Survey set to identiy city's labour needs

Feb. 23, 2009

The Miramichi is facing a potential labour shortage and the community needs to get involved to help stop it, says a spokesman for the Miramichi Regional Mutlicultural Association.

MRMA settlement services coordinator Mike Mersereau said although there have been some business closures in the area, there will be a worker shortage as people in the region get older.

"The community has to be prepared for that."

To help prepare, the association will be surveying newcomers to the area to assess their needs and will be speaking with local businesses find out about their labour needs.

Mersereau said the Miramichi is behind other parts of the province in attracting newcomers to the city and providing support for them.

"That has a self fulfilling consequence in that newcomers will go to where they can find support."

Heather Flieger is conducting the business survey and said she will be asking businesses about their current labour needs.

"I'm supposed to survey employers to see if they are having any labour shortages, or shortages of any kind of labour or skilled workers as well and if they are, to see if any of those positions could be filled by immigrant newcomers."

Mersereau said some sectors have a history of hiring newcomers for positions they can't fill with local workers and he used the hospital as an example.

"Where there is a known sector with a history we will approach them."

Newcomers tend to gravitate toward the province's major centres and the Miramichi needs to find out their priorities if we want to attract them to this region, he said.

"We're trying to identify newcomers and find out what they need."

Mersereau said they have to find out what entire families need because it's not just about making sure newcomers are happy in their workplace.

"If the spouses and children aren't happy the family won't stay."

Flieger said the surveys are a step in offering more and specific settlement services to newcomers because a lack of services can be a barrier to settlement.

"The office here is playing catch-up."

Mersereau said Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton have been able to attract newcomers because the communities work together and provide services they need.

"It's when we all work together in this endeavour that it's successful."

As for the business survey, Flieger said she didn't have a specific goal in mind for the number of companies she wanted to speak to, but so far the ones she has contacted have been receptive to the idea.

"A lot of people don't know about us and would like to learn more about us."

She hopes to start the official surveys this week and said she will be conducting them in person.

"I think I will be able to get more qualitative feedback in person."

Mersereau said it's good to see new businesses like Umoe come to the area, but businesses coming in won't resolve the issue of a labour shortage.

"Miramichi has to be engaged in this. We have to get involved."

The Miramichi isn't good at identifying the assets they have or making them known outside the region, he said.

"People don't realize how good it is here, not do we do a good job of selling ourselves."

Province should consult First Nations, says chief

Feb. 23, 2009

New Brunswick First Nations want to be consulted about decisions made by the province, says New Brunswick Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Roger Augustine.

There are discussions going on about companies entering aboriginal territories, he said.

"We want to be consulted and that's basically one of the frustrations that I'm seeing right now."

In a letter printed in Wednesday's Telegraph-Journal, Augustine was critical of the provincial government and said they are behind other provinces in their dealings with First Nations.

During a phone call Wednesday afternoon, Augustine said the Metepenagiag First Nation land claim underway is a start to resolving some of the issues for New Brunswick First Nations.

"We want a more comprehensive agreement in dealing with natural resources, gaming issues and to be included when there is a company coming into town, into our region."

It's important for people to remember issues like the salmon crisis in Eel Ground or the lobster fishing dispute in Burnt Church, he said.

"These all resulted because of misunderstandings and mistrust."

Augustine said it's time for the First Nations to take personal responsibility and they might not have been negotiating hard enough in the past.

"We weren't negotiating with enough power as collective chiefs in the province, but you're going to see a change."

The chiefs are determined to see progress and some have started working together, he said.

"You're going to see a more comprehensive approach. You're going to see more unity."

Augustine said there are chiefs who think they should deal with the federal government because First Nations are a federal responsibility.

"I think somewhere down the road we have to take a look at the tri-lateral approach and include the feds."

When the province receives money from the federal government the First Nations are included in the census numbers used to determine how much they get, he said.

"The province has got to recognize the First Nations of New Brunswick as partners."

But Augustine said the province is starting to see they need to consult with First Nations.

"There's no other way."

Aboriginal Affairs Minister and Southwest Miramichi MLA Rick Brewer said the province has a good channel of communication open with the First Nations.

"New Brunswick, I would have to agree we're not in first place with our discussions with First Nations, nor are we in last place. We're kind of in the middle."

