Sarnia interested in Celebrity Tugboat
05/28
Sarnia may be interested in the celebrity tugboat Theodore Too. "The vessel would make a fine addition to our waterfront," Sarnia Council member Rod Brown told local media last week.
"We've got two bridges, just like Halifax, and a bustling waterfront," he said, referring to how Halifax Harbor has been popularized as Big Harbor, Theodore Tugboat's fictional home on the children's TV series.
Brown said he's asked Sarnia tourism authorities to monitor what happens with Theodore Too, the replica of Theodore Tugboat. Theodore Too is under arrest in Halifax Harbor on a creditor's lien of about $2,500 after its owner, Cochran Communications Inc., went into receivership. Brown said there's been lots of public and private interest in bringing
Theodore Too to Sarnia, but in the end it comes down to money.
He said some people are balking at a reported $450,000 price tag attached to the move. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said Theodore Too, with his huge red cap and big smile, was a big hit during a visit to the city last year. He said city council won't directly spend taxpayers' money on the vessel, but "we'd support such a plan if somebody else would take the risk."
Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly said it's time for serious negotiations on keeping Theodore Too in Nova Scotia. The city has a June 6 session with the receiver and it's possible a meeting on the boat's future might be held before then. Talk of keeping Theodore in Halifax is gathering steam. "When people start dropping money off, then it's serious," the mayor said of an unsolicited $1,100 in donations, mostly from children, received at city hall to "free Theodore."
Theodore Too was caught in the crossfire when Cochran Communications declared bankruptcy last month. The business failure cost taxpayers and other creditors about $10 million, according to documents prepared by Halifax receiver Goodman Associates Inc. and obtained last week.
About $3.5 million is owed taxpayers. When Cochran went under, it owed Nova Scotia Business Inc. about $2.3 million and Business Development Bank of Canada was owed slightly more than $1 million. Telefilm Canada is still looking for $143,467 it provided to Cochran. The Nova Scotia Business Development Corp. and the Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority are out $15,716 and $16,517, respectively. One of the biggest corporate losers is Royal Bank, which has various claims against Cochran totaling about $2.8 million.
Paul Goodman of Goodman Associates confirmed last week there has been inquiries about the tugboat and other Cochran assets, but wouldn't give details. "Inquiries sometimes come through lawyers and we're not necessarily sure who they represent."
