Welcome Back, Stelco

[coalminecanary]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

You are all assuming that US Steel is going to sell the land. The only thing that is shutting down is steel production all other operations will continue. Who knows they may even expand the rolling operations in the future.

Which is why it's time to start writing tax laws that encourage sale/usage of brownfields instead of spending a half billion (minimum) to service airport lands that we'll then need to bribe companies to put warehouses on.

Something has to be done in the north end at some point. It can't be ignored forever. We have limited resources and should be spending them on our serviced available land before converting a single acre of greenfields...

[lucasmascotto]

U.S. Steel a no-show at city steel committee meeting
CBC News Hamilton
By: Samantha Cragg

Two months after permanently shutting down its iron and steel making in Hamilton, U.S. Steel remains a no-show at the city's steel committee.

The city invited the American company to a meeting of its steel committee held on Tuesday. But the company hasn't responded, nor has it reacted to any of the moves by the newly revived committee. And at Tuesday's meeting, councillors also began to express some frustration with the lack of response to the shutdown from the city's federal politicians.

The city first expressed its desire for a meeting with the company immediately after the shutdown was announced in late October.

At that time Mayor Bob Bratina said he expected to meet within a week. Then council revived the long dormant steel committee to develop a strategy for responding to the closure. City officials say they contacted the company about a meeting at that time. By mid-November, no response had been received.

Mayor Bob Bratina isn’t ruling out future communication between the committee and the corporate giant. But U.S. Steel didn’t respond to the invitation to Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Bob Bratina said.

“They don’t really need to,” he said.

“They have a reputation of doing things their own way. That’s common knowledge for the mayor of Gary, Ind. or wherever they operate.”

The revived committee is comprised of local politicians, some with experience in the steel industry. If U.S. Steel had attended on Tuesday, the committee would have asked about future plans for Hamilton Works, its plans for the large block of waterfront industrial land it occupies and a secret 2011 agreement between the corporation and the federal government.

The committee re-formed late last year after the company announced it would permanently shutter steel making in Hamilton.

Coun. Scott Duvall, chair of the committee, wouldn’t go as far as to say that the company is ignoring them.

“My understanding through the clerk’s office is yes, the letters (of invitation) went out, but I don’t know if they’ve received those letters,” he said.

As for meeting with the committee, “I don’t see why they wouldn’t. But if they didn’t, I would be very, very disappointed.”

But the company doesn’t have much of a reason to care what the city says, Coun. Brian McHattie said. He also thinks the city is being overlooked by the federal government, which won’t provide any more information on the 2011 agreement.

No confidence in U.S. Steel

Nothing short of a large-scale campaign leading up to the next federal election will make a difference, he said.

“I have no confidence that any of the MPs or MPPs or U.S. Steel is going to help us whatsoever, or more importantly, help the pensioners,” he said.

“We’re naive if we think inviting some MPs is going to make a difference. They’ll sit and listen courteously as they always do, and then it’s going to go away.”

Local union representatives did attend Tuesday’s meeting. At issue for them were the unknown details of the 2011 agreement, which they say could jeopardize local pensions.

Little is known about the 31-page agreement. It includes a U.S. Steel commitment to keep producing steel in Canada until 2015 and invest $50 million into Canadian facilities by December 2015.

The United Steelworkers submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the report and received three-quarters of a page back, said Rolf Gerstenberger, president of United Steelworkers local 1005.

He fears the secret parts of that agreement could result in the end of a special pension fund that’s keep some 8,000 Hamilton pensioners afloat, he said.

“We know it expires in 2015, but what expires in 2015?”

The committee is inviting local MPs and MPPs to a meeting over March break to find out what they know about the agreement. The city has been searching for information for two months, including examining legal options.

Need to know more about secret agreement

“Why on God’s earth aren’t they answering our questions?” Coun. Sam Merulla said.

“We need to know the answer. We need to know what that secret component is in that particular Investment Canada agreement.”

U.S. Steel could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

But MPP Ted McMeekin, who is also Ontario’s Minister of Community and Social Services, said if he’s free, he will be there for the March meeting.

“I would welcome the opportunity to be helpful if that’s possible.”

[ScreamingViking]

But the company doesn’t have much of a reason to care what the city says, Coun. Brian McHattie said. He also thinks the city is being overlooked by the federal government, which won’t provide any more information on the 2011 agreement.