The two sides have held several meetings to discuss issues like education since he took over as minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, Brewer said.

"I have an open door concept. I won't be refusing to meet with any First Nation chief."

Brewer said he met with four chiefs from around the province about three weeks ago and has another meeting scheduled for today.

"When you get a chance for open and frank discussion I think it's important that we do carry it on."

Programs help inmates find jobs

Feb. 20, 2009

When inmates find jobs after they are released it helps make the communities safer, says a spokesperson for the John Howard Society.

Jen Daley is the society's executive director and helped organize a public forum at NBCC Miramichi Wednesday morning to discuss some of the difficulties inmates face as they try to find work outside of prison.

The forum's goal was to inform the community about the issue of inmate employment, she said.

"By employing in the long run we are promoting community safety."

About 150 people gathered in the college's gym to listen to presentations from prison officials and other people involved in the rehabilitation process.

Holly Frasier works at the Atlantic Institution in Renous where a program called CORCAN helps inmates develop skills as they provide services or goods to groups in and out of the prison system.

Some of the programs' projects at the Atlantic Institution include building screens for cubicle walls, making mattresses and blankets.

Frasier said Correctional Services Canada has a large research group in Ottawa to help develop successful programs used to rehabilitate inmates.

"They're not just someone's unfounded brainchild."

At the Atlantic Institution, inmates who work outside the CORCAN program make $6.09 per day doing things like cleaning or working in the kitchen, but the programs' jobs pay up to $207 a week.

The CORCAN workers also have increased access to movement within the prison walls, she said.

"They're the first offenders to move in the morning."

But Frasier said even with programs like CORCAN, prison officials can't make inmates take part in programs if they don't want to.

"We kind of live by the motto you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Gordon Green is a prison chaplain and said some people fear what inmates will do once they're released or want them to stay in prison.

"If they come back to our community what then?"

Even though some people don't want to see former inmates in their community, Green said he thinks prisoners can change.

"I've always believed people could change if they wanted to."

As he spoke, Green recounted the story of a man he knew who was in jail for a long time and used the support systems in place to rehabilitate, build a family and fit into the community."

"Who wouldn't want that. As a matter of fact, who would want more than that?"

Daley said not every inmate who goes through the system changes, but a lot do.

"Some go in as youngsters and come out a different person."

Inmates face a lot of barriers and it's often hard for them to find jobs because many potential employers won't hire them without government subsidies, she said.

"They just need to see the big picture and sometimes it needs to be spelled out."

Karalee Gagnon is a criminal justice student at the college and said she wasn't aware of some of the programs available inside prisons.

"I think it's really helpful to the inmates and it proves our system does work."

In the long run, helping inmates find jobs will help lower repeat incarceration numbers.

"I think it will give them far more opportunities to be successful."

Bringing the global warming message to Miramichiers

Feb. 23, 2009

A raging blizzard may not have been the best example of how global warming is changing the Maritimes, but it's what Carl Duivenvoorden had to deal with last week during his trip to the Miramichi.

Duivenvoorden was in Millerton to present the An Inconvenient Truth slideshow on global warming Thursday and followed it up with a presentation tailored for Maritime audiences during a supper that night at Millerton Elementary and Junior High School.

As snow blanketed the cars in the school's parking lot, Duivenvoorden said he often hears from people who say our winters don't seem to be any warmer than normal.

"Maybe we're forgetting what normal is."

About 80 people braved the blowing snow to eat a turkey dinner and listen to Duivenvoorden talk about the effects climate change could have on their home province.

Although not everyone watched his slideshow as they ate, a few heads popped up and shook in disbelief as he talked about growing human consumption throughout the world and the effects we're having on our planet.

To prove Canadians are contributing to the problem of global warming, Duivenvoorden brought up a slide showing the different levels of per capita carbon emissions for several countries.

The U.S. had the highest numbers, but Canada wasn't far behind.

"That's not a very comfortable place to be a leader is it?" he asked the crowd.

In another slide, he showed a map of the Maritimes with its familiar coastlines, but overlaid on top of them were spots showing large areas that could be affected by rising sea levels.

"If we think climate change is something that will just affect poor people in other countries. We need to rethink that," he said.

The weather wasn't the only thing not cooperating as a computer glitch sent his presentation into overdrive, flipping through the slides too fast for anyone to read them.

