Page 49 - "Parade of Concern" for Sydney Steel

ISSUE : Issue 58

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/8/1

they were leaving it for nothing. So why could they now sell it, when they didn't even try to sell it. I think that the gov? ernment had that.... And I don't think that there was much money involved.... We had no opposition at all. None in Cape Breton. It wasn't like a management-union fight at all. It was management-union- community against this foreign ownership. So it was easy to mobilize 100% support. So that made it very difficult for the government. You know, the government had to respond. So there was quite an effort of working together to try and find the solution. Without anybody knowing what the solution was. I'm sure they had no idea what they were going to get into. Maybe it was bet? ter that they didn't! (Maybe it would have been better, did you say?) No, I say, not "would have been better," but it's better that they had no idea what was down the road, or they would never have made that decision.... Now, what happened in January of 1990, and everything that happened in between, wasn't the fault of the takeover. Many wrong decisions were made, from '68 until '90. Because what is happening over there (modernization) was recommended long ago. Not necessarily the exact same redevelop? ment that you have today. But a moderniza? tion was recommended way back in the '608. Fr. Hogan, and Harry Weisblatt wrote this paper on the Sydney Steel. And it would have been, I would say, early '60s. And there was no question about--whether they called it, exactly, modernization, I don't know. That might be a more recent term. But that's the implication of it. They were talking about different types of fur- ' L IIX/IIT'n ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS "Serving Cape Breton Over 35 Years" SPECIALIZING IN: • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL • INSTITUTIONAL • RESIDENTIAL • WIRING CONTRACTORS • MAINTENANCE SERVICE • ELECTRIC HEATING SYSTEMS • FREE ESTIMATES nu Heeves t>t. ceo ' i oo SYDNEY, N. S. 00'-11O' FAX 526-1699 Lloyd MacDonald 1 '' 1 iy'm Nl Our 32nd Year 124 KINGS ROAD SYDNEY RIVER Toll Free 1-800-565-9427 20 CAR SHOWROOM 1991 Pathfinder 4x4 NOW IN STOCK • Also Available in 4-Door • naces for the Open Hearth. The old system of Open Hearth and Blast Furnace that we had, they were saying years ago that should have been replaced. There's nothing new in that. And they were very much in favour (of modernization).... You see, Sydney Steel was a fairly strong steel plant, comparatively speaking, dur? ing the war and after the war. Right up until the '50s. And STELCO and Algoma, they just modernized, and kept moderniz? ing. And Sydney stayed still. And the handwriting was on the wall, by people who really knew. "You can't do this forever." Even though we might not have been aware of it. "Now, you either fix up the steel plant or you're going to run it out." And some of these people rec? ognized that, and they were promot? ing the idea of a modernization program, in the late '60s and in the '70s. (So the province took over a plant that needed mod? ernization.) Yes. Absolutely. Yes. (But it did not modernize.) It did not modern? ize. (And some- THE BEAR PAW GIFT & CRAFT SHOP Local Crafts to Tickle Your Fancy • Photographs • Knitting • Painting • Crocheting • Quilts • Weaving & Hooking Imported Items to Test Your Resistance • Beautiful Souvenirs • Attractive Tartans • China and Glassware CENTRAL AVE. INVERNESS PHONE 258-2528 Joe's Warehouse The Food Emporium Cape Breton's Largest and Finest Restaurant Specializing in Aged Prime Cuts of Roast Beef and Stealcs and One of the Most Unique Salad Bars in the Maritimes Live Entertainment Nightly! 424 Charlotte Street 539-6686 539-0408* RESTAURANT LOUNGE D BANQUET FACILITIES AVAILABLE D '9

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