For Immediate Release
December 21, 2006

Sterling puts blame for OMYA lay-offs at feet of McGuinty
Rising electricity costs contribute to lay-off of ten in Perth

Queen's Park, Toronto - Norm Sterling, MPP for Lanark-Carleton, today told Premier McGuinty and Energy Minister Dwight Duncan that the ten lay-offs at the OMYA Plant in Perth were a direct result of their energy policy.

In a Member's Statement, Mr. Sterling told the Legislature:

I rise to tell members of this Legislature how the McGuinty government's energy policy is hurting manufacturing in Ontario.

This month, OMYA Canada has laid off a small number of workers from its plant in Perth in my riding of Lanark-Carleton. It is shifting some of its production from its plant in Perth to Vermont and Alabama.

OMYA processes calcium carbonate and is the world's leading producer of white fillers used in paper, drywall, toothpaste and other household and industrial products.

In a media release, Larry Sparks, the plant administrator, lists high energy prices as the main factor contributing to the layoffs. In this same release, he notes that steps have been taken to assist the forestry sector in northern Ontario with energy costs, while nothing has been done to help the mining sector or the manufacturing sector in eastern Ontario.

The president of OMYA, Olivier Chatillon, wrote to the Minister of Energy on June 1, 2006, supporting "an energy policy that is part of an industrial strategy for Ontario. The strategy would protect existing jobs and ensure companies are confident investing in Ontario." In spite of this urging of the president of this company six months ago, nothing has been done. The jobs have been lost.

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For more information, please call Lanark-Carleton MPP Norm Sterling at: (416) 314-7900