Thompson is now three days into Vale’s recent announcement to phase out the smelting and refining operations in our community by 2015. The initial ‘shock and awe’ at the reported loss of 500 good jobs is still hovering; however Thompson City Council continues to engage stakeholders at all levels to sit down and discuss the best possible options for our community.
All this, and here I am 2,900 km away in Ottawa for a Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board Meeting!
When I first heard the news, I was ready to hop on the next plane heading back home. However, this announcement by Vale will affect more communities than just Thompson. I made the difficult decision to remain in Ottawa and help raise our profile, both among municipal leaders from across Canada and Members of Parliament on the Hill.
Vale’s $10 billion spending plan in Canada is not a good news story because it leaves Manitoba workers at a loss. Shifting jobs from Manitoba to other parts of Canada is not a net benefit and I worry that it’s Manitoba today, and some other Province or Territory tomorrow.
Further, the impact this business decision will have on our northern community of 14,000 is worrisome. The proposed changes mean losing the economic diversity of a fully integrated mining complex and our Provincial manufacturing ability to add value to an important resource. My heart goes out to my community, as I know people worry about their property values, their children’s schools and the profits of our small business owners. I want to ensure the residents of Thompson that your City Council is working diligently to get all the stakeholders to the table so we can focus on community-based solutions and remain a viable and sustainable community in our northern environment.
The City of Thompson is committed to working with Vale, the Steelworkers, the Province of Manitoba and the Federal Government to find solutions to this situation and to protect our residents from any potentially negative fallout. We are a mining community, and those that have built their lives here have experienced the booms and busts before. However, our community’s future is as a service centre for Northern Manitoba. Thompsonites are resilient and passionate people, we’ll be around for a long time – no matter what challenge is thrown in our direction!
I’ve spent the past week in Ottawa lobbying Member’s of Parliament for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. At the same time, I’ve also had the opportunity to meet with over a dozen different MPs from coast to coast to coast and raise the profile of the City of Thompson. Our community cannot be a bad news story for Canada.
I will be returning home this Sunday afternoon and I encourage all of our residents to attend the Community Forum this Sunday night at 7:00pm at the Letkeman Theatre to learn more about our current situation with Vale.
To view the City of Thompson media releases, click on the links below:
Erin
ReplyDeleteI know how hard you were working in Ottawa to try and lay the ground work for future help. I remember you saying you should fly home but I am glad you realised you could do a lot of advocacy work for your consituents. Even last night as we wrapped up you were still meeting with staff to find out about any programs available for this type of announcement.
All of the member of FCM are there ready and willing to help Thompson. Some of us have been threw this type of job loss and it is never easy. You kept your cool and focused on what can be done to help.