Canada’s last major shoe and boot leather tanner, Dominion Tanners, has announced it is to close its tanning plant and focus solely on its leather finishing operations.

As of July 1, 2003, the Winnipeg factory will only provide finished leather to the automotive industry and possibly the leather garment sector.

Around half the plant’s 200 workers have already been layed off and the firm says it does not yet know whether more job losses will be necessary.

Dominion attributes the closure to the massive downturn in the North American leather tanning industry.

The announcement follows parent company, The Tanbridge Corporation’s, posting of losses amounting to C$806,178 ($586,347) or C$0.38 ($0.20) per share for the three months ended March 31, 2003. (See leatherbiz.com, Tanbridge trades in the red - 15.05.03).

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