“Jobs lost, families left behind,” Hamilton NDP MPPs demand urgent support for steel workers

HAMILTON – Ontario NDP MPPs Robin Lennox (Hamilton Centre) and Sandy Shaw (Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas) are condemning the Ford Government’s failure to protect jobs and workers following ArcelorMittal’s decision to close its Hamilton wire-drawing mill, impacting over 150 workers and their families.

“This is devastating news for families who have built their lives with good, stable, unionized jobs in Hamilton’s steel sector,” said Lennox. “Workers and their families are being left with no answers, no options, no protections, and no leadership from the Ford government. It’s unacceptable”.

ArcelorMittal, a wire drawing mill based in Hamilton for nearly 70 years, announced Wednesday that they will be shutting down their facility, and consolidating operations in Montreal. This comes after economic pressures from the US where Donald Trump has hiked up steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%. ArcelorMittal says the recent tariff increase has ‘put the nail in the coffin’ on its Hamilton facility.

Workers say they were blindsided by the closure, receiving little to no advance notice or consultation. Many only learned of the news as they arrived at work Wednesday morning.

“This is yet another sign that Ontario’s steel industry is being abandoned in real time,” said Shaw. “The Premier talks a big game about protecting workers, but when jobs are on the line, he is nowhere to be found. These workers deserve real support for themselves and their families.”

The Ontario NDP is calling on the provincial Government to provide immediate support for affected workers and to collaborate with all levels of government to strengthen protections against steel dumping and mass layoffs in Ontario’s manufacturing sector. Strategies should include guaranteeing domestic steel procurement for all provincial infrastructure projects.

We need our government to do more than just react. We cannot “wait and see” how this plays out for workers in Hamilton and across Ontario – we need to act urgently and strategically to confront the challenge we are faced with.