A man from Alberta recently raised the eyebrows of Skagway officials when he presented them with some business proposals. The ideas concerned the community’s ore transfer facility. These ventures currently don’t have local government support but the Canadian is thinking up more business ideas for the region.
Harold Jahn made himself the focus of attention recently in the upper Lynn Canal. He proposed to the municipality of Skagway to remove the ore transfer building and the conveyor belt for one dollar.
Skagway Borough Manager Brad Ryan issued a memo outlining his concerns.
It said, quote: “The Municipality is aware of the degraded condition of the ore loader, It does not feel responsible to allow the structure to be re-erected and used in another community waterfront area.”
Jahn also proposed to dredge the polluted Skagway harbor at no cost. Both proposals were unanimously dismissed at a Skagway borough assembly meeting in early March.
Jahn’s statements were at the same time bold and contradictory. He claimed in an interview that he would like to bring the old ore transfer facility to Haines from Skagway.
Jahn: “Our objective is with bulk terminal to try to have between ten to twenty jobs in Haines”
But he denied that at the Skagway assembly meeting, saying he would take the building to Bellingham, Washington. He later reaffirmed his plan for Haines in a subsequent interview.
Jahn says he has other grand plans for the area.
Jahn: “I’m also looking at introducing a couple other businesses, one would be an electric truck assembly plant, just a small one to assemble electric hybrid semi trucks, so the technology was developed in California, but we would do the assembly, those would be more long term jobs, so that those trucks would be used in the western US and western Canada. And then the other is a small manufacturing plant for affordable housing. So these are small houses between eight hundred and twelve hundred square feet. They are kind of like manufactured homes. And then from Haines put them on barges to other communities.”
Setting up those businesses will require land. Jahn says he has made offers on some parcels in Haines, and that these offers have been accepted. Because Jahn declined to name any local business partners, this could not be verified. All government and business representatives contacted by KHNS denied having any future plans with Jahn.
One entity could be interested in Jahn’s plan. Minto mine, located 150 miles north of Whitehorse. Although no one from Minto responded to a request for comment, the company recently issued a press release stating it will cease to ship its copper concentrate through the port of Skagway for at least the next two years due to the renovation of the ore transfer dock.
It goes on to say Minto is in discussions with certain parties to explore alternatives. One option is the port at Stewart, BC. But the Company is also currently exploring other options and expects a new arrangement in place by July 2023.
The company told the Chilkat Valley News that they had spoken to Jahn and would not comment further.
Jahn recently set up a website for his company, Prosperity Investment Alaska. It features a picture of the Chilkat Peninsula, and promises of new jobs and new industries alongside a picture of shipping containers.
Jahn says he sees many business opportunities in Haines.
Jahn: “There is other projects we would like to develop in the area, but one step at a time, we have to gain the trust of the community first, and you know have an opportunity to meet most everybody, and as we proceed we’ll bring more jobs to the region.”
When asked for documentation and links to his past and present endeavors, Jahn sent an email restating his claims during our interviews. In an attachment, he sent a generic computer graphic of a truck, and a picture of himself.