Nothing short of a large-scale campaign leading up to the next federal election will make a difference, he said.

McHattie nailed it.

USS likely won't want to deal with local politicians, never mind the large land-use and employment-related issues themselves. Their lawyers will fight to reduce the company's property tax burden and that's probably about it. And we'll hear nothing from the Feds about the land or the pension issue until the next election campaign, when local Conservative MPs will show up to share some "good news"

[thistleclub]

'Terrible unease' as U.S. Steel nears freedom from Canada
(Hamilton Spectator, Steve Arnold, Mar 22 2014)

In less than two years, U.S. Steel will be free of its promise to continue operating in Canada.

That deadline has workers and local leaders wondering whether 2016 will mean jobs and tax revenue or a vacant lot and decaying buildings on the former Stelco's bayfront site.

The signs they've found so far have not been encouraging.

Consider these developments:

• The position of Hamilton plant manager has been eliminated;

• Despite promises, there has been almost no capital investment in the Hamilton plant since 2007;

• The Hamilton blast furnace has permanently gone cold;

• The company is in the midst of an intense cost-cutting program that could include closing plants;

• A company forecast for the flat-rolled segment doesn't mention the Canadian plants at all.

"There is a terrible unease among people about what's going to happen after 2015," says Wayne Marston, the NDP MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek. "A responsible company should be upfront with the community about what it intends to do.

"I think it's incumbent on U.S. Steel to explain to the Hamilton community what it intends to do here," he added. "When you're following up on a commitment like this, you normally do it in public."

Scott Duvall, chairperson of the city's steel issues committee and a veteran of Stelco's wire plant before it was severed from the company, shares those concerns.

"We have to ask U.S. Steel its intentions," he said. "The Canadian steel industry has really been demoralized and I am very suspicious of the company's intentions."

Dec. 31, 2015, marks two important deadlines — the expiry of a deal with Ottawa to continue operating the Canadian plants and the end of a special pension funding deal with the province. Observers fear that, faced with sharply higher pension contributions, the company will decide to shut down the local plants and supply Canadian customers from American factories, just as it did during three bitter lockouts of local employees.

The company has aggravated concerns in the community by maintaining an almost total silence about its intentions. Most recently, U.S. Steel flatly rejected an invitation to meet city council's steel issues subcommittee, telling councillors a public forum "is not an appropriate venue in which to discuss matters relating to our internal business transformation issues."


Read it in full here.

[thistleclub]

Max Aicher workers reject latest offer
(Hamilton Spectator, Mar 23 2014)

Workers at the silent Max Aicher plant have rejected a company offer to settle their nine-month lock out.

The offer, the first made by the company since June of last year, was rejected by a vote of 85 per cent.

"That vote says a lot about the solidarity of our members," said Tim Blackborow, president of the MANA unit of Local 1005 of the United Steel Workers. "I'm proud of our members because they've stayed united for such a long time."

Max Aicher North America, a unit of a German company, came to Hamilton with great fanfare in 2010 buying two silent Stelco mills and promising 100 jobs to start with a quick ramp up to more.

Since that happy time, however, the company has been plagued by problems with getting production equipment ready and finding a reliable source of steel to process for the auto and construction industries.

Most of its workers have been laid off since November of 2012 and the entire labour force was locked out at the end of June after refusing to accept an offer that would cut wages by up to $10 an hour. That would reduce hourly rates at the plant to between $18.70 and $25.26 an hour compared to the old range of $27 to $35.

During the lengthy lock out the company has been steadily losing staff it will desperately need if it ever goes into production.

From an initial force of about 100, Blackborow said about 36 remained eligible to vote on the latest offer. Of that number 28 turned out to vote and 24 voted against the company offer.

"Many of our members have had to go out and find employment elsewhere because this has gone on so long," Blackborow said. "Jobs at MANA have become very unreliable."

In a news release from Hamilton lawyer Stephen McArthur, the company said "MANA has been the only party to this collective bargaining relationship that has taken any steps to try to get this mill open."

The company's most recent offer, it said, was a "realistic" proposal it made in January after the union walked away from talks.

The company has arranged for a supply of steel, an American customer is ready to take product, it has offered jobs at $27 an hour and promised investment in the mill.


