With Volex's apparent shedding of at least 30 Kanata-based jobs last week, it quickly became apparent yet another multinational high-tech machine was ratcheting itself – or, at least, its Ottawa operations – down a few notches.

Combined with Dell's 1,100 and Sitel's 300 call-centre positions dropped last month, the move by the manufacturer of technology cables and systems this past Friday makes for almost 1,500 high-tech jobs lost in Ottawa's west end in less than three weeks. If nothing else, it signals a near-complete pullout of the nation's capital for longtime Kanata resident Volex, based in the United Kingdom about halfway between Liverpool and Manchester.

It's not clear where they'll go after the lease expires at their 28,000-square-foot factory at 1 Brewer Hunt Way.

And while the layoffs certainly don't measure up to the economic carnage of 2001 – back then, Volex dispatched 115 permanent and contract employees, around the same time Nortel Networks and JDS were letting go of more than 2,000 workers – it stands to reason that as downsizings mount, many Ottawans' ongoing sense of 'insulation' from the recent U.S. slump will be tested mightily.

The swollen Canadian dollar has hammered manufacturing operations like Volex's Ottawa plant, and, as transportation costs spike and U.S. orders dry up – well, you know the rest.

So, what does it all mean?

There's a dodgy economic situation south of the border, no doubt. But its eventual transference up north has fuelled a rising chorus of voices insisting Ottawa retain at all costs its crop of highly skilled talent – be they call-centre operators or technicians – lest they migrate outward in search of more financially hospitable climes.

Even before the layoffs, worries of an IT 'talent crunch' were being heard across the sector in both Canada and the U.S., thanks to a drop-off in technical university graduates and many elder tech workers nearing retirement age.

Regardless, the local rentention of talent, especially sharp high-tech talent, during the current economic slump is vital and must be staunchly defended, especially if Ottawa is to withstand this economic trough and gain traction entering a new growth period.

It's just common sense: lose the talent, and lose the industry.

So kudos to the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, Dell and the Scotiabank Place for holding a hastily arranged Contact Centre Career Fair early this week, on Tuesday, May 13, for out-of-work techies. Held with the active support of several local and out-of-town firms including Pronexus, Circumference Technology Services, Smart Technologies, Quantum Management Services Ltd., RESOLVE Corporation and Thermo Fisher Scientific, the fair promises a shot in the arm for an otherwise ailing sector.

It's a smart move that will not only benefit local companies interested in hiring along with the local economy as a whole, but also raises morale within a current economic climate prone to sometimes violent mood swings. More than a dozen Ottawa firms and organizations have stepped forward to try filling some of the employment void, and it's hoped – from this corner, at least – that as spring yields to summer, more will do the same.

This type of leadership in the community by industry associations, police services (who operate 9-1-1 call centres) and companies alike is paramount in maintaining Ottawa's standing as a tech haven, however diminished the sector from the boom years of the late 90s.

After all, if skilled workers don't feel wanted during the bad times, they almost certainly won't stick around Ottawa for the good.