TC Transcontinental has announced it will permanently close its printing plant in Owen Sound by the end of January, a decision that will put 360 employees out of work. Nearly 400 workers were informed of the closure on a Tuesday this week, and flags at the facility have since been lowered to half mast in recognition of the loss.
The Montreal-based company is one of Canada’s largest printers of magazines, direct mail and flyers. TC Transcontinental Chief Operating Officer Patrick Brayley said the decision reflects a steady, ongoing decline in demand for printed marketing materials nationally, which meant the company needed one fewer plant to meet current production needs. Work currently handled in Owen Sound will be redistributed among five other TC Transcontinental plants across the country, a transition expected to take about three and a half months.
Brayley specifically addressed speculation about outside economic pressures, stating that U.S. tariffs played no role in the decision and that it was based entirely on Canadian market conditions.
A Second Blow for the Local Economy
The news landed particularly hard in Owen Sound, coming just one day after the city learned that its grain elevators would also be closing in December, eliminating six additional jobs. Mayor Ian Boddy said the city has already reached out to Bruce Power, one of the area’s largest employers, which is regularly hiring, as officials scramble to line up job opportunities and retraining options before the plant’s end-of-January closure date.
“We’ve reached out to Bruce Power… and are always looking for people,” Boddy said, describing the effort to have support in place before the deadline hits.
Support Promised for Displaced Workers
Brayley said the company is offering personalized job counselling, mental health counselling, retraining and severance packages to affected staff, in coordination with community resources. TC Transcontinental has also retained a career placement firm to provide individualized support to each employee, helping them weigh options such as finding new employment, returning to school, or pursuing other retraining paths. Some workers may be offered positions at the company’s other Canadian printing plants, including elsewhere in Ontario.
“As difficult as this week is, we’re going to proceed with the utmost care in the circumstances,” Brayley said. “We are very sorry for the impact that it is going to have.”
Mayor Boddy said he would have preferred to see the plant remain open, but noted the company plans to sell the vacant facility once production winds down, and he expressed cautious hope that it could eventually find a new use. “It can be an asset, but you’ve got to find that next company to come in,” he said. “I’m partly optimistic, but, you know, at the same time worried about those people let go, and the families that are involved.”
The plant’s closure marks the end of a major local employer for Owen Sound, with the full impact on the community expected to unfold over the coming months as the transition proceeds and workers begin exploring their next steps.
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