Steelworkers call for ‘urgent’ meeting with premier to save northwestern Ont. pulp mill

The mill was the main employer in Terrace Bay -- population 1,600 -- and nearby communities including Schreiber and Pays Plat First Nation. (Township of Terrace Bay photo)

The leader of the United Steelworkers union in Ontario is calling for an urgent meeting with Premier Doug Ford to ramp up efforts to re-open the AV Terrace Bay pulp mill, the northwestern Ontario community’s largest employer before it closed six months ago.

The mill, owned by the India-based Aditya Birla conglomerate, was indefinitely idled in early January, putting 400 people out of work, including 270 Steelworkers.

It was the main employer in Terrace Bay (population 1,600) and nearby communities including Schreiber and Pays Plat First Nation.

The mill produced premium-grade pulp used in manufacturing products such as tissues, toilet paper and paper towels.

A news release Thursday said that Myles Sullivan, director of USW District 6, which covers Ontario and Atlantic Canada, sent a letter to Ford and the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Graydon Smith, requesting a meeting “to discuss how we can revive the pulp mill, get 400 people working again and give their communities hope.”

“The closure has had negative ripple effects in the northern Ontario communities of Terrace Bay, Schreiber and Pays Plat First Nation,” Sullivan said in the letter.

“Forestry jobs in the region are threatened and small and medium-sized businesses are hurting and in some cases, have also shuttered.”

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While Smith vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in his efforts to revive the Mill, Sullivan said that hasn’t been the case.

“Premier and minister, stones remain unturned, and workers, families and communities need your help,” he said in the letter.

“I am inviting you both to meet with USW District 6 leadership to discuss how we can revive the pulp mill ... This pulp mill is vital to this region and our province cannot afford to lose these operations and the jobs and businesses they support.”

The union also will be reaching out to business operators in Terrace Bay and area communities to engage in discussions on working jointly to revive the pulp mill, Sullivan said.