Mr. Deed goes to town - Canadian Architecture News

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Mr. Deed goes to town

Archiseek / Canada / News / 2006 / September 3

Who is Gil Blutrich? It's a question the people of Port McNicoll are asking a lot these days after learning, from a website, that he had bought their town for $100 million (U.S.). "Israeli businessman Gil Blutrich has purchased the historic town of Port McNicoll, population of some 1500 families," reported ynetnews.com in December 2005. For the residents, suggested a newspaper in the area, it was akin to Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds 1938 radio broadcast. Was the town about to be taken over by aliens? And if so, how on Earth did they find a place almost no one can locate? "Where is Port McNicoll?" says Guy Lepage of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism when asked if his ministry knew about the sale (thereby answering the question).

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