The mayor in Swan Hills, a town of 1,300 people in central Alberta, said recently announced layoffs at the largest single employer in the area will be a huge blow to the struggling community.
Craig Wilson said he learned dozens of residents will be laid off at the Swan Hills Treatment Centre, a facility that treats hazardous waste from across the country.
“They were running just over 100 employees and it sounds like they’re shaving that by about 60 per cent,” Wilson said.
They mayor said about 40 of those workers have made Swan Hills their home.
“We did not see this coming so we’re scrambling to try and come up with a plan. We’re definitely open to advice.”
The government of Alberta owns the waste treatment plant, built in 1987, and has contracted the operation out to SUEZ, a waste management company.
Global News reached out to SUEZ but the company refused to comment.
A worker told Global News he was told his last day on the job would be Dec. 31, 2020. He did not want to speak publicly for fear he’d lose his severance.
Wilson and the Swan Hills chief administrative officer, Bill Lewis, said they were kept in the dark and only learned of the layoffs after the workers were given notice.
“It kind of blindsided us,” said Lewis.
“The timing is worst-case scenario, there is no fallback and that’s the major issue.”
The problem, said both men, is that oil and gas jobs are no longer available for people out of work. The oil patch and the waste treatment plant served as the two prominent employers in the small community.
The local government said it would have expected a heads-up from the province, but it got nothing.
“It leaves you with lots of questions and so far no answers,” said Wilson. “We were down already as an economy and this is going to add to hurting our economy even more so.”
It’s not just jobs that Lana Dakin, president of the Swan Hills Chamber of Commerce, is worried about. She said losing 40 families could have as lasting impact on the hospital and school.
“We’re really concerned about people walking away from their homes,” said Dakin.
“We’re really hoping that we don’t lose our school over this.”
The Alberta government said staffing is determined by the operator but confirmed a reduced operating model moving forward.
Hadyn Place, press secretary for the Minister of Infrastructure, said Alberta has been paying for all of Canada to dispose of toxic waste, mainly high concentration polychlorinated biphenyl waste, for decades.
“Alberta has provided this federally mandated service for all of Canada, without any support from Ottawa, at an annual cost of nearly $30 million,” said Place. “In fact, over the past 35 years, the taxpayers of Alberta have spent over $1.58 billion (2019 dollars) to take in and dispose of this toxic waste.”
Place said federal law mandates that all PCBs be destroyed by 2025, which means the primary function of the plant will no longer be needed.
“Alberta has had to take this difficult but prudent action after repeated requests for support from the federal government fell on deaf ears.”
Place added the plant is too costly to operate to dispose of other waste.
“This decision to reduce the operating model was not made lightly. We appreciate that there will be an impact to the town and surrounding communities.”
Place stressed “Alberta’s government must manage its buildings and facilities in a cost-effective way to ensure the best use of taxpayer dollars.”
Place said come 2025, the plant could see an influx of PCBs, and while he could not give a firm deadline he said at some point after that the plant will shut down.
The mayor and CAO said they wished there would have been open communication with the province before the layoffs were announced.
“We just feel like we weren’t brought into the equation or even consulted,” said Wilson. He added the timing, in the midst of COVID-19 and the economic downturn, is especially tough for the small town.
“We feel deeply for these people. A lot of them are long-time residents, they’re important to our community,” said Lewis.
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