Before its closure in 2020, the Procter & Gamble (P&G) plant in Brockville was one of the best employers in town. “The company’s standards were high,” explains Markus Darrah, who worked there for thirteen years. Salaries were competitive, employee safety was always ensured, and the company was often involved in the community. “P&G was a great partner in Brockville,” says Pat Markovich, former president of the local chamber of commerce.
The company’s decision in 2017 to pack up and consolidate its operations in West Virginia therefore came as a shock to workers like Markus Darrah. “It seemed like such a mistake to me to close what was, by the company’s own admission, one of its best factories,” he laments. A group of employees retired earlier than expected, others followed the company to the United States while some, like Markus Darrah, sought employment elsewhere in Brockville.
Most — if not the majority — of those who returned to the workforce found takers: everyone wanted to get their hands on P&G alumni. Since then, the plant has also found new managers. Last January, Leclerc, whose head office is in the suburbs of Quebec, announced that it was acquiring the building of approximately 74,000 square meters, which will allow it to continue its growth. This summer, it launched a first production line, and the municipality expects it to increase operations by January 2023.
Leclerc is on everyone’s lips in Brockville, summarizes Robert Nolan, the municipality’s director of economic development. This will probably not allow the company to avoid challenges, however. Will it be able to integrate well into the community as P&G did? Will she find enough employees in Brockville or will she have to recruit from outside? And if it has to attract staff from elsewhere, will these new residents have a place to live in Brockville?
Importance of the sector
The John G. Broome Industrial Park covers almost a third of the northern section of Brockville. There are companies like Northern Cables, which specializes in armored cables, then 3M, which produces thousands of N95 masks, and finally, Leclerc. The field of the Quebec company is immense. More than 32 hectares of land surround the factory, a space that the company plans to offer to suppliers, according to Robert Nolan. Asked about this, Leclerc did not deny the information, but clarified that no decision had been made.
Leclerc chose to settle in Brockville mainly because of the infrastructure. No factory approaching 74,000 square meters was available in Quebec, according to the company. “It’s extremely difficult in Ontario and Quebec to find large, readily available plants,” said Connor Pardy, a CBRE sales representative who facilitated the transaction.
In Quebec, the vacancy rate in the 26 zones and industrial parks is only 4% according to Pierre Dolbec, the president of the Corporation of industrial parks of Quebec. He says the region has been dealing with this problem for several years, a problem that comes on top of the labor shortage.
Leclerc currently employs over 50 people in Brockville, but the goal is to hire over 100. Susan Watts, who runs the employment service office in Brockville, notes that there is, however, a labor shortage in town. Robert Nolan, who works for the municipality, expects the company to hire out of town — elsewhere in Ontario and Quebec, for example — to achieve its goals. But these new employees may have difficulty finding where to stay.
Could a new adult Leclerc employee who arrives in Brockville with a family find a home right now? “It would be difficult,” replies Robert Nolan. During the pandemic, many people came from cities like Toronto and Ottawa, driving up house prices and limiting options. On the rental market, the price of rents is “astronomical”, deplores Susan Watts. However, some projects could remove pressure from the market, including one led by Quebecers.
A controversial… and Quebec project
If some residents feared that the closure of the P&G plant would have a major impact on the economy of Brockville, it was partly because in the 1980s and 1990s, large companies such as Black & Decker, for example, closed their doors in town, leaving thousands without jobs. The Phillips Cables factory was also part of the group: in 1996, 340 people lost their jobs. In 2008, the building was demolished, leaving a vacant, fenced lot on King Street.
The site, a few minutes from downtown, is now owned by a numbered company, two of the three directors of which are associated with the real estate company Junic, based in Gatineau. Among other things, the company wants to build 26 single-family homes and 6 residential buildings there. However, residents are opposed to certain terms of the project. “They need to reduce density,” said Byron Boone, who owns a few homes in town.
A citizen meeting organized by the City to discuss the project on October 6 led to acrimonious exchanges at times. “The company is not from here, it comes from Quebec. She doesn’t care about Brockville,” commented Sheryl Ananny, a Brockville resident running for councillor. “I remind people to only comment on the project,” replied Cameron Wales, the chairman of the city’s planning committee. Construction could begin as early as spring 2023.
New possibilities
Leclerc’s reception so far seems warmer. Pat Markovich, the former president of the chamber of commerce, believes that the designers of Celebration cookies will have to fit into the community if they want to be successful. “If it’s not done the right way, small communities can turn against you,” she notes. But if it’s done well, the community will do everything to help you,” she continues.
The few former P&G colleagues with whom Markus Darrah has kept in touch are “delighted” with the arrival of the Quebec company. The man in his fifties, met at the Richard’s café, confides that he will carefully look at the offers at Leclerc. ” Why not ? he says. “I like where I work now, but you have to show up somewhere, so why not find the best deal for you? adds Markus Darrah. “I think they will be successful, they are in a good place. »
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.