'The talk in the town is positive': How Espanola, Ont. is faring with an idle mill
Aya Dufour | CBC News | Posted: June 20, 2024 10:00 AM | Last Updated: June 20
A look at what has changed and what hasn’t 6 months after the town lost its main employer
It's been a little over six months since Domtar indefinitely idled the pulp and paper mill in Espanola, Ont., and put 450 jobs on the chopping block.
Some feared the shutdown would depress the local economy, with workers and their families moving out and the value of homes depreciating.
But so far these dreaded outcomes have not materialized.
Enrolment numbers at A.B. Ellis Public School and the Espanola High School remain relatively unchanged, with only about 10 fewer students projected to attend each institution in the fall of 2024 compared to the year before, according to data from the Rainbow District School Board.
Numbers have also remained pretty consistent on the real estate front.
"I think if we were going to have a major impact in the housing market, we probably would have seen it already," said Chloe Bichette, owner of local independent firm Claudine Bichette Real Estate Brokerage.
Bichette says there's been a steady flow of clients and transactions in the past months despite the idling of the mill.
"We see people who move here from Sudbury because our housing stock is a little less expensive than the bigger cities and we've seen quite a migration of people from Southern Ontario as well," she said.
Bichette adds that if some houses remain on the market for extended periods or lose their value, it's usually due to other external factors, including interest rates.
Majority of laid off workers found work elsewhere
The Unifor Action Centre is also striking an optimistic tone.
That initiative launched last December to offer workshops, training sessions, career advice and counselling for those impacted by the closure of the mill.
"We've aided quite a large number of our membership to get new licences and training opportunities," said co-ordinator Johnathan Nadeau, citing the DZ commercial truck licence program being offered on a reimbursement basis.
He says a voluntary survey conducted among the 250 former mill workers represented by Unifor Local 74 suggests about 35 per cent of them are still looking for their new permanent jobs.
Nadeau says that includes a mix of people who are unemployed, or in part-time gigs, while looking for another opportunity.
While the closure of the mill caused some hardship, Nadeau says he's heard some inspiring stories from his former colleagues, including some that have taken on roles they find more fulfilling.
"I hope everybody who was affected by this shutdown can look back in a little while and say that it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to them," he said.
Mayor says closure hasn't yet impacted town's finances
Espanola Mayor Douglas Gervais says not much has changed over the past six months.
"We've not really felt the effects at this time and we're moving on with all our other projects," he said.
Gervais declined to specify how much money an active pulp and paper mill contributes to the town's coffers, but says the shutdown wasn't an issue at the last budget deliberation.
"Everything is based on whatever we bring in the tax dollars and at this time there's nothing changing," he said.
"In the back of our minds, are we thinking about what's going to happen? Yeah. And we'll deal with it when it comes."
He says so far everything is business as usual in Espanola.
"The talk in the town is positive. We haven't heard anything about anybody suffering because of Domtar at this time."
As for the future of the idled mill, it remains unclear.
Currently only the site's hydroelectric power generation turbines are running to supply the mill's power needs and feed the local grid, says Domtar spokesperson Louis Bouchard.
"The site remains available for purchase, and we are willing to explore a potential sale," he added.