Within a few short weeks, the question won’t be “speculative” anymore, and Nova Scotia’s Liberal government will have to fish or cut wood. Northern Pulp’s new effluent treatment plan – replacing Boat Harbour which, by law, is scheduled to shut down at the end of January – is winding its way through the provincial environmental assessment process.  We’ll know on or before Dec. 13 whether it meets the province’s environmental standards, but the smart money says the mill will get the necessary approval to proceed. …Northern Pulp’s plan to treat the mill’s effluent on site and then pipe the wastewater into the Northumberland Strait doesn’t sit well with fisherfolk…The province’s forestry sector says the mill’s closure would wreak havoc across their entire industry… The provincial government is on the horns of a dilemma. …The government’s reluctance to answer the critical questions about the mill’s future is understandable, but the time is rapidly approaching when those questions will no longer be avoidable. [Full story only available for Cape Breton Post subscribers]