VEGREVILLE, Alta. - The mayor of an Alberta town says he will fight the relocation of the federal immigration and refugee processing centre that has been the community's major employer since it opened in 1994.

Vegreville Mayor Myron Hayduk says workers at the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Case Processing Centre were told Thursday it will be relocated to Edmonton in 2018 when its lease expires.

He says federal department officials didn't inform him about this and he only learned about the meeting with workers via an anonymous call.

Hayduk says the move and loss of more than 200 jobs will devastate the town of 6,000, as well as surrounding towns.

"When you take the ratios, we're losing a minimum of 200 jobs and if you took that same ratio population-wise to Edmonton, it would be like Edmonton losing 3,500 jobs," Hayduk said.

"We are not going to take this lying down. If I have to make a trip to Ottawa myself and jump up and down in front there, I will do it. This is, this is just too damn much for a town of our size."

Sonia Lesage, spokeswoman for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said the decision to move the centre was a difficult one.

"In negotiating a new lease, the department has made the difficult decision to move its case processing centre from Vegreville to Edmonton, the closest major city, where the proximity to universities, the availability of public transit and housing options, and career growth opportunities within the federal government will make it easier to recruit and retain both qualified and bilingual employees and to meet our growing needs," Lesage said in a email late Thursday night.

"We recognize this relocation will have an impact on existing staff and are making every effort to minimize those impacts."

Lesage said employees will be able to keep their current jobs at the new office in Edmonton, which is 100 kilometres west of Vegreville.

"This decision was made in an effort to respond to increased demand in various lines of business, and to expand operations," Lesage said.

Shannon Stubbs, the MP for the area, called the decision "appalling" and said it blindsided employees, leaving them distressed.

"People in Vegreville can't take another hit, farmers are struggling with crops left in the field, oil and gas workers have lost their jobs in unprecedented numbers, and in so many cases, these CPC Vegreville jobs are the only employment supporting peoples families, not to mention individuals and single parents.

"On top of this, the fact is, relocation or commuting are not options for many of the employees," Stubbs said in a statement late Thursday.

The centre processes temporary and permanent residency applications, work permits, visitor records and study permits, and provides backup to other processing centres across Canada.

"I have heard from constituents who are very concerned about what this means for them. They are worried about their futures and ability to stay in their homes, their jobs and their community. I will be writing to Immigration Minister John McCallum to present him with all of the implications his 'made in Ottawa' approach will have on these people and their livelihoods."

"This dangerous decision needs to be revisited. I urge the Prime Minister, Minister McCallum and the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to immediately reverse this decision, consult with employees, administrators, community members, businesses and municipal representatives in Vegreville to get a grasp on the situation, and to understand the devastation of their decision on these hard working families."

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016