TORONTO - Premier Dalton McGuinty is promising to give Timmins the funds needed to figure out what to do with the existing smelter when Xstrata closes its doors in May.
It's a move McGuinty says comes at the request of the city's mayor -- but one critics call too little, too late.
Swiss miner Xstrata PLC plans to shut down its copper and zinc operations in Timmins, in a move that will result in the loss of 700 direct jobs as production moves to Quebec.
McGuinty says the government is doing what it can to convince the international miner to stay in Ontario, but notes that at the end of the day, it's the company's choice.
Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren has told McGuinty that the most important thing he can do now is to help the city explore new options for the smelter, the premier says, and that's what the government will do.
NDP critic Gilles Bisson says he's disappointed McGuinty never really engaged in discussions with Xstrata to keep the plant open, and says the premier should have put plans in place to ensure the province benefits from the processing of its own natural resources.
If the province was willing to provide billions of dollars to help the auto sector in southern Ontario, Bisson says, it should be willing to do more to help the devastated mining industry in the north.
