Brooks residents concerned about XL Foods workers
Plant closed in late September and the reopen date is still undetermined
People living in Brooks want to hear what’s being done about the future of the people who work at XL Foods.
The southern Alberta meat processing plant is currently shut down, as products continue to be recalled.
More than 1,500 products processed at the plant have been recalled, affecting stores in every province and territory as well as 41 American states.
About 2,200 people work at the XL plant, but it’s unclear how many are not working right now as a result of the recall.
Candace Smith, a resident of Brooks, is worried about the thousands of workers who were brought to the city from other countries.
"What are the people who own it doing for the people that work for them — the people that they brought here to work for them. They should be held accountable in some way shape or form. They can’t just leave them floundering to do nothing," Smith said. "I could forget buying meat and forgo that but you can’t just drop 2,200 people and not take care of them."
XL Foods still hasn't returned media calls or requests for interviews since the initial recalls started on Sept. 16.