Bass Pro Shops cuts second round of Winnipeg workers in 5 months

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s is axing 54 Winnipeg office jobs, marking the second round of layoffs in five months.

It comes as part of a restructuring the company announced in May, an unnamed spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The latest reduction — which employees learned of Tuesday — accounts for roughly two per cent of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Canadian workforce.

Bass Pro Shops acquired the Cabela’s Inc. chain in 2016. Winnipeg is home to the Canadian corporate office of Cabela’s.

Last May, the outdoor and sporting goods company cut nearly 80 jobs at 25 De Baets St., citing “changing market dynamics.” A spokesperson pointed to the same reasoning for the current layoffs. Further advancing the business was another reason given Tuesday.

Staff at the Bass Pro Shops retail store in Winnipeg won’t be directly affected and further layoffs aren’t anticipated, a spokesperson wrote. People who are laid off will get severance, extended benefits and additional transition support, the statement said.

Cabela’s first opened its flagship store in Winnipeg, at 580 Sterling Lyon Pkwy., in 2013. The signage was changed to Bass Pro Shops last year.

Bass Pro Shops counts nearly 200 retail stores and marine centres across North America. It’s made “significant investments” for Canadian customers including launching a new website, offering same-day in-store pickup and expanding its relationship with FedEx, a spokesperson said.

The May layoffs marked a 3.1 per cent reduction in the company’s workforce of 2,438 Canadians.

McEwen Inc. seeks to buy company behind Flin Flon gold mine

A business led by a Canadian Mining Hall of Fame member is looking to acquire the company behind a Flin Flon mine.

Canadian Gold Corp., which oversees the Tartan Lake mine project near Flin Flon, could become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toronto-based McEwen Inc.

The Tartan Lake mine is a gold project and former producing mine. It’s not actively producing.

The McEwen-Canadian Gold deal could close in January, if approved by Canadian Gold shareholders and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Per the current offer, stakeholders will get 0.0225 McEwen common shares for each Canadian Gold share they possess. It’s an offer price of $0.60 per Canadian Gold share — a 96.7 per cent premium over the Canadian Gold shares’ closing price on the trading day before the letter of intent’s announcement.

McEwen Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. It oversees gold and silver production, and a copper development project, in the Americas. Rob McEwen is the owner; he’s a member of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame.

— Free Press staff