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Government should keep their commitment to expropriate Stephenville mill assets October 18, 2006 |
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Eddie Joyce, MHA for the District of Bay of Islands, is calling on Premier
Danny Williams and Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale to keep their
commitment to expropriate the Stephenville mill assets.
"I have spoken with union members in Stephenville who have been approached by outside investors and believe there is a real opportunity for a new industry to open in their region," said Mr. Joyce. "Unfortunately, the interested proponents are not able to gain access to the facilities to determine whether the infrastructure is sufficient for their needs. For a government that claims to be doing all it can to find new operators for the mill, refusing to provide new investors with an opportunity to view the site is certainly unacceptable. "Premier Williams gave his commitment that government would expropriate the mill. In a meeting last September with the union, the premier gave his commitment that expropriation would certainly take place to protect the assets. Minister Dunderdale stated that the mill wouldn’t be expropriated because there was no potential operator. Now that a new potential investor has been presented, she should keep her commitment. As the premier always says, a commitment is a commitment. I guess keeping commitments only applies when other people besides themselves give the commitment. It now appears that this was political rhetoric and government had no intention of ever moving forward with an expropriation plan that would help the people of the Bay St. George region. "I have also seen the comments made by Stephenville mayor Tom O’Brien who believes expropriation is not the best course of action because it is a long process. I am surprised with these comments because expropriation can be done in a fairly short timeframe. If he is not aware of the process, he should make himself aware of the process. I suggest Mayor O’Brien familiarize himself with the Expropriation Act, and I would be willing to forward a copy to his office. "The union feels this new potential investor would offer a real opportunity to the people of Stephenville. Why government would refuse to help secure the facility, or even provide an opportunity for these investors to view the facility, contradicts everything this government has said about their commitment to securing a long-term future for the Bay St. George region."
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