#Did You Know

1. #Did_you_know? The construction of the #Sydney Steel Plant began in 1899 2. #Did_you_know? The DISCO Steel Plant was the largest in North America 3. #Did_you_know? By 1912 the Disco Steel Plant was producing nearly half of Canada’s steel 4. #Did_you_know? Over 300 steel workers died at the #Sydney Steel Plant. 160 of those deaths were only between the years 1900 and 1920 5. #Did_you_know? People from #Newfoundland were encouraged to jump on the iron ore ship leaving bell Island to come work in the steel plant. Because Newfoundland had not yet become part of Canada these Newfoundlanders were illegal immigrants 6. #Did_you_know? In 1930 Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation bought the steel plant. It went from DISCO to DOSCO 7. #Did_you_know? During The Second World War the DOSCO Steel Plant in #Sydney produced the plate steel to build up Canada’s Merchant Navy. The ships were named after the national parks of Canada 8. #Did_you_know? Four DOSCO ships were sunk by German U-boats during World War 2. Read more: http://sydneysteelmuseum.com/history/sinking.htm 9. #Did_you_know? After the war ended Canada sold off its Merchant Navy ships. As a token of appreciation, the government sold DOSCO three of the National Parks ships at a price of one dollar a piece! 10. #Did_you_know? That Queen Elizabeth visited the Sydney Steel Plant when she was still the princess back in 1951 11. #Did_you_know? The Steel Plant was bought by the Hawker-Siddley group in 1957 12. #Did_you_know? After only ten years of operation in 1967 the Hawker-Siddley group announces that they plan to close the Steel Plant. The Community was astounded and there was a public outcry that today is referred to as Black Friday, read more: http://sydneysteelmuseum.com/history/blackfriday.htm 13. #Did_you_know? In 1968 the Government of Canada bought the Steel Plant and started The Sydney Steel Corporation or Sysco as many call it. This was a crown corporation. 14. #Did_you_know? The Canadian Government also bought the Coke Ovens sight and started the Cape Breton Development Corporation, also known as Devco, in 1968 15. #Did_you_know? That on December 28th 1969 the Steel Plant produces its one millionth ton of steel ingot! An all time high for yearly production! 16. #Did_you_know? This is what steel ingot looks like http://sydneysteelmuseum.com/gallery/his_pic27.htm 17. #Did_you_know? In 1971 coke production reached record levels and Devco builds a tar cell to hold 25 000 tons of unmarketable by-products 18. #Did_you_know? Sysco took over the coke ovens from Devco in 1973. 19. #Did_you_know? They almost replaced the Steel Plant in Sydney with a new one in Garbus. This proposal fell through in 1976 20. #Did_you_know? In 1980 the Department of Fisheries conducts surveys in Sydney Harbor and finds high levels of PCB, mercury, lead and PAHs in the harbors lobster 21. #Did_you_know? In 1982 the south arm of Sydney Harbor is closed to lobster fisheries indefinitely. 22. #Did_you_know? In 1986 Canada and Nova Scotia sign a $34.2 million contract to dredge the tar pond sediment and have it pumped through a mile long pipe line to an incinerator and powerplant. 23. #Did_you_know? In 1988 Sysco closes the coke ovens then in 1990 Sysco closes the open hearth furnaces and converts to electric arc furnaces http://sydneysteelmuseum.com/gallery/steel_making_pic22.htm 24. #Did_you_know? The incinerator is commissioned in 1994 but there were problems with the pipeline that prevent it from going into operation. So this solution to deal with contaminated sediment never comes to fruition. 25. #Did_you_know? In 1996 the province proposed that the tar ponds be buried with slag from the steel plant. 26. #Did_you_know? In 1996 federal and provincial ministers meet to discuss a community- based process to find acceptable solutions to the tar pond problem and the Joint Action Group is formed. It consists of members of municipal government and members of the Sydney community. 27. #Did_you_know? The cost-share agreement signed by the CBRM, Nova Scotia and Ottawa was for $62 million to fund scientific studies, surface cleanup and activities carried out by the Joint Action Group. It was signed in 1999 28. #Did_you_know? The province closes the steel plant in 2001 http://sydneysteelmuseum.com/history/end_era.htm 29. #Did_you_know? The open hearth furnace stacks were demolished in August in 2001. See it for yourself http://www.sysco.ns.ca/video/video_stacks1.htm 30. #Did_you_know? In February 2002 the No. 3 and No. 7 furnace and stoves were demolished. Check this out http://www.sysco.ns.ca/video/blast_furnace.htm 31. Did_you_know? In August 2003 trucks started to take the toxic sludge from the abandoned DOMTAR tanks to an incinerator in Ville Mercier Quebec. !000 tons are moved in two months! 32. Did_you_know? After seven years the Joint Action Group, having filled its mandate, packs up. They are to be replaced by a 15 member Community Liaison Committee. 33. Did_you_know? In February 2004 Ottawa proposed that Nova Scotia pay half of the clean-up bill which could top $400 million. Premier John Hamm says that the province can only afford to cover 30% 34. Did_you_know? In May of 2004 the Province of Nova Scotia and the Federal Government reached a deal on the $400 million remediation project. 35. Did_you_know? The 7 volume, 3000 page Environmental Impact Statement on the cleanup plan was submitted by the province of Nova Scotia in Dec 2005 36. Did_you_know? Three weeks of public hearings were held in review of the Environmental Impact Statement 37. #Did_you_know? That in January 2007 the Federal and Provincial government give Agency the approval to begin the clean up! 38. What does the future hold in store for #Sydney and the tar ponds and coke ovens site #futureuse 39. The tar ponds already look so different from before. Imagine what they will look like in a couple years #futueruse