80 workers face layoffs as Olymel closes pig farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan
About 80 workers at Olymel pig farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing layoffs, as the company moves to cull six production facilities in the next few months.
“Due to the continued financial losses and uncertainty in the hog and pork markets for the foreseeable future, Olymel has made the difficult decision to reduce its hog production in Western Canada,” a news release from the company said.
Olymel plans to close five sow units in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan, located in Humboldt, bringing its western sow herd down from 57,000 to 40,000 animals.
The company said workers at the Humboldt facility may potentially be offered job placement within its western division, or assistance with “job placement outside the company.”
Olymel says the closure of these six farms will reduce the number of hogs bound for its Red Deer slaughter plant by approximately 200,000.
“However, the impact will not be felt until 2024 at the earliest,” the news release said.
The company says it has experienced significant losses in the last two years because of limited global market access and “stubbornly high” feed costs.
The barns will be closed until market conditions improve, Olymel says.
Olymel has already closed three other facilities in 2023, including two processing plants and one slaughtering facility in Quebec.
Over 1,000 workers received layoff notices in the closures, according to company news releases.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.