THUNDER BAY - The proposed order of 36 new bi-level rail cars to be built at the Thunder Bay Bombardier plant is welcomed by union leaders, who remain hopeful it will be a bridge to keep workers on the line as more substantial contracts are sought.
“This is better news than what we had yesterday,” said Dominic Pasqualino, president of Unifor Local 1075. “We are going to work on that and build on this and our goal is to try to fill up the order book as much as possible.”
Minister of Energy, Mines, Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford was in Thunder Bay on Wednesday to announce the provincial government has given a mandate to Metrolinx to put an order forward for 36 bi-level cars.
Bombardier is finishing up work on 63 bi-level cars for Metrolinx, which was to be completed by the end of 2019, however, the timeline for delivery has also been extended by the company, allowing the plant to take more time and keep more workers on.
“We think by extending the timeline in which those 63 can be produced, which reflects the operational reality of the Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay and another 36 cars coming on board, that we have some pretty happy workers that will say hey, we are here until at least 2022,” Rickford said.
“We think it's going to carry the Bombardier plant for a while. We are embarking on one of the largest subway expansions and transit expansions in the history of the province. So today is about hope and the prospect and we think this is a very good start.”
According to Pasqualino, there will still be layoffs at the plant, which employs more than 1,100 people and is the largest private-sector employer in the city. He was not able to say how many workers will lose their jobs or when layoffs might begin.
“Right now we are looking for a bridge to get to these subway car contracts we are speaking of,” he said. “Hopefully those will be coming quickly. But right now, even if we got a subway car contract today, there will be layoffs because you have to tool up, you have to purchase parts.”
Contracts with Metrolinx and the Toronto Transit Commission were winding down and scheduled to be completed at the end of 2019, but with bi-level cars already in production and the timeline on completing the remaining 63 cars for Metrolinx extended, the end of the year won’t be as devastating as it could have been, according to Pasqualino.
“The good news is that gives us more opportunities so we don’t have two contracts ending at the exact same time because that would have been crucial and devastating for the plant,” he said. “Having the option of that going a little bit further and adding 36 cars on gives us some opportunities that we didn’t have before this morning.”
Pasqualino added that the announcement on Wednesday shows the intention of the provincial government and that it is heading in the right direction.
“Any work that we get from the provincial government we very much appreciate that and we will continue to look for more opportunities,” he said. “It looks like the provincial government has a pile of work that is coming down the road for subway expansions and Bombardier I’m sure would like to get in on that and make quality cars that we have for decades before that.”
The federal government invested more than $8.3 billion to infrastructure projects in Ontario, including $4.9 billion for the city of Toronto and $593 million for Metrolinx.
Earlier this year, the Ford government announced a $28.5 billion plan for new transit infrastructure in the Greater Toronto Area.
“We continue to have expansion plans for transit in Southern Ontario,” Rickford said. “It was important that we put a priority on the workers at the Bombardier facility in Thunder Bay and that is what we are doing today.”
