A letter sent to Copper Cliff homes about the de-riming process at the oxygen plant on Dec. 11 has prompted several residents to contact Nickel Belt NDP MPP France Gélinas with their concerns.

In response, Gélinas has written an open letter to three Ministers concerning the smelter. Rick Bartolucci, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services as well as Sudbury MPP; Peter Fonseca, the Minister of Labour; and John Gerretsen, the Minister of the Environment, were the addressees.

In her letter, Gélinas reminded the ministers of the 1995 sulfur trioxide leak from the acid plant, which sent hundreds of people to the hospital. The acid plant would need to be restarted should smelting operations resume, along with the oxygen plant.

She said residents are concerned smelter operations, which are "highly technical and dangerous," will be undertaken by replacement workers without experience in the responsibilities.

Gélinas called this a 'ticking time bomb,' and called on the ministers to answer the concerns of her constituents that the process will be safe and carefully monitored by government officials.

In her letter, she asked if the smelter operation is being monitored 24-7, with inspectors on site from the three ministries. Gélinas also requested that a contact number for residents as well as her office be made available, so concerned individuals can have concerns addressed.

"People in my constituency need to be reassured that the operations are safe and are being continually monitored by government officials," wrote Gélinas.

"This goes beyond solely a labour dispute. This is about community safety and about preventing injuries and irreversible environmental damage."

In the letter to Copper Cliff residents, dated Dec. 11, Steve Ball, Vale Inco's manager of Corporate Affairs, explained the type of activity occuring at the Copper Cliff smelter.

"As part of the smelter restart, the #4 Oxygen Plant in Copper Cliff will need to undergo a de-riming process. A de-rime is essentially a defrosting of the cold sections of the oxygen plant in order to remove moisture, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants."

He also wrote "a restart date has not been officially determined at this time."

Gélinas said she wants Vale Inco and the three ministries to provide daily information about any possible inspection and safety issues.

"It is not business as usual and