The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador invested $500,000 in a natural gas-related company in 2006 which has apparently disappeared in the meantime.
The company is SAC Mfg Inc.
According to the recently released Public Accounts:
During the year, the Province acquired 500 Class “B”Common shares at a cost of $500,000. Commencing in June 2007, these shares are conditionally redeemable based on after tax earnings. All shares must be redeemed no later than 19 December 2016.
There is no SAC Manufacturing listed in the current Newfoundland and Labrador telephone directory and a number available through an Internet search is not in service. The fax number with the same listing will ring but there is no fax machine at the other end, apparently.
Likewise, a check with the telephone company's directory assistance turned up no listing for SAC Mfg in Rochan Sands Alberta, another address for the company that shows in a listing for an Alberta oil and gas exposition last June.
The contact name for SAC at the exposition is the same name as a director of SAC in the company's entry in the Newfoundland and Labrador registry of companies. The corporate registration hasn't been renewed since 2006.
A local telephone number for the two corporate directors, showing a Paradise address also in the telephone directory as the couple's home address, is also no longer in service. [Update:] The company web domain - www.sacmfg.ca - is unregistered.
There is no indication on the Internet of what the company did except that it was related to natural gas manufacturing. SAC is not listed as a member of the province's oil and gas supplier association, NOIA.
The Public Accounts for the year ending March 31, 2007 - quoted above - gave no indication that there had been any change in the company's operating status.
The Auditor General's annual report for the same period - released on Thursday - makes no mention of the company whatsoever. Instead, the AG report raises questions about provincial government small business support for 2005.
The provincial government has issued no news releases about the investment in SAC Mfg.
-srbp-