It was with great sadness I read of the closure of Howe Sound Pulp and Paper’s paper production and the layoff of about 180 employees. I can only imagine the stress the news has brought to many of our citizens. Not only is the mill the biggest non-government employer on the Coast, it’s also the best paying one. That has repercussions for all of us.
For several families it will mean the loss of more than one job per household. Sadly, for many, this appears to have come out of nowhere. It would seem that a compassionate company could have better prepared the one-third of its employees affected by this gigantic move.
It’s no secret paper production has struggled worldwide for many years with the advent of our paperless world. Several years ago, when I did a series of stories marking the mill’s hundredth anniversary, paper was already becoming difficult to move. I recall seeing huge rolls of paper being stored for a diminishing market. And if memory serves me correctly, there were temporary layoffs more than once to use up the inventory. So perhaps the writing was on the wall all along.
Regardless of the details, the bottom line is people are hurting. If all those affected were to leave the Coast, we’d probably be looking at losing a minimum of 120 families. And the majority of them would be from Gibsons. The blow to the little town could be devastating.
Real estate, schools and local stores could all take a big hit. Just when the market has started to pick up, there could quickly be a glut of houses for sale. Given the fact that the proximity of Gibsons to the ferry makes it a popular market, a run on houses there doesn’t auger well for the rest of the Coast.
Gibsons has just opened a new elementary school. Exactly how many students could be lost if parents are forced to move is anyone’s guess. And beyond sheer numbers, how many children and their friends will have their lives disrupted by decisions completely beyond their control? Anyone who’s ever lost a best friend knows how wrenching the loss can be.
Local stores need folks with decent pay cheques to keep them in business. Even if many of the jobless decide to stay put and accept smaller wages, the stores will feel the change. There will be less need for work clothes, less cash to spend on new clothes and fewer dollars to spend on discretionary items.
But now, more than anything else, my heart goes out to the many people who are abruptly without work. It’s easy to pat them on the back and dish up the old saws about doors closing so new ones can open, but all the platitudes in the world don’t heal people’s self-esteem when a big chunk of their life is gone.
Please friends, rest assured; we’re hurting with you.
