Olymel pork plant closure leaves uncertainty for workers and businesses in small Quebec town

Just past noon on Thursday, dozens of people walked out of Olymel's pork plant located in Vallée-Jonction, Que., 70 kilometres south of Quebec City.

The factory, slaughterhouse and meat processing plant officially closed this week. It is one of four run by the company in Quebec.

It was Maizie Françoise's last shift.

She moved to Canada from Mauritius more than two years ago to work at the plant but is now among nearly 1,000 employees affected by its closure.

"I'm being very, very strong. It's not easy," said Françoise, who has a temporary foreign worker permit that is tied to her employer.

Françoise has accepted a job at the company's factory in Yamachiche, Que. — more than 200 kilometres away — but the move will be difficult, especially for her eight-year-old daughter.

"She told me, 'Mommy, I'm feeling very sad. I'm going far away from my friends,'" she said. "We are all sad."

François Proulx-Duperré represents the workers’ union in Quebec's Chaudière-Appalaches region. (Émilie Warren/CBC)

In April, Olymel CEO Yanick Gervais said the decision to close the Vallée-Jonction plant was based on considerations about its operational capacity. He also blamed a labour shortage in the area, as well as the state of the plant's infrastructure.

For eight months, the plant has gradually reduced operations, and employees and local businesses have had to prepare for the loss of an important institution in the town.

'Everyday life that is going to be really changed'

About 300 people left their jobs soon after the announcement of the closure in April, says François Proulx-Duperré, who represents the CSN workers' union in the Beauce region.

Out of the 700 employees who stuck around, some have since found employment elsewhere or are choosing to return to school, but Proulx-Duperré says many people's futures remain uncertain.

Proulx-Duperré said several employees are vulnerable, due to medical needs, precarious immigration status and proximity to retirement.

"There are a lot of workers here that have been here for the last decades and even for five decades, so it's pretty harsh for them because it's everyday life that is going to be really changed," he said.

Even though the Olymel plant is closing, he says the union will "stay and help the workers through their difficulties."

"I was shocked," said Clive Chaverny, who worked at the plant for five years. "We keep going.… It's the last day [and] we're not happy because it's a great job."

Chaverny says he'll miss the friends he's made but plans to take courses so he can work as an electrician.

Clive Chaverny says he'll miss the friends he's made at Olymel. (Émilie Warren/CBC)

Leaving a 'hole' for businesses in Vallée-Jonction

Sylvain Roy, who owns Les Marchés Tradition grocery store in Vallée-Jonction, hopes shop owners like him in town receive some type of support for the "hole" in business left by the closure of Olymel.

"It's going to have an impact because you're taking 1,000 workers away from a population of roughly 2,000," said Roy.

Roy says workers would come to buy pre-made meals or food almost everyday. With the holidays approaching his bottom line isn't hurting yet, but he fears that could change in the new year.

Sylvain Roy says businesses in town will feel the effect of the plant's closure. (Émilie Warren/CBC)