Angry in the Great White North

From the news wire:

Canada's premier materials research laboratories will soon be able to work more closely with industry. The Honourable R. John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), and the Honourable Tony Valeri, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Member of Parliament for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, today announced plans to relocate the majority of the NRCan CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory (CANMET-MTL) to new state-of-the-art facilities in Hamilton, Ontario.

Of course, since Parliament is no longer sitting, Mr. Broadbent will not get a chance to challenge the government on the wisdom of this move.

So what does CANMET-MTL do?

CANMET-MTL, located in Ottawa, conducts research to assist Canadian industry develop innovative materials and technology solutions that help improve the performance of products. The research also addresses climate change by finding ways to reduce demand for materials and energy. It is particularly involved in researching the integrity of metal structures such as gas pipelines and offshore drilling platforms, as well as lightweight materials for the automotive industry and environmentally friendly, durable materials for the construction industry.

Construction, pipelines, drilling -- sounds like Calgary would be a better choice if you wanted to move it.

Not too many Liberal MPs in Calgary, however.

The move to Hamilton will facilitate collaboration with university researchers through the existing Academic User Access Facility arrangement, as well as with international partners in China, India and the United States.

No flights from China or the US to Ottawa?

This announcement advances the Government of Canada's commitment to knowledge, innovation and technology in the natural resources sectors - contributing to their economic importance and to a strong society and communities. By integrating our economic, social and environmental goals, we can ensure our quality of life and build the Canada we want, for ourselves and for future generations.

Sounds like the facility was already contributing to a strong community.

Too bad it was the wrong community.

As for quality of life, it's also too bad the quality of life of highly skilled workers is going to get blasted:

My job is one of those 100 jobs. The majority of the people I've spoken to are not going to be following their jobs, which means that something like 50-90 high paying jobs will be created in Hamilton - a Liberal strong hold. The Liberal's buying spree just bought Hamilton voters with my job.

This from a person who works there. He is not an anonymous source; I know his name and have verified that he works at CANMET-MTL. For obvious reasons, though, he would prefer not to have his name published.

Sounds like not too many people are happy. It looks like a large pool of experience is going to be destroyed, and the government is going to be forced to re-staff the facility. You have to wonder how many projects will be set back months or years by this.

I wonder how happy Jack Layton and Ed Broadbent are right now?

Updates:

From the email sent to employees:

By now, you will probably have heard about the announced plans to relocate, in about three years, most of MTL to new state-of-the-art facilities in Hamilton, Ontario. In addition to a new building, we will also receive substantial funding for new equipment and benefit from closer interactions with local industries as well as universities in the area. It represents a major rejuvenation for MTL and is an enormous statement of the importance the government places on our mission. Even our clients in far-flung parts of the country will ultimately benefit from the invigoration of MTL's capacity.

I realize that this news, while exciting, is also very disrupting. You may be wondering, as I am, how you will personally cope, and you probably have a lot of questions regarding your personal situation. While I do not have answers to all your questions at the present time, several measures are being put in place to provide you with information.

For now I can tell you that those employees who choose to move will have their relocation costs reimbursed. The department will help those who choose to stay behind to search for alternative employment in the department or elsewhere in the Public Service. A number of support activities will be put in place to help employees.

The email is repeated in French, though my contact wonders why:

The people working here at MTL (CANMET) are evenly split between francophones who commute from Quebec and anglophones who live in Ottawa. Everyone is being offered their jobs on the condition we move to Hamilton. It's not even an option for the francophones,

And for the anglos?

as for the anglophones we are pretty evenly split between people who can easily pick up and move and people (like myself) who can't. [Personal details deleted to protect identity -- suffice it say my contact cannot move.] People who are willing to move will get some sort of moving allowance (they'll explain it later). People who aren't willing to move and are permanent (like myself) will be given assistance in finding a new job (they'll explain it later). People who aren't willing to move and aren't permanent are screwed (my words).

Tough luck for my contact and for the others at CANMET-MTL. On the other hand, Tony Valeri is being praised as a visionary:

"This is the sort of synergistic opportunity we're keen to foster," said Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president research and international affairs at McMaster University. "Minister Valeri recognized the natural fit between McMaster's areas of expertise and the CANMET lab. His vision and leadership have allowed us to take this crucial step in the development of the Innovation Park, which will act as a magnet in bringing research enterprises to Hamilton from around the world."

"This is a great day for Hamilton," said mayor Larry DiIanni. "The City is grateful to both McMaster University and Tony Valeri for their leadership in bringing this facility to Hamilton, and for showing once again the power of partnerships in moving this city forward."

And as a postscript:

Oh, one other thing that I forgot to mention. CANMET-MTL just spent $750,000 to upgrade my lab. Wasted money now that we're moving.

Sounds like just the beginning of a big waste of money.