Loblaw Companies Limited will be eliminating close to 800 jobs following its announcement of the closure of distribution centres in Laval, Que. and Ottawa. At the same time, it plans to expand its Cornwall, Ont. facility to accommodate the volumes from Laval and Ottawa.

In a CBC story, Loblaw spokesperson Catherine Thomas said the company will be negotiating with workers who have lost their jobs, “setting transition plans and finding solutions…including a long, two-year wind down and support for those who want new opportunities within Loblaw or beyond.”

Approximately 545 employees in Laval will be affected by the end of 2021 as the distribution centre in that city is relocated to the automated complex of an Ontario subcontractor. The shutdown of a warehouse in Ottawa will impact about 230 workers.

Volumes from Ottawa and Laval will move to a facility in Cornwall, Ont. CBC notes that the automated distribution centre will expand to be among Canada’s most modern distribution centres and an “undisclosed number of workers will be added to handle the greater volumes.”