TORONTO [Peter Paul Media] — Canada Lands Company’ [CLC] VP of Strategic Acquisitions and Public Government Affairs, Gordon McIvor, told Peter Paul Media on Tuesday that his company has “absolutely no intention of selling the naming rights of the CN Tower.”
McIvor said he first learned of Vehicle Gateway’s bid for the naming rights of the tower through the media. “It was a call from the Toronto Sun yesterday stating they heard about this rumour that there was this company that was going to make a bid,” he said.
“The CN Tower called this company and asked what they were doing and why they were doing it and they did not want to talk to us,” said McIvor.
McIvor said that Vehicle Gateway has not yet approached CLC about a possible bid and that the CLC contacted the company first. “Someone that talks about making a bid on something when they’ve never talked to the land owner and never approached the land owner to even discuss it is a very unusual way of proceeding.”
Peter Davies, Director of Marketing at Vehicle Gateway Corp., told Peter Paul Media in a telephone interview that he did speak to a CLC representative, whom he would not name.
“Our board has spoken to someone at Canada Lands Company, I am not going to give a name,” Davies said. “Our bid is real, its happening next Tuesday,” he added. “We are putting in a bid and are expecting them [CLC] to accept it.”
Vehicle Gateway’s website was established just last month and Davies said it took millions of dollars to get “national exposure.” Asked why his company chose the CN Tower, Davies said “Every Canadian can relate to it. If there is one thing that makes Canada stand out on the map, it’s the CN Tower.”
Davies also claimed that the CN Tower has “been for sale for a while. We felt it would give us a boost but we felt we could give the tower a boost as well,” he said.
A news release issued Tuesday attributed to Vehicle Gateway Corporation said the company would make a $78 million dollar bid for naming rights on the tower.
The company used a picture of the tower to showcase its plans, which included having “the outer structure coloured green with green solar-powered LED lights also installed throughout”
“Their using the image of the CN Tower and publishing it. I mean there are trademark issues there as well,” said McIvor.
Peter Paul Media 