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| Last updated at 9:39 AM on 01/05/08 |
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Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale spoke with media at the Mount Peyton Hotel in Grand Falls-Windsor following meetings with mill management, unions and community leaders Wednesday. |
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No answers for government on mill, questions swirl around Star Lake 
JENNIFER PELLEY AND DAVID NEWELL
Advertiser
Not many answers came out of the provincial natural resources minister's meetings with AbitibiBowater management and unions Wednesday.
The paper company could not tell Minister Kathy Dunderdale when information on a plan for the local operation could be expected or when more layoffs would be coming down.
"They didn't have any answers for me to those questions other than to say the phase two review is nearing completion and they are expecting it will happen very soon, but they couldn't put a specific date on that," said the minister.
Jean Phillipe Cote, director of public affairs and government relations with AbitibiBowater, confirmed phase two is almost complete and the company expects to announce it soon. Until then, no details of further layoffs are available.
"I can assure you we are not making this wait longer than it needs to be," he said. "It is just a question of wrapping up everything and making sure we have a corporate wide approach."
Star Lake concerns
However, one interesting piece of information that has arisen was the fact that AbitbiBowater feels its Star Lake hydro asset could still be retained if the Grand Falls-Windsor mill no longer produced paper.
Minister Dunderdale said the three other hydro assets besides Star Lake are connected to the operation of the mill, but there remains some ambiguity surrounding the Star Lake piece.
"There is a legal question around (Star Lake) that we're trying to get some answers to right now," said the minister. "There's certainly a feeling in the company that they could retain Star Lake."
Mr. Cote would not comment on the matter only to say, "I do not want to speculate on scenarios of shutting down the mill. We want to go through phase two and so far our willingness is to make things happen."
However, Gary Healey, national CEP rep, feels all the hydro assets should remain tied to the production of paper.
"All of the hydro assets were intended to facilitate the paper making process at the Grand Falls division and that's where it should remain," he said. "Anything else is really outside of the scope as to why these facilities were built."
Response to Kerr's letter
In response to the controversial letter written to the Advertiser by former mill manager David Kerr, Minister Dunderdale was disappointed by what she calls the "insensitivity" of Mr. Kerr's comments.
She discussed the letter with local management and described them as being equally as distressed.
"I quite honestly don't understand why somebody who is now living and working in the Far East would write such an article that would have an impact on a community that's under a great deal of stress and strain - somebody who's certainly not a principle in any of the discussions that are taking place," she said.
According to Minister Dunderdale, the letter was not reflective of the mill management's approach in making the Grand Falls-Windsor operation a viable one.
Staying informed
Minister Dunderdale has requested management keep her abreast of future decisions they make regarding the Grand Falls-Windsor mill - something she says the administration has agreed to.
"I've been very clear in terms of what my expectations are," she said. "We all want this company to succeed, we want this mill to succeed and it means we all have to work together to make that happen."
She also asked that unions, the municipalities and the people of the region in general be kept informed so there is an understanding of the decisions being made.
The message the minister wanted to get to management, unions and the region is that government is engaged with AbitibiBowater in this process and wants to work towards the mill remaining operational.
"We encourage the company to talk to us as they do their planning," said Minister Dunderdale. "If there's a way that's reasonable and sensible for us to be engaged, then we're absolutely going to be there."
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01/05/08
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Ken from STEPHENVILLE!!!, NL writes: Gee Kathy, why not calm the towns fears by having Super Danny state emphaticaly that the Mill will not close on his watch ??????
As for a legal question around (Star Lake), it would be criminaly insane for your Government to allow Corporate Abitibi to retain any such assetts considering their past and ongoing shamefull treatment of it's workers!!
If your Government's efforts prove as helpfull as they were in Stephenville, then I'll expect very soon NL will be a one papermill province.
Of course Abitibi wants to keep the power generation. It puts 85 to 100 million dollars per year into their corporate coffers from NL Hydro!!
Their motive for delay in announcing their plans is trying to figure out how to keep this income beyond the mills demise.
Why else keep a 100 year + facility running, having already closed a 25 year efficient & larger producer in Stephenville??????
Drop by sometime and visit our local crime scene!!
The DEMOLITION site of Abitibi Stephenville Division......our local Ground Zero!!!!!!!!!!
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| Posted 01/05/2008 at 7:41 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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JAMES SNOW from winnipeg, manitoba writes: great comment ken from stephenville. couldn't have said it better myself. the mill at grandfalls-windsor is old and as i said before it won't survive. the minister of natural resources must have her head in the sand if she can't see what abitibi/bowater is up too, but whats new with politicians. parliment hill is full of politicians with there heads in the sand, same as king danny and is gang there on the rock.
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| Posted 02/05/2008 at 10:09 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Susan from NL writes: Great comment Ken!! GFW had better keep their heads up or else they will end up like Stephenville...out the door...oh; and by the way, if Danny says they will enforce plan B ...don't believe a word!!! There was never a Plan B for Stephenville, and there won't be one for you!!
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| Posted 02/05/2008 at 4:07 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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