Montreal — Some 545 employees of the Provigo distribution centre in Laval will lose their jobs when the centre shuts down by the end of 2021.
The centre's activities will be relocated to an automated complex run by an Ontario subcontractor, said Roxanne Larouche, a spokesperson for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), which said the news was announced to workers Tuesday.
"It's sad news obviously for all our members but also for Quebec because the employer decided to relocate all those jobs to Ontario," she said.
Loblaw Companies, owner of the Provigo and Maxi brands, has yet to comment on the news.
According to Larouche, distribution of non-perishable food will be carried out from Cornwall. However, the company will continue to distribute fresh and frozen food from Boucherville, on the South Shore of Montreal, where some 550 people work.
The UFCW said in spite of the bad news it is hopeful that it will be able to relocate affected employees to other warehouses given the current labour shortage in Quebec.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2020.
With files from CTV News Montreal
