HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-12-28, Page 5ar-Star • Wednesday, December 28, 2011
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NUFACTURING AND INDUSTRY
'O1 1 %vas speculated to be the
1 the lilvestor'.:for Huron Coun-
overing manufacturing sector,
ing to a January news iter:
r being hard hit with closures
losses in 2009, Huron County's
acturing economy blade many
uwa rd recovery in 2010.
u mit Development Officer Mike
said with its Low-cost industrial
id rebounding workforce, Huron
v is of increasing interest to
I los looking to expand their man -
ring businesses.
'vc experienced a steady flow of
ie', from companies wanting to
to Huron County," he said. "vie
tonistic we'll see some exciting
vestment nt in the county this year,
tuilc1 result in some job
61-�
iring the 2011 Mayor's Lunch,
as wine and cheese in the air as
outlined an ongoing push to
viticulture into the economy,
orating wine and cheeses aseti-
sirtess for Huron farmers. Test -
i ttiasibility measures started in
t icated that the area's soil and
r•tturewere anice fit for the pro-
r ► for 'old-world grapes.'
business breeds big news, as
►k numerous headlines in 2011.
r,ary, the Sifto Salt Mine had
fd its workforce to a full 385
ees after recall notices were
f )llowring a round of layoffs in
r, finers were served another blow
ti of 2011 when Sifto issued a
of lay-off notices just weeks.
IIployees were recalled..At the
he company said 63 employees
t tected doe to the main plant's
1 maintenance- period, but the
try layoffs were expected to last
l ) uple'of weeks.
Sifto Canada Corp., operator
►derich salt mine, was fined
►o for a violation of the Occupa
i Iealth and Safety Act after a
was killed in 2009.
It mine was severely damaged
the August 21 tornado and was
r point of impact. Several stor-
rnes along the north pier were
t d.
t t l ree weeks following the storm,
ighters had been loaded and
I front the damaged salt mine,
ployment numbers were on the
rise. By the*_end of September, 400 of
the 460 workforce were back on the job,
and the company had moved in a port-
able loading conveyor system. The
evaporator plant was also hit hard in
the weather event, and by September's
end 45 of the plant`s 89 employees were
at work readying the facility for
resumed production.
By December, Sifto was ready to step-
up production to meet weather
demands, and issued a recall to the
remaining employees who had been
laid off since the storm, and added an
additional shift of new workers.
After years of planning the Cana-
dian Coast ward took a leap forward
in 2011 to a new Searcha nd Rescue
base at the Goderich Harbour. The
of
Government Canada put out a ten-
der for construction June 17. The new
building will provide residence for four
Canadian Coast Guard employees as
well as base of operations, workshop
and communications tower. The cost of
the project was estimated at between
one and five million dollars for the
24 -week tender.
P. But one (Attie biggest news items to
pull into the Port of Goderich was the
Port itself.
It is a far cry from the $1,60.0 first paid
by Samuel Platt in 1866, but the $47
million dollar expansion of the
Goderich Harbour became a reality
thanks to a public/private partnership
between Sifto Salt, the Goderich Port
Management Corporation and the Pro-
vincial government.
It's been 13 years since the acquisition
of Goderich Harbour from the federal
government. In making the announce-
ment June 30, then Huron -Bruce MPP
Carol Mitchell thanked the tireless.
efforts of GPMC President Al Hamilton,
then Mine. Manager Rowland *Howe,
Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt and
CAO Larry McCabe.
All told, six new hectares (1 5 acres) of
land will be created off the north har-
bour, as well as two new loading termi-
nals and improvements to other infra-
structure, including break walls and
some work on North Harbour Road.
The increased capacity will allow for
the agriculture, mining and aggregate
businesses to ship more by sea, and
will create more than 500 construction
jobs, and 150 additional local Jobs.
In July, the town took, the next step in
formalizing an agreement and financ-
ing schedule between itself,
Sifto Canada Corp. and Goderich Port
Management Corporation that outlines
financing details. Council passed a
bylaw at its meeting July 11 to author-
ize a memorandum of understanding
between the parties. The bylaw indi-
cates that provincial funding through
the Ministry ofTransportatlon will total
$15.7 million while Sifto Corp. will pro-
vide the balance of the funds for the
project through increased user fees.
On completion, the new, land willbe
owned by the town and subject to the
terms of its Operations, Management
and Maintenance Agreement of 1999.
The land will provide increased storage
area and additional berthage for ships.
By the tail end of November, the expan-
sion project entered into•the environ-
mental assessment phase: At that time,
the target completion date for the
phase was set at December 2012.
.:
Harbour news kept a steady pace
this, year and in late July, it was
announced the Port of Goderich would
welcome its first leisure cruise stopover
in two years. The 184' Grande Mariner
ushered more than 50 passengers onto
(,Toderich's shores July 19, most en
route to the Shakespeare Festival in
Stratford. No *natter where cruisers
spent their time on shore, Tourism
Manager Bob Marshall said the visit
was a boon to the community.
► Farther inland, a popular stop on
the map was snatched by a new owner
in 2011.
On May 11, First Canadian Manage-
ment Corp took possession of the Ben -
miller Inn. The Vancouver -based com-
pany got straight to work a series of
improvements,
large and small-scale
8
said Inkeeper Kevin Reid, :which
included new roofing and suite
.upgrades. Though interior work was
started soon after acquisition, roofing
projects were scheduled to begin at the
end of the; 2012 summer season.
By the end of September, Sky Harbour
Aircraft Ltd. suspended operations due
to "lack of wotk," according to one
long-term employee. The source said
about 50 workers had been laid off dur-
ing an announcement made Sept. 20.
Although it was rumoured to be a "tem-
porary shut down while the company
sourced more work, representatives
were not available for comment.
It business gets lift from storms, storagein atnralle v imProve
Sykes
winter *tomos wreaked haver
r+d the. Great Lakl't► region
gh die.. early part of December
-lSyo-'�';,t'=^
it translated into increased lake
freighter u affic to Goderich t {arbour
to move mad salt
snowstorms help While
salt stockpiles that are built up
around the Great Lakes region over
Peverel manOs�illtonthe
investznent
tion of the s
ments to the skipping system that
CONTINuto > PAOE 2
IP2rdiot„.
Star
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Economic recovery slow but steady for Huron naiiiialciurers
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