[Jamie Robertson, president of a local freight-forwarding company believes there’s “no ongoing business at the cargo terminal.” Nov. 19, London Free Press]
My last word? Readers are no doubt delighted. So I’ll make it quick.
No matter how Mayor Joe Fontana or London International Airport’s boss Steve Baker spin the numbers related to the amount of freight moving in and out of the city’s $11 million cargo hub, I’ll still think we’ll get a poor bang for the buck, maybe even lose our shirts and cargo pants.
As many in North America and Europe shift from the culture of big to the culture of small, and as fuel prices rise, the shipping of cargo by plane - the most expensive method - will become less profitable.
And what were the Mayor’s last words re the matter?
He said, “There’s no doubt the numbers are staggeringly positive.” (Nov. 19, London Free Press)
And Steve Baker’s last words?
Baker asked city councillors to urge the federal government to create a “free trade zone” to spur more shipments and more “remarkable” growth from London’s cargo hub.
My last word: The hub still won't fly. How remarkable or staggeringly positive are the numbers if one must urge the creation of a not-necessarily-for-free trade zone?
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Please click here if you can’t get enough of the news about London’s cargo hub.
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2 comments:
Yep, the numbers are staggeringly positive - if you look at them in *just* the right way. Baker et al keeping touting the success of our new stag-and-doe cargo terminal by citing the total weight of cargo that has sidled past Baker's private plane. That's a valid measure, for sure, but it's not the whole picture.
As reported in the Freeps, those in-the-know in the logistics game (i.e. people who move freight for a living) tell a very different story. The way they tell it, we've had no significant increase in cargo activity nor have any new jobs shown up. Spikes in cargo weight processed can be attributed to one-off, unusual events such as cargo diverted from its (normal) Hamilton destination due to bad weather.
I wouldn't be as upset over all these taxpayers dollars sitting idle at the airport if it weren't for the fact that Baker and Fontana just won't come clean. Rather than address what the local shipping industry is seeing and saying, they pooh-pooh the experts and spin numbers.
But, hey, at least Baker's plane is warm and dry.
Excellent comments, CL.
Yes, making the cargo nub sound like a significant hub takes the cake.
I can understand the Mayor must serve as chief cheer leader during working hours, but 'staggeringly positive' is over the top.
Sure, I use 'brilliant', even 'brillianter' to describe my work every other day but most people know I'm deluded!
Cheers,
GH
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