Post by IAMCAPER on Apr 27, 2005 16:02:56 GMT -4
From the CB Post:
SYDNEY - Feelings ran high and one councillor stormed out of the room Tuesday evening as council discussed how the Cape Breton Regional Municipality dealt with a company’s plans to build a pharmaceutical plant.
Coun. Esmond Marshall stormed out of the room after questioning whether the First Nation communities of Eskasoni, Membertou and Whycocomagh were told the CBRM would sell land to PharmEng Technology Inc. to construct the plant.
“I represent those people too. I didn’t know what was going on here at all,” said Marshall, a Mi’kmaq resident of Eskasoni, who represents District 13 (which also includes Blacketts Lake, Boisdale, Castle Bay, Christmas Island, Frenchvale and Georges River).
Marshall said in an interview later he was also speaking for everyone in the CBRM and was frustrated that councillors didn’t know anything about the sale of the land until Tuesday.
PharmEng Technology Inc. subsidiary, Keata Pharma Inc., announced last December it will build a $12.5-million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and employ 165 people.
During a meeting with CBRM officials just before the council session, the company agreed to pay market value — $100,000 — for five acres of land in the Northside Industrial Park where it plans to start construction of the 35,000-square-foot plant by the end of June.
Several councillors spoke of their concerns and frustrations over reports and rumours the company’s plans were being held up by the CBRM because it refused to sell the land for less than market value.
Mayor John Morgan blamed a report on local Maritime Broadcasting radio stations for leaving that impression. Municipal solicitor Robin Campbell said the company agreed to pay fair market value.
CAO Jerry Ryan told council the CBRM is allowed by one policy to sell surplus land in the industrial park for fair market value without a motion of council and is required by another to sell for fair market value unless the buyer is a not-for-profit organization.
“There was no holdup on our side because we had no request to which we were responding,” said Ryan.
Coun. Wes Stubbert complained about the lack of communication about the project at a time when councillors were being asked about reports it was in jeopardy.
“We had no answers because we didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “I think it would have been incumbent on somebody to inform council because we make the decisions.”
Coun. Vince Hall suggested there were gaps in the story council was given and said councillors heard that there was some “sabre rattling” going on behind the scenes.
A number of councillors met informally earlier Tuesday, to discuss a number of issues including the status of the pharmaceutical plant project.
Coun. Clarence Prince said after that meeting (but before the council meeting where council received an update) it was unfortunate the mayor didn’t attend to clarify the situation.
Stubbert, who was also among the 11 councillors who met at the Civic Centre in the morning, complained the mayor had not been very co-operative because he had been invited to two meetings with councillors.
Morgan responded he didn’t consider those meetings to be legal in-camera council sessions which can only be held to discuss certain matters and with proper notification.
The councillors also planned another meeting Friday to which they invited the mayor but it was unclear how that would be affected by the reassuring news of the company’s offer to buy the land.
SYDNEY - Feelings ran high and one councillor stormed out of the room Tuesday evening as council discussed how the Cape Breton Regional Municipality dealt with a company’s plans to build a pharmaceutical plant.
Coun. Esmond Marshall stormed out of the room after questioning whether the First Nation communities of Eskasoni, Membertou and Whycocomagh were told the CBRM would sell land to PharmEng Technology Inc. to construct the plant.
“I represent those people too. I didn’t know what was going on here at all,” said Marshall, a Mi’kmaq resident of Eskasoni, who represents District 13 (which also includes Blacketts Lake, Boisdale, Castle Bay, Christmas Island, Frenchvale and Georges River).
Marshall said in an interview later he was also speaking for everyone in the CBRM and was frustrated that councillors didn’t know anything about the sale of the land until Tuesday.
PharmEng Technology Inc. subsidiary, Keata Pharma Inc., announced last December it will build a $12.5-million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility and employ 165 people.
During a meeting with CBRM officials just before the council session, the company agreed to pay market value — $100,000 — for five acres of land in the Northside Industrial Park where it plans to start construction of the 35,000-square-foot plant by the end of June.
Several councillors spoke of their concerns and frustrations over reports and rumours the company’s plans were being held up by the CBRM because it refused to sell the land for less than market value.
Mayor John Morgan blamed a report on local Maritime Broadcasting radio stations for leaving that impression. Municipal solicitor Robin Campbell said the company agreed to pay fair market value.
CAO Jerry Ryan told council the CBRM is allowed by one policy to sell surplus land in the industrial park for fair market value without a motion of council and is required by another to sell for fair market value unless the buyer is a not-for-profit organization.
“There was no holdup on our side because we had no request to which we were responding,” said Ryan.
Coun. Wes Stubbert complained about the lack of communication about the project at a time when councillors were being asked about reports it was in jeopardy.
“We had no answers because we didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “I think it would have been incumbent on somebody to inform council because we make the decisions.”
Coun. Vince Hall suggested there were gaps in the story council was given and said councillors heard that there was some “sabre rattling” going on behind the scenes.
A number of councillors met informally earlier Tuesday, to discuss a number of issues including the status of the pharmaceutical plant project.
Coun. Clarence Prince said after that meeting (but before the council meeting where council received an update) it was unfortunate the mayor didn’t attend to clarify the situation.
Stubbert, who was also among the 11 councillors who met at the Civic Centre in the morning, complained the mayor had not been very co-operative because he had been invited to two meetings with councillors.
Morgan responded he didn’t consider those meetings to be legal in-camera council sessions which can only be held to discuss certain matters and with proper notification.
The councillors also planned another meeting Friday to which they invited the mayor but it was unclear how that would be affected by the reassuring news of the company’s offer to buy the land.
