JS McMillan Fisheries announced today plans for the closure of its processing facility effective later this year.
At least our favorite part of the plant, still has potential for continued operation.
Updated to include quotes from Mayor Mussallem and Joy Thorkelson of the UFAWU.
This news is DEVASTATING!
80 full time jobs down the tubes…really feel for those who are losing their jobs right before winter.
But, but I thought our economy was doing oh so well?
Shitty news for you folks, the town is becoming an economic industrial zone rather than a city for people to live in. Sure there is the port and Ridley poised to expand but as you must have noticed industry today is highly mechanised, to the point there isnt many people needed to run the places. They add tax dollars to the city but thats about it, they dont employ many people at all anymore. Mcmillian will send all the groundfish quota to be processed in van where they have new high tech processing machines and pay $11.00 per hour to desperate imigrants, thats why they are doing it they planned it for years.
Rupert will be like gold river in another 10 years at this pace, big bussiness has figured out how to keep everything for themselves, welcome to the future.
Looks like I sold my house at the right time.
yes it is a shame those ppl lost their jobs but on the bright side the port is expanding another berth that way and those jobs will probably equal the ones being lost
Sure thing, I can see how maybe one day of work a week or less will equal about forty hours a week, sometimes you folks kind of make me wanna shake my head.
What makes me shake my head is that when I left that industry in 1989 (22 years ago) fish plants were on their way out back then.
People have known this for years yet they don’t accept that change is coming and up grade their education and move on.
Fish Plants in this community were wonderful providers of employment as was the pulp mill but operations are no longer viable.
[quote=“jamesbrown”]What makes me shake my head is that when I left that industry in 1989 (22 years ago) fish plants were on their way out back then.
People have known this for years yet they don’t accept that change is coming and up grade their education and move on.
Fish Plants in this community were wonderful providers of employment as was the pulp mill but operations are no longer viable.[/quote]
Well that may very well be true, but the idea that 200 or so employees of McMillan are going to walk down the railway tracks and pick up the same amount of hours at the Port suggests a certain bit of delusion around here.
The closure of McMillan, much like that of the pulp mill will have a rather harsh effect on the local economy, glorious future of the port not with standing.
[quote=“Smurfette”]
[quote=“jamesbrown”]What makes me shake my head is that when I left that industry in 1989 (22 years ago) fish plants were on their way out back then.
People have known this for years yet they don’t accept that change is coming and up grade their education and move on.
Fish Plants in this community were wonderful providers of employment as was the pulp mill but operations are no longer viable.[/quote]
Well that may very well be true, but the idea that 200 or so employees of McMillan are going to walk down the railway tracks and pick up the same amount of hours at the Port suggests a certain bit of delusion around here.
The closure of McMillan, much like that of the pulp mill will have a rather harsh effect on the local economy, glorious future of the port not with standing.[/quote]
When I speak of upgrading education I don’t mean it regarding acquiring employment at The Port. Bit of delusion is an understatement, regarding The Port… As we well know it only takes a handful of people to run The Port. We were sold a lot of bullshit on how this place was going to boom. Moving on meant leaving town not working at The Port…
But the HST is such a good thing for the economy that closures were supposed to be a thing of the past?
Judging by the ads the HST is a stimulus tax should it not affect everything?
My elected officials tell me we’re out of the recession and the government has brought in the HST stimulus tax (basically folks it’s the BEST for the economy, and we’ve enacted it for you, so by reason the HST is already stimulating our economy) how can Rupert be hit even harder?
Did JS McMillan run out of fish or did management simply mismanage, or is there no demand for product?
Hmmm, I remember someone speaking up about how great the economy is and all us working folk being out of work are just lazy - this must be the same thing. I am sure there is work there - they just don’t want to work.
/END SARCASTIC RANT.
[quote=“jamesbrown”]
Well that may very well be true, but the idea that 200 or so employees of McMillan are going to walk down the railway tracks and pick up the same amount of hours at the Port suggests a certain bit of delusion around here.
The closure of McMillan, much like that of the pulp mill will have a rather harsh effect on the local economy, glorious future of the port not with standing.
When I speak of upgrading education I don’t mean it regarding acquiring employment at The Port. Bit of delusion is an understatement, regarding The Port… As we well know it only takes a handful of people to run The Port. We were sold a lot of bullshit on how this place was going to boom. Moving on meant leaving town not working at The Port…[/quote]
where do u people get your ideas about the port. it does not employ a “handful” of people . there is at least 150 or more people who make enough money there to be comfortable or more . and almost another close to another 100 people who make a decent amount also. then all the truck drivers and the spinoff etc
you also dont need “fulltime” hours to equal what what you would make at a fish plant. every year i see joy thorkelson complaining to lower the hours to get ei for fish plant workers etc as low as 300 hours a year ive . could u not go work a minimum wge job all year round and make more money than a seasonal job then? its a dying industry that everyone out of the industry has seen coming but people working in it think its gonna bounce back. but with quotas etc and all the other politics its isnt happening. time to retrain or move . its sad to see but all you gotta do is look at the bigger picture and realize it was coming for years
I’d like to point out that JS McMillan is represented by the UFCW not the UFAWU.
edit
It explains that in the article, so ignore my previous statement.