The provincial government says the layoffs at the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay will only be temporary.
Some 75 workers are without a job right now.
Associate Transport Minister Stan Cho assures that workers will be back on the job by the summer.
“$171 million for 94 Go Transit rail coaches at the Alstom facility in Thunder Bay,” Cho told the Ontario Legislature during Question Period Thursday morning.
“There is a lot of work on the way to Thunder Bay and Alstom and we’re confident they’ll be up and running in June.”
Cho adds the plant is re-tooling for new rail cars that will be required in Ontario.
“The layoffs are temporary and Alstom’s leadership team has spoken with our government and said exactly that, that their intention is to bring these workers back in June of this year. And they have to because there’s a lot of construction happening when it comes to transit in our province.”
NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the province’s RFP (Request for Proposals) for transit vehicles says just 10% has to be Canadian made, instead of the previous 25% and suggests that’s responsible for the layoffs.
Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford issued the following statement following the claim from the leader of the NDP:
“Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP are wrong once again. If it were up to them, we would be doing the bare minimum when it comes to supporting local jobs in Ontario.
Andrea Horwath wants just 25 per cent of Ontario’s multi-billion-dollar transit project to require Canadian content. Instead, our government is moving forward with 75 per cent Canadian content. 75 per cent Canadian content means more high-paying jobs right here in Ontario. It means keeping the doors open at the Alstom plant, and it means more money in the pockets of hardworking Ontarians.
“It’s no surprise that once again the NDP simply don’t have their facts straight. Not only did they vote against the Ontario Line and the largest subway expansion in Canadian history, but they voted against the service expansion across the GO rail network. By doing so, they voted against keeping good-paying jobs in Thunder Bay,” said Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora-Rainy River. “Andrea Horwath should explain to Ontarians why she thinks doing the bare minimum to support workers is good enough for the Ontario NDP.”
The fact is, under the leadership of Premier Ford, no government has ordered more Canadian-made vehicles than this one. In the last year alone, our government’s investments have supported the people of Thunder Bay and the workers at the Alstom plant with hundreds of millions of dollars in purchase orders, including:
· $180 million investment for new TTC streetcars, and;
· $171 million investment to refurbish GO rail trains.
Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP didn’t support any of these investments, and they didn’t support our government’s plan to build transit, making it clear they don’t support the workers at the Alstom plant or the people of Thunder Bay.”
(With files from Tim Davidson)
