HALIFAX – BlackBerry has confirmed it is closing its office in Bedford, N.S. in a move that will cost up to 350 people their jobs.
The office, which deals with customer service, will close Jan. 10, 2014.
The company said it gave affected workers notice Thursday, but 35 employees will be offered the opportunity to continue working from home.
“These changes are necessary in order to refocus our business to drive the company towards profitability and success in a maturing and more competitive mobile industry,” the smartphone maker said in a press release.
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“I was very disappointed to hear about the closing of the BlackBerry office in Bedford,” said Geoff Regan, Liberal MP for Halifax West, in a release. “Since opening the location in my riding in 2008, BlackBerry has provided excellent employment opportunities with its customer service and technical support operations.”
“My thoughts are with the more than 300 people whose jobs are affected. They are highly skilled professionals who have worked very hard and would be an asset to any company. I hope they will have a smooth transition into new careers.”
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BlackBerry also said it will repay a $2 million contribution from the Nova Scotia government that it received to create a Center of Excellence. The money is a portion of the $10 million then-premier Darrell Dexter said the province would give the company over five years if it kept at least 400 jobs in Nova Scotia.
The announcement comes days after Dexter was knocked from the province’s top job by the Liberal party, which is led by Stephen McNeil.
The Bedford office opened in 2008 with $19 million in provincial support. At the time, 1,200 people were employed there full-time.
About three weeks ago, Blackberry announced it had struck a $4.7 billion takeover deal spearheaded by Fairfax Financial.
The company had already announced 300 people were being laid off at its head office this week as part of a broader cost-cutting plan that will reduce its workforce by about 40 per cent, or 4,500 jobs.
With files from Julia Wong
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