A spokesperson for Morton Salt has confirmed the company will be idling the Ojibway Mine.
"The key factor to this decision has been unfavorable weather conditions leading to soft customer demand. Idling the mine means production will end and the site will move into a maintenance and care status," said a spokesperson for Morton Salt.
This decision will result in the layoff of many employees of Windsor Salt.
"During this time, far fewer employees will be needed. The company anticipates retaining approximately 18 hourly employees; the remaining hourly employees will be subject to layoffs. Windsor Salt is working with the Union to ensure compliance with the Parties’ collective agreement," said the spokesperson.
Union Local 1959 President Bill Wark was not available for comment.
A collective agreement between Morton Salt and Unifor Local 240 and 1959 was reached in August 2023 after a 192-day strike. At that time, the two unions represented around 250 employees.
“The company currently does not know how long the layoff will last. We plan to regularly evaluate market and other conditions to determine when mining operations will resume. Operations at the Windsor evaporative salt plant will continue as normal and not be subject to any layoffs,” said the spokesperson.