Read it in full here

[SteelTown]

U.S. Steel open to city offers for unused lands

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/44...-unused-lands/

U.S. Steel won't sell any of its unused port lands to potential competitors – but it would consider proposals from the city, according to a councillor.

Speculation about the fate of the 328-hectare property ramped up late last year after the Pittsburgh-based company announced the permanent end of steelmaking on the harbourfront site.

The Hamilton Port Authority has officially expressed interest in buying parts of the property that spans Piers 16-18, but U.S. Steel has yet to publicly comment on whether any land is officially up for grabs – or even on how much space is going unused.

But Councillor Scott Duvall said Wednesday the company has indicated it would consider a "proposal" from the city.

Duvall said he and Mayor Bob Bratina recently met with company officials to talk about the future of the steelmaker in Hamilton.

"They were very straightforward in one sense – they won't sell (land) to any competitor," said Duvall in an interview, after being asked about the meeting at general issues committee Wednesday.

But Duvall added company officials said if the city had an interest in particular lands, it should "send a proposal."

Duvall said non-confidential details of the U.S. Steel meeting will be discussed at a future steel subcommittee meeting.

A company spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Steelworker union officials have said large swaths of the property were already underutilized or dormant even before the permanent mothballing of the remaining blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace.

But selling off unused land parcels could also mean dividing active U.S. Steel operations.

The city is taking a closer interest in unused port lands as it ramps up an 18-month study for a long-awaited bayfront industrial strategy.

U.S. Steel previously sold the former Stelco bar and bloom mills to Max Aicher. The former Stelco also sold a steel rod mill in 2006 to the port authority. That parcel now hosts Lafarge Inc. and an asphalt cement terminal.

[mattgrande]

US Steel Canada is filing for bankruptcy protection: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/48...cy-protection/

Not much information beyond that in the article.

[thistleclub]

When steel towns stop being about steel
(The Globe & Mail, Adam Radwanski, Sept 19 2014)

The federal NDP responded to the news by blaming Stephen Harper’s Conservatives for failing to do enough to keep manufacturing jobs. Their Ontario cousins did likewise with Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals. And just for good measure, so did the provincial Tories.

And yet when Hamilton’s mayoral candidates convened this week for an economic debate, not a word was spoken about U.S. Steel Canada – the company that took over the city’s Stelco plant in 2007 – filing for bankruptcy protection.

For a city that built its economy, its identity and its image around steel, that omission is something of a surprise. But there could hardly have been a more welcome sign for Hamilton’s future than the fact that its iconic industry was not mentioned at all.

The fallout from U.S. Steel’s disastrous Stelco stewardship cannot be completely ignored, particularly when it comes to the company’s pension obligations to its former workers. But on the subject of whether politicians should be vowing to save jobs there, or bring more steel jobs back, it is instructive to look at the U.S. city to which – optimistically, from Hamilton’s perspective – it is often compared.

Pittsburgh, once similarly defined by steel, is widely considered the gold standard for Rust Belt revitalization. A city that suffered a complete collapse in the early 1980s has turned into one of its country’s best comeback stories by rebuilding itself around more modern industries such as advanced technology, medicine and life sciences.

Even there, it took a long time to accept that always cyclical steel would not come back. And that was partly because politicians kept stoking unreasonable expectations that it would.

Read it in full here.

[thistleclub]

U.S. Steel Canada to sell Hamilton Works operations
(The Globe & Mail, Greg Keenan, Sept 23 2014)

U.S. Steel Canada Inc. plans to put its operations in Hamilton, Ont., up for sale within two months, but delay a sales process for its Lake Erie works until March, 2015.

The potential sale of the Hamilton site, which includes finishing mills, coke batteries and iron- and steel-making operations that have been shut since late 2010, is the first significant proposal U.S. Steel Canada (USSC) has made since it entered bankruptcy protection last week under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).

“Commencing a SISP [sale and investment solicitation process] will provide USSC and its stakeholders with a better understanding of the potential options available with respect to the Hamilton Works operations and related assets,” Michael McQuade, the company’s president, said in an affidavit.

His affidavit forms part of the company’s request for approval of $185-million in debtor-in-possession financing, which will be submitted to the Ontario Superior Court on Oct. 6. The financing will be provided by United States Steel Corp., the parent company of the Canadian unit.

