Ontario opens employment centre for laid-off Bombardier workers in Thunder Bay

The Ontario government has opened an employment and retraining centre in Thunder Bay to assist workers who have been impacted by layoffs at the city’s Bombardier plant transition to new jobs.

In a release, the province says it is working with Bombardier, Unifor Local 1075 and the Canadian Office Professionals Union Local 81 on the centre, which will connect laid-off workers with local job and training opportunities and services that can help them re-join the workforce.

The centre will also provide assistance with resume writing and offer counselling.

“Bombardier is committed to the Thunder Bay plant and we continue to work with our partners, the community and all three levels of government to bring significant new contracts and bring our talented and skilled employees back to work,” says David Van der Wee, chief operating officer of Bombardier Transportation, Americas Region.

“Several initiatives and mitigation measures were put in place to bring more work and we continue to develop others. We also welcome all initiatives that support our employees through this difficult time.”

In July 2019, Bombardier announced it would be laying off about half of the 1,100 workers at its Thunder Bay plant, which manufactures railway cars, as two major contracts for the Toronto Transit Commission and Metrolinx GO wind down at the end of this year.

The Bombardier Transportation Action Centre is located at 112 Gore Street West in Thunder Bay.