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Giant miner Vale (NYSE:VALE) is requesting the Canadian city of Sudbury to allow the housing of hundreds of temporary construction workers at its mine, mill and smelter sites in the community.
The company’s spokesperson, Angie Robson, told CBC radio show “Morning North” that Vale is having a lot of work done in the coming months and may need as many as 2,000 construction workers at a time. Robson said the zoning change the company is asking for is simply to make sure those workers have somewhere to stay. The company believes the city might not have the capacity to host them, which may result in delays.
“We’re simply looking for flexibility that if we require it in the future, that we’d be able to house these temporary workers on our site,” she told CBC.
Statistics from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation released Oct. 9 backed what Robson said. Overall they show the market has slowed in Greater Sudbury compared to 2011. While single residential housing starts were up slightly in September, the number of multi-residential projects – row houses, apartment buildings, and condominiums – is down significantly.
Sudbury city council will consider allowing Vale’s request early next year. The company has been mining for nickel in the city for over 100 years.
Comments
Wolfman
Bullshit!!! Anyone with any prior knowledge of this company can/will see right through this latest manipulative ploy to gear up for the next ‘labor dispute’!!!
During the last ‘labor dispute’ ( read lock-out) the company was ordered to cease and desist when they started housing replacement workers and staff on company property. Now they request permission to build on-site accommodations under the guise of housing the overflow of required workers for their construction project at the smelter in Sudbury!? If that’s the case then why are they not disclosing the fact that they are looking to build these ‘temporary accommodations’ on just about all of their properties?
With less than a three-year window, until the present contract runs out, there could understandably be a sense of urgency to acquire the necessary permits and get the shovels in the ground sooner than later if they are to meet the next contract ‘deadline’!? They have known for a number of years now the size of the contractor workforce that would be required to achieve the revamping of the smelter complex, why wait this long to come to the conclusion that Sudbury would not be able to house this influx of contract workers? If their motives are indeed on the up and up then why would the accommodations have to deviate from present city by-laws? Why must they be on company property and not on outside property in close proximity to the smelter??? Hmmm???
Needless to say that this company’s track record in Sudbury, since acquiring the former Inco in 2006, has been somewhat short of stellar and as such the locals have a natural tendency to perceive these latest ‘off-the-wall’ requests with a grain of salt and a sense of trepidation. (By the way, as they are fond of trying to remind us….Vale as a company has not been mining in the Sudbury area for over 100 years…the former Inco did, until they were bought out in 2006. Vale is just the ‘new kid in town’ (might also read ‘Big Bully’)…just for the record.)