Vale Canada (Formerly INCO Limited) is primarily a nickel and copper based refinery that functions as one of the several subsidiary operations under the Sudbury, Ontario headquarters. The area consists of several old brick buildings facing each other near the factory's front entrance, another building near the employee north side parking lot acting as a change house & emergency safe room, as well as the factory itself located to the rear of the property.

The area beyond the front entrance is gated off and manned by security, making access to the factory's interior impossible for non-employees.

There are various photo opportunities available outside of the property along Davis street where visitors can safely and legally take photos of the factory exterior. Those with higher powered camera equipment can also take photos of the buildings located at the property's rear by standing just outside the employee parking lot on the north end.

INCO's Port Colborne factory was built in 1918 for the purpose of refining nickel and copper delivered from the company's main headquarters in Sudbury, Ontario. Its operation served a valued purpose in both of the major World Wars. The decision to place a refinery in the city of Port Colborne was made in 1916 after Canadian politicians expressed desire to localize a function of the industry that was previously outsourced to a factory in Bayonne, New Jersey. In World War II, the factory was a site of production for coins and the armourplates that were used to reinforce military vehicles during the war. Some employees had even fought in the wars overseas.

In 1937, the company oversaw the construction of a large recreation hall for members of the community to gather and socialize. People held weddings and various social events that company employees would often attend. In many ways, INCO was heavily involved in the everyday lives of working-class folks.

At the peak of INCO's operation, over 3000 employees were working for the company – many of whom went on to establish their families in the area while economic prospects were very high. It seemed as though everyone knew somebody who worked at the refinery, be they relative, friend, or acquaintance. The decades following the end of prosperity were subsequently riddled with a series of labour disputes and staged employee strikes that incrementally tore away at the company's shining public image. Many employees were ultimately laid off as the economy took a turn for the worse.

A class action lawsuit was filed against INCO in 2001 (Under Smith V. INCO) where environmental testing had found contaminated soil samples for over 7000 residents living in proximity to the nickel plant. It was originally thought that the source of the contamination had come from emissions of nickel oxide into the atmosphere by the factory's 500- foot smoke stacks. On July 6th, 2010, INCO was ordered by a judge to pay the residents a combined sum of $36 million to compensate for the adverse health risks posed by the factory's operation. When the company appealed to a higher level court, however, the decision was overturned after the judge had concluded that there was not enough evidence to suggest that the health of local residents was directly affected by the refinery's operation in the town.

INCO was later purchased by Vale, a Brazilian based nickel mining company. They continued where INCO had left off, processing nickel, copper, and eventually electrocobalt. Today, the company employs just 170 workers and labour issues over cuts to benefits and pension plans have been a continual source of contention.

The undeveloped areas to the east of Vale are a host to seasonal wetlands, a larger area of Carolinian forest, and natural sand dunes that are home to several species of fauna. The most notable sightings for birds have been a pair of bald eagles, barn swallows, chimney swifts, and the eastern meadowlarks. Other species of fauna occasionally sighted include the fowler's toad and snapping turtles. The vast majority of these animals are listed as threatened or endangered according to ecological watch lists.

In 2016, Vale Canada released a company environmental action plan to address their ecological footprint on the surrounding biodiversity by ensuring proper management of effluent treatment, air pollution, in addition to spending $500,000 in 2008 for mechanical enhancements to reduce noise generation. However, these claims should be met with skepticism as they were accused by Environment Canada for decades of water pollution at their Sudbury, Ontario operation in 2015.

Vale Canada Limited

The main buildings are not wheelchair accessible.

Environment Canada accuses Vale of decades of water pollution (article)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/environment-canada-accuses-vale-of-polluting-waterways-for-decades/article26950931/

Vale Canada releases their environmental initiatives plan - 2016 (pdf)

http://www.vale.com/canada/EN/business/mining/nick...

Sound Effects provided by

EpicSound

Background Music Provided by

Jan Roar Gjersvold/ Ambient Light - Prism

https://www.youtube.com/redirect?v=jNSG8SaQzCs&event=video_description&redir_token=AqRXXo_npQdZllQ62TBNZKhnzaR8MTU0NDY3NzU3MUAxNTQ0NTkxMTcx&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myownmusic.de%2Fplayer%2Fdownload%3Fsongid%3D430571