Community reaction to Aveos liquidation and 2,600 lost jobs

Laid-off Aveos employees block the main road leading to Air Canada's head office in Montreal on Monday. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Thousands of skilled workers have lost their jobs as Aveos Fleet Performance, the private company that maintains many of Air Canada's aircraft, says it will immediately cease all operations and begin the process of liquidating its assets.

Aveos says it will terminate the jobs of all 2,600 of its employees across the country, a move that will affect three main plants in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal, as well as other facilities in Edmonton, Calgary, Trenton and Mississauga, Ont.

The firm, which gets up to 90 per cent of its work from Air Canada, said it was forced to file for creditor protection Monday "due to uncertain work volume across its business lines" from the airline.

Reaction to the announcement, which came on a second day of Montreal protests against Aveos, was mixed. Many people expressed anger and frustration.

• "Seems like stories like these just keep recurring for the past few years, and some people still say everything is okay, it's just left-leaning people who have the problem. Really? I mean, I don't care what political stripe you belong to: at one point or another, you have to look at the facts. Things are getting much much worse, and it doesn't matter who you voted for. If it didn't affect you yet, give it time." - CyberWolf23
• "Sound to me like Air Canada decided to break its contracts with Aveos, force them into bankruptcy, so they could ship the maintenance off shore to save money. The cost of 2,600 jobs means nothing to them ... Or did they decide the aircraft no longer need maintenance? The government has stepped in to protect Air Canada in the past. Will they now step in to protect Canadian jobs?" - NowayNohow999
• "2,000 + well paying jobs gone. Until they find new work they are going to be supported by the taxpayer. A double edged sword. It's a shame our government isn't working harder to help resolve situations like this. We loose money as a nation from income taxes, from spending in the local area, and from E.I. benefits. As Canadians we really cant afford this government we have." - LDR_One
• "A sad day indeed. This country is founded on the backs of hard workers but the greedy minions at the top continue to think that veering off course is part of keeping Canada afloat." - The_Rickster
• "These are highly trained and technical people working on some of the most complicated equipment designed by man. Airplanes are second only to rockets and spacecraft in complexity and due to proper maintenance have a fantastic safety record. $100k/year isn't enough for that job." - WaterGuy303

Others were less sympathetic and made matter-of-fact statements about the situation.

• "Business 101. Never let one customer occupy more than 35 per cent of your capacity. 90 per cent made this day inevitable." - Alex 3
• "I feel sorry for those who lost their jobs, but sometimes companies shut down, for whatever reason, and jobs are lost. It happens. Although not at all on the same scale, I lost my part-time job during university when the restaurant I worked for closed. I didn't picket. I sucked it up, and found another job. It sounds like Aveos was too dependent on Air Canada, and when that became uncertain, they couldn't be profitable. It sucks, but that's part of life." - wpg_5800
• "That's what happens when you have all your eggs put into one basket." - Xiaojialiu
• "As much as Air Canada can frustrate me, we as a society (yes here in Canada we are a proud and civil society) must eventually come to realization that we live a global market and this will impact products, services and ultimately jobs. There are pros and cons to globalization. What there really isn't, is a choice to participate." - Proud.Canadian
• "Supply and Demand of Labour. Too many "skilled" manufacturing workers, and not enough industry for them here. our labour force must adapt!" - lysol1

Thank you, as always, for following our coverage. Please feel free to challenge any of these points and continue the conversation below.