Ford government got advance warning of Stelco layoffs

Ontario’s Ford government was informed days before Stelco publicly announced it would lay off more than 350 workers at its Hamilton plant, according to the province’s economic development minister. Stelco, which is owned by U.S.based ClevelandCliffs, said it will idle production at the Hamilton facility in the coming weeks and offer some affected workers jobs at a nearby Nanticoke steel mill. The company told employees the cuts are tied to the ongoing trade dispute with the United States. Minister Vic Fedeli said the province was given a headsup shortly before the announcement, but said the discussion was not final until workers and the union were notified. He also said the province routinely speaks with companies facing large job losses and has programs available to support them. The article says this is the third tariffrelated layoff the Ford government knew about before the public announcement, following earlier cases involving Diageo’s Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg and Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie. In those cases, the province tried to intervene, including a taxpayerfunded loan for Algoma.