The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Michael Moore plans to post a video and blog entries from Niki Ashton as the MP tries to compel Vale to maintain its surface operations in Thompson, according to the United Steelworkers. The union says Moore is set to post a YouTube video by Ashton Ð billed as the "story of how the foreign takeover of a strategic resource and corporate welfare from the federal government have led to job losses" in Thompson Ð on his site. The controversial documentarian will also post "a series of blog entries by Ashton and the people who are losing their jobs," the union said in a recent news release. Moore's publicist did not return a request for confirmation of this plan. Neither the video nor blog entries appeared to be on his site Wednesday. "Our message is that this is about our jobs and our community," said Ashton in the union news release, which also appears on her website. "It is time our government stopped supporting profitable corporations like Vale, and started standing up for us." According to the release, Moore and his team saw similarities between Thompson and Flint, Michigan, whose auto sector job losses were chronicled in Moore's 1989 hit Roger & Me. "The story of Thompson parallels what the people of Flint, Michigan faced," said Ashton. "Our community is the latest victim. Our goal was to get our message spread globally. We are fighting back. We are happy to have Michael Moore help us get our message to the world." Though Ashton is "fighting back," Vale recently reiterated its plan to close its Thompson smelter and refinery by 2015 at a cost of about 500 jobs. The nickel giant has also publicly pledged that the move will not result in any layoffs.
