It was 15 years of Gwen LaChapelle’s life and now it has abruptly come to an end.
LaChapelle and approximately 50 other employees received notice last month that Errington Cedar Products, a family-owned mill, was closing after going bankrupt in another hit to B.C.’s forest industry workers.
The mill was open for 30 years, on a 14-acre site on Grafton Avenue. The company provided western red cedar and yellow cedar products to the world lumber market.
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For Parksville’s LaChapelle, the closure came out of the blue. She said she’s still processing the blow and isn’t sure what will come next for her.
“It was devastating — it still is,” said LaChapelle about the layoffs. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do.”
LaChapelle said she’s hearing a similar sentiment from her co-workers who were laid off. She said some are upset there’s no program for older laid-off sawmill workers like there is in the Interior.
The Ministry of Forests Retirement Bridging program offers a financial transition to retirement for forestry workers 55 years or older. For LaChapelle, who is 49, it wouldn’t be applicable, but she said there remains a chunk of workers who could benefit.
LaChapelle said she’s seen the industry change over the years — from log shortages to layoffs, but that she still didn’t expect a change as large as this one to come so soon.
“We’ve had more layoffs for longer periods of time than when I first started for sure,” she said. “I didn’t see this coming at all.”
