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Results: 1 - 15 of 109
George Partyka Sr.
View George Partyka Sr. Profile
George Partyka Sr.
2020-07-09 16:02
Thank you so much. I won't be that long, and I do want to thank the committee for this opportunity to speak today. It's nice to meet everybody.
It would have been very useful if I had heard some of the earlier comments, because I could probably have added to or supported some of the statements I agree with. Everybody has very valid points.
First, I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce what PTI Transformers is.
We probably aren't well known out there. We're not a brand name as such, but we are the largest privately owned Canadian manufacturer of transformers. We were established in January 1989 and started manufacturing in 1990. Currently, we are now building up to 500 MVA transformers, which are similar to 500,000 horsepower, if you want to equate them with something you're more familiar with. We have over 300,000 square feet and employ over 300 skilled personnel in Canada. In 2015, we purchased CG Power Systems Canada, which was owned by India, and we brought that technology back to Canada. We are continuing to reinvest in the technology and support the Canadian industry.
We're bringing back a lot of the stuff that was lost over the last 40 years. For example, in North America there's not a whole lot made here that you can buy at Costco right now in Canada, or the United States for that matter. Most of it is brought in from Asia, so my concern has more to do with Asia. We've been seeing a lot of penetration of our market from Asia, and we have some concerns.
We've performed very well, both financially and technically, since our inception, and despite the most recent impacts from COVID-19, we have remained open throughout the pandemic period without layoffs and without support. We have continued our business uninterrupted with all of our Canadian and U.S. customers. We do not export to Europe.
The business market demand for our product has decreased recently due to the economic slowdown and COVID-19 and the resulting decreases in new construction projects, along with the corresponding impacts on North American supply chains.
PTI Transformers has also been impacted by recent steel tariffs imposed by the U.S., and dumping by foreign competition. In response to this, we undertook an initiative by twice filing and winning dumping complaints against Korean manufacturers, who are my major concern right now. This in itself was a costly and time-consuming venture, but the resulting anti-dumping tariffs are of benefit to Canada.
Our relationships with other countries and the U.S., and all of our customers, continue to be amicable. However, there is noticeably more and more focus by many customers on buying local. Jason, to your point, there's obviously a lot of interest now in buying local for various reasons, whether for good security in our case or more dependable sources of supply and service. There's definitely a move afoot all over the place, and in North America especially, to buy local.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the politicians in our provincial jurisdictions for their unified stance with public health authorities, along with their positive approach to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequent and positive communication apprising the public of the current ongoing health status and plans for reopening the economy was, in my opinion, paramount to reaching the success we have achieved thus far in battling this virus. Although concerns may still be apparent regarding a potential second wave in the fall, we can all take solace in the fact that this proven-to-be successful approach can once again be followed and potentially even be improved.
PTI Transformers' strategy was to follow recommendations by public health authorities. Although there were times when it was tempting to consider deviating to more stringent but difficult to manage alternatives in addressing this virus, this ultimately garnered the good results we have today. Their unified approach and good communication helped stave off our temptation to move to a little more difficult to manage alternative. We have learned a lot these past few months, and although there are still many Canadian casualties, I am very proud of their efforts and what we all have been able to accomplish together.
I offer my commendation to all the politicians. It's been difficult yet, in my opinion, they have come through.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the steel tariffs imposed by the U.S., PTI's business opportunity has most recently been impacted, and if not addressed or corrected will have dire consequences going forward, regardless of a pandemic, or even be further compromised by the pandemic, if it reoccurs.
One particular circumstance I would like to bring forward to the committee is the Wataynikaneyap project in northern Ontario. This project connects Hydro One's electrical grid to many first nation communities that are currently running on undependable diesel, which is economically not viable. It's dirty and environmentally not warranted, currently. It's a big project and unfortunately the project, although it represents about 27% of our annual capacity for next year, has been given to the Koreans who twice were charged for dumping into Canada—the same company.
It's a federally funded project, and I'm just voicing my concern now because I find it's a surprise event for me. It represents over 100 person-years of direct employment, 20 person-years of engineering and professional employment, and it's come at a time when the work should be direly needed in Canada, and our company is here to do that.
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
It was May 20, so our first nations communities were probably at risk during the time they weren't wearing masks. Is the government providing masks now to indigenous people?
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
Absolutely, and I think Minister Miller will be able to expand on that in the next panel.
I have a call every Thursday night with some of the indigenous physicians working in communities across the country, and they are dealing with the reality as the evidence changes and the advice changes, too, but I think they always knew the kind of protection needed to deal with an elder centre or deal with other issues, and they were being provided with the personal protective equipment in order to be able to do their work.
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
Do you have any idea how many masks have been shipped to first nations communities to this point?
