A brief history of Amazon in Quebec: A rapid expansion, and a union forms
Company announces it will shutter all 7 facilities in coming months
Amazon Canada says it's closing its Quebec sorting and shipping centres, only five years after the company opened a facility in the province.
The decision comes after a period of rapid expansion, and the formation of a union at one of its facilities.
Here's a timeline of events.
Nov. 8, 2019
Amazon Canada announces plans to build its first facility in Quebec, a sorting centre in Lachine. "We're excited about our growth in Montreal, which gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers across Quebec," Alexandre Gagnon, vice-president with Amazon Canada, said in a news release.
July 14, 2020
Amazon opens its Lachine facility, with 300 permanent jobs. Employees will work "alongside Amazon's innovative robotics technology to pick, pack and ship items to customers," according to a statement from the company. The company says in its announcement that full-time employees receive "comprehensive pay" starting at $16 and "industry-leading benefits, including medical, vision and dental coverage, a group RRSP plan, and performance-based bonuses starting on day one."
Jan. 19, 2021
Amazon announces five facilities. Those include a sorting centre in Coteau-du-Lac, Que., about 60 kilometres from Montreal, as well as another in Longueuil. The company also opens three delivery stations in the province, two in Laval and one in Lachine.
Oct. 27, 2021
Amazon calls the Coteau-du-Lac facility its most advanced sorting centre in the country. The new facility leads to 500 full-time jobs. "The entire Amazon team is proud to continue investing in Quebec and Coteau-du-Lac," said Anamaria Zammit, a representative with Amazon Canada.
April 22, 2024
The CSN, a union federation, files an application with the Administrative Labour Tribunal to represent 200 employees at a warehouse in Laval, a first in Quebec. The union says workers cite "many reasons for dissatisfaction with their working conditions: the frenetic pace of work, woefully inadequate health and safety measures, and wages well below the norm at warehouses and fulfilment centres in Quebec." CSN president Caroline Senneville says after months of effort, "Amazon employees succeeded in convincing their co-workers that they must stand together to win against the behemoth."
May 13, 2024
The application is certified, making the warehouse in Laval the first Amazon warehouse in Canada to unionize. Amazon contests the decision, saying it could not back the accreditation because it "does not respect the interests of its employees."
Aug. 1, 2024
An Administrative Labour Tribunal judge directs Amazon to stop interfering with union affairs at its facility in Lachine. Judge Henrik Ellefsen orders Amazon to remove and destroy all the anti-union posters the company has put up at its facilities. Amazon is ordered to pay a total of $30,000 in moral and punitive damages.
Jan. 22, 2025
Amazon announces it will shutter its facilities in Quebec in the coming weeks. A company spokesperson says it will outsource deliveries to smaller contractors. The spokesperson says the decision was tied to cost savings — not the recent unionization at the Laval warehouse.
