Ford Urged to Take Action to Stem Thunder Bay Job Losses
Hundreds of layoff notices expected in Thunder Bay
THUNDER BAY, ON — As workers and families reel from the news that Bombardier plans to issue hundreds of lay-off notices at its Thunder Bay plant, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell (Thunder Bay-Atikokan) are urging the province to get in gear and take action, rather than just letting the jobs go.
“Our hearts are with the workers and families who are hearing about job losses, and are now left to worry about whether they’ll be able to make ends meet in the months ahead. This time, the province needs to fight for these jobs tooth and nail.”
said Horwath.
“It should never have come to this. The alarm has been sounding for a while on the need to tender contracts for the rolling stock Ontario needs.”
“This Bombardier plant is the cornerstone of Thunder Bay’s economy. The news that hundreds of workers will lose their jobs is causing anxiety across the region. If you want good jobs, you have to go to bat for them. So far, this government has dropped the ball.”
said Monteith-Farrell.
As calls for Buy Ontario policies grow louder, Monteith-Farrell said that unless the Ford government takes decisive action right away, the province is in danger of losing its capacity to build transit vehicles.
“How many jobs will Ontario lose before Doug Ford agrees that something needs to be done?”
Monteith-Farrell asked, pointing out that parts and supplier businesses across the province will be impacted, too.
Since the Ford government took office, Windsor and Oshawa have also been hit by mass layoffs. The NDP has been fighting for a manufacturing strategy, as well as an auto strategy as part of a plan to stop losses in manufacturing and auto.
