Calgary-based Husky Energy Inc. says it has laid off an undisclosed number of employees.
“Today we did have to say goodbye to some of our colleagues,” Husky spokeswoman Kim Guttormson said in an e-mail Tuesday.
“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.”
On Tuesday, laid-off workers trickled out of the door of Husky headquarters in downtown Calgary, while other employees stood huddled at the back of the building, clutching letters.
When Ms. Guttormson was asked whether the layoffs had anything to do with Monday’s election result, she said the company works “constructively with all governments in the jurisdictions where we operate.”
She noted that at Husky’s May Investor Day, executives discussed a reduced capital plan and long-range plan. “We’ve been taking steps to better align the organization and work force with that capital plan and strategy,” she said.
Like other Canadian oil and gas companies, Husky has been affected by a lack of pipeline access to oil markets. Earlier this year, the company said it would slow its capital spending on Western Canadian projects over the next five years to allow downstream capacity to catch up with oil production as pipeline constraints continue to impede the industry’s ability to get oil out of Canada.
Husky, which is controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, also announced earlier this month that it would sell its refinery in Prince George to Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure for $215-million in cash.
Ms. Guttormson would not disclose the number of jobs affected. At the end of 2018, Husky had 5,157 permanent employees.
With a report from Emma Graney
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Kelly Cryderman