Thompson bracing for job losses after northern Manitoba mine owner admits to bleeding $300K a day – by Ian Froese (CBC News Manitoba – June 17, 2020)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/

Vale says efforts to find ‘simpler and more nimble operating model’ will mean smaller workforce

A mining city in northern Manitoba is facing another setback as the owner of the community’s nickel mine is preparing to shed more jobs. Vale says it cannot continue to operate its Thompson mine under the status quo, after losing $300,000 per day in 2019.

“We need to find a simpler and more nimble operating model to ensure our future in Thompson,” said Franco Cazzola, manager of Vale’s Manitoba operations, in an email to media.

“This will mean a smaller workforce than we have today. We will consider every option available to us to ensure any job reductions are as limited as possible, and we will ensure they will not impact the safety of our ongoing operations.”

Vale will embark on a comprehensive review of its mining operations in Thompson, before deciding on next steps for restructuring. It expects to finish the report this fall.

Trimming jobs for years

The president of United Steelworkers 6166, a union representing 552 mine workers, said it’s a big hit to a city that has recently lost hundreds of mining jobs.

For the rest of this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/thompson-job-losses-vale-bleeding-money-1.5616489