A small glimmer of hope for workers at the former Stelco plants in Hamilton and Nanticoke has been ignited with news 39 potential bidders have expressed interest in buying the mills.

The court-appointed monitor overseeing USSC's restructuring under creditor protection revealed in a report Friday that of 102 companies offered the chance to buy the distressed mills, 39 took the step of submitting expressions of interest in the factories, the land they sit on and, most exciting for workers, in buying the company so that it will continue operating as a productive business.

"The interest now is in who they are and what they want to do here," said Bill Ferguson, president of the United Steel Workers local in Nanticoke.

"We've known all along there are people willing to buy this plant, now we want to sit down with them and find out what they intend."

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U.S. Steel Canada, a unit of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp., filed for creditor protection in September and almost immediately started a process to find a buyer for the former Hilton Works in Hamilton, later accelerating a similar process for the Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke.

The multi-stage process called for expressions of interest to be filed in May followed by clarification questions about those bids until June 3.

In his most recent report, monitor Alex Morrison described the potential bidders as "global and North American steel producers, coke producers, steel and metal industry participants, land redevelopers, and private equity and financial investors."

The potential offers are now being evaluated by the company and its advisers to produce a short list deemed to have the financial strength and intent to carry out their proposals. No deadline for that process has been publicly revealed.

A case conference to plan the next steps in the complicated legal process is planned for Tuesday.

The monitor's report clearly demonstrates the first stage of the sale and restructuring process (SARP) has generated substantial interest, company spokesperson Trevor Harris said.

"This is certainly a positive development and speaks to the quality of our assets and the employees that support the day-to-day business of our company," he wrote. "As we progress through the second phase of the SARP, additional information will be made available at the appropriate time."

Union leaders, however, say they intend to stage a demonstration outside the courthouse to remind lawyers they are dealing with workers lives, not just balance sheets.

"We'll be out front with a few signs before it starts trying to make the point again," said Gary Howe, president of the USW local in Hamilton.

Howe said he isn't personally surprised there is interest in buying the Hamilton plant.

"Everyone would like to see someone making steel in Hamilton again because that's the best way to protect the pension and (retirement benefits) and employment in Hamilton," he said.

Even if a potential buyer were to restart some level of steelmaking in Hamilton, he added, there would still be the opportunity to sell some of the company's excess land along the bayfront for economic development.

USSC sits on 813 acres of land, much of which could be redeveloped for industrial uses, solving a critical problem that has hampered Hamilton's economic development efforts.

It is known that the Hamilton Port Authority submitted an early stage proposal for some of that land. The HPA has a long history of reviving former factory sites into new productive uses.

One question workers will be asking of any potential new owner of the mills is what contract concessions, if any, will be demanded as part of a purchase.

That question, Howe said, will not be warmly received by workers.

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"We paid the price to earn our pensions and benefits," he said.

"A lot of people died early because of working there. We knew the risks when we started working there, but in return there were things we were promised like a pension and benefits."

- MAHONEY: Stelco then, Stelco now