SNDL lays off 85 workers from Alberta cultivation facility

Calgary-based cannabis and liquor retailer SNDL is slashing 85 jobs in an effort to find cost savings. The company, previously known as Sundial Growers, is reducing headcount at its Olds, Alberta facility.

“We have made the difficult decision to materially reduce staffing and activity levels in Olds, Alberta, in order to improve the efficiency of our operations as one of Canada’s largest adult-use cannabis manufacturers,” said SDNL CEO Zach George in a statement.

“Oversupply and excess capacity have resulted in high-quality flower being widely available and sold well below the marginal cost of production.”

The labour cuts are expected to save the company $9 million.

Industry slump continues

The job cuts at SNDL reflect a continuing trend of cost reductions and layoffs across Canada’s cannabis sector.

• Aurora Cannabis fired 12% of its workforce and closed a location in Edmonton.
• Atlas Global laid off 50 employees and shutting down a facility in Alberta amid a cannabis industry slump.
• Canopy Growth slashed 800 jobs and closed several facilities.

Termination agreements for SNDL employees

Non-unionized employees of all types at SNDL are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, closures or restructuring.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

LEARN MORE
• Severance packages in mass layoffs
• Severance pay for cannabis industry employees
• Rights to severance for provincially regulated employees

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains what rights employees have if they are being fired or let go on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper compensation if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you aren’t given the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.