Northgate SK -Soon to be Company town???

[jackspratwhynot]

Sure look like a single non Canadian entity has take next to complete control of 960 acres(or more) of strategic property on the 49th parallell. They are still moving to finish the takeover.
All that will be left will be Corus Land Holding Corp and the friendly CNR rail beds; inland terminal(s); and Corus Land Holding Corp's choosing of companies owned at least 10% by that Corporation. Expect about as much input into any development as has been shown by public involvement in the last 6 months; and the last month when the municicipal council signed the agreement.

No wonder Canada is so attractive to foreign developers. Canadians apparently don't ask to be consulted in any way when someone wants to move in and completely take over.

Here's about all the background that is publically available. Not one news headline; and not one sniff of any detail willingly provided by our local governments. The move to full control has been planned and implemented under controlled circumstances. But it has been facilitated; and the deal is truly done; whatever it is.
The agreement between the RM Enniskillen and Corus Land Holding Corp. has been released and concludes with "the balance of this page is intentionally left blank". The final page is unnumbered and the seal and signature of Corus Land Holding Corp is not affixed; although dated in the hands of the purchaser on Jan. 12/2012.


Apparently the ratepayers will receive $120,000 (or less depending on lots we may not own); but it is for about 60 acres of "townsite" lots. Council will use its best efforts to close all road allowances, strrets and lanes; other than Boundary Street; and convey title.
The RM shall convey clear title to the 60 acres.
Looks to me that the ratepayers sold out for about $2,000 per acre. Private owners are now receiving $5,000 to 30,000 per lot or about $35,000 to $210,000 per acre. That more than a slight difference. Further we are "conveying clear title to the property"; offering up the substantial streets,lanes and road allowances; and "acknowledging that its development plans will require certain future approvals from the RM.


Get that rubber stamp out.

Further consider that there is no way this wholesale tansfer will even pay for the council authorized demolition of five private houses council is demolishing at the ratepayers expense. This refers to a council motion recently passed to clean up five private properties flooded elsewhere in the RM last spring. Little public discussion about that move either.

As for the land previously owned by the municipality in Northgate; if only we new the administrative time costs; land titles searches; legal advice costs; value of "Her Majesties property"; land title transfers on hundreds of lots; council time; document preparations for transfer of hundreds of lots; council expenses associated with this deal; we might be suprised how really cheap we were sold out.
The intent of the development has now been described as " an intention to construct a grain handling facility and possibly other facilities on the Property and on the Purchaser's adjacent lands"
Remember that the Farm Land Security Board was savy enough to at least put some time limits on getting those proposed facilities built. One would have thought it prudent to at least copy the Farm Land Security Board conditions into the RM sale agreement. But not so.
Sure looks to me like the townsite of Northgate was forever transferred into foreign hands with no chance of any part of it ever being returned to any use other than what the non-Canadian entity decides. There are still a few privately held lots; and it is to be hoped that those persons do not rely on the RM sale prices as anywhere close to the actual market value of their property.

[jackspratwhynot]

During exactly that same time frame period; Council decided to "working with residents, Councils identify address particular issues that the Community faces, creates a vision for the future, and implements policy intended to support the community vision". Thats what is known as "An Official Community Plan"; and to complete such a plan a town or Municipality may be quoted $50,000 to $60,000.
Its the working with "residents charade" that makes one wonder if these expenditures; under whelming or overwhelming of the ratepayers; lack of consultation; lack of information; secret decisions; etc. have any part of a serious attempt to represent the desires and needs of the electorate.

[ColevilleH2S]

It looks like council sat down and decided they wanted a larger tax base, more people, more jobs, and more services in the municipality. Kinda hard to fault them for that? Some people call it "The new Saskatchewan". The less, less, less strategy that had been tried for the last fifty years hasn't worked out so well.

Change is sometimes scary at first, but it usually works out for the benefit of all in the end.

[cottonpicken]

Sounds like a man camp to me,that will be fun for
you.

[cottonpicken]

I heard 5000 nationals from yemen,what did you hear
jack?

[riders2010]

Who recieved the big settlements? was it council or relatives?

[parsley]

Yemen? ????????

[cottonpicken]

Out of work haliburton employees.

They new they couldn't put that sort of camp near any
major centre,so they picked the middle of no-where
in the centre of the bakken,with plans to utilize the
railroad to move the crude south to the texas
refineries.

Plus the location allows them to utilize the workers
on both sides of the boarder.And the labour costs will
be pennies on the dollar.

[Braveheart]

Let me echo, Yemen?????? So, take how you feel about non farming investors, Germans, French, English, Yemenis, etc moving in, multiply by 1000 and you might feel how the First Nations felt in the latter 19th century.