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
I think that Minister Miller and the deputy will be able to explain it. It's quite a large number, and there are also the other kinds of protections in non-medical settings. Some of the people who've put in the checkpoints going in and out of their communities and those kinds of things also needed to have masks, and we have continued to provide what the nations need in order to keep their communities safe.
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
Have you had any problems with first nations communities getting faulty masks? Has that been an issue?
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
I don't know, and again that is with Minister Miller, Dr. Gideon, Dr. Wong and Dr. Adams. They will be able to tell you in the next little while. As you know, lots of people were buying from various suppliers. Our job is to support whatever they need.
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
It's been reported that we've ordered 120 million masks and have gotten about 10 million, and nine million of them don't meet N95 standards. PSPC is saying that they're redirecting them to other organizations outside of the health system. I'm just wondering if they were ending up in our first nations communities.
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
Again, I think Minister Miller and Minister Anand will be able to answer that. I have to tell you that N95 masks are not comfortable to wear. Our job is to make sure that the medical people have those masks.
I was so touched when I received some beautiful masks, cloth masks, homemade by Angela Bishop from Saskatchewan, who was providing them for the elders as well as the veterans. It's been very impressive to see that work start up so fast in terms of seamstresses being able to provide safety for their communities with the beautiful cloth masks.
View Gary Vidal Profile
CPC (SK)
Thank you.
I want to get to one more question for you here, as we're obviously working with limited time.
This past week, Dion and I had the privilege of travelling to La Ronge, where we got to engage many important stakeholders on the impact of COVID-19 in that area. While we were there, we were able to observe the fact that they were having a groundbreaking ceremony, or a celebration of the funding that was promised in the election, for this wellness, healing and recovery centre that's been funded on that side. I want to thank you for the commitment to follow through on that.
I also had the opportunity this week to speak to Chief Ronald Mitsuing. You would be very aware of the advocacy he's done through the whole Makwa Sahgaiehcan situation that you came upon, I think, on your first day as the minister and how that all played out.
We've talked a lot about northwestern Saskatchewan with La Loche and with Clearwater River Dene Nation. I'm curious whether the government would be supportive of considering a centre on the west side like it's funding on the east side over in La Ronge. There are obviously great needs for Chief Ronald Mitsuing and many of his colleagues on the west side as well. Is that something you've ever talked about or considered, a similar type of facility on the northwest side of Saskatchewan to help that side of the province as well?
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
Yes. It's an excellent point that you raise, because in my discussions with Chief Mitsuing, as you noted, at the very beginning of my mandate, he was facing a crisis within his community, and it is not unique, but communities have unique needs, particularly in mental health. The solutions lie within communities.
I think one of the criticisms we heard from the chief was the challenge with having solutions that are sort of flown in, or even when it comes to tribal councils and the supports that they have, which are very good, the increased needs are financial and also homegrown. The ability to do that can only be done within infrastructure solutions that are always undercapitalized.
I think that's something we've got to take away and keep working on. We have, indeed, done great work in ensuring that the capital is there for services, buildings and infrastructure that can house that increasing pressure, in particular on mental health—
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
View Marcus Powlowski Profile
Lib. (ON)
Minister, I know that there are a lot of indigenous communities, and your department was trying to help a lot of different communities across Canada rapidly get ready for possible cases of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've been in touch with you about several of these communities, and I'm always really impressed that you seem to know something about, or a lot about, some very small communities. I think that was indicated in your response to Mr. Vidal.
I think this meeting was primarily called in regard to what happened in Mathias Colomb Cree Nation. Could tell us what is being done in order to address the needs of that particular community?
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
Yes, and thank you again for your interaction with our department and ensuring that the needs in your riding are met and heard.
We've been working from the get-go at an accelerated rate. Obviously getting ahead of this curve has been the reason indigenous communities have had such optimistic outcomes, because they've been able to predict and communicate, open that line of communication and make sure that procurement is being done in a timely fashion and distributed.
In the case of Mathias Colomb, there were some movable structures that we were looking at essentially as part of a central procurement to deal with surge capacity to have moveable structures that are in great demand for communities that need isolation capacity or more testing capacity, so the company in question proactively released a press release that frankly mis-characterized what was being sent into the community, and the community, rightly so, reacted. Our department apologized for the miscommunication, but it was an issue of communication in coordination with their pandemic plan.
Essentially what Mathias Colomb wanted, which we have funded to the tune of about $400,000, was repurposing of one of their community centres as part of their pandemic plan and not the movable structures that we were proactively sourcing with a view to distributing them into a variety of communities that have those challenges that have been highlighted to the committee. I think essentially that's the crux of it.
View Marcus Powlowski Profile
Lib. (ON)
I think, from what I've heard, that the community is quite happy with what's ensued after this initial controversy. Am I not right with that?
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