It’s been no secret that the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) has been having a difficult time selling parcels of land. The inland port’s annual report, released July 27, shows that $10 million in land sales were expected last fiscal year. No land was sold.
Brightenview, which owns 10 acres of land at the GTH, leased an additional 10 acres at a cost of $231,000. That land will be used to build a sales and administrative office near a trade complex.
The GTH has long been under the microscope of the opposition NDP. This includes a series of land transactions that led to an RCMP investigation. Last week, the RCMP announced there will be no criminal charges filed.
GTH critic Cathy Sproule said bad management of taxpayer dollars continue.
“This is a spectacular example of over-promising and under-delivering for the taxpayers,” Sproule said.
“I can list over $150 million dollars in costs we have all paid as taxpayers to get that thing off the ground. Now with another $40 million in debt that the government may walk away from and cause the taxpayers to pay, that’s getting close to $200 million taxpayers dollars and for what?”
Currently there are around 1,000 jobs at the GTH. Grocery-giant Loblaws is one of the biggest operators on the site.
Primarily driven by a lack of land sales, the GTH closed the fiscal year with a $40 million deficit, off from the 2018 budget deficit projection of $34 million.
While speaking to the lack of charges in the RCMP investigation, Minister responsible for the GTH Don Morgan announced the provincial government will look at divesting itself from the inland port.
On Monday, he acknowledged debt at the GTH will likely hinder these plans.
“There certainly is a concern, because it makes it more difficult sell and wash out of it,” Morgan said.
Morgan added now that the RCMP investigation is complete he is hopeful land sales can resume at the GTH.
“That removes a cloud. A lot of people that were potential buyers may have been holding back, saying we don’t want to proceed with anything at this point in time, so where we’re at right now is that’s gone and we want to move ahead as quickly as we can,” Morgan said.
There are currently no land sale revenue projections for this fiscal year. The report does show optimism about the upcoming completion of the Regina Bypass in October 2019 as opening up more business opportunities.
The report also indicates the GTH has signed one of the founding members of Protein Industries Canada (PIC). That’s one of four consortiums to receive a share of $950 million in federal supercluster funding.
According to the report, the GTH is working with PIC leaders on developing logistic and processing capabilities to help advance and add value to western Canadian crop production.
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