Off to India.

Now if this were the pulp mill there would be more outcry. 300 jobs, that is important to our economy and the lives of those people, is it not?

no it is not. Pulp mill employees make $30+/hour, these guys make 8. Good Riddance - call centres are the hallmark of a dying backwater town. PG can do so much better.

The total number of jobs in PG + 300 jobs at 8-10 bucks an hour is better than the total number of jobs in PG - 300 jobs at 8-10 bucks per hour.

I'm not sure how many hours each of those people work on average, but if they are full time that works out to over 5 million in payroll, not to mention the property taxes, etc. I'm sure the folks that are losing their jobs feel it.

Call centers may not be glamorous, but they do help contribute to a diversified local economy, which eventually helps everyone.

Any chance the forestry workers will be out fighting for EI extensions for these folks as well?

Does anyone know who the client is that cancelled the contract with ACS?

I'm curious to know, so as to adjust my future consumer decisions accordingly.

Seems to me that when IPG leased this building to Livebridge, they paid for all the wiring etc. I cant remember how much this cost the City of Prince George, however it was in the Hundreds of Thousands of dollars.

Now that all the call centres have left, we will be stuck with a building that it wired to the hilt, all of which is useless for anything other than a call centre.

Some people at the time suggested that the City and IPG should not be spending this kind of money to get a business to locate here, that might at a later date pack up and move.

Seems they were right. We are now the proud owners of another White Elephant.

T-Mobile (cell phone company in USA)is the main client for the Prince George office.

ACS also has a call center here in Montreal. I seem to remember they have contracts regarding contacting cellular services. Google a company called Gemma, and they are contracted to provide services for fido/rogers to call existing clients and persuade them to upgrade cell service plans. If ACS hasn't bid on that tender, then persuade them to negotiate with Rogers and take over the contract - it's a good tender. There are also other options for ACS - take over lease vehicle seizures, credit card account receivables from National bank and TD, etc... or simply negotiate AOL buy outs and Direct Energy settlements, like OSI did when they went nuts and shut down. Seriously, it is not a recesssion proof plan to shut down a call center... it's lack of ingenuity. I ran for Mayor - there's no reason for this type of panhandling. They shut down for one reason - the managers aren't making effort to contract bids - it's laziness and laxy dazy folks. Prince George suffers the end results... mind u - that was a cripes load of bucks dumped into that building, but the OSI center is WAY better and more modern by far. Throw me some cash, and I will find the contracts, we open up a new debt collection agency and we'll not only have a new call center, but replace those lost 300 jobs.
cheers
www.nathanpaulprince.com

Is this a plus in attracting the Telus jobs here? Ready made work force and the timing is right?

Does anyone know whether the 300 is a full time equivalent number or actual bodies who might be working 20 hours a week on average?

gamblor I have to take exception to your comments. These jobs paid the rent and put food on the table for a lot of people. In the end it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you put an honest effort into it and take care of your family.

for a lot of people ACES was a stepping stone to better jobs. Employers are reluctant to look ar you unless you have worked

Wondering if ACS wasn't reeled back to the U.S.A. to get America working? I don't know anyone who worked for ACS but they were always looking for new bodies....a real high turnover of people I'm thinkin. Its too bad when times are tuff....towns bend over backwards to attract companies like ACS....theres no loyalty, get a sweeter deal some wheres else....close the doors an zoom....gone.

I, too, take exception to gamblor's statement "guys make 8. Good Riddance - call centres are the hallmark of a dying backwater town."
These are people gamblor that are making a living, don't despise them. I know one full time worker who is highly intelligent and I resent your remarks.

Gambler: regardless of the income level of the employees, they contributed to the economy rather than being a drain on it by needed the social services. That is so cool that mill workers earn such significant wages. All income levels are needed in any economic environment as we need the unskilled probably more so than the highly skilled. Think of the service industries. Low income employment also provides ample incentive of those employees to get trained into skilled and higher paying jobs. Besides that, how many employers would hire a young person straight out of school into an industrial work site without any previous employment or work site experience. That would be an accident looking for a place to happen.

That building would make a great internet cafe.....just kidding! I think that 300 jobs at any pay scale is significant to our town, and I doubt that all the jobs were minimum wage.
metalman.

That building would make a great internet cafe.....just kidding! I think that 300 jobs at any pay scale is significant to our town, and I doubt that all the jobs were minimum wage.
metalman.

PG city is shrinking each year like a melting ice. The last time I went to my old barber in PG, he told me he is moving to Klowna. I asked him why? He said "more heads to shave". This guy had memories of training of soldiers in PG near Foothills around WWII.

Time to head south ...

"Mayor Dan Rogers is very disappointed in the news of the closure, “It is very disappointing, and clearly this shows we are not isolated from global economic factors”. "

ummmmm ... and the downturn in the US housing market and problems in the auto industry are of course minor when compared to the fate of call centres.

I think that the increase in caller ID has to be considered in this case as well, especially so for call-out centres.