Staff
A small group of friends and family gathered outside one of the rear entrances at Resolute Forest Products to await Gary Nixon’s exit from the building.
Nixon—after 32 years at the local mill—finished his final shift yesterday as the last hourly worker there.
Two salary employees still remain.
The mill was closed permanently in May, 2014 after a series of operational changes and significant staff cuts over the previous 18 months.
The kraft pulp mill and another paper machine have been idled since November, 2012.
“I kept hoping something would happen,” Nixon noted after receiving hugs and handshakes from family and friends, including his wife, Diana, mother, Shirley, and brothers, Wayne and Wendell, among others.
But in April, his fellow co-worker retired—leaving Nixon to work on his own for the last six months.
He noted there wasn’t a lot of work to do and he spent his time doing repairs, fire protection, and other small tasks.
“It’s cold and dark and with winter coming . . .,” Nixon trailed off, adding he knew it was time to move on.
With still a few years left before his own retirement, he accepted a position at Domtar’s pulp mill in Dryden.
While Nixon’s family and friends congratulated him on a job well done, many saw it as a sad day.
They surmised Nixon’s departure is just one step closer to the mill being levelled to the ground, and the community truly saying good-bye to an industry that supported and influenced the town for almost 100 years.
