Progress on building a local abattoir moves forward

Heather Ogilvie
Staff writer

After more than three long months of research and fact-finding by the Board of Directors of the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir (RRDRA), the results were presented to members Thursday night at the Barwick Community Centre.
And with 34 votes cast, there was a unanimous decision to continue with the next phase of the project.
“The purpose of the meeting is to provide a progress report and summarize the board’s proposed approach,” RRDRA president Steve Loshaw explained to nearly 60 individuals present.
The RRDRA board advised:
•the abattoir be built to federal standards and operate provincially;
•that some processing will be required to make the abattoir viable;
•a “kill only” plant is not feasible; and
•that they must decide whether to lease the property or hire a manager and staff.
It was also noted the site and waste management must be compatible and that the board needs to continue with a membership drive and fundraising.
RRDRA board advised that the mortgage, taxes, cost of equipment and employees $150,000 won’t go very far and they will need more revenue.
A survey had been distributed—with a response from 58 members—to help to identify current needs and future prospects.
“From the numbers, we can estimate there will be about 1,500 animals a year for custom slaughter,” he stated, citing about half of the respondents noted that they expect an increase in the next five years,” said RRDRA sec. Bill Darby. “That could bring us up to 2,000 custom kills a year, but we can’t count on an iffy estimate,” he added.
Darby noted these numbers have factored into the proposed size of plant and how the plant might run.
Geoff Gillon, with the Rainy River Future Development Corp. (RRFDC), discussed the on-going research into possible building sites for the project.
“We surveyed nine sites, mostly in the mid-district, but one of our decisions is choosing between a municipal or rural location,” he expressed, citing locating within a municipality will bring higher taxes, but water and sewer would be provided.
“We have to balance the needs of the facility with what’s best in the long run,” Gillon added.
Zoning, road access, electrical, and environmental issues were also considered.
“We have three in the running as best sites,” he enthused. “But there may be others out there as good or better and we’ll have to look at that over the next few months.”
Finally, Darby explained the “Expressions of Interest” with two options the board is reviewing for operation of the abattoir—namely, whether to hire a manager and staff, or lease the facility to an operator.
There are 78 paid members to date and a bank balance of $40,994.21. “None of the membership money has been spent,” he stressed, noting they received $5,000 from the RRFDC’s Local Initiatives Fund to cover research, travel costs, and incorporation.
The members agreed the board should continue with the next phase of the project as outlined:
•complete a business plan;
•seek tenure on property;
•review operator/lessee proposals; and
•develop blueprints.