File photo.
A report that a James Bay coast tribal council is teaming up with a southern Ontario railway to buy the rail division of the ONTC has local employees worried.
"When I speak to the ONR they are saying it's not true," Local 103 Unifor President Brian Kelly told BayToday, "but it gives us concern."
Kelly wants to know what is actually going on.
When Kelly met with the Premier recently, she told him the railway wasn't for sale and that the government planned to keep it.
"The chief up there is well respected and he sounds like he's talking about something that sounds credible so I'm wondering what's going on."
He's referring to Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Lawrence Martin, who says his council is studying the idea of partnering with a southern Ontario rail company, TGR Rail Canada, to buy the rail division of Ontario Northland.
The goal would be to expand rail service on the James Bay coast and even serve the Ring Of Fire chromite development eventually.
Mushkegowuk represents the First Nations Communities along the James Bay coast.
"We would like the government to come out and say again categorically it's not for sale because this causes trouble, in the sense of attracting people to work here as well as attracting customers knowing we may not be around tomorrow," explained Kelly.
"We're trying to track this down to see if there is any validity to it. We don't think there is but again it gives us pause to what is going on.
"We've been pushing for a number of years about an alliance, more work, and the Ring of Fire and the government hasn't followed through on that. It causes our members concern so we're looking for some clarification from the government."
