Layoffs at Coe Newnes

Coe Newnes new CEO, David Bowra is in town and heads are already starting to roll. According to an employee who's let go there's no vacation or severance packages promised and no thank you's.  Envelopes were handed to staff along with boxes to pack up their office. An employee called in the middle of it and says that even those who have been there for more than 15 years are being told to close up their desks. It was only Tuesday that Director of Human Resources Kim Schwartz said that Coe Newnes was trying to keep business going as usual, but that doesn't seem to be the case for some employees. Before Shawn Casey, the previous Coe Newnes CEO stepped down, he predicted that the best case scenario would be one third of the company's 330 workers would be laid off. There's no word on how many employees were released yesterday.

The BC forest industry is experiencing a major slump with mass layoffs happening throughout the province and now, this includes Coe Newnes McGehee.

Sofie McGarry Astral Media Radio News, Salmon Arm