TRURO - Town officials are in Austria hoping to bring business and jobs back to Truro.
Truro Mayor Bill Mills, town CAO Jim Langille and industrial promotion officer Rob Turner are spending a week in the European country talking with officials from Hilber Solar and visiting bio mass plants in that area that serves about 5,000 people. Mills hopes Truro can mimic the solar-based project.
"We hope to duplicate some projects in our area ... an announcement (is) to be made within the next two weeks on a sustainability plan with use of a multitude of green projects," Mills told the Truro Daily News from Austria.
Deputy Mayor Charles Cox described the potential partnership as a way to "acquire a top-of-the-line solar panel and wind generation company to build in our industrial park, which could bring about 300 jobs to this area."
Cox added a lithium battery company is also showing interest in coming to Truro and both companies are pleased with Truro's proximity to Halifax and its shipbuilding contract.
Cox said the solar energy concept features a "different style of wind turbines that's more economical and more environmentally friendly than big blades" and has been in progress for about six months. Town officials met in Toronto earlier this year with solar representatives and then they visited Truro shortly after. Cox said there's a reason why not a lot of information was shared with the public to date.
"It hasn't been a secret. It wasn't fully broadcast because why alert our competition? We got an MOU (memorandum of understanding) (and) we would not handle something this important in an email. Heavy negotiation has to be done face-to-face. I'm hoping they come home with further negotiations ... if we can pull it off it's a feather in our hat."
Mills reported the meetings in Austria have been "outstanding ... they are way ahead of the game over here in sustainability."
The business trip cost $5,000 each for Mills, Langille and Turner to attend. Mills said because of the cost he will not attend other conferences in the near future.
"Needless to say all conferences for me for the rest of the year are done."
Town officials said more information on the trip, and potential developments, will soon be available.
mchiasson@trurodaily.com
Re Joanna....sorry about my typing skills...should be obviuos I'm not stupid, and yes I can spell....but I'm not a secretary.....not sure why someone would not read the comment though......................well worth the read.........TO ADD...HERE IS A THOUGHT..... perhaps the town council should look at a better approach.....since WE have Canadian technology perhaps the town officicals should invite some local business people (Pye, Casey, Soresons Electric, Stanfield,a metal fabricator, etc.) to the table along with CoRDA reps....and look at starting a local company...that could easliy source the base components for solar panels and then license the use of a "World leading" Canadian Inverter that I spoke of....which would increase a systems efficiency.....this creates jobs and keeps all the money here.....I mentioned to CoRDA about a Fuel Cell company (with patents )who folded up in 2007 due to poor capital markets...they had $20 million in R&D and local guys could have bought the company.for about $2million as explained to me by the founding CEO and engineer developer....he would have moved here too....still an option ...but CoRDA seems not interested......I guess all thes guys want "a feather in their caps"...this is still an option, but those guys seem to think if you do not come from away...then you must not know anything.....it's a problem in this town.....so now I just sit and trade stocks in 100% Canadian clean tech companies ...and read several power energy sector newsletters every week....meaning i keep up on my research....the Question should be asked..."Since Europe continues to rapidly "install" solar and wind, and Canada, other than in Ontario, installs next to nothing, even on government buildings, and the global markets in solar are "cut-throat competitive," why does Mr Hilber want to pack up shop and move his company to Canada? Is his technology not competitive over there?, does he just see a way to recapitalize and try to keep up with industry advances......Tell CoRDA and the Town to call Doug (they should be able to figure out who I am).for some advice and compare the price of a new Solar array, made in Canada, that uses a better inverter.,..or I can make some calls and see what some experts know about the a chance to set up a Nova Scotia fuel cell company, I can call the developer of the patents who still works in the industry.....but they all still think Europe has smarter innovators than Canada does...and what would I know...I live in Truro...so I would not be "good help" which is hard to find in Truro, would I?