stage and begin putting people to work.

"Trying to figure out what the exact timeline is going to be is like trying to guess the winning numbers of the lottery right now."

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