Staff
AbitibiBowater in Thunder Bay will be providing more clean power and adding 56 permanent jobs thanks to help from the McGuinty government.
But local MPP Howard Hampton is asking where the provincial aid for other Northwestern Ontario mills was?
“I am happy for workers at the AbitibiBowater mill in Thunder Bay,” he said in an interview yesterday.
“It’s probably good news for them, but I have to wonder what about all the workers at the Cascades mill in Thunder Bay, the Abitibi Mission mill in Thunder Bay, the Smurfit-Stone mill in Thunder Bay, the Kenora mill, the Red Rock mill, the Marathon mill, and the Dryden paper mill that the McGuinty Liberals forgot about?
“All of those represent thousands of workers out of work, thousands of families without an income, and they’ve all happened over the last eight years under the McGuinty Liberals,” he added.
“I think this is simply a pre-election announcement because everyone knows there’s a provincial election five months from now,” Hampton remarked.
According to a press release from the province, AbitibiBowater will increase its electricity generation capacity by 40 megawatts, producing enough additional power for 38,000 homes, thanks to an agreement with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).
The project is expected to be completed by January, 2013.
The expansion also is supported by Ontario’s Forest Sector Prosperity Fund, and will add capacity to AbitibiBowater’s existing biomass-fuelled combined heat and power (CHP) project.
As well, AbitibiBowater is utilizing the Industrial Conservation Initiative which is available to more than 200 of Ontario’s largest energy consumers.
This program encourages industrial companies to shift their electricity consumption to off-peak hours, helping those like AbitibiBowater stay competitive, invest more in their businesses, and create new jobs, the province said.
“Ontario’s Energy Plan is helping our industrial sector stay competitive with programs to encourage businesses to generate clean power, conserve energy, and reduce costs,” Energy minister Brad Duguid said in a release.
“Our Long-Term Energy Plan is keeping the lights on with more clean energy, and helping northern families and industry to save on energy costs,” he noted.
“This investment is key regarding the mill’s future competitiveness,” stressed Douglas Murray, general manager of AbitibiBowater—Thunder Bay operations.
“Many people worked on this project over the last three years,” he noted. “I would like to thank the Government of Ontario for their ongoing support, and thank the OPA for being part of this success.
“Most importantly, I thank our employees for their unwavering support throughout this process,” Murray added.
“It made this project possible.”