[oneoff]

Testing. Testing LIVE FROM THE COUNCIL MEETING. End of test

[oneoff]

30,000 yds of gravel in dispute.

[oneoff]

PDAP is going to pay RM for demolition; after RM pays for contracted demolition.

[BTO_farmall]

Jacksparrownotwhybuthow, So what are theys actually gonna be building here, a Man Camp er What?????? Dirty Oil = Dirty Money = Dirty Rig Pigs, Shoot First, Ask Questions later Sounds like, Aint that The Motto fer Big Business?????

[oneoff]

Shortly after the last message; the reeve baited a ratepayer sitting in the gallery and quietly minding his own business. Apparently council had noticed a laptop being used. In a very accusatory tone; and without any possible proof; the reeve demanded to know if the council proceedings were being recorded. When greeted with silence; a prepared motion was immediately read that forbid smartphones, laptops and cell phones being used (and after the meeting the reeve refused to clarify if laptops etc. are totally banned from open meetings within council chambers) The reeve's answer was to read the council motion. That's somewhat difficult to do since there was an immediate concern that the minutes won't be adopted and available for another month. Also; although council may know what their interpretation of the motion means; it certainly isn't clear to someone in the gallery if they really do mean to have laptops checked outside the chamber doors..
Anyway the laptop was shut down immediately; with the full realization that to do otherwise could and would result in expulsion from council chambers. It became immediately evident that the council decision had been previously made behind fully locked entrance doors; and a council meeting that started a good 15 minutes later than scheduled. No open discussion was needed for that motion.
That was the desired effect; and any transgressor in the future appears to be on the shakiest ground if a laptop, cell phone or smart phone is displayed ; particularly in the gallery.
It should be one thing for council to possibly ask for approval to tape or record or broadcast the actual council proceedings. But to intrude upon taking notes in any convenient form; and disseminating those notes in any possible form desired ( as long as council proceedings are not being interrupted); seems to me to be completely out of order. Council seems to have taken but yet another draconian move.

This is exactly how accountability is circumvented; and how democracy and free speech becomes the sole property of dictators.
The options for dissent are disappearing. Is it a futile effort to bring these matters to a largely apathetic audience? Remember that it is the ratepayers who have sole responsibility for holding a Council to the Municipal Act, the bylaws of the municipality; and the carried council motions that are made within the juridiction of the Municipal Act.
And except for specific exceptions those actions of council are meant to be conducted in open public meetings.

[oneoff]

The ones who have the inside information are not talking, so who can say for sure what is going to happen; let alone what has happened..
No one seems to have protected any options at the local level. Complete control of a strategic location was given to the first bidder. Information was suppressed and delayed; and for unexplained reasons.
What is finally known is that an 11 page document (dated, but unsigned by the purchaser; selling basically the majority a complete townsite to a non-Canadian called Corus Land Holding Corp. It looks like Corus have obviously acquired an understanding that municipal approval will be forthcoming for whatever they decide to allow to be developed.
What can you put on nearly four quarter sections of land? What is the "modus opporandi" of the principles behind the Land Holding company?
The possibilities obviously more than one grain terminal. The possibilities are endless; because the Farm Land Security Board Order; grants basically any facility in which the Land Holding company has a 10% or greater interest (up to 2016).
So it could be someting like a steel mill; or a refinery; gas processing plant; maybe an anhydrous manufacturing plant; rail terminal for loading oil, potash, gravel or, rubble, processing of any of our primary prairie production, WalMart distribution center; any of the above, or none of the above. One of three North-South connections is a huge asset. The rail bed to Lewvan Sask has not been surrendered by the CNR. Milestone and area may well have some of the richest and biggest potash beds in the world. Thats next door to Lewvan. It neds to be exported. The possibilities are endless and our leaders considered we only had a liability on our hands.
Remember; all Sask has done is hand over to a non-Canadian entity a complete townsite; a potential if not actaul rail terminus in Canada; all with zero consultation and explanation of what is in our future.
As for Sask being a have not province; that has not been one of our problems in recent history. Please quit pushing further growth..Is there anything to learn from the Alberta experience with growth?

Would it not be very wise to first catch up to the current run away opportunities throughout just about all of this province.
Sure abandoned and unused lots in Northgate were once looked at as a liability. Tell me if it shouldn't be agreed that in less than the last two months that that analysis should have been tossed out.
And if it turns out that the Land Holding Corp makes business arrangements with other Corporations; we should all be willing to speculate if much more control and influence on stategic long term planning and development might have been possible by tying to several horses; rather than just one.