Burlington loses ‘around 150’ jobs; Mayor Meed Ward reacts
Published March 10, 2020 at 1:26 pm
“Our compassion is with the individuals who’ve been affected by this announcement,” said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward in an
“Our compassion is with the individuals who’ve been affected by this announcement,” said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward in an official statement issued after technology company Gentherm announced the closure of its Burlington facility.
“My office is working with the office of our Burlington MPP to find ways to support those affected with employment services to help them land on their feet,” added Marianne Meed Ward.
Gentherm (formerly Etratech) announced this month that it was closing its 1047 Cooke Blvd. location and consolidating its North American electronics manufacturing to Celaya, Mexico.
Gentherm president and CEO, Phil Eyler said the consolidation to Mexico will “strengthen” their electronics business and “deliver operational efficiencies” to “drive shareholder value”.
“This situation is a reminder that we need to fight to protect jobs and industry as we plan the future mixed-use areas around our three GO stations and our Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA),” continued Meed Ward.
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“These areas can’t simply be high-density residential and token commercial. Complete communities require significant employment and that will be a focus for me as we complete the GO/MTSA planning this year.”
The restructuring is scheduled to be completed by mid-2021, affecting 350 Canadian and Mexican employees.
More than half of those affected jobs are in Burlington.
“Our team has worked closely with Gentherm to support their North American operations, and it seems their decision to consolidate was a financial and business decision that would have been difficult for the City to prevent,” said Anita Cassidy, Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development.
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