HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia government says the sale of the shuttered ServiCom call centre in Cape Breton should be completed before the end of the year, with buyers keen to re-open.
"Every indication that I have is that this is a number of business days away," Business Minister Geoff MacLellan said Thursday after a cabinet meeting. "I'm very confident that it could happen before Christmas."
When the call centre in Sydney was closed last Thursday, almost 700 workers lost their jobs. They did not receive advance notice of the closure, and they are owed almost four weeks in back pay.
MacLellan said bankruptcy proceedings involving ServiCom's U.S. parent -- New Jersey-based JNET Communication LLC -- are expected to wrap up within days, which should make it easier for the sale to proceed.
"There's no set timeline, but certainly I feel that the end of these proceedings are very much imminent," he said, referring to hearings at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Haven, Conn.
The cabinet minister, who represents a Cape Breton riding, has said that an unnamed, Iowa-based businessman is keen to buy the profitable call centre, and is involved in the bankruptcy proceedings.
As well, MacLellan said he and other cabinet ministers have heard from other potential bidders from across Canada and other parts of the world. He did not provide details.
"This is no state secret -- a number of cabinet ministers and different levels of government have been contacted by individuals and business entities who would love a crack at this site ... This is a winner in terms of the call centre sector."
However, he made it clear the Iowa businessman is the leading contender, saying the potential buyer hasn't asked for any government help.
"The buyer that's in place now ... is committed to making this happen," MacLellan said.
