Chris Lowrey
BRISTOL Sept. 28, 2017
The Pontiac Chamber of Commerce received an update from a representative of the Ministry of economy, science and innovation (MESI) on the Pontiac’s economic tactical intervention squad – or the economic SWAT team.
The meeting was meant to keep members of the chamber abreast of the recent developments when it comes to the efforts of the SWAT team.
The mandate of the SWAT team is to identify and contribute to projects that spur economic growth in the region.
The chamber was told by MESI representative and SWAT team liaison Jeffrey MacHan that the first phase of the group’s mandate has been completed.
The group is currently waiting on the completion of a study by the MRC Pontiac which should be finalized within the next couple of weeks.
“The report is supposed to give us an idea on the health of the companies in the Pontiac,” MacHan said. “If you can find the health, you can find the issues.”
MacHan said that 16 projects worth $45 million have been identified by the SWAT team for the Pontiac.
Of those 16 projects, most of them are in the agri-foods sector, which MacHan said is a particular strength of the Pontiac.
“One of the attractive elements of the Pontiac is the agri-food and agriculture business,” MacHan said.
He also said that the SWAT team is looking at getting funds together for “a couple” of projects in the manufacturing sector.
When pressed to go into specifics, MacHan said there was a good reason he couldn’t divulge too much information.
“All members of the SWAT team have signed a confidentiality agreement,” he said.
MacHan said that a confidentiality agreement is essential when it comes to investments of this scale. If potential investors know they can trust members of the SWAT team, they’re more likely to invest, MacHan said.
However, the group is now sitting on its hands waiting for the study by the MRC. MacHan said that he was going to meet with the members of the SWAT team and discuss what the next step should be.
In the meantime, MacHan couldn’t describe what the next phase of the plan would look like, only what his job was going forward.
“My job is to make sure that people who want to invest in the Pontiac get the right information at the right time,” he said. “The whole objective of our file is to eliminate barriers to investment.”
But those in attendance pointed to the fact that, as business owners, they routinely run into government red tape when it comes to business ventures.
Todd Hoffman, owner of Campbell’s Bay Cement, said that his run-ins with the provincial government forced him to take a portion of one of his projects to the Ontario side.
“I want to invest here,” Hoffman added.
MacHan told those in attendance that he would personally take their concerns to the SWAT team and present them to the group.
Asked whether the group has an established framework about how the SWAT team should progress, MacHan said the group doesn’t have a lot of historical precedence to look at.
The only other economic SWAT team created in the province was located in Premier Phillippe Couillard’s riding of Roberval, which MacHan said is a completely different environment than the Pontiac.
