College employment centre in Amherstburg to close at the end of the month

The St. Clair College Employment Centre in Amherstburg is closing at the end of the month.

The lease is up and the college said it didn't want to stand in the way of the landlord leasing it to another tenant the landord said he had, because the college will no longer be providing the provincially funded service after next March.

Spokesperson and college vice-president John Fairley said the landlord, Lou Mikail, offered to have the college share the space, located in the strip mall on Pickering Street with the other tenant.

"With the employment offices, you really don't want to share space, so what we did is we approached the [Ministry of  Labour, Immigration and Skills Development] to say, could we get out of the lease in August? So that's what we did," said Fairley.

Mikail's version of events differs. He said he offered the other tenant only after the college said it was pulling out.

Fairley said the employment services will be provided at the college's Roundhouse Centre Employment Centre in Windsor until the end of March 2023. Fairley said those who can't attend in person can communicate via phone or online.

But Amherstburg councillor Donald McArthur is vowing to fight the closure. He said the services should be provided in-person and in Amherstburg.

"The other thing, these people who work there now, they work in Amherstburg they walk out, they shop in Amherstburg on their way home. They get gas and they go to stores in Amherstburg. So I don't want to see those jobs pulled out of town and I don't want to see Amherstburg residents looking for jobs having to leave town either," said McArthur.

Fairly said six people are employed at the Amherstburg centre. He said they are college employees and will be working at the Roundhouse Centre office. McArthur said he will be contacting Essex MPP Anthony Leardi, town mayor Aldo DiCarlo and MPP Monte McNaughton, the minister responsible, to fight to keep the office open.

Fairley said whichever agency gets the contract to run the employment office next year might reopen an office in Amherstburg. He didn't rule out the province finding another agency sooner.

CBC has reached out to the ministry for a response. A spokesperson said one will be forthcoming but could not meet our publishing deadline.