SMES threatened by Quebec

Photo courtesy
Pierre Ferron, the boss of the Laundry Blanchelle, in the Lanaudière region, who fear that the mégabuanderie public Lavérendière vienna pull out of its contracts that are more than 90 % of the public sector.

Francis Halin

Tuesday, 15 August, 2017 21:31

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Tuesday, 15 August, 2017 21:31

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A contractor is going to have to put on the door 140 employees and to abandon their expansion project of the factory of $ 20 million, because Quebec wants to compete with a mégabuanderie public, has advised the SMES to its plant in Repentigny, Tuesday.

“Our survival in Repentigny is threatened. Quebec said to a private company : “Dry. Your jobs, this is not important, ” said Pierre Ferron, the boss of the laundry Blanchelle, in the Lanaudière region, who fear that the mégabuanderie public Lavérendière of Quebec vienna dig in its contracts from more than 90 % of the public sector.

Laundry Blanchelle was founded in 1977. The SME offers laundry services in the health sector in Quebec. The company has 260 employees at its two facilities in Repentigny and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, what makes say to his leader that Quebec has the duty to protect these jobs rather than make them disappear.

The man at the head of the company is even feared of losing his investment of $ 20 million planned for a new factory. “We are too close to Repentigny. We had a project of expansion of several tens of millions of dollars. But this project is threatened because Quebec is most likely to come to take our clients “, he told the Journal.

Misunderstanding

The mégabuanderie of Québec intends to serve the regions of Lanaudière, Laurentides and Montreal, making rager Pierre Ferron. “We do not understand why the department is investing $ 20 million here, while the private sector provides a better service “, he said.

The boss of the Laundry Blanchelle also says that it is easier for him to find new contracts in the United States than in Quebec.

For its part, Julie White, the press attaché to the minister of Health, Gaétan Barrette, has insisted that the idea behind the mégabuanderie public had been carefully thought out. “Our choice to go forward with this project is based on a report conducted by an independent firm. We have taken a decision in the interest of taxpayers, ” said Ms. White.

Culture ministry

Mr. Ferron wished to say that he didn’t want the minister of Health, Gaétan Barrette itself, but rather to the ministry. According to him, this administrative decision exceeds the color policies and this would be senior officials of the ministry, which would have placed the project of laundry to the public. “I think the ministry would prefer that it not be there “, he dropped.

Pierre Ferron said that it regretted that the government make a lot of noise with measures to promote entrepreneurship so that it discourages companies like his that has been working for more than 40 years. “We are the only ones in our field in Canada for export to the United States. It has never been subsidized by the State. And the State gets us out of the market… Why ? ” he asked aloud.

Laundry Blanchelle

• Foundation : 1977

• Employees : 260

• Repentigny : 140

• Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu : 120

• Average seniority of workers : 20 years