The following is the full text of a statement delivered by Mayor John Rowswell at tonight's meeting of City Council, accusing Sault Star reporter Elaine Della-Mattia of inaccuracies and a negative agenda. ************************* Speech to Council - July 9, 2007
Is there just too much good news in the Sault?
As I read Elaine Della-Matia’s Friday July 6, 2007 story, "Council out in cold on transpolar; Rowswell in contact with officials, but fails to keep councilors up to speed," I wonder if Elaine was suffering from all the good news that is occurring in the Sault.
If she can't find a negative story, she has to make one up.
Council needs to be aware almost three weeks ago, I casually mentioned to Elaine that I had a Russian delegation that is coming to Sault Ste. Marie to learn more of what is happening on polar air cargo.
She was to arrange to meet with me the week before last.
She did not call until last Tuesday when I was in Sudbury meeting with other northern mayors.
We had arranged to meet Thursday morning and Wednesday I would provide the reports previously given to council in January and April because they summarized the activity on this topic.
On Wednesday, I appreciated the heads up by councilors that she was calling about my travel for polar air cargo, however, I was very disappointed that Elaine would choose such an approach when she had not had the interview we agreed for the next day.
Because the line of questions was now negative on what I thought to be a good news story, I declined the interview with her and conducted the interview with SooToday.com.
Because of her July 6 story only carried half truths to reflect the negative, I felt it is important for the public to hear the whole matter correctly, something we should have received by the Sault Star in good journalism.
1) Let us start with the headline "Council out in cold on transpolar. Rowswell in contact with officials, but fails to keep councilors up to speed." Mayor John Rowswell has been in contact with officials in Ottawa on the issue, but city councilors haven't been kept abreast of what might transpire. Council you know full well, that this is not true, as you have receive reports in January and April of this year (attached in their entirety). Further, I talked to each of you that the deputy governor of Irkutsk Region wanted to come and talk to me and visit Sault Ste. Marie about polar air cargo. They could not come to Ottawa on March 26. As this project means lots to their region, they are very interested. We are waiting on word on their visas and once this occurs their full agenda and what function/reception you will be asked to attend, you would be notified. 2) Rowswell declined interviews with the Sault Star and has not return phone calls. I did decline interviews with reporter Elaine Della-Matia, however, Acting Editor Tom Mills and Publisher Lou Malucci are aware I would be interviewed by Elaine and an editor or by another reporter. I never declined interviews with the Sault Star, just Elaine.
3) Rowswell met with officials in late March to discuss transpolar and air cargo opportunities and invited the delegation to Sault. I could not have invited the delegation in Ottawa as the Irkutsk delegation did not attend the Ottawa meeting of the Arctic and North Working Group but had wanted to. It must have been about 10 weeks ago that they telephoned me to come and discuss this subject. In order to get their Canadian visitor visas, I did issue a letter of invite so they can enter the country. I am delighted that my letter of invite did find its way into Ministry of Transport Canada.
4) Airport Manager Terry Bos said he hasn't been told about the Sault Ste. Marie stop and hasn't received a request to host a tour. Arrangements have been my through SSMEDC Development SSM, Randy Tallon. We had asked Mr. Bos to keep things confidential until we would release their visit to media. This is what I was trying to do by initially contact Elaine. Because she chose to contact everyone else first, Elaine had to make the story up.
5) Bos thought council nixed the idea of attempting develop transpolar opportunities because of the costly infrastructure needed for the Sault’s shorter runway. In the fall of 2005, council approved travel of myself to Khanty-Mansiisk, Russia for Arctic and North Working Group on Polar Air Cargo. Doug Lawson, the president of Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development did attend both this first Arctic and North Working Group meeting and the second meeting in Ottawa on March 26. Further I would like to mention that in 2003, council voted to pursue regional air cargo. Council knew that polar air cargo would be pursued through a mayor's air cargo transportation advisory committee. This committee followed up on inroads that I had made with the Ford Motor Company and was successful with initiating the now multimodal project we as a council are pursuing today.
Click here to read the conclusion of Mayor Rowswell's comments