[markbarbera]

Five pages (and almost two years) back in these posts I stated the downturn with US Steel was temporary and that the layoffs would be recalled by Spring 2010, which has occurred. Yesterday's news of the sale of the remaining idle facilities to Max Aicher confirms that the steel industry is not about to disappear from Hamilton any time soon. On the contrary, I expect significant growth in the industry during the next decade. While it will never be the top employer for Hamilton, I suspect it will remain a top ten employer (and significant corporate tax contributor) for some time yet.

Hamilton does need to diversify and increase its employment base, but certainly not at the expense of existing employers. And call me old fashoined but there is value in a domestic steel industry, both economically and ecologically. After, what would be the carbon cost of abandoning local steel production and relying soley on steel produced and exported from India and China, nations not exactly known for their labour safety and pollution control laws? No matter, so long as we don't have an eyesore on the waterfront I suppose...