Flags at TC Transcontinental’s Owen Sound printing plant are at half mast today, marking the news nearly 400 employees received on Tuesday. The facility is closing by the end of January, leaving 360 employees without jobs. “A very, very challenging week for our plant up in Owen Sound, and for the entire organization. We are very sorry for the impact that this decision is going to have on all those impacted employees, as well as on the Owen Sound community,” said TC Transcontinental Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Brayley. The Montreal based company, that is one of Canada’s largest printers of magazines, direct mail, and flyers, says with a steady decline in demand for printed marketing materials, they needed one less plant to meet demand. “Work that is currently produced in Owen Sound will be redistributed to five other plants across Canada within our national network. And so, that process will take about three and a half months,” said Brayley. Brayley says U.S. tariffs had nothing to do with their decision. This is entirely based on Canadian market conditions. The TC Transcontinental closure, and it’s 360 job losses came one day after the city learned Owen Sound’s grain elevators will be closing come December, putting 6 more people out of work. “We’ve reached out to Bruce Power, which is one of our biggest employers in the area, and are always looking for people. So, it’s scrambling trying to make sure that we’re ready to go when the deadline comes at the end of January, that we’ve got as many jobs available and/or retraining to help the members of our community,” said Owen Sound’s Mayor, Ian Boddy. Brayley says personalized job counselling, mental health counselling, retraining, and severance packages are being offered by the company, and community. Some jobs will be made available at TC’s other Canadian printing plants. “We have retained the services of a career placement firm that’s going to be providing individualized support to each affected employee, helping them establish what their best next step could be, whether that’s helping them find employment elsewhere, considering returning to school, or other forms of reskilling. So we’re going to work with each and every person that’s been impacted by this decision to help them out in that respect. There will be opportunities for at least some employees to explore opportunities elsewhere within Transcontinental’s operating network in Ontario, and elsewhere. As difficult as this week is, we’re going to proceed with the utmost care in the circumstances. And we are very sorry for the impact that it is going to have,” said Brayley. He’d much rather see the printing plant stay open, but Boddy believes TC Transcontinental’s empty Owen Sound factory which will be sold by the company, could eventually be repurposed. “It can be an asset, but you’ve got to find that next company to come in. So, I’m partly optimistic, but, you know, at the same time worried about those people let go, and the families that are involved,” said Boddy.
