It's been a tough year for Vale in the north.
The mining giant, one of the region's largest employers, has faced stagnant nickel prices and it has had to make cuts to make up for lost revenue.
The company announced in July its latest quarterly income was down from over a billion dollars in the previous year, to just $16 million.
At Vale's annual open house, the company wasn't shying away from the realities.
"You know, these are difficult times and we do need to make some difficult decisions," said Angie Robson, Vale Public Affairs.
Some of those difficult decisions have included the recent closure of the Frood-Stobie Mine after 130 years and shutting down the crushing area at the Clarabelle Mill.
Even tougher choices may still lie ahead.
"The fact is we are a smaller operation now with the closure of Stobie," said Robson.
"We've moved from two furnaces to one in our smelter operations. We've been very open with our employees, with the union and with the community that reductions may be necessary."
Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger said he and city council are hoping that the depression in the mining sector is a short term problem. He pointed to the optimism in the market.
"There are still a lot of positives in the City of Greater Sudbury and we're looking forward to a long future with Vale in our community," Bigger said.
One of the ways the company hopes to extend that future is by shifting more of its local production into copper, which Robson said already makes up more of its output than nickel.
While the talk of cuts to Vale's workforce continue to swirl around union halls and throughout the community, Robson said no decisions have been made and she added it would be inappropriate to speculate on the specifics.
