B.C. mining company cuts 140 positions due to 'challenging market conditions'
Glencore-owned Elk Valley Resources (EVR), which operates four steelmaking coal mines in B.C.'s southeast along the Alberta border, said it is cutting 140 staff jobs.
In an emailed statement from company communications manager Chris Stannell, Elk Valley blamed "challenging market conditions" for the job cuts.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on steel imports to the U.S. to 50 per cent, while industry leaders continue to raise concerns about alleged " steel dumping" — the selling of steel into the Canadian market at ultra-low prices.
"EVR is working to improve efficiency and reduce costs across our business to ensure our company is globally competitive," Stannell said.
He said "most" of the employees in the cut jobs were reallocated into other vacant positions within the company, but not all. Workers who were not placed into another position are receiving support, he said.
The company's website said it employs more than 5,000 people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Peace River, Alta., uses secret shopper to get ideas to boost local tourism
Social Sharing A secret shopper, hired by the Town of Peace River, highlighted better wayfinding and making the downtown more of a hangout as some ways to boost tourism in the community. Disguised as an everyday tourist, tourism consultant Roger Brooks spent a week exploring everything the northwestern Alberta town has to offer, and pinpointing ways it could become more inviting for visitors. Brooks shared his impressions and suggestions during a community presentation earlier this week, with the mayor, town staff and roughly two dozen business owners in attendance. "After working in 60 different cities and towns across Alberta, I thought that Peace River was going to be another Prairie town," said Brooks, who works with the Destination Development Association, an organization based in Washington state. "You have everything here." He said the town, located about 390 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, has all the necessities, like retail spaces and quality schools and medical services. He was particularly struck by the amount of recreation. "A five-minute drive in any direction, you will find something else that you can do. That was impressive," Brooks said. But the activities and attractions could be better advertised, and signage needs to be improved, he said. "Help us find out what you have," Brooks said. He noted that Peace River is chopped up into different portions — the north, south, west and lower west sides — plus the downtown. "Without directional signage, it's really hard to figure out where things are," he said. According to the town, some changes are already in the works, including improving wayfinding and signage. It is considering other suggestions, like ways to advertise attractions. One of the takeaways for Mayor Elaine Manzer was that the town has to expand where it's trying to attract people. She noted that Brooks suggested a 45-kilometre range of daily trips. "We've basically been concentrating on the town and what the town has," Manzer said. "Sure, we want visitors to town, [but] to get those visitors to come here, we perhaps need more than just 'town things.'" 'The community living room' Second on Brooks' list was giving the downtown area a little boost that would entice people to spend more time there. Brooks suggested using empty lots as community spaces where people can gather, improving window displays for individual businesses and adding more benches. "We want people to hang out downtown. We want it to be the community living room," he said. The municipality has done what it can to beautify the area, he said, listing pole banners and hanging baskets of flowers as examples. But local businesses "haven't done very much to pull people in their doors. That's probably the weak link." Local business owners say they are still recovering from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and experiencing more break-ins, thefts and vandalism. Combined, those factors have made for tough sledding, they say, but they're eager to take Brooks' advice. "He's spot on with a lot of things. I know a lot of people in Peace River who own other businesses; I think they would agree with me that what he said is true," said Pheonix Nilsson, who owns and operates the local Reddi Mart and Great Canadian Dollar Store. Nilsson agreed particularly with the community spaces, recalling a trip he took to Seattle two years ago. "They had that, and I thought that was freaking fantastic," he said. "I spent more time there than I did out shopping because it was a lot of fun. You got to meet people." Nilsson said he's considering expanding the seating area outside of his store, adding some more flower pots, and investing in some life-size board games for the community to use. "Maybe let go of the old ways and start implementing new things," he said.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
National Defence considering purchase of fighter drones that could fly with F-35
An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet practises for an air show appearance in Ottawa, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence is looking at the possibility of complementing its incoming F-35 fleet with uncrewed combat aircraft. Unclassified documents obtained by The Canadian Press show the department is researching various options for acquiring the emerging technology. The documents suggest that purchasing a fleet of aerial combat drones that could fly alongside fighter jets could cost as much as $16 billion and would require hundreds of staff. That cost estimate is in the upper range. The price tag and other aspects of the emerging technology remain uncertain, and the fact that the government is researching combat drones doesn't guarantee that Canada will buy any. David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said Canada's allies are already headed in this direction, so at a minimum Ottawa will want to better understand how its closest military partners will use similar technology. He said combat drones could give the air force more flexibility to contribute to allied operations and could act as a force-multiplier that would beef up the 'mass' of the air force. They're also cheaper than fighter jets. 