Day one at the coal pier
Savage CANAC Corp. kicks off contract for operation of coal pier, related rail operations
Monday marked the first day on the International Coal Pier in Sydney for Savage
CANAC Corp.
“Today is all about orientation,” said
Grant Beattie, general manager for the
Eastern Region.
“We have a guy coming in today (Monday) who’s going to do a day-and-a-half of safety and orientation.”
Savage CANAC Corp. — a subsidiary of Savage Companies — was awarded the contract for management of the International Coal Pier and Nova Scotia Power’s associated rail operations.
Beattie said they have three basic work groups and, on Monday, it was all about getting those groups together to get to know each other.
“We have a bit of a meld of old and new. We have experienced people here and people from other companies and industries. Now they’re all mixed in together, they’re going to share what they know and do some site orientation and get ready.”
Beattie said they have their first vessel coming in two days.
“We get to unload a ship pretty soon. That’s pretty exciting for us, especially for the new ones.”
Savage might be a new face on the International Coal Pier but they’re far from newbies to the island.
Jeff Hymas, communications director with Savage Services, said their company is well established on the island, providing Cape Breton jobs for 13 years.
“Savage CANAC Corp. has worked with Nova Scotia Power since 2005, providing operations at the Point Tupper Marine Terminal,” he said.
“Our Point Tupper operation involves receiving and unloading fuel for power plants from marine vessels and loading it into railcars for Nova Scotia Power.”
Hymas said the work is very similar to what they’ll be doing at the International Coal Pier and Sydney Coal Railway operation.
“We’re excited to be expanding our operations with Nova Scotia Power and hiring more people.”
In a story in the Cape Breton Post Saturday, representatives with the United Mine Workers of America and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers were upset over the awarding of the contract, saying Logistec Corp. had previously delivered the coal to NSP for 18 years, adding that only a few of the former contractor’s employees were hired by Savage, which they said is a American-based company.
Savage officials say they have
more than 4,000 team members in over 250 locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Hymas said they’ve worked in Canada for many years and currently have operations or facilities in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“Our company president and
CEO, Kirk Aubry, is originally from Windsor, Ontario.“
Hymas said they don’t publicly discuss workforce numbers for specific locations and are careful about preserving the privacy of all job applicants. As well, he said, they are not privy to the number of employees the former contractor employed at the International Coal Pier but invited all employees of the former contractor to apply for work.
“We have hired the majority of the former contractor employees who applied for jobs with Savage
at this location,” he said. “It’s also our understanding some were transferred within the former company.”
Hymas said some other Canadian Salvage Services team members applied for positions and were transferred and other workers were hired locally.
“We were pleased with the quality of job candidates in the Cape Breton area and have been successful in hiring mostly local people for the operation,” he said.
“Certainly, we want to be a good partner in the community and hiring local whenever possible is important to us.”
Hymas said they understand there are concerns about any reduction in area jobs but there are a number of benefits to having Savage as the new operator, including good jobs with competitive wages and a good benefit package.
Basically, said Hymas, Savage was awarded the contract through a competitive request for proposal process, but feel their safety record and familiarity with NSP’s high standards for safe and responsible operations and detailed planning to ensure efficient and cost-effective operations were also factors.
“By providing efficient and cost-effective terminal and railway operations, we’ll be helping Nova Scotia Power keep costs in check for their customers, which benefits energy consumers in the community,” he said.
“We’re very excited to be operating at the International Coal Pier and Sydney Coal Railway now. We look forward to continuing to provide great jobs and being a good community partner in Cape Breton for many years to come.”