Just six weeks after the controversial Burger King takeover, Tim Hortons started handing out pink slips at its longtime corporate headquarters in Oakville and at regional offices across Canada.

Employees dashed to their cars and had no comment Tuesday as they left the head office of the 50-year-old doughnut and coffee behemoth, which is now being run under the Restaurant Brands International umbrella with Burger King after the blockbuster $12.5-billion takeover was completed in December.

Tim Hortons refused to say how many staff will be axed — or even provide a general number — despite repeated attempts when contacted as terminations got underway. But recent media speculation is that hundreds of employees of the 2,000 employed outside its restaurants are being let go, which was originally feared when the fast food giants announced the merger last August.

Besides its Oakville headquarters, Tim Hortons has regional offices in Guelph, Ont., Kingston, Ont. along with British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, plus one regional office in the U.S.

A spokesperson replied that because Tim Hortons is still notifying affected employees, "we're not in the position to confirm the number of people impacted, either leaving the company or with new opportunities (in the merged company)."

David Macdonald, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said: "This is not surprising to anyone in the business community. Everyone knows layoffs were very likely to happen after the takeover."

The non-profit think tank had warned there would be widespread layoffs and severe cost-cutting, especially with Burger King's owner 3G Capital in charge, so as to pay back off debt it took on to make the deal happen. The Brazil-based investment firm has a track record of paring staff and slashing costs to the bone. That's what happened after it took over Burger King, Heinz and Anheuser-Busch InBev prior to the Tim Hortons acquisition.

Macdonald said franchisees can expect less support from the shrinking head office, along with cutbacks in advertising and other areas.

"We have had to make some difficult but necessary decisions today as we reorganize our company to position ourselves for the significant growth and opportunities ahead of us," said Alexandra Cygal, Tim Hortons' vice-president, corporate affairs, in an email. "We are confident the new organization will be faster, more efficient and better positioned for continued success."

Industry Canada approved the deal with specific requirements: Burger King must "maintain significant employment levels" at the Oakville headquarters and must maintain 100-per-cent staffing levels at franchises across the country.

Earlier this month, two longtime Tims executives abruptly resigned from their new roles in the merged company.

"This comprehensive process has created tremendous opportunities for some of our employees in new roles and promotions," Cygal said in her email.

"We greatly appreciate the service and contributions of all of our employees and are treating departing employees with the utmost respect, while providing generous and enhanced severance packages, continuing health benefits and outplacement services."

She confirmed the headquarters will remain in Oakville as promised, "and our commitment to long-standing brand values and traditions, including our significant community involvement, will continue."

The merger — which created the world's third-largest restaurant company, with 18,000 stores and $23 billion in sales — was originally pitched by executives as the best way to expand Tim Hortons internationally and make the beloved Canadian brand truly global.

When approached by media, the company's receptionists simply said, "No comment."

"It's too bad," said Robert Carter, executive director of food services at the NPD Group, a market research firm. "They had a good team in place at Tim Hortons that built it into a solid, very successful brand."

However, Charter noted layoffs and cost-cutting are the order of the day in the struggling fast-food industry, which is fighting to maintain market share amid slow growth and waning consumer interest.

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New Democrat MP Peggy Nash, the party's industry critic, said: "Our hearts go out to the employees at Tim Hortons, who now join the workers at Target, Zellers, Bombardier, Mexx, Jacobs, Bowring, Smartset and Sony in being let down by this government (to protect jobs)."

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- Reports of Guelph layoffs among Tim Hortons job cuts