Category: Moncton

Thousands lose jobs at Sears

Industry experts are calling it part of the demise of the department store chain.

Sears Canada is closing 59 stores across the country, including Saint John and Bathurst, and slashing 2,900 jobs under a court-supervised restructuring plan. The restructuring will see the Moncton and Fredericton locations stay open, and it doesn’t affect plans for new call centres.

Marketing experts say many department stores lost touch and stopped responding to the needs of consumer years ago as they began shopping online.

Not enough bilingual bureaucrats

The official languages commissioner says the number of senior provincial officials who are bilingual is unacceptably low in Canada’s only bilingual province.

Katherine d’Entremont says a survey of 21 francophone groups and municipalities found only four said French was always used at meetings with senior public servants. She says should be a legislated requirement for top jobs in the civil service, including legislative officer positions, three of which are vacant now.