DEBERT - Don't blink or you'll miss it.
The bids are expected to come fast and furious Thursday morning at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in Debert where about 500 items will be up for grabs.
"We'll sell a piece of equipment every 30 to 40 seconds," said Jesse Cantin, the company's regional manager for Quebec and the Maritime provinces.
The items range from construction and transport equipment to industrial and forestry equipment. It includes everything from trailers and forklifts to trucks, buses and excavators.
The equipment comes from Atlantic Canadian contractors, transport companies, farmers and forestry developers with the majority of the items on consignment. Those buying the items will be a mix of people from Atlantic Canada to international bidders.
"We'll have people from all over the world – from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Mexico, Canada, the U.S.," Cantin said. With "used equipment it's (about) particular needs and sometimes those particular needs aren't in the local market."
Items leaving the country can be transported to Port of Halifax and shipped to their new destinations. Some of the international bids will come via the Internet while others will be done by proxy.
Company officials are expecting about 600 onsite bidders at its 18-acre site, located off the Trans-Canada Highway 104.
The auction, which gets underway Thursday at 8 a.m., provides spinoffs to local businesses such as restaurants and hotels, while also providing an opportunity to showcase the region.
"It provides exposure for this area that might otherwise be overlooked," said Alan Johnson, director of marketing and communications for the Colchester Regional Development Agency. "If you're a business operator and you're coming in to buy equipment, you're able to take a look around at the Truro Industrial Park, Stewiacke and, of course, at Debert."
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers hopes to have two more sales this year, one in September and another in December.
jmalloy@trurodaily.com
