The ripple effects of the ongoing strike at Vale Inco's Sudbury operations have officially reached into Timmins, where a lack of available copper concentrate has resulted in a temporary shutdown at Xstrata Copper's Kidd Metallurgical Site.
Due to begin Sept. 7, the shutdown of its copper operations is currently slated to last seven to 10 weeks. It may extend further depending on the availability of new feed and other decisions to be made by company officials.
While layoffs have been confirmed, it is still "too soon to say" the precise number of employees that will be affected by the move, according to Louis-Philippe Gariépy, spokesperson for Xstrata Copper.
The Kidd Met site employs 800 people, while the shutdown is expected to affect the 200 people working in the some of which will be shifted to other roles as a result of the shutdown.
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