(OmniTRAX issued the following news release on March 5.)
DENVER — OmniTRAX, Inc., disputed the characterization of its Company in the investigation regarding the privatization of B.C. Rail by the B.C. Provincial Government.
“OmniTRAX was never involved in any illegal activities regarding the B.C. Rail bid,” said Dwight Johnson, President of OmniTRAX. “We have delved deeply into this issue internally and we assured that none of the individuals that we enlisted during the exhaustive bid process acted improperly. We have determined that no one affiliated with OmniTRAX ever offered anyone a position of employment as has been alleged.
“I believe that we presented the best bid possible and we played by all the rules that the government set up for this process. Not at any time did we say that the process was unfair. Quite to the contrary, we relayed to the government that we were willing to help in any manner needed to implement the change over of B.C. Rail from government entity to private company. In fact, we did make the recommendation to the government that the bid process be open for public review.
“We have also been asked numerous times why we stayed in the process until the end, even though reports surfaced late in the process that CN was going to win. Our only intention was to demonstrate our goodwill to the provincial government. We determined that it was in our best interest to remain in the bidding to maintain the good name of OmniTRAX and its ethical standards. We remain willing to assist the government in this investigation in any way.”
OmniTRAX continues to own and operate three railroads in Canada and the Port of Churchill. The Company also owns and operates eight other railroads in the United States, including a number of intermodal facilities for Class I railroads.