The mayor of Amherstburg says while everyone knew the closure of Diageo was near, it's still disappointing.
Michael Prue says a couple of employees assumed they would close early.
The Crown Royal bottling facility closed two days ahead of schedule - despite being slated to close on Saturday.
Workers were notified Wednesday afternoon, according to Local 200 President John D'Agnolo, who said the early layoff was a "blindside" to the nearly 100 members still on the job. The workers were told they would be paid for the rest of the week.
The company announced in August 2025 it was closing the Amherstburg factory, putting over 200 employees out of work.
The company listed its property at 110 St Arnaud Street for sale at the end of 2025, which remains available.
Prue says they believed it would close early.
"The last liquor went across the assembly line and put in boxes about a week ago. And for the last two or three weeks, the big transport trucks have been taking everything out of the warehouse... there's nothing there."
He says he's disappointed that Diageo will not sell the building to those who have placed a bid.
"The very first company that made an offer on the building offered the entire asking price. And then they were told, 'no, the asking price was too low', and the asking price went up. They made the offer on the new price, they made the offer to keep all the employees in place... I don't know what else they could have done. Diageo has yet to sell it."
Prue says the town, alongside local MPs and MPPs, will meet with Diageo in the near future.
"It was cancelled but it's now supposed to be brought back on at some undisclosed date. We're hoping that they will listen to the elected representatives of the area, and make these jobs stay here."
Unifor states that they will continue to work with the Town of Amherstburg and the Province of Ontario to attract a new employer to the facility and preserve local jobs.
Nearly two weeks ago, Diageo announced a $23-million commitment in new investments.
The agreement will see Windsor-Essex get $1-million for economic development, focused on Amherstburg, along with community projects to support residents in the town. However, the rest of the money will go to Toronto, Scarborough, and Eastern Ontario, with some supporting the agricultural sector, marketing and promotions.