Quebec is granting Nova Bus a $19.1 million forgivable loan, 48 hours after a wave of layoffs affecting 125 Quebec workers at its plant in Saint-Eustache in the Laurentians.
The Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) issued a short press release early Wednesday afternoon saying this would make it possible to “preserve the jobs necessary to accelerate bus production of urban electric systems at its Saint-Eustache assembly plant .”
“The financial support provided will help ensure the sustainability of Nova Bus's operations in Quebec and the preservation of long-term jobs when the process of closing its Plattsburgh plant in the United States is completed,” he said. -underlined.
Mass layoffs
On Monday, Le Journal reported that Nova Bus, owned by Swedish giant Volvo, will lay off 9% of its workers, or 125 of its 1,350 employees, in Quebec this year.
When contacted by Le Journal, Nova Bus did not make any connection between these layoffs and the public aid announced two days later.
“We remind you that Monday's announcement, which focuses on our restructuring, is due to the closure of our plant in the United States and is different from government assistance,” explained Alexandrine Gauvin of Nova Bus.
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