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Alberta is pressing Ottawa to take immediate steps to help vulnerable areas of the provincial economy now being decimated by the coronavirus — including airlines, the energy sector and small businesses.
The province needs to keep calling for action.
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These industries, and many others, face extraordinary challenges that demand a swift response.
On Tuesday, WestJet Airlines announced almost half of its staffing positions, about 6,900 of 14,000 employees, will be eliminated at the Calgary-based carrier. Some of the cuts are temporary measures and others permanent through early retirements.
Most of the reductions will take place through voluntary layoffs.
The decision is necessary to “support the survival of our business,” CEO Ed Sims said in a video, noting two-thirds of the company’s fleet has been grounded.
“Sadly, we simply do not have enough demand to support our workforce at our current levels,” he said.