USSC, which consists of the main assets of the former Stelco Inc. purchased by U.S. Steel Corp. in 2007, was granted CCAA protection, citing pension solvency deficiencies of $838.7-million, ongoing losses and $3.9-billion in debt and equity pumped into the Canadian unit by its parent since 2007.

The Hamilton Works has the highest pension solvency deficiency and 12,614 members in pension plans, compared with 771 active employees.

Comments made by Local 1005 of the United Steelworkers, which represents about 600 of those active workers and the unionized retirees, are another reason to begin the sales process, Mr. McQuade said.

Local 1005 president Rolf Gerstenberger has described the CCAA filing as a fraud and said his local will oppose it.

Read it in full here.

[lucasmascotto]

U.S. Steel – what happens Monday and what does it mean?
The Hamilton Spectator: Monday, October 06, 2014
By: Steve Arnold

U.S. Steel Canada's plan to restructure faces its first legal hurdle Monday when several motions will be presented for court approval following the company's Sept. 16 filing for creditor protection.

On the agenda are motions for court approval of a $185-million emergency financing package; extension of the company's creditor protection; approval of reports of the court-appointed monitor; an order putting payments for the monitor and others ahead of other debts; to establish a group to speak for workers and retirees who aren't union members; and to pay special bonuses to select employees.

A number of objections to the company's plan have also been filed.

Here's a primer what it all means for a process that's expected to take more than a year.

DIP financing

In its creditor protection filing, U.S. Steel Canada said it has been losing money since 2008 and can't continue without restructuring its finances.

"At this time, steel markets remain very challenging and, six years later, have still not recovered to pre-2008 levels," USSC said. "In Canada, in particular, a combination of reduced manufacturing and a high percentage of imports into the market have made for continued difficult conditions for USSC. In these circumstances, the significant losses incurred by USSC are projected to continue in 2014 and beyond unless a comprehensive restructuring of USSC's operations and obligations is undertaken."

While it tries to restructure its debts, the company said it needs money to continue its operations. That "debtor-in-possession" financing has been offered by U.S. Steel Holdings Inc., a unit of its parent company. (DIP financing simply means the insolvent owner remains in control of the company while trying to resolve its issues.)

That $185-million package "will permit USSC to continue operations in the ordinary course … and to maintain the minimum level of liquidity required by USSC to fund ongoing capital maintenance, repairs, and operating cash flow needs resulting from market changes."

In exchange for that lifeline, the Canadian operation will pay its American parent an interest rate of 5 per cent (7 per cent if the loan is defaulted), a "commitment fee" of $3.7 million, $5.5 million if the loan is paid off early plus all of its costs, legal and consultant fees and other charges.

The package should be enough, the company said, to finance its operations to December 2015, when the restructuring process is expected to be completed.

Protection extension

Businesses trying to restructure under the federal Companies Creditors Arrangements Act are protected for defined periods during which creditors are barred from suing for unpaid bills, must fulfil existing contracts and complete projects already started. Those arrangements can only be changed with approval from the court.

Creditors must also try to negotiate new financial arrangements with the struggling company. Usually, this means accepting less than the full amount they are owed or turning some of their debts into shares in a restructured company.

U.S. Steel Canada's initial protection order expires Oct. 15. The extension being sought in Monday's hearing would stretch that to Jan. 23.

Chief restructuring officer Bill Aziz said the extension will give the company time to "explore restructuring options, attempt to identify consensual restructuring solutions, and commence one or more sale and investment solicitation processes."

The judge overseeing the case can keep extending the protection period as long as he believes there's a reasonable chance of reaching a settlement. Stelco's 2004 restructuring, for example, dragged on for two solid years.

Without an extension of the protection order creditors could move at will against the company, likely forcing a messy bankruptcy with millions of dollars in potential losses and a fire sale of assets.

Special charges

Restructuring the finances of a struggling company is an expensive business and will require court approval of a number of special charges that the company wants ranked above its other debts. At the top of that list is a two-part administration charge for $13 million; special protection for the board of directors to a maximum of $39 million.

Representative body

U.S. Steel Canada has 2,337 active employees and more than 14,000 retirees. Only the 1,733 represented by the United Steelworkers have an official voice. The rest will be represented by a five-member council the company wants to establish. The representative group will speak for employees in negotiations over pension and benefits plan changes and any other proposals affecting their rights.

