135 employees affected as Olymel closes its Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. plant
Olymel is to close its Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant for good this summer, a decision that will affect 135 employees.
The cooperative's management explained in a news release that the plant, which processed poultry and pork products, was operating at only 40 per cent of capacity.
The plant will close its doors for good on July 19.
The announcement was made to employees on Friday.
Of the 135 workers affected, 30 have temporary foreign worker status, and 23 are non-regulated employees.
Management said it intended to relocate any employees who wished to move to its nearby plants with labour needs in Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Damase, Ange-Gardien or Boucherville.
The decision adds to a list of plant closures owned by the cooperative in recent years. The closure of its Vallée-Jonction plant in 2023 was one of the most significant as it employed nearly 1,000 workers.
Olymel has been undergoing restructuring for the past two years, while the Quebec pork industry has been going through a crisis, mainly due to a drop in exports.
However, the cooperative has returned to profitability with a surplus of $138.3 million in 2023, compared with a loss of $446.1 million in 2022, according to results unveiled in February.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 19, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada’s financial-crime watchdog has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.