Ontario New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles has appointed Sudbury MPP Jamie West to be the official Opposition’s new mining critic. He also remains critic for labour, training and skills development.
Born and raised in Sudbury, West was the active in the local labour movement beginning with the USW Local 6500 and was a worker safety representative at Vale prior to his election in 2018. By trade, he is a smelter flash furnace operator.
“I’m honoured to be given this new role and excited to start working on the file,” said West in an NDP-issued news release. “You can’t grow up in Sudbury without having a strong connection to mining. For those of us who’ve worked in the field, that connection is even stronger.
"My parents moved to Sudbury so my dad could work as a miner at Stobie Mine. My stepfather worked for Falconbridge/Glencore for 33 years before retiring. I worked at Vale’s Copper Cliff Smelter for 17 years before being elected to the legislative assembly of Ontario. I know that the most valuable thing to come out of our Ontario mines is our miners, and no one does mining better than we do in Ontario.
“Our province deserves leadership that truly understands what is at stake for key industries like Mining, and Jamie gets it,” said Stiles. “Jamie invited me to Sudbury to learn more about the industry and ensure that it continues to be a top priority for the Ontario NDP. During my visit, we discussed the regreening of Sudbury, toured Vale’s South Mine, Glencore’s Nickel Rim South, learned about some of the latest innovations from local suppliers like Soucie Salo Safety and Covergalls, and met with the workers who rely on the good jobs that the industry brings.”