'KERP' bonuses

Some people are just more important to an organization than others. That's the thinking behind the company's proposed Key Employee Retention Program. If approved, a pool of $2.5 million will be split by 28 employees considered crucial to the company. They will get 100 per cent, 50 per cent or 25 per cent of their annual salary, depending on their importance.

Aziz said of the group: "The Key Employees are critical to USSC's strategic direction, day-to-day operations and management. Moreover … USSC has a limited number of experienced and knowledgeable personnel capable of fulfilling such roles."

If any were to leave the company, he said, they would have to be replaced and that would be nearly impossible "in light of these CCAA Proceedings and the financial position of USSC."

Monitor's reports

The final item on Monday's agenda will be to gain court approval of reports from the monitor.

The accounting-consulting firm of Ernst and Young has been engaged to oversee U.S. Steel's operations while under protection and to report to the court on progress with a recommendation to continue or end the creditor protection.

Alex Morrison, a leader of E&Y's insolvency practice is the point man for this project – the same role he filled during the Stelco restructuring a decade ago.

In addition to Aziz as chief restructuring officer, other key players in Monday's drama include Superior Court Justice Geoffrey Morawetza roster of lawyers – 44 at last count.

Objections

Opposition to the plan is being voiced by the province, the city and the United Steel Workers local for employees of the Hamilton Works.

Each argues against financing the restructuring with a loan from the American parent on the grounds that gives U.S. Steel too much control over the process. The province also worries about the security of its $150-million pension loan, the city over its taxes and water-sewer revenues and the union about the rights of workers and pensioners.

The hearing will start at 10 a.m. at the Superior Court of Justice, 330 University Ave., in Toronto.

[thistleclub]

U.S. Steel lays off workers after idling coke ovens
(Hamilton Spectator, Nov 3 2014)

U.S. Steel Canada is laying off at least 56 workers following its decision to indefinitely idle its coke ovens.

The company, which is under a court-monitored restructuring process, said last week it would hot-idle its coke battery due to an industry glut of the steel-making ingredient.

The decision affects about 100 of 600 remaining workers at the beleaguered plant, which U.S. Steel Canada has indicated in court documents it wants to sell by next October.

The company issued 56 layoff notices Monday, according to a news bulletin from United Steelworkers Local 1005, and "there may be more layoffs in six to eight weeks when the by-product and waste-water treatment units are shut down."

Other workers involved with the coke battery will be reassigned to operations like the cold mill, galvanize line or Z-line depending on seniority and qualifications.

It's also possible an unspecified number of laid off workers could fill vacancies at the Lake Erie Works, according to the update.

[SteelTown]

Now that the Dollar is low and oil is also low I suspect there will be buyers for the Hamilton Works.

For the Lake Erie works I suspect a long line up of buyers.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Now that the Dollar is low and oil is also low I suspect there will be buyers for the Hamilton Works.

For the Lake Erie works I suspect a long line up of buyers.

It will still need to fit into a company's long-term vision, especially if the sale includes transfer of anything like pension obligations or the commitment to the Randle Reef project.

Would Arcelor-Mittal have an interest in expanding their operation by purchasing all or part of USS's Hamilton works? I wonder.

Lake Erie is likely to have several parties interested in it.

[ScreamingViking]

It begins. Handled well, this represents a massive opportunity for the city (economically, but also for its reputation/image). It will be neither cheap nor free of nasty surprises, but I think it's a must-do.
__________________________________________________

For sale: Prime (contaminated) waterfront land
Surplus land at U.S. steel is on the market, and that’s seen as a good community-building opportunity for the city. So what will become of it? ‘Far out’ ideas are welcome



Hamilton Spectator - Jan 24, 2015
By Steve Arnold


After years of starving for employment land, a sumptuous banquet has been laid out for Hamilton with the announcement U.S. Steel Canada is selling at least part of its extensive bayfront holdings.

The company revealed in court documents recently that it has been working quietly for more than a month to find buyers for some portion of the 328 hectares it owns in the city's industrial zone.

The chance that even a portion of that land may become available for new employment is being hailed as a golden moment for Hamilton.

"For years we've needed jobs and employment land in Hamilton, so I see this as a real good-news opportunity," said Ron Foxcroft, owner of Fluke Transport and developer of the Fox 40 whistle.

