(Photo courtesy of Agriculture and AgriFoodCanada)(Photo courtesy of Agriculture and AgriFoodCanada)
Chatham

Local eateries voice frustrations over CK outsourcing foodservice contract

Chatham-Kent's chief administrative officer is promising the local foodservice and hospitality sector will get the first crack at a new food contract when a new permanent homeless shelter is established in Chatham.

CAO Don Shropshire made the comments during a virtual media briefing on Wednesday to talk about the local economic recovery.

Blackburn News has learned that various restaurants and eateries in Chatham are furious that a contract to provide meals to the homeless at the temporary shelter at the John Bradley Convention Centre stayed with a Toronto area company despite the municipality touting "shop local" and "We are CK" during the COVID-19 recovery effort.

Shropshire said Compass Group based out of Mississauga has had the food operations contract to service the convention centre for the past 10 years and some local restaurants are pitching in on the weekends to provide meals at the temporary shelter based on another contract. Shropshire is promising that local food service providers that are able to provide that service will get the new contract to feed the homeless at the new shelter when it's up and running.

"We're looking for a longer-term solution and the long term solution is to have all of the business contracted out to our local restaurants," he said. "I recognize the concerns but I also think it's important to note that the operation of the site [Bradley Convention Centre] is ultimately shut down for a few months and that's literally the only business [temp shelter] that they have coming in as well."

Shropshire added operation of the new shelter will be contracted out as well and it will be paid by the provincial government.

The United Way of Chatham-Kent is also being accused by some local restaurateurs of bypassing the foodservice sector in Chatham-Kent and handing a food contract to Harvest Fresh in Stoney Point. CK's United Way CEO Steve Pratt said that's not true.

"We haven’t issued an RFP or awarded a contract to any food provider through United Way," he wrote in an email to Blackburn News.

Harvest Fresh promotes on its website that it provides hot lunches at elementary schools in Kent County and offers a grocery box pick up and delivery service.

Shropshire also said a private deal is underway to buy an undisclosed property, renovate, and open a new permanent homeless shelter in Chatham but added the municipality is not directly involved with it. He did not mention any names and did not confirm that the new site is the former St. Joseph's Catholic School in Chatham. Shropshire also provided no timeline for an announcement and didn't want to affect the deal by saying anything.

"It's not our negotiation. We have to wait for that to take place. We are as anxious as anybody else and as soon as we have word that we can share, we'll be happy to do so," said Shropshire.

The St. Clair Catholic District School Board said "there is currently nothing to report" when asked about the deal.

During that same media briefing call, Co-Chair of the CK Economic Recovery Task Force Rocky Gaudrault said some local restaurateurs are fearful about the future because they will probably be one of the last sectors to rebound in Chatham-Kent, but added most are fairly optimistic about the municipality's approach to future growth.

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