Stelco Lake Erie Works
Encyclopedia
The Stelco Lake Erie Works is located in the small village of Nanticoke
, Ontario
, Canada
. The owner of this business venture is U.S. Steel Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of United States Steel
, which is now the fifth largest steelmaker in the world. U.S. Steel Canada purchased Stelco
in 2007. This operation has a focus on making steel
for the automotive sector. As North America's newest greenfield
steel mill
and one of its most efficient mills in North America, this facility is a lifeline for its employees.
Stelco Lake Erie Works generally operates in a region of Southern Ontario
where there are no wind generator
s. Their electricity is provided mostly by the nearby coal-power plant
(which will switch to biomass
in 2014 due to a Ontario government regulation to get rid of coal power as a supplement to their hydro energy) and through the hydroelectric
grid centered around Niagara Falls at the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations
.
and Norfolk County
worked at this site until temporarily losing their jobs due to the lockout or simply being laid off.
This drastic move ended up costing about 1500 jobs for Stelco. Twelve thousand non-Stelco jobs were also lost for the entire region on an overall basis. Just like Flint
, Michigan
was dependent on General Motors
for their livelihood in the 20th century, Norfolk County was dependent on Stelco to provide a crutch to the retirement community's economy. When the Stelco Lake Erie Works was closed temporarily, the local economy of Norfolk County slowed down to a crawl. People were getting laid off from jobs even though some of them were unrelated to Stelco. The Nanticoke and Hamilton plants were shut down on Lake Erie Works in 2009; leaving most people in the area with little or no disposable income to spend on consumer goods and items. A tenantive agreeement was made on April 8, 2010 after an eight-month lockout and a vote ratification was made on April 15, 2010 at 11:15 P.M.. The Stelco Lake Erie Works would finally re-open after an eight-month lockout in time for workers to return on April 23, 2010. Most of the local jobs were eventually restored regardless if they were related to Stelco's operations; resulting in a major drop in the local unemployment rate for the summer of 2010.
Nanticoke, Ontario
Nanticoke is an unincorporated community and former city located on the western border of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It is southeast of Simcoe in neighbouring Norfolk County and south of Brantford...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The owner of this business venture is U.S. Steel Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of United States Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
, which is now the fifth largest steelmaker in the world. U.S. Steel Canada purchased Stelco
Stelco
US Steel Canada is a steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.-History:Several existing smaller steelworks combined and were incorporated as the Steel Company of Canada in 1910. Charles S...
in 2007. This operation has a focus on making steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
for the automotive sector. As North America's newest greenfield
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
and one of its most efficient mills in North America, this facility is a lifeline for its employees.
Stelco Lake Erie Works generally operates in a region of Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
where there are no wind generator
Wind generator
A wind generator is a device that generates electrical power from wind energy.Wind generators have traditionally been wind turbines, i.e. a propeller attached to an electric generator attached to appropriate electronics to attach it to the electrical grid or to charge batteries.Recently, however, a...
s. Their electricity is provided mostly by the nearby coal-power plant
Nanticoke Generating Station
The Nanticoke Generating Station is the largest coal-fired power plant in North America, delivering up to 2,760 MW of power into the southern Ontario power grid from its base in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada. Previous to unit shutdowns, its generating capacity was 3,964 MW. It is owned by...
(which will switch to biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
in 2014 due to a Ontario government regulation to get rid of coal power as a supplement to their hydro energy) and through the hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
grid centered around Niagara Falls at the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations
Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations
Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations are two hydroelectric power stations in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The stations divert water from the Niagara and Welland Rivers above the falls which is then released into the lower portion of the river, and together produce up to 1,926 MW.Adam Beck...
.
Recent history
Many people from all over Haldimand CountyHaldimand County, Ontario
Haldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga....
and Norfolk County
Norfolk County, Ontario
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
worked at this site until temporarily losing their jobs due to the lockout or simply being laid off.
This drastic move ended up costing about 1500 jobs for Stelco. Twelve thousand non-Stelco jobs were also lost for the entire region on an overall basis. Just like Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
was dependent on General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
for their livelihood in the 20th century, Norfolk County was dependent on Stelco to provide a crutch to the retirement community's economy. When the Stelco Lake Erie Works was closed temporarily, the local economy of Norfolk County slowed down to a crawl. People were getting laid off from jobs even though some of them were unrelated to Stelco. The Nanticoke and Hamilton plants were shut down on Lake Erie Works in 2009; leaving most people in the area with little or no disposable income to spend on consumer goods and items. A tenantive agreeement was made on April 8, 2010 after an eight-month lockout and a vote ratification was made on April 15, 2010 at 11:15 P.M.. The Stelco Lake Erie Works would finally re-open after an eight-month lockout in time for workers to return on April 23, 2010. Most of the local jobs were eventually restored regardless if they were related to Stelco's operations; resulting in a major drop in the local unemployment rate for the summer of 2010.