Union hopes for plant to reopen by September 

Winnipeg Free Press - April 30,2010 

An employee-led buyout of the Pine Falls paper mill has passed a couple of key hurdles, giving a union official hope that the facility could reopen by September.

On Thursday, Cam Sokoloski, president of United Steelworkers Local 3-1375, said the results of a mill-purchase feasibility study, paid for by the province, was “favourable.” And the buyout group had also lined up a Winnipeg group to provide some of its financing.

“We’re moving forward,” Sokoloski said.

The province said Thursday it was prepared to come to the table to supply up to 30 per cent of the financing for a buyout if there is a viable plan in place.

Labour Minister Jennifer Howard said it’s her understanding that it would take $100 million to purchase the mill, get it up and running and “see it through until it could be profitable.”

“We would not be available to give total funding for that. There would have to be other partners,” Howard said, adding that the province has not received an official request from the buyout group.

The Pine Falls paper mill has been idle since Sept. 1, 2009 when Montreal-based Tembec locked out union employees during contract negotiations. Late last year, it announced it would close the facility and put it up for sale. Nearly 300 workers lost their jobs. Tembec said at the time that if a buyer could not be found soon, the plant would be mothballed.

On Thursday, in a show of support for the Pine Falls community, members of the legislative assembly unanimously supported a motion by Conservative MLA Gerald Hawranik (Lac du Bonnet) urging the province to lend a viable buyout group money to purchase the plant.

Sokoloski said the employee-led group seeking to purchase the facility includes both former union workers and management staff. Sagkeeng First Nation has also been involved in the discussions as a partner, he said.

Tembec officials could not be reached for comment on Thursday. The company is keen to unload the plant, but the buyout group wants more information about what liabilities — including environmental — they would be inheriting.

The purchase group also has yet to receive a report on the status of the company pension plan, Sokoloski said. “We know it’s underfunded. We don’t know (by) how much yet,” he said.

The would-be buyers were also awaiting word Thursday from Tembec about a request to once again extend the negotiation process. The company’s board was to discuss the request at a Wednesday meeting. Tembec had set strict deadlines for disposing of the facility.

 

Gerald Hawranik, PC Justice Critic, questions the Justice Minister on the Victims Rights Act as it pertains to the family of Crystal Taman.

Click here to view it live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cht0wbx14g

photo courtesy of The Winnipeg River EchoÂ

Gerald questions the Justice Minister about the Hollow Water Blockade during the September 26th session at the Legislature. Click on both of these links to view it live. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvZOuF5GpXk; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bAcWSC9tYY

Click here to view the Gerald questioning the Minister of Transporation on PR#304 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwhaOTsLjfEÂ

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PR#304 Petition

(Excerpt from Hansard, The Official Publication of the Manitoba Legislature - Nov 29/04)

(Excerpt from Hansard, The Official Publication of the Manitoba Legislature - Nov 29/04)Throne Speech Debate by Gerald Hawranik, MLA

Mr. Speaker, I presented two petitions to the Legislature last week, and, as well, I read a member’s statement to this Legislature with respect to PR#304. I want to again draw attention to PR#304 because I believe that it is the priority road within the constituency to be recon?structed. Through that member’s statement, through those petitions, I drew attention to PR#304 to the Minister of Transportation (Mr. Lemieux). PR#304 is the main connector road between PTH#11 and PTH#59 for residents in Pine Falls, Powerview, St. George, Great Falls, Manigotagan and Bissett. Those people travel in a southwesterly direction from Powerview to Selkirk and to Winnipeg. PR#304 from PTH#11 is travelled by about 1000 vehicles every day, which includes residents, tourists and those travelling north to service the First Nations communities along the winter road.

Travelling on PR#304 to Selkirk and Winnipeg, as opposed to using PTH#11, shortens the travel time by at least 30 minutes.

The other complicating factor, Mr. Speaker, is that if you travel down PTH#11 through the Sagkeeng First Nation reserve, you are travelling right through the community. The community is situated directly on PTH#11. Many children are playing near that road and the increased traffic volumes on PTH#11, if you were to redirect traffic from PR#304 onto PTH#11 would result in almost 1000 vehicles more in traffic daily through Sagkeeng First Nation. That is not desirable because of the safety issues for the children and the people who live along that road.

The 14 kilometres of PR#304 to the south of PTH#11 is in very poor condition, Mr. Speaker. It has no shoulders, it winds among granite outcroppings, it goes through swamps, and it creates very dangerous and very treacherous conditions for the travelling public. As I pointed out in the petitions and in the member’s statement, at least six people have died on that road needlessly over the last eight years on that 14-kilometre stretch of PR#304, south of Powerview. During that time, there have been countless accidents due to the deterioration of the road and the terrible condition of the road. These accidents have caused millions of dollars of property damage to vehicles and personal injuries, and as a result of that, there has been a great deal of lost time from work and personal pain and anguish. I ask that the Minister of Transportation make every effort to travel on PR#304 and I undertake to give him a tour if he likes, just to point out that PR#304 does need reconstruction.