By Chad Klassen

Former Tolko employees looking for other work at Merritt job fair

Jan 16, 2017 | 3:47 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s been exactly a month since 203 employees were laid off from the Tolko mill in Merritt, which officially shut down December 16.

The sudden closure served as a shock to many of the workers, some of who are now scrambling to find another job. Dan Hutchison is already looking ahead to his next career, a month after losing his job at Tolko. 

“My hope is, if I can get this course, they have VSA here in town, possibly being able to stay in Merritt,” said Hutchison.

At Monday’s job fair in Merritt, Hutchison spoke with Okanagan College, interested in heavy equipment driver training. This comes after 8.5 years with Tolko before the mill shut down a month ago. 

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“Very frustrating,” he said. “You finally land a decent job, decent pay, and then you have your feet taken out from under you. What do you expect?”

There are some opportunities for the Tolko employees who lost their job. Aecon has spoken with many about projects they’re working on in B.C. that need labourers.

“Currently, Aecon is doing with Spector Energy as our client, building compression stations. The closest one here to Merritt is by Kingsvale exit, a couple kilometres outside of town. We also have work in 92 Mile House in northern B.C.”

Also at the job fair was Tolko itself, helping employees transition to other jobs. The company says among 30 interviews, 15 former Merritt employees have accepted transfers to other mills in B.C., including Kamloops, Vernon and Williams Lake. 

The mayor of Merritt says many of the employees he’s spoken with hope to remain local. 

“The majority of them want to stay here if they can, if there are jobs available in the community,” said mayor of Merritt Neil Menard. “Even if they have to commute somewhere, a lot of them still want to stay in Merritt.”

Hutchison hopes to stay in the Nicola Valley until his son, in Grade 11, graduates from high school. He’s also comfortable with the career change that’s being forced upon him. 

“I worked on the ocean for 22 years, then came to the Interior and got this job, so it’s not impossible to change careers,” said Hutchison. “It’s something you got to look forward to, and say times are changing and you’ve got to change with the times.”