- by Anne Finlay-Stewart, Editor

Following up on questions to the Hub, we asked yesterday why Tenneco was still open as an "Essential Workplace", less than two months from the plant being permanently shuttered. 

So far that article, which included Tenneco's official statement, has been opened over 2,100 times on OwenSoundHub.org. since it was published late yesterday. Responses on the site have included the allegations that there are few places in the plant or the non-work (break) spacest hat 6' distancing can be done, and that some employees state they have not seen changes in cleaning protocols in washrooms or any shared spaces since the pandemic was declared.

This workplace still employs the equivalent of 1.12% of the population of Owen Sound (not including salaried staff) and more than 100 at a time work the day shift.  This impacts exponentially more members of our community, many of whom are in the high-risk category for needing crucial and limited healthcare resources should they fall ill.

Now that the Province and Grey County have declared emergencies as community spread of this virus has been clearly documented, important questions remain.

• If Tenneco is providing an Essential service to Ontario, will the plant be staying in Owen Sound longer than anticipated, or will the company still be leaving as scheduled?
• If a case of covid-19 is identified within the workforce of Tenneco Owen Sound or their immediate contacts, will the company consider closing earlier than planned?

We asked these two questions by email at 8:09 this morning of Bill Dawson, Executive Director, Global Communication at Tenneco, following up on his statement yesterday on the company's behalf. 

As of this writing, there has been no response.