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Developer regrets comments in Northern Life, apologizes

I read with great pain and sorrow the comments published in last week’s Northern Life , in response to the article about the townhouses that we have offered for sale in Levack.
letter_to_editor
Finding a family doctor can be extremely frustrating and the bureaucracy can be a challenge to navigate. File photo
I read with great pain and sorrow the comments published in last week’s Northern Life, in response to the article about the townhouses that we have offered for sale in Levack.

Just to clarify – I am not a marketing manager or a corporate executive or even a large developer.

I am an 85-year-old fellow with diabetic neuropathy and a spinal cord injury, and on Sunday I had someone drive me all the way up to Levack and back (a 10-hour drive) to apologize to the people of Levack for my thoughtless and idiotic use of the word “shacks” to describe the older housing built by the mining companies many years ago.

Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with many people there, so I am hoping that this letter will reach anybody and everybody who was hurt or insulted by my inappropriate comment.

What I was trying to convey (and totally failed) was that the original homes were small (which was standard at that time), but times have changed, and I thought when I started this project that we could provide the option of brand new, larger homes at an affordable price for Levack.

After my injury, I was not able to supervise the project or even make it up there very often.

Regarding the process, I have taken everything in your comments to heart, and I am sincerely sorry for all the inconvenience the extended construction process has caused, especially to the poor woman whose driveway was blocked off for a long period.

Regarding the price, I have taken all you have said into consideration, and now realize that our initial pricing was too high. I have contacted Tina Obumsawin of ReMax Sudbury, who grew up in Levack. Many of you may know her. Tina will direct me as to the appropriate pricing of the units.

If you have an opinion on this matter, or are interested in any of the units at a lower price, please contact her at 705-688-2079. It was my intention to build more units after these are sold, but if people think it is unnecessary, please convey that to Tina.

I am truly interested in people’s input. It was originally my intention to provide good-quality housing for miners, and there was never an intention to cause anyone any pain or inconvenience.

Henry Muller
President, Kastletree Homes