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Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Cape Breton Post

Deadline coming up fast for Cape Breton Casting buyer

Section: Business

Less than three weeks remain for Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. to find a buyer for a troubled automotive die-cast plant.

The Cape Breton Growth Fund sunk more than $25 million to get the Northside plant up and running before taking over the Cape Breton Casting plant.

ECBC spokesman D.A. Landry said consultants Ernst & Young, the agent hired to find a buyer, "has a number of expressions of interest and is working toward the July 1 deadline."

They are now evaluating those expressions of interest, meeting with the prospective buyers, with a view to making a recommendation to ECBC before the deadline, he said.

The Cape Breton Growth Fund lost its quorum on the board of directors in January and its duties were assumed by ECBC.

The formalizing of that process to reconstitute the growth fund board to be fully functional is now underway, Landry said.

The plant is operating with a staff of 64, making die-cast parts for its single customer, automotive giant Magna International.

New client found for former EDS building: sources

Section: Front

An announcement of a new client for the former EDS call centre building here is expected to come Friday, sources tell the Cape Breton Post.

A spokesperson for Nova Scotia Business Inc., the provincial government agency that has been leading the effort to find a new operator for the centre, said Tuesday she could not confirm or deny that an announcement would take place Friday morning, but indicated that word was expected very soon.

Premier Rodney MacDonald is expected to be on hand for the event.

The effort to find a new client has been underway for a number of months, since EDS Canada said earlier this year it would shut down its operation in the Strait area, focusing on its business in other regions.

Local business officials have urged former call centre workers to be patient and remain in the area, hopeful that a new operator would be found.

Ground broken for Alzheimer's unit

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins, Cape Breton Post

People suffering from Alzheimer's disease will soon have their own private rooms and living areas in an expanded Northside Community Guest Home.

Provincial Health Minister Chris d'Entremont and Cape Breton North MLA Cecil Clarke attended the official sod-turning Tuesday, along with board members and guest home staff. Also in attendance were Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor John Morgan, Deputy Mayor Gordon MacLeod and councillors Wes Stubbert and Clarence Prince, who also serve as board members.

Along with the new 15-bed Alzheimer unit, the home will also see major renovations to the kitchen and lounge areas and new treatment rooms where medical professionals can meet with their patients. Changes will include a new staff room, offices, hairdressing shop and canteen.

"Nothing pleases me more than seeing happy seniors living in places that they can call home and where they can be comfortable," said d'Entremont. "It's my personal commitment as minister of health and that of our government to make sure we have the correct number of beds across the province; to ensure seniors are getting the care they so well deserve."

The minister noted that government can build buildings, but it wouldn't work without a dedicated staff and the work they do each day to provide quality care for seniors.

Cape Breton North MLA Cecil Clarke commended the board and staff for recognizing the needs and special circumstances of those people who are experiencing Alzheimer's disease.

"They knew the level of care and environment required was different and the board and staff worked tirelessly through various cycles and cleared every hurdle with success," Clarke said. "This is about turning the sod for this new unit, but also for work put into the application for additional beds that were awarded to this home."

Clarke added that when government was ready to move forward with a large number of beds, the guest home was able to receive those beds through the hard work of staff, management and the board.

"Without people, the rest is walls and infrastructure."

Guest home administrator Joanne MacNeil said the next 10 months will have its share of challenges as the home endeavours to expand and improve and at the same time care for the 90 residents in its charge.

"This is a dream come true for us," MacNeil said. "We've studied the needs of Alzheimer's residents. Contractors and architects have helped us with our proposal. It's a great day because now our Alzheimer's patients will be in a facility that best meets their needs."

Initially, there was some concern about noise levels, but a week into construction, MacNeil said the residents seem to be enjoying watching the work progress.

"We plan to keep the residents busy over the summer and offer more day trips. We'll take it day by day; the support from everyone concerned has been terrific."

Patsy LeBlanc, co-ordinator community initiatives (Cape Breton) with the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, said safety and security are important in the care of those people with Alzheimer's.

"A lot of people with Alzheimer's disease tend to roam. This type of unit will ensure the safety of people who live there," she said. "Because of the unit's circular system, you don't walk to the end of a hallway and not know where you are, you will end up back at your room."

The unit will have additional staff with expertise in Alzheimer's disease.

"Families will feel their loved ones are in a safe, comfortable environment."

Remediation underway at former Princess mine site

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins, Cape Breton Post

Tenders will go out this month for remediation of the washplant area of the former Princess mine site.

Work on the 11-hectare site is expected to begin in early July, part of Devco's remediation of the Sydney coalfield.

Richard Crowe, client service director with Public Works and Government Services Canada, said the work will include grading, bringing in new soil, hydroseeding areas that don't have vegetation and development of walking trails.

The site will be remediated to light industrial and recreational use.

"We divided the property into two sections, the area south of Ocean Street, which is referred to as the washplant site, and about 40 hectares northeast of Ocean Street which is referred to as the waste rock area."

Later in the summer, work will begin on the waste rock area to address drainage issues. The work will include ditching and grading work and is expected to take about two years to complete.

"That's probably as much as will get done this construction season on the waste rock area," he said. "We'll return the following year to put in walking trails, cap the site, do some hydroseeding and plant some trees."

Devco owns approximately 600 properties covering about 1,000 square kilometres in 35 different communities within Cape Breton. These range from urban lots, forest fields, wetlands and ponds to ocean frontage.

When Devco ceased operation, it turned to Public Works, a federal department with experience in environmental clean ups and project management.

"We still have major projects to do and the one on our radar at present is Princess mine site," Crowe said. "We've had a number of open houses in Sydney Mines to explain the progress and answer any questions. We take it in stages, easing ourselves into the work so there aren't any surprises for the residents living close by."

Once the work is complete on these two sites, Public Works will move on to nearby Edward's Pond.

"We will be able to observe the effects of the ground water to determine the best way to manage Edward's Pond."

Public Works spent the past year on the Princess mine site taking samples and trying to determine the environmental condition of the property.

The goal of the remediation program is to leave former mining sites in a stable, safe condition and return it to its former land use or an acceptable alternative.

Crowe said one of the key things Devco wants to do is leave a positive legacy for future generations.

"Devco is serious in their efforts to have these concerns addressed," he said. "We've been at this now for about five or six years and have about 50 per cent of the work completed," he said.

The majority of the demolition work is done and the majority of sites have been assessed to determine their environmental condition.