18 Sudbury Vale employees laid off

Vale in Sudbury has issued layoff notices to 18 non-union staff employees.

The notices were given out on Wednesday.

"We acknowledge the impact this has on affected employees and their families and transitional support is being provided to those departing our organization," Vale spokesperson Angie Robson told CBC in an email.

"As we move forward, we will continue to operate on the principle of minimizing impacts on our workforce as best we can as we make necessary operational decisions according to our evolving business needs. We are working hard to create the conditions for a strong and sustainable future in Sudbury by continuing to make decisions that are in best interests of our Company, and by extension our employees and the broader community."

Robson says the changes were made as part of a general transformation of its Ontario operations, including the closure of Stobie Mine and the shutting down of one of the two furnaces at Vale's Copper Cliff smelter.