'There's been a trade-off, particularly in the West, with investing in expensive things. It can have super high levels of precision and survivability ... and we've been moving towards having increasingly expensive fighter aircraft that can do phenomenal things, but they're so expensive that you can't build all that many of them,' Perry said. 'The broad thrust of the idea of having an unpiloted vehicle that would be able to operate with a piloted vehicle is that you provide additional numbers in a way that could potentially help provide enough quantity to overwhelm opposition forces.' Perry pointed to the war in Ukraine, where Russia has been launching massive volleys of drones and missiles. 'If you have a whole bunch of targets to track, it makes it much more difficult for any kind of defensive system to be able to deal, at the same time, with all the incoming,' he said. Canada and its allies have never deployed unmanned aerial combat drones that operate in tandem with fighter jets. Daniel Norton is a senior management systems analyst with the RAND Corporation who has done modernization studies for the U.S. air force for more than three decades. He said drones of the type Canada is looking at tend to be smaller than crewed fighters, cost a fraction of a conventional jet if bought in bulk — and can be used in situations where the military wouldn't want to put a pilot at risk. Known as 'collaborative combat aircraft,' the vehicles are designed to act autonomously in some ways — such as targeting and flying — but with humans managing their actions. Future versions of the technology could engage in fully autonomous operations. The drones could be used to carry sensors, jammers or weapons to support normal fighter jets. They could even be used as decoys. Norton said new platforms like these probably won't be deployed in battle by any country before 2030 at the earliest. 'I'd be surprised if it happened sooner,' he said. National Defence vaguely alluded to such platforms in the most recent defence policy update as something the government would 'explore.' The 2024 policy update, titled 'Our North, Strong and Free,' committed to exploring 'options for acquiring a suite of surveillance and strike drones and counter-drone capabilities.' An internal preliminary analysis of the various options for the 'autonomous collaborative platform' ruled out buying completely Canadian-made fighter drones. The analysis said one possible path would have Canada work with partner nations on developing new systems like this, and pointed to several such craft being developed for Australia, the U.S. and European nations. The analysis said such a procurement project 'could provide Canadian aerospace firms with an entry point into development and production of advanced weapons systems.' There are no current off-the-shelf versions but several are being developed, such as Boeing's MQ-28A 'Ghost Bat' for Australia, General Atomics' YFQ-42 in the U.S. and the Anduril YFQ-44A. Boeing's aircraft is undergoing flight testing, while Anduril's is expected to start testing this year. Both the U.S. and Australian air forces use F-35s. There are also several initiatives underway in Europe for autonomous collaborative aircraft. When The Canadian Press asked Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, the new commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, how the RCAF might change in response to the rapid developments in drone warfare, she said the military is 'already looking at those kinds of future capabilities.' 'It is absolutely something that is on our radar and something that we need to be prepared for in the future,' she said. In March, in response to the trade war with the U.S., Prime Minister Carney ordered a review of Canada's plan to purchase a fleet of F-35 fighter jets. The federal government is expected to render a decision on the procurement project by the end of summer. Canada's planned purchase of 88 of the U.S.-made stealth jets is expected to cost $27.7 billion, according to the auditor general. At this point, Canada has only financially committed to purchasing the first 16 jets. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
.png&w=3840&q=100)
Montreal Gazette
3 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Charest talks Trump: ‘This is a wake-up call for Canada'
The Corner Booth Jean Charest has worn many hats in his political career, from Quebec premier to leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party. These days as a member of Prime Minister Mark Carney's council on Canada-U.S. relations, Charest is focused on American President Donald Trump. Made up of leaders in business, innovation and policy, the council is tasked with advising the prime minister and his cabinet during this sensitive time in international relations. Fresh from Trump's latest tariff threats that risk devastating Quebec's economy, Charest joined hosts Aaron Rand and Bill Brownstein on the latest episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli to discuss his latest, and perhaps most critical, political battle yet. 'Mark Carney got a mandate to face up to Trump, but also to change our economy,' Charest said. 'And this is a wake-up call for Canada. And I'm of the school of those who really believe that we'll thank Trump in 20 years.' Although it happened in an unwanted way, Charest said Trump's tactics will 'force us to change the way our economy operates, to be more productive and get our act together to be able to build infrastructure, because we were fairly complacent.' Charest also discussed what leverage Canada has over the U.S. at the negotiating table, the 'only bad choices' Canada has when it comes to counter-tariffs, and what he learned from losing the 2022 Conservative Party leadership bid to Pierre Poilievre. And, of course, Brownstein and Rand had to ask if Charest had any interest in entering another race: the one for mayor of Montreal this November.