Duivenvoorden joked with the crowd as he waited for his computer to restart.

"I'm thinking it would be a good time for dessert."

While she waited for the presentation to start again, Nancy Gerrish said she was interested in the talk, but she watches TV shows that talk about the same issues as Duivenvoorden so there wasn't much new information in it for her.

"I've known pretty much what he's talking about it."

And although she doesn't have any grandchildren yet, Gerrish said it's important to do something about the environment for the younger generation.

"It's surely not for us."

After about a 10-minute interruption and an unsuccessful switch to a different computer, Duivenvoorden eventually found the problem and continued on with the show.

Once things were back on track, he said it was encouraging to see President Barack Obama in Ottawa with Prime Minister Stephen Harper that day and added he was sure they talked about climate change.

"I'm a little disappointed leadership in our country comes from south of the border."

After the presentation, Duivenvoorden said he hopes his presentations help move a few people to take action on the issue of global warming.

"I hope I create in all my audience a sense of urgency."

But despite the overwhelming evidence out there about global warming, people don't like to change and sometimes find reasons not to, he said.

"I present the facts as I see them. I can't understand why they wouldn't believe."

Community helps keep people off the street

Feb. 20, 2009

There isn't a visible problem with homelessness in Miramichi because there are support systems to help people in need, says a spokesman for the Miramichi Police Force.

Community police officer Cst. Todd Chadwick said there are several groups that work hard to meet the demands of people within the community.

"We have very good support here in Miramichi."

It's a much different situation that the one he saw in Vancouver when he was on a trip with a group from the Miramichi.

The group stayed in a part of town where there were many homeless people sleeping on the street. He said the kids looked out the windows of the place they were staying in and saw a man curled up in a sleeping bag on a vent as he tried to stay warm.

"We drove in there and our kids were in awe."

Chadwick said the problem is more visible in cities like Vancouver because when people fall through the cracks there isn't enough support to help them.

"They've been falling through the canyons in those big cities."

In the Miramichi, services like the Miramichi Youth House and the Salvation Army are there to help if the need arises. Although the problem isn't visible like in bigger cities, there still is a need for their services.

Gail MacKinley is the case manager at the youth house and said they had 21 referrals for housing last year from youth in the Miramichi.

Since January they've already had 13, including four where the parents moved out west and left their kids behind because they didn't want to move with them, she said.

"It's that kind of deal. We're taking off and you choose."

MacKinley said she didn't have any statistics to show how many people live on the street in Miramichi, but the numbers are available in other cities around the province.

"If the public had access to this I think they would really start to understand the situation in our city."

She has only been with the youth house for a year and a half, but the board has been together since 2002, she said.

"They said they have never seen numbers like this."

Salvation Army Cpt. Wilson Sutton said his organization doesn't have the facilities to house homeless, but they have put some up in hotels for a night and helped them get to shelters in Moncton.

"Not a lot, but a few cases every three or four weeks when they get people looking for a place to stay."

A four bed homeless shelter is in the works for the Salvation Army and Sutton said they are working on the plans for it.

"Those things take time and you need to have the Is dotted and the Ts crossed."

This is Sutton's first winter at the Miramichi Salvation Army. His last posting was in Ottawa where he said there were more options of places for the homeless to stay.

"Here we just don't have that."

Chadwick said the police do encounter people who need help and refer them to services like the Salvation Army or youth house to get them help.

"We're seeing a lot more stress in the community. If they're dealing with police something went wrong."

But even when people do end up on the street, there is not a high level of crime associated with it in the Miramichi, he said.

"If it was a statistic on a map it would be a blip."

Chadwick said we don't see the same problems as cities like Vancouver because the groups in the Miramichi help people in need before they end up on the street.

"They're finding these people before they fall through the cracks."

Chadwick said if someone was driving through the Miramichi at night and saw someone sleeping outside they would notice.

"It would be something that stands out prevalantly if we seen somebody sleeping on a park bench."

City police officers carry cards with emergency contact information, like for the Salvation Army or other services, and if they encounter someone in that situation they approach them to see how they can help.

It doesn't happen very often that they encounter someone who is sleeping in a public place because they have nowhere else to stay, he said.

"I won't even give it a number but I'll say very rare does that happen in the community because we have such a strong support network."

