THUNDER BAY – Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles emphasized keeping jobs in Ontario when touring Thunder Bay's Alstom plant on Wednesday.
“We're here at Alstom because we want to talk about Ontario jobs and the money that's going into building transit systems,” Stiles said.
“For example, like we've seen in Toronto, we're continuing to see those are Ontario taxpayer dollars, those are dollars that Ontarians have invested in and we want to see those translate into Ontario jobs and opportunities and we want to see that happen right here in Thunder Bay."
She was impressed to see the amount of multiple skilled tradespeople who are employed at the Alstom plant and the extraordinary work it takes to assemble subway cars.
Alstom currently has two provincial contracts which involve refurbishing GO Transit bi-level cars and manufacturing the Toronto Transit Commission's light-rail vehicle streetcars.
These contracts will last until late 2025 to early 2026.
After that, ensuring there are no lay-offs at the plant could depend on the federal government’s proclamation that the Toronto Transit Commission’s Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subway cars should be built in Thunder Bay.
Stiles said the federal government's commitment to have Alstom manufacture the TTC’s line “is a great opportunity for another made-in-Ontario solution.”
The Ontario NDP has been calling on the Ford government to ensure Ontario Line subway cars are built in Thunder Bay. However, the contract was awarded to Hitachi.
“It's been a struggle. We saw a major line, the last major bill that Ontario put money into and it went to Hitachi and that was built in the United States and none of that money came back to Ontario,” said Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois.
“That's billions and billions. I think it was $9 billion. That's Ontario taxpayer dollars that went to build that line that will be used in Ontario. But the money is not going to workers in Ontario. That doesn't make any sense," she said.
Vaugeois has called out the province on its decision to lower Canadian content rules for Ontario Line subway cars from 25 per cent to just 10 per cent, which puts Ontario in a tough financial position.
“Ontario manufacturing is critical. But it has to be all throughout Ontario. We can't just focus on the jobs that are gonna be growing and the opportunities in Southern Ontario. Northern Ontario needs jobs and opportunities and that kind of investment is really, really important,” Stiles said.
Justin Roberts, president of Unifor Local 1075, said that meeting with the NDP leader was a great opportunity to voice the union's concern about maintaining job stability at Alstom.
“She's very, very receptive to what we had to say. She shares our concerns when it comes to the Canadian content and Ontario content, which is great because that matters big time to us,” Roberts said.
“And all of our local concerns too when it comes to the cost of living, mental health in the area, she was very receptive and very supportive."
