Nickel Belt News Volume Volume 58 58 Number • Issue 2411
Friday, 16, 2018 Friday,March June 15, 2018
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Workers sayto goodbye to smelter andon Book a way preserve and pass refinery in ‘bittersweet’ ceremony memories of growingclosing up in Churchill
Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. Nickel Belt News photo courtesy of Vale Manitoba Operations
Vale Manitoba Operations employees, their families local gathered together for a safe photothing during swallow the June when 9 closing ceremony theall smelter and weather refinery BY IAN GRAHAM the harsh to write things that youand haveother ‘Oh, I’mrepresentatives just as bad, right?’ was not a very people say forFor in Thompson. EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET to figure out. It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar Though she’s now written
BY KYLE DARBYSON a book about her experien-
KYLE@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET ces growing up in Churchill, Vale Manitoba OperAddictions Foundation of ations hosted a closing Manitoba northern director ceremony for itssaid smelter Gisele deMeulles writand refinery June 9 with ing wasn’t something she workers and others always thought she paying would tribute to facilities that are do. almost as old as Thompson “In my youth I never itself. felt good at writing,” she This“But event took Iplace at said. when moved the Thompson main plant site, and into feato to get tured a barbecue, children’s the school of social work, activities, speeches loat that point I had from to write cal dignitariesand and a tour for university realized, of the facilities themselves. ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, While regulardeveloped producright?’ I certainly tion bein permanently a lotwon’t of skill university shut downoutuntil Julywith 31, and came of there Vale Manitoba Operations a very strong skill in my manager of corporate affairs writing and confidence in Ryan Land thought was my writing. I writeit very important to putit.this event clear and that’s It’s there. together while everything is Some people say it’s kind of still running, since it bluntuporand direct. I don’t tend
when I get through.” gave their family members DeMeulles said she wrote the chance to get a closer her book, titled Whispers in look at theStories facilities the Wind: fromthat the produced “the world’s best North - Life in Churchill for nickel forofabout 57 years.” a couple reasons. “Of course, a bitter“I just sort it’s of thought, sweet occasion,” said you know what, thisLand. his“On hand weinwant tory, the thisone stuff that’s my to acknowledge emhead, it’s going to[our be gone ployees’] efforts. On she the if I don’t write it down,” other hand, we didn’t want said. “My kids are not goto a celebraingposition to get ititifas I don’t do it tion it’s obviously and because it’s something I’ve alaways challenging for our wanted time my mom to employees and an forelder the comdo. My mom’s and munity well.” she’s anasartist, she’s got so Some of the most heartmany wonderful stories befelt speeches came from the cause she always tells her employees themselves. stories at Parks Canada in According to United Churchill and I’ve always Steelworkers Local hounded her, ‘Please,6166 just president Warren Luky, put it on tape, I will write it some these your speakers for youof because story were even reduced to she’s tears is going to be lost,’ and after recalling years never done it andthe I thought,
I need to capture them for they dedicated to thereally local my grandchildren mining becausecommunity. they will be lost if “Many of us would have I don’t.” never believed that the She also has a reputation work we were doing to creas a storyteller herself. ate“Ithe inhisthe hadfinest such nickel a varied world through the smelter tory and I would tell people and refinery would come stories and they would go, to an end,” Luky saidI’ddur‘That’s not true, is it?’ go, ing Saturday’s ‘Yeah it’s true.’event. They’d“The go, real ore and ‘Youwork didn’tthat do took all that, did made a highly you? You’ve gotsought-after to be really nickel product is aactually magic old.’ I was like, ‘No, that we all need to be I did all that before proud I was of.” 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” Luky knows Looking back,about somethis of process all too well, havthose experiences are things ing worked refracshe might notas do aagain. tory mason the smelter “I did someinpretty bizarre between 1995 andinto 2010. stuff like fuel hauls the While the union leader high Arctic at -35,” said didn’t shy away from dedeMeulles. “It didn’t dawn scribing theafter. rough on me until Thatcondiwas a tions that were thing part of his very dangerous to do. day-to-day routine Being on a plane fullin of that fuel
thought that was exciting job, said it was all worth untilhe the plane landed and it thanks to the overriding they started throwing the sense he fuel offof andcamaraderie I realized, ‘Holy received from his fellow cats, I was probably sitting workers. on a bomb.’” “The work was not that only Another thing tough, but complicated, spurred her on was the requiring specialhard times highly facing Churchill ized skills,” said since the Hudson BayLuky. Rail“Despite the hazards that way suspended operations workers faced, and the chalnorth of Gillam last spring. lenges that they overcame, “It used to be a really the years of community operations thriving large were truly amazingdown part and it’s justan dwindled of the Thompson mining to such a small population experience.” now,” deMeulles says. The closing of the Though she’s notsmelter there and refineryher will resultand in any longer, parents more Valeand workers losing her sister other family their jobs,still a are. process that members began when the Birchtree “My cousin owns the Mine transitioned to care hardware store there,” she and says.maintenance status last fall. Because of that, With thefinds smelter deMeulles it hardand to
should just find somewhere
refinery about to be shut easier to live. down andpeople a few “To for say,good, ‘Those more layoffs on chooserounds to liveofthere. They the way after that, Vale’s should just leave,’ is quite numbers will whittled simplistic. It’s be quite disredown to Ifaround 800−900 spectful. we were in the employees the endarea of same boat inbyanother 2018. I think we would scream Thisthat stands in stark about so why don’t conthey trast 1,300 workers have to thethe option to do that? the mining giant hadthey’re on its I think right now payroll in Thompson at the feeling like they’re pawns tail of 2017. in a end political game and that’s Even re-I really sadthough for themLuky because mainsthe dedicated to Churchhelping think people of these affected in ill really wantworkers to thrive. any way he can, the union They’ve built their worlds president saidwould it is important there. How we feel tosomeone recognize thattothe if came youclosand ing these two facilities said,of‘I’m sorry, you have to represents a massive shift leave your home community in how mining and we’re going operations to displace are youconducted somewherelocally. else and all “It’s a big hitand foryour the your loved ones workplace and the transihistory is gone?’”
bears, deMeulles said if it tion process is very had been viable she hard,” would he said. “A lot of people are have moved back to Churchlosing their way of life, so ill in a heartbeat. it’s“Ia miss big hitthe emotionally forI shoreline, everybody working miss the rock, I missthere the and a big losseven for the compolar bears though munity at large.” they’re very dangerous and However, remains I really missLand the Hudson more optimistic about Ithe Bay,” she says. “When go future, pointing to Vale’s back home, standing on the ongoing projects like Hudson Bay looking outthe on concentrate load-out facilthe bay, it just gives you an ity that they are You adding to incredible sense. feel so the existing mill building. small and you feel great.” “Even though thisgot is Now that she’s obviously a challenging one book under her belt, time, theresays remains a longdeMeulles she may try term mining and milling to produce another. future andanother a great book deal of “I have in potential in mining the me,” she says. “It’s a for darker community.” story, more about persondemolition of the al The growth and struggles. smelter tenMaybe inand therefinery next fiveisyears tatively scheduled to begin it’s something I’ll focus on sometime in 2023. doing.”