Foxcroft's company is one of the tenants of the Hamilton Port Authority which has expressed public interest in buyer some of the former Stelco land. The HPA leases land to businesses ranging from a craft brewery to shipping companies and agri-businesses.

Foxcroft says nothing should be ruled out at this point.

"Hamilton has to be at the table so that the future of this land is not taken out of our hands," added Michael Desnoyers, Ancaster resident and chair of a citizens group urging the city to do more to redevelop old industrial sites. "I hope city council has already directed staff to find out what might be possible down there.

"We need to be creative here."

Experts say that despite the obvious contamination, heavy industry is not the only option and are floating everything from greenhouses to warehouses, advanced manufacturing, parks and hotels.

The city has already taken action by signing a non-disclosure agreement with U.S. Steel to gain access to information about the potential land sale. U.S. Steel has declined to say publicly exactly what land is for sale or what environmental "legacies" might be buried in the soil.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said the city signed the confidentiality agreement because this issue is important to the future and Hamilton must have up-to-date information.

"There is an opportunity here for some immediate commercial-industrial uses so signing this agreement is just something we had to do," he said, adding the city doesn't have the money to acquire the property. "We did it predominantly so we can stay informed."

As attractive as the Stelco land is for future jobs, serious questions hover over the site but none is more ominous than the potential cost of environmental remediation.

...

read more

[Dr Awesomesauce]

It begins indeed. I'm sure this will be many decades in the making but it's exciting just the same.

My ideas a fairly predictable and boring:

*Employment
Whatever happens, the priority should be employment but I would dearly hope they steer away from heavy industry or anything that belches out carcinogenic plumes of smoke - we've had our fill, thanks.

*Public space
It should be, at least partly, open to the public - bike, walking trails, parks.

*Cultural space
A museum, as has been done successfully in Europe, fitted out in one of the older buildings on site celebrating our industrial past.

The Port Authority I vaguely trust. The City I do not...

[The Gore]

Agree Dr. Awesomesauce - employment / public space / cultural space!

It's neat how Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Seattle and Toronto (Distillery District), etc have left some of the structures and some smoke stacks in place and incorporated them into new designs. I believe Pittsburg transformed a steel mill into a shopping destination.

[ScreamingViking]

If it becomes a new business park for light(er) industry, there should definitely be opportunity to make sure recreational uses are tied in. I like the idea of a museum too.

I could see the west side devoted to port-related use. Probably part of the north too.

The idea of moving the rail yard here, from the story, is not a bad one. I have to wonder how feasible it is though - there is rail access to CN's main line, but it's not direct and improving that might be a big job in itself. And it would limit the space available for other types of business (but the tradeoff for west harbour gain is huge). If any kind of container port were to emerge, rail will however be a key component.

Some of the existing buildings are MASSIVE. I have no idea what would be required to dismantle/demolish the steel-making infrastructure and make them fit for new uses, but if that can be done while preserving some of the mill buildings there might be businesses that fit them well (I'm just thinking back to how the old Westinghouse/Siemens plant near Barton/Sanford has been repurposed - the huge space was a drawing point, as was the overhead crane)

[thistleclub]

Redrawing the palimpsest: Hamilton’s steelmaking waterfront | Lingfei Liu

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Redrawing the palimpsest: Hamilton’s steelmaking waterfront | Lingfei Liu

very nice

[Dwils01]

Seen this on Sootoday.
They also own Algoma Steel as well.

Reports are still circulating about Essar Steel Holdings wanting to buy U.S. Steel Canada's plants in Hamilton and Nanticoke.

An article in the Hamilton Spectator says Essar is indeed involved in the bidding process along with other companies, according to the Hamilton newspaper's sources.

U.S. Steel Canada is currently under creditor protection.

A source quoted by the Spectator says Essar's bid is the only one for both Canadian plants, in Hamilton and Nanticoke.

Other bidders are interested in certain pieces of U.S. Steel Canada, such as its waterfront property.

It is thought ArcelorMittal Dofasco is interested in U.S. Steel Canada's coke ovens.

An Essar purchase of U.S. Steel Canada is being hoped for by municipal officials in Hamilton, including Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, members of Hamilton's city council and industry analysts, saying it would revive the city's steelmaking industry.

The rest of the article is here: http://www.sootoday.com/content/news...ls.asp?c=96289