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Green light for abattoir
Friday, 29 May 2009 - 2:30pm
It was not a certainty that Loshaw would be making the announcement since the board only received confirmation of funding on Monday.
Construction is set to begin in late June, to be completed by the end of the year.
The contractor, Coldbox Builders from Vaughan, Ont., will be using local sub-contractors as much as possible.
Loshaw noted having local knowledge of the building will be valuable for maintenance or upgrades.
The plant will be provincially-inspected, but could be upgraded to federal standards down the road.
The $2-million, 3,600 sq. ft. “kill and chill” plant, to be located at 26 Byng St. in Emo, will require a manager and two or three part-time workers once it begins slaughtering its anticipated 20 animals per week.
The facility will handle beef, pork, bison, and elk.
Funding assistance for the project comes from FedNor, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.
The local portion to be raised by RRDRAI is $360,000.
Loshaw suggested members encourage their neighbours to become members, which costs $500.
There currently are 108 members with about 900 animal commitments, which cost $100 per head to a ceiling of $2,000.
Producers who are members get a discount, and those who have made animal commitments receive an additional discount as well as priority booking.
It is projected to cost $140 to slaughter a beef.
RRDRAI vice-president Trish Neilson pointed out funding was contingent on sufficient animal commitment numbers.
“Our funding partners went through those numbers pretty thoroughly,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, RRDRAI secretary Bill Darby believes there’s a likelihood there will be larger numbers than those committed.
By Rick Neilson District correspondent
“We’re going to build an abattoir,” Steve Loshaw announced to spontaneous applause last night during the annual meeting of the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. at the Barwick Hall.
“When we first started this four years ago, Geoff Gillon told me that it would be a long, hard process but I never realized it would be that long or that hard,” admitted Loshaw, who is president of the RRDRAI.
Construction is set to begin in late June, to be completed by the end of the year.
The contractor, Coldbox Builders from Vaughan, Ont., will be using local sub-contractors as much as possible.
Loshaw noted having local knowledge of the building will be valuable for maintenance or upgrades.
The plant will be provincially-inspected, but could be upgraded to federal standards down the road.
The $2-million, 3,600 sq. ft. “kill and chill” plant, to be located at 26 Byng St. in Emo, will require a manager and two or three part-time workers once it begins slaughtering its anticipated 20 animals per week.
The facility will handle beef, pork, bison, and elk.
Funding assistance for the project comes from FedNor, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.
The local portion to be raised by RRDRAI is $360,000.
Loshaw suggested members encourage their neighbours to become members, which costs $500.
There currently are 108 members with about 900 animal commitments, which cost $100 per head to a ceiling of $2,000.
Producers who are members get a discount, and those who have made animal commitments receive an additional discount as well as priority booking.
It is projected to cost $140 to slaughter a beef.
RRDRAI vice-president Trish Neilson pointed out funding was contingent on sufficient animal commitment numbers.
“Our funding partners went through those numbers pretty thoroughly,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, RRDRAI secretary Bill Darby believes there’s a likelihood there will be larger numbers than those committed.