Port Elgin, Ont., is a quiet seaside city on the shores of Lake Huron, house to about 8,000 individuals. However in his defence through the SNC-Lavalin affair, the prime minister has named the city at the least thrice.
“When we’re looking at potential job losses right across the country from Corner Brook to Port Elgin, Ont., to Saskatoon and Regina to Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie, Alta., and Fort McMurray, we are seeing good jobs right across the country that could be at risk,” Justin Trudeau advised reporters in Iqaluit on March 8.
He named Port Elgin in an identical context in Montreal on Feb. 28 and Charlottetown on March 4.
WATCH: Trudeau’s response to SNC-Lavalin has modified virtually on every day foundation: Scheer says jobs argument is discredited
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Trudeau’s response to SNC-Lavalin has modified virtually on every day foundation: Scheer says jobs argument is discredited
Of all these communities, Port Elgin is the tiniest. So Ontario Chronicle headed to Port Elgin to see in the event that they’re fearful about job losses — and because it seems, the scenario is simply the other.
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“I think Port Elgin’s booming!” stated resident Linda Barfoot.
“We’re in a protected bubble here,” stated one other resident who stopped to observe the Ontario Chronicle video of Trudeau mentioning her city time and again.
That bubble refers to Bruce Energy. Twenty minutes down the highway from Port Elgin in Tiverton, it provides a 3rd of the province’s power and employs 4,000 individuals full-time. It’s additionally on the cusp of a $13-billion refurbishment mission to increase the lifetime of six of the eight nuclear reactors.
Twenty minutes south of Port Elgin in Tiverton, Ont., the Bruce Energy plant is a serious employer within the space.
Abigail Bimman / Ontario Chronicle
“There aren’t potential job losses at Bruce Power — in fact, there’s a lot of job creation,” stated Elizabeth Arnold, who’s lived on the town for practically 40 years. Her husband, she says, used to work for Bruce Energy.
“There’s a huge influx of workers for the next two or three years so I’m not sure what [Trudeau’s] talking about when he says Port Elgin, except that it’s a town in Ontario,” stated Arnold.
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Native politicians inform Ontario Chronicle the so-called growth means new subdivisions are being constructed, faculties are filling up and the problem is getting sufficient staff to fill positions.
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“We’re the fastest-growing community in our region here on Lake Huron and we’ve been ranked one of the best places to live in Canada,” stated Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau.
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However there’s an SNC-Lavalin connection to Port Elgin. It’s house to one in all greater than 130 workplaces throughout the nation, including as much as about 9,000 staff whole. SNC-Lavalin tells Ontario Chronicle it received’t disclose how many individuals work in every place.
In Port Elgin, the workplace occupies a single unit in a small strip mall. On the Thursday afternoon when Ontario Chronicle stopped by, there have been only a few automobiles in entrance.
And Conservative Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb’s constituency workplace sits proper throughout the road.
“The massive job losses the prime minister is predicting is right over my shoulder,” stated Lobb. “It’s 10 or 12 people.”
“I think he has it wrong. SNC-Lavalin’s nuclear division is a tremendous business, they’re adding jobs.”
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SNC Lavalin is a part of the Main Element Alternative (MCR) mission at Bruce Energy. SNC has a 40 per cent stake within the Shoreline Energy Group Consortium, together with AECOM and Aecon. Shoreline has a $475-million contract for a key a part of the MCR, scheduled to start in January 2020.
In a press launch from June 2018, Bruce Energy says the general MCR will “create and sustain an average of 825 jobs annually” over the subsequent 15 years.
WATCH: (March 22) Trudeau explains SNC Lavalin determination was made due to jobs
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Trudeau explains SNC Lavalin determination was made due to jobs
Neither Bruce Energy nor SNC-Lavalin would speak to Ontario Chronicle about whether or not there’s any risk to the broader class of nuclear jobs. SNC wouldn’t give particulars about any employment numbers for particular initiatives and wouldn’t affirm whether or not beforehand launched job numbers in information releases are nonetheless correct right this moment.
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Lobb is assured that in a worst-case state of affairs for SNC, if they’re forbidden to bid on authorities contracts for 10 years, nuclear jobs are protected as a result of this isn’t a authorities mission.
“It’s a business-to-business transaction between SNC Lavalin nuclear and Bruce Power, and regardless of the outcome, it will have no impact on their nuclear division,” stated Lobb.
The neighborhood’s mayor, nevertheless, is much less sure about SNC’s future in Port Elgin.
“I don’t have a crystal ball and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future with SNC-Lavalin, and obviously, that’s a big national issue,” stated Charbonneau.
“What we do know locally is that SNC-Lavalin is planning an expansion. They’re looking at adding some additional floor space to the office they currently have, they’re looking at going up to as many as 75 engineers here in Port Elgin.”
Kurt Brownridge / Ontario Chronicle
Mayor Luke Charbonneau tells Ontario Chronicle whereas he’s involved about potential job losses linked to the SNC Lavalin affair, he has numerous confidence in Port Elgin’s booming economic system.“While I’m concerned for those folks who have jobs in our community, who I’d like to continue to have those jobs, I also have a lot of confidence in our local economy in the nuclear sector, in Bruce Power, and I feel good that our success is going to continue and that SNC can come along with that,” Charbonneau stated.
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: SNC-Lavalin did warn federal prosecutors of job losses, potential transfer to U.S., paperwork say
The Prime Minister’s Workplace tells Ontario Chronicle Trudeau was merely mentioning locations throughout the nation the place SNC-Lavalin has staff, and the feedback weren’t associated to nuclear trade.
Port Elginite Elizabeth Arnold had her personal thought about why her city was talked about by the prime minister: she thinks he simply wished to choose an Ontario city.
“I didn’t even know there was an SNC office here,” stated the practically 40-year native.
“It could have been any town, but I think if he picked Toronto, which is a huge city, people are not very sympathetic to hearing what’s happening in Toronto — sorry,” Arnold smiles.
“Port Elgin is your average quasi-rural community.”
