Expert shortage halts Marystown bid: company
The owner of a southern Newfoundland shipyard says a shortage of professionals has forced it to cancel its bid for a $35-billion federal government contract.
Marystown's Kiewit Offshore Services had been in the running for unspecified work as part of multi-billion dollar overhaul of Canadian maritime infrastructure.
On Monday, the company announced it would be cancelling the bid, saying that after having won major contracts in other provinces there weren't enough key people left available for this project.
"The core Kiewit management and engineering folks that we would need for that proposal development just weren't plentiful enough to carry us through the process," said company spokesman Kent Grisham.
Grisham said while it was a difficult decision to make, the company isn't turning its back on the Marystown shipyard.
"We are not giving up on Marystown. We're not giving up on the yard. That is not the message to be received from this," said Grisham.
Meanwhile, Marystown Mayor Sam Sinyard said the decision is frustrating and disappointing. He said the company, the province and the region let the contract slip through their fingers.
"So, I guess the core nucleus of the shipyard workers are going to do what thousands of other people on the Burin Peninsula are currently doing and that's going to places in Alberta to work primarily. The biggest employer, of course, on the Burin Peninsula is Alberta tarsands by far," said Sinyard. "We have so many people working in Alberta it's almost mind-boggling that there's so many out there."
Province should step in, opposition says
The province's opposition parties also said government is letting the company off the hook.
"I know those proposals take a lot of work. Well, then hire the people to do it. Keiwit is a large company. They're making money right now. Well, put money into putting the proposals in," said NDP Leader Lorraine Michael.
Opposition and Liberal Leader Yvonne Jones said the province should have done more to support Kiewit's bid.
"That's what governments do. They support business. They bring new opportunities into the province. They create jobs. Sometimes that's done directly. Sometimes that's done indirectly. Sometimes it's done as a partnership," said Jones.