THUNDER BAY — A local company says they never offered to scrap the James Whalen for free.
Harbour Metals Recycling did not email anyone at the city or on council offering to take the 119-year-old boat for free, according to James White, a trader with the local company.
Coun. Albert Aiello said during Monday's committee of the whole meeting that the city had received an email from Harbour Metals suggesting they could take the tug at no cost to the city. City manager John Collin said staff were not aware of the email.
That email was the basis for Aiello's motion to delay awarding a contract to destroy the tug to one of the two companies that bid on the project and have staff look into the possibility of having the boat scrapped for free.
Council voted nine to three in support of the motion, against staff advice.
Commissioner of Infrastructure and Operations Kayla Dixon told Newswatch there was an email sent to Aiello, but it was not sent from Harbour Metals. It was from a member of the public.
"Administration at the time was unaware of the email," said Dixon.
"After investigating this matter, we've determined that there was no actual proposal or a viable option that had been put forward by Harbour Metals."
There is no possibility of Harbour Metals taking the James Whalen for free, said White.
“Unfortunately, looking at the scope of work, there are a lot more factors involved, such as asbestos abatement and other issues that would prevent Harbour Metals from being able to take this boat for free,” he said.
For several reasons, the company did not bid on the contract, said White, but he said they "would be willing to work with the successful bidder to remove scrap materials after any remediation and salvage efforts were completed."
Administration will present a follow-up report to City Council at its April 7 meeting, reaffirming the initial recommendation to dispose of the James Whalen.
Aiello had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
This story has been updated with new information from the city.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly cited the city manager saying staff were aware of the email.
