Saskatchewan’s premier says he is greatly concerned by the hundreds of layoffs announced Thursday at the Evraz steel mill in Regina.

Scott Moe says they have begun offering supports from the government’s Rapid Response Team to help work through this difficult situation for the employees.

He says they are experiencing what many others have, due to the pandemic and at a time close to the holidays.

Opposition Leader Ryan Meili says this is a complete failure by the provincial government, adding that Premier Moe should have ensured Saskatchewan steel was used in replacement lines for SaskEnergy to help avoid this situation.

He says the premier let that project go ahead with steel coming in from out of the country. He says the premier should still be pushing to make sure the line is built with Canadian steel.

Moe says the provincial government will make efforts to support opportunities to get laid off employees back to work as soon as possible.

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