Minister Missing in Action on Job Losses
(Toronto) – In the Ontario Legislature today, Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman called on the McGuinty Government to step up and stem the trend of job losses in Ontario’s manufacturing sector. As recently as this week, the Town of Campbellford was hit with news that it’s largest employer, the World’s Finest Chocolate Factory, is closing its doors and moving operations to the United States.
For decades, the Chocolate Factory has served as Campbellford’s largest employer and has been synonymous with the identity of the community. “This is a devastating blow to the Town of Campbellford,” Runciman stated, “with 125 full-time employees, many of them single mothers, directly affected by this closure. The impact on these families, and the community, cannot be ignored.”
Runciman, a former Minister of Economic Development and Trade, stressed that the factory’s owner is committed to making every effort to secure a new owner/operator for the facility. “The Provincial Government should be providing all assistance possible to aid this cause. As of today, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade is nowhere to be seen, and is essentially missing in action”, charged Runciman.
In the wake of 42,000 manufacturing job losses in the past year, Runciman called on the Minister not to allow Campbellford’s jobs to add to his alarming statistics. “This is a first rate facility with a trained and dedicated workforce. Alternatives to closure are out there and the Minister must act now to alleviate the shock of this closure to the community.”
