Those seven million reasons are the public funds that the company accepted in order to get the plant up and running. Their silence is speaking poorly of their management, and leaving workers equally out in the cold.
The prospect of a company using birchwood to make sticks for ice cream bars, tongue depressors and other products in Northwestern Ontario was cause, last May for a celebration.
That only a few months after the plant opened, that is is now closed is a kick in the efforts of all of the people who worked to make a difference opening the facility. Our task isn’t to report on rumours, but there are certainly many swirling around over why the plant closed.
Company President Reggie Nukovic may not wish to talk to media, but the longer he stays silent the less support he will likely find for the help he might need to get Global Sticks going again.
For our provincial government, perhaps the message is a simple one. Lets move past some of the “investment opportunities” for millions of Ontario’s hard pressed tax dollars. If the business model for Global Sticks is sound, it is very likely should it close that another investor will be willing to risk their money to make it work.
Right now what should have been a natural for our area, using white birch, which is an under used wood to make a product, is seeing only silence, and shut doors.
Silence in this case is certainly not golden.
James Murray