You can't believe everything you read, well unless you read it here (JUST kidding people, calm down)!!
I got an email this morning, however, which makes this statement ring true.
You may recall in last week's Orangeville Citizen there was an article by Wes the Crypt Keeper Keller with the head line: County Council asked to consider rail/trail option.
In that article was the statement: "And, in the meantime, Shelburne is in competition with Fort Erie for a prospective new manufacturer for its industrial park, and the availability of rail transport is one of the factors under consideration. At Shelburne, the Economic Development Committee has noted that Greensafe Demanufacturing is “looking to open a site in Ontario. Fort Erie is currently trying to obtain the industry to their town. Several issues are in need of review for this client: rail, grant assistance, labour force and land costs,” notes the EDC."
Click here for entire article: http://www.citizen.on.ca/news/2010-07-08/Front_Page/County_Council_asked_to_consider_railtrail_option.html
Wow, I am sure the County is going to jump all over that, saying things like look at the economic benefits for reinstalling the rail line all you naysayers (and I am paraphrasing here Mayor Adams, controller of the County votes, not putting words in your mouth).
Now I do not believe for a minute that Wes made that up: I am sure the EDC told him this. But a good reporter would have checked the sources.
When a private citizen contacted this company about considering Shelburne as a site, here is what they said: "We are looking at a number of sites in Ontario to support the “green technology”. We have tentatively looked at areas near Fort Erie, North Bay, Prescott, Sarnia and Amherstberg."
I do NOT see a Shelburne mentioned in that statement.
In a subsequent email this company provided this information: "Apparently, a Brampton area manufacturer of conveyor systems had contacted our General Manager to see if they could do some business. It is believed that the person in Brampton made some representation to the economic development officials in Shelburne."
So two lessons. Check your facts if you are reporting for a newspaper and if you are the Shelburne EDC you should be a little more circumspect about making statements like this and check your sources FIRST.
And just as a side note, Greensafe Demanufacturing has connections to eastern Canada, just like our good friends Highland Companies.....hm.....
As GreenSafe's President, I can acknowledge that we have received a formal background package from the town of Shelburne. It is very comprehensive.
ReplyDeleteI do know the Town of Shelburne and the Orangeville area quite well having driven down many of its roads and stayed in local cottages and resorts.
No representations have been made by the County or Town regarding the availability of future rail service to Shelburne to any GreenSafe official.
GreenSafe will not take the train to Orangeville then truck to Shelburne as this does not make economic or environmental sense.
We have not been approached by the Highland group. We do not have any information on that company, its owners or management.
If rail is being considered by the county, town or Highland, GreenSafe would be open to meaningful discussions. GreenSafe proudly supports rail and at one potential site would formally execute volume commitments to a shortline operator who would have needed to invest $ 60 million to relay a previously abandoned branchline.
At any given time, GreenSafe is looking at upwards of half a dozen small town sites. In our response to an inquiry by a local resident, we mentioned the sites that had active rail. This does not mean that Shelburne is out of the running but we do need rail.
Good to know that you aren't associated with the Highland Companies, but who you should be writing to in order to clear up this shoddy reporting by the Orangeville Citizen/Shelburne Free Press and loose lips at the Shelburne EDC is the Orangeville Citizen/Shelburne Free Press-direct your comments to the owners, NOT the reporter and the Shelburne EDC from whence the comments originated, according to the reporter.
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