Peroni adds voice to call for mining inquiry

Sudbury Progressive Conservative candidate Paula Peroni has come out in support of the Steelworkers call for an inquiry into mining safety in the province.

The union asked for the inquiry in their report into the 2011 deaths of two miners at Vale's Stobie Mine.

Last week, the Steelworkers put out a press release saying Premier Kathleen Wynne had refused to meet with them on the subject.

Peroni said the issue is one that hits close to home.

"My father worked for Inco and was very severely injured in 1978, which almost cost him his life," she said in a press release.

Steelworkers and their families deserve the peace of mind that when miners go to work every day they will return home safely, Peroni said.

"After the tragic deaths of two Sudbury miners, a mine safety inquiry should have been the highest priority," she said.

"Shame on the premier for not understanding or caring about how important mining is to our way of life here in Northern Ontario.

"The fact that our premier has waited this long, and is still rejecting the Steelworkers' calls for an inquiry, shows that she's not taking the issue very seriously.”

Mine safety recommendations made by a coroner 15 years ago could have prevented these deaths, if the province had implemented them, Peroni said.

"The biggest concern right now is prevention," she said. "We need to prevent further tragedies from occurring and only an inquiry into mine safety will accomplish that."