Nine jobs leaving region as Castlegar Finning closes shop
By Kyra Hoggan
Some bad news for Castlegar on the job front – despite gaining five salaried jobs/employees from Nakusp Interfor (announced in March), the city is now losing nine positions as Caterpillar distributor Finning Canada’s Castlegar branch closes its doors and the parent company attempts to relocate its Castlegar employees to other positions within the company.
Babita Khunkhun, corporate communications manager with Finning International, said they have no intention of abandoning their customers or their employees.
“We hope to transfer them (employees) to other locations,” she said. “And we’re committed to continuing serving our Kootenay customers, even though we won’t have a physical location there anymore, with options like a parts drop box, resident mechanics, and so on.”
As for the rationale behind the closure, she said this is just one closure/change that has resulted from an internal review.
“We have been looking at our facilities and seeing what makes most sense for our customer service and efficiency,” she said.
Although Khunkhun was unable, without notice, to answer questions like whether the branch had been turning a profit, what kind of dollar figure the lost jobs represent in Castlegar, how many of the employees are willing to relocate, etc., she did commit to providing The Source with as much information as she could in the very near future, so keep an eye on The Source for updates.
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