COME BY CHANCE, N.L. — Alissa Fahey knows how important the refinery at Come By Chance is for local families.
Her stepfather and her brother both work there.
She says her stepfather has been laid off since March and had hoped to be back to work soon.
She was the one who had to break the news that the deal to reopen it fell through.
“That was a hard thing to have to tell him, she said Tuesday.
The worst case scenario, a permanent shutdown, now hangs like a long grey cloud over workers, their families and others whose livelihoods depend on the refinery rising again.
Another member of Fahey’s family works for a local company that does sampling for the refinery.
She said the worst part is just not knowing.
Cyril Best retired from the refinery about 16 years ago.
The Arnold’s Cove resident told Saltwire he was among the first hires when the refinery was built in the 1970s.
He lost his job during a few years later but was hired back when it restarted in the mid-'80s.
He looks out from his small bungalow in a new subdivision “A lot of people on the street depend on that refinery,” he said, pointing to houses and rhyming off names.
“It’s not going to be good around here if that refinery shuts down.”
He said people in this area have had steady jobs for the past 30 years, thanks to the refinery and the spinoff businesses and his hope is that owner Silverpeak finds another buyer.
Ivan Hapgood runs a RV park Just 15 minutes east of the town of Arnold’s Cove
He told Saltwire the refinery is the engine that drives the economy in the region and it’s hard to imagine it shutting down.
“There was lots of progress taking place on a day-to-day basis and money being spent every day so it was kind of a surprise, “ he said
Before COVID-19, things looked promising.
The impact of a complete shutdown will be far-reaching, said Hapgood.
“I have two neighbours, a man and wife with two small kids, and both of them work at the refinery.”
“So what’s the future for them and people like that? “
Arnold’s Cove has been fortunate, with the refinery and the Icewater Fisheries plant.
But even before the Irving pullout, the worry was starting to build. Fall came, winter is coming and there’s been no word of work, other than that of the few dozen on a maintenance crew.
“We’ve managed to hold on to a lot of our young people, Thanks to jobs at the refinery ... We’ve never had to face the challenges that other regions in the province have had to face.,” he said. “This is probably going to be our first dose of reality."
