Evraz to lay off more than 100 workers at Regina's steel mill
More than 100 Evraz employees will be laid off from Regina’s steel mill in February, according to the company.
The steel company plans to reduce its two-inch and 24-inch pipe production, resulting in layoffs at the Regina and Camrose, Alta. mills.
“That’s really in response to our customer forecast dropping off. Customer orders have dropped off over the past weeks that has been driven by imports in the market,” Michael Yeats, Senior Vice-President, Canada for Evraz North America explained.
“We just don’t have enough orders to sustain that same level of production that we were at.”
According to Yeats, high volumes of cheap imports from China and Korea are flooding the Canadian market and making it difficult to compete for business.
Over 100 workers will be temporarily laid off in Regina and more than 30 employees will be impacted in Camrose.
Ryan McKenzie, acting president of the United Steelworkers Local 5890, said the union is in talks with Evraz. He expects the company to finalize a list of layoffs this week.
“It’s never a good time to get laid off and right now it’s probably worse than most with the economy,” McKenzie said.
“It’s the nature of the industry. It’s cyclical. It’s something you never look forward to, but it’s something that’s not a big surprise.”
Evraz has two active trade cases open to deal with what the company calls “unfairly traded imports.”
“We’re working closely with the Canadian federal government to ensure our trade laws are enforced and that imports don’t continue to undermine or hurt the domestic steel industry,” Yeats said.
Yeats said it is hard to predict when the market might rebound and pipe production will resume to normal levels.
However, he said he is optimistic about the longer-term market, adding that it will depend on the federal government’s enforcement of trade laws.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Flights divert around western Iran as one report says explosions heard near Isfahan
Commercial flights began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic claimed there had been 'explosions' heard over the city of Isfahan. State television acknowledged 'loud noise.'
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.