Sarnia's mayor sees the announcement of a local plant closure as the latest move on a chess board.
Mike Bradley said hearing that INEOS Styrolution plans to permanently close its styrene monomer production site on Tashmoo Avenue by June 2026 wasn't unexpected.
"I'm disappointed, no one likes to lose jobs, but I also understand the Aamjiwnaang issues and the health issues," said Bradley.
He said, in many ways, INEOS was "outside the mainstream" of other companies who "understand their responsibility to the environment and community."
"My own sense in the community and hearing back from the other industries was that they were very unhappy with [INEOS] Styrolution and the approach they took. [It was] very combative, trying to say the science was wrong, the health information was wrong... and that's not the way the other companies work here. They listen to the community, they respond to Aamjiwnaang, they respond to the city. They try to do the things that will make things better," Bradley said.
Mayor Bradley believes there will be more announcements before INEOS closes in two years.
"I see this as a bit of a chess game. They're pushing back at the province of Ontario, and the Doug Ford government, that ordered this plant shut down. They also have the issue of where the benzene will go and what other companies will do. They also still have the right to appeal, which I hope they would proceed with, to see if they can argue the science over the politics. But we've got a long way to go on this one. While I was disappointed to hear the announcement, I think there's a long journey before this comes to a conclusion in 2026."
Sarnia City/County Councillor Bill Dennis also reacted to the announcement in a social media post on Tuesday.
"[Eighty] permanent good paying jobs gone. [Hundreds] of good paying contractor jobs gone," Dennis wrote.
He highlighted that he voted against supporting Aamjiwnaang in its effort to lower benzene emissions during council's last regular meeting.
