Husky Energy non-committal if layoffs will hurt Lakeland region

After the announcement this week that Husky Energy would be laying off employees, a communications person from the company would not comment on how that would impact the heavy oil corridor from Cold Lake to Lloydminster.

“We did have to say goodbye to some of our colleagues. Husky has been taking steps to better align the organization and workforce with our capital plan and strategy,” said Kim Guttormson, media and issues specialist for Husky Energy, in an emailed statement.

“These changes put Husky in the best position to achieve its goals. This was about changing the way we approach our business, the way we make decisions and the way we work together to meet our goals.”

She added they would not share the number of jobs affected.

In February, Husky announced they were shutting-in hundreds of oil wells in the Lakeland, from Cold Lake to Lloydminster, in response to the province’s curtailment.

That curtailment included the Tucker thermal plant in Cold Lake.

Husky reported yesterday their third-quarter earnings were down almost $300 million compared to 2018 from $545 million to $273 million.