‘Week from hell’ for Thompson

By Ryan Flanagan
news@thompsoncitizen.net

That was the clear message coming out of a public information session held by the City of Thompson at the Letkemann Theatre on Nov. 21 in response to Vale’s Nov. 17 announcement that the Brazilian-owned mining company plans to stop smelting and refining operations in Thompson by the end of 2015, culminating in a workforce reduction of approximately 500 jobs.

“The first thing we have to do is send a very clear message: Vale, come to the table. Let’s talk about our options,” said Thompson MLA Steve Ashton in a refrain that was repeated many times throughout the night. “We’ve done it before. If they are really interested in solutions, I am absolutely convinced we can do it again.”

The session began with remarks from Mayor Tim Johnston, Vale general manager responsible for the smelter and refinery Lovro Paulic, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6166 president Murray Nychyporuk, MP Niki Ashton and MLA Steve Ashton. After that, the floor was opened for members of the public to make their own comments – not to ask questions for which they would receive immediate answers, but to make their thoughts and opinions known to the city. City councillors acted as stenographers for the event, writing down notes based on each comment.

“I believe that we are faced with a tremendous challenge, but it is a challenge that we can, as a community, address,” said Johnston, who called the announcement “a very important issue, not just for Vale and the employees of Vale, but indeed the community as a whole.”

“Thompson has always been a resilient community, and Thompsonites have always believed in the future of this community,” he continued. “We’re going to work together to ensure the long-term sustainability of Thompson.”

“We have to be absolutely committed to work together with the other stakeholders to move forward,” said Johnston, who added that he was glad to see groups such as USW and the provincial government accept the city’s role as a stakeholder.

Johnston also asked Thompsonites to keep themselves informed and not base their actions on rumours. “As we go forward and start this process, please ensure that you do everything that you can to get the correct information,” he said.

Paulic was second to take the microphone, and he reminded the crowd of his own Thompson roots – roots that include being born in the community, graduating from R.D. Parker Collegiate, and a son who plays minor hockey.

“We’ve all gone through a range of emotions, from shock to disbelief to anger – myself included,” Paulic told the crowd. “Some of us have moved on to acceptance, while others are yet to understand what the possibilities may be.”

“During our discussions with employees, I asked if I was blindsided by the news as they felt they had been,” he continued. “I responded yes, and no. I was blindsided, and I wasn’t. No, because in my head, I knew since 2001 that the Voisey’s Bay feed would be propping us up until at least 2013. Inco declared that then, and Voisey’s Bay feed has become 45 per cent of our feed source, allowing us to operate our smelter and our refinery at roughly 80 per cent capacity. No, because in 2002, Thompson Unlimited was established and funded by Inco and Vale for the next 10 years to diversify the community and make it less reliant on mining – but yes, I was blindsided, because I was hoping in my heart it wouldn’t happen.”

“We tried to do everything we could to find another Manitoba source of ore,” said Paulic. “We haven’t been able to do it. The doors are not closed. This transition is not occurring next week, it’s not occurring next month, it’s four to five years away. We have time to do it right.”

Paulic was followed by Nychyporuk, who immediately said that “I’m not here to be in bed with Lovro Paulic,” but later admitted that the only way to come to a solution would be to work with all parties involved, including Vale. “I’m not going to come up here and beat on Vale and call them evil, call them this, call them that,” he added. “It’s been done too many times.”

“If this announcement came so easily, what about the next announcement about total closure?” asked Nychyporuk. “How many years away is that, five? Six?”

“Right away we knew that we’re not in this fight alone, we can’t be in this fight alone,” said Nychyporuk, who praised the commitment of the provincial government, specifically mentioning Premier Greg Selinger flying into Thompson on Nov. 17 to meet with the USW membership. “This is not a labour dispute, this is about Thompson’s future.”

“The federal government is responsible for part of the situation that we’re in today, and they need to be part of the solution,” said Niki Ashton, who pointed out that it was the federal government who allowed Vale to purchase Inco in 2006. “We know what happened in Sudbury, we know what’s happening in Voisey’s Bay, and now Thompson knows how Vale works.”

“Vale is the BHP that got away,” she added, comparing Vale to the global mining giant that recently attempted to purchase Saskatchewan’s PotashCorp.

“To describe this as the week from hell for Thompson is an understatement,” began Steve Ashton. “If there’s one thing I urge that we all do tonight, it’s that we all gallop out of here saying one united message as a community: the way Vale has treated this community is not acceptable, ripping the refinery and the smelting out of Thompson is not acceptable, and we are going to fight back.”

“This decision goes against everything this community is all about,” he continued. “Since the 1950s, we’ve had an integrated operation. Read the 1956 agreement – it talks about setting up a mining, milling, smelting and refining operation. This was part of the social contract that set up this community.”

“If there’s such a major problem we’re facing, why didn’t you have the courtesy to sit down with the people of Thompson first?” asked Ashton. “This resource belongs to the people of this province, and it belongs to no one more than the people of Thompson, Manitoba. If you think you can come in and make this kind of announcement, you better have another think coming. How you treat Thompson will be seen to the rest of the world as how you do business. If they don’t come to the table, I’ll make sure everybody in this world knows that if you let Vale in the door, this is what they will do to you.”

The first audience member to speak was former USW president Les Ellsworth. “When I was in Ottawa, attending meetings about emissions, Inco stood up and said ‘Thompson, Manitoba will meet the emissions for 2008, 2015, and shame on Flin Flon for saying that they would not meet it,’” he recalled. “At least Flin Flon was honest about it.”

“They will take every ounce of nickel out of this ground by 2015,” Ellsworth said of Vale. “There will be nothing to mine if we don’t get a hold of it. Why don’t we keep the nickel in Thompson and not allow it to go out for processing after 2015?”

“I would like to know how Vale is going to cut 600 jobs without laying anybody off over the next four years,” offered Gerald Herman, who works in the smelter. “They must have been wearing some special glasses because I sure can’t see that happening.”

Former USW president Bob Desjarlais also spoke, reminding those in attendance that the USW had signed a letter of agreement with Inco, stating that if any employees were ever to be laid off in Thompson, they would be moved to either Sudbury or Voisey’s Bay.

Outside the Letkemann, copies of press releases from the city, the province, USW and Vale, all dated Nov. 17, were available for the public – as was a petition asking the federal government to intervene on behalf of Thompson, which Niki Ashton said she would bring back to Ottawa and present to Clement in the days to come.