Crombie to steer future of Port Oshawa, waterfront development

OSHAWA - David Crombie has been appointed to the new position of Federal Representative on the future of Port Oshawa and local waterfront redevelopment.

Oshawa MP Colin Carrie said through a release he will make the announcement Wednesday in Oshawa.

Mr. Crombie comes into the position as debate continues to rage over a proposed rail spur. The City's efforts to block the controversial rail spur from being built at the Oshawa harbour took a hit recently when the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruled a rail spur at the waterfront isn't likely to cause significant environmental problems or lead to more industry at the harbour.

At the same time, a company looking to build an ethanol plant in Durham Region has set its sights on the Oshawa waterfront. FarmTech Energy Corporation has spent the past year studying possible sites for a plant, which would convert corn into ethanol for use as a gasoline additive. FarmTech president Dan O'Connor says the Port of Oshawa is the preferred site because it provides access to shipping.

David Crombie is the president of the Canadian Urban Institute. He served as mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978 and as a Member of Parliament from 1978 to 1988, during which time he served in three different federal Cabinet posts: Minister of Health and Welfare, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs and Secretary of State.
 
No stranger to waterfront issues, Mr. Crombie is the founding chair of Toronto's Waterfront Regeneration Trust and has served as Chancellor of Ryerson University and was conferred to the title of Chancellor Emeritus in 2006. He is currently chair of Ontario Place Corporation, chair of the Advisory Council of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), and President of David Crombie & Associates Inc.  Mr. Crombie became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005.

durhamregion.com will carry complete details of the appointment immediately following Wednesday's 3 p.m. press conference.