We had a bit of a shock yesterday as it was announced that Corus Entertainment is closing down the Movie Central operation in Edmonton. In a special meeting yesterday morning, staff were informed that the operation was being consolidated into their Toronto facility. As of January 10, Chris and I and some 80 of our co-workers are out of a job. The official story from Corus as outlined in this news item is pretty much a bunch of bureaucratic doublespeak. The real reason comes from the fact that Corus wants and always has wanted all it's eggs in the same basket even though the Edmonton plant has been on the leading edge of technology and has been one of the main money makers for the company. Nonetheless, cutbacks and scrimping on expenses has continually eroded morale in the plant and now here is the final straw. Anything that can be done in Toronto could have easily been done here, and cheaper. The 83 employees in Edmonton are very bitter and feel very betrayed. We have all received a fairly good severance package but it is only the bare minimum stipulated by the contract between Corus and the CEP union of which we are a bargaining unit, nothing extra from the company. So, for some this has been a black week, but for others, myself included, it is becoming an opportunity to start fresh and find a job that will be more rewarding and hopefully will not involve shift work. I am in no hurry to rush out and start looking. I want to take a little time to really assess were I want to go and what I want to do. It could very well be an answer to prayer. Stay tuned as the adventure continues.

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