HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-12-23, Page 12Page 12 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Goderich down but not out after closure
Pafriok Maloney
sun media
HURON
coowrr
NOTICE
Huron County Administration Centre in
Goderich will be closed the following
days in recognition of the statutory
holidays for Christmas Day, Boxing
Day and New Year's Day.
Friday December 25th and
Monday December 28th, 2009
Friday January 1st, 2010
We would like to wish you and your
families a very Merry Christmas and a
Safe and Happy New Year.
Warden Bert Dykstra, 411110t
CAO Larry C. Adams,
Huron County Council and staff
The echo of the past year's economic
collapse is especially loud in small
communities, and in the pretty lakeside
town of Goderich,-ears are still ringing.
The demise of the more than 500 -job
Volvo road -grader plant — its closing
announced a year ago and its total shutdown
expected by August -- has placed the town
and surrounding Huron County in a tough
position familiar to many parts of rural
Southwestern Ontario.
By the plant union's own estimate, the
closing will take $23.4 million in annual
salaries out of the local economy — or close
to $3,000 for every man, woman and child
in Goderich.
"We knew it was going to be a great hit
to this community," said Duane Horton,
president of Local 1863 of the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace
Workers.
"But it's not just Goderich — it's all of
Ontario, it's all of manufacturing. "
The loss, though, isn't fatal for Goderich.
While there's no minimizing the toll the
loss of a huge employer takes on a small
town, communities with organized plans for
the future usually recover, an expert said.
Mark Partridge, an Ohio professor and
past director of the Canadian Rural Economy
Research Lab, said residents should expect
an eventual recovery — though it could be
2015 before it's fully realized.
"Generally places are fairly resilient
and come back," he said. "Five years —
that tends to be how long it takes. It's not a
fatal blow but it's going to take a while.
"But in the long-term, the average
community can bounce back"
For Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt, the
best thing his town has now is time.
Though production at Volvo ended
in June, the plant will employ several
dozen until its doors close in August,
and severance packages will cover some
workers for up to a year after they leave.
That gives the town and county a cushion
to prepare for a transition, Shewfelt said.
"We probably haven't felt the real
crunch yet. It's coming — I think it'll take
a year," he said. "So far the town is ticking
along. I don't think it's fully hit.
"We've got some time -- that's my
feeling."
Volvo estimates 59 per cent of the
workers let go so far have already moved
on to something else — including
retirement — and Shewfelt sees potential
to create new jobs in an emerging sector:
Green energy.
He also hopes the provincial and federal
governments come forward with money to
bankroll a multi -million -dollar proposed
harbour expansion that could increase
shipping traffic.
Tourism, he said, is another key focus
for the picturesque town that sits along
Lake Huron.
For Chris Meier of the Huron
Manufacturing Association, the recovery
strategy must cover the entire county,
which has lost an estimated 2,000 of its
6,000 manufacturing jobs, including
Volvo, over the past year.
He suggested focusing on developing
locally -owned manufacturing firms rather
than chasing after large, international
companies. That's a direction supported
by the Canadian Rural Economy Research
Lab's Partridge.
"(Small communities) are going to be
much less successful in attracting that
big employer, to attract that big plant," he
said.
"The nice thing about small employers
(is) if you start a business, you're less
likely to pick up and move to China."
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