Homelessness a hidden issue in Miramichi

Feb. 18, 2009

While most kids his age were tucked into warm beds at night, 17-year- old Will Goguen was sneaking into apartment buildings to sleep under the stairs.

For three or four years he lived on the street in Miramichi and said at first it was hard to find places to stay at night.

"After a few months it started getting a little easier."

Now he lives at the Miramichi Youth House where four of the residents gathered around the kitchen table Monday night to share their stories about the hidden problem of homelessness.

Sporting a short mowhawk, Steven Maynard, 16, is barely old enough to drive, but can tells stories of having lived on the street in Nova Scotia for three months after a six month stint in jail for theft and assault with a weapon.

He ended up at the youth house after getting kicked out of every place he stayed.

"I ran out of places to live," he said.

Goguen had a similar story. With full beard and long dark hair hanging over his eyes it would be easy to mistake him as holder than his 17 years as he talks about leaving home because of fights with his parents.

Eventually they kicked him out and he began couch hoping, going from from friend to friend, sleeping on their couches.

"I pretty much ran out of places to stay too," he said.

As the they talked about their lives, the pair joked and kicked each other under the table, while Maynard laughed about how far his ears stuck out since he got his hair cut.

It was a distinct change from the days Goguen would wait outside grocery stores and ask people for help. If he couldn't get any that way, he said he would go through garbage.

"That's only when I couldn't find anybody or real bad weather when no one was out."

Maynard said he would often steal to get enough to eat and was even arrested once for stealing two boxes of Kraft Dinner.

"I was big for stealing out of grocery stores."

Goguen wasn't alone on the streets of Miramichi and said he would run into people in the same situation as he was in when he went looking for places to stay at night.

"Pretty much every night when I went to go to sleep."

During the cold winter months he would look for buildings with open doors so he could sneak in to sleep, huddled in utility rooms or under stairwells.

People would come and go looking to do the same thing and would move on if they saw people were already sleeping there, he said.

"A lot of times it would be one lad or two lads."

Goguen said when he got up early in the morning he would see people outside scrounging for food.

"I find there's a lot more people than people know."

But now, with a skull t-shirt underneath a hoodie that covers part of his tattoed arms, he sat in the warm kitchen where he just had to open a cupboard to get food.

The metal chains and crosses around his neck might be a menacing sight for some, but Goguen's easy smile was disarming as he talked about his experiences.

For Maynard, he struggled with an addiction to the painkiller dilaudid and as he tried to beat it, his withdrawal symptoms were so bad he would throw up.

"Thank God I'm off it."

But while Goguen and Maynard lived on the street, there are people like Karen Desnoyers and Francesca Dube who were only hours away from homelessness.

Desnoyers is 18 and has been living at the youth house for 11 months. She ran away from home and was staying with a friend of a friend's mother while she went to school, but the woman couldn't keep her anymore.

When she first moved into the youth house, Desnoyers thought she was there for the wrong reason.

"I don't think there actually is a reason. If you're homeless you're homeless."

Dube has only been in the house since Friday. At 19 she is a little older than some of the other residents and said she was living with a friend's mother after getting laid off from work.

"She kicked me out because I had no money coming and I had no place to go."

Residents can only stay at the youth house until they are twenty and Dube has to start looking for a job so she will be ready to move out.

She plans on going to college in Ottawa in August and the youth house has helped her get back on her feet.

"I'm sure the next time I move I'll be more stable," she said.

As one of the other residents came home, the group took turns going out for a smoke before settling back in to talk.

While they all came to the youth house from different situations, the four residents agreed there was a problem with homelessness in the Miramichi people don't want to aknowledge.

"It's like they don't want to look at something gross," Desnoyers said.

Goguen said people in the Miramichi don't want to admit there is a problem.

"It's not their problem."

Maynard was quick to agree.

"I think you hit the nail right on the head."

But the homelessness problem doesn't just affect people like Goguen or Maynard who lived on the streets.

Goguen said he used to pickpocket from people on the train and would steal from their backpacks when they were sleeping.

"I stole from everything and everyone."

For a while he would go out with people he knew and make their way up and down Miramichi streets to steal from unlocked cars. He said they would sometimes hit 200 cars in a night, but never did any damage to them.

"I've shimmied a lock before, but never smashed a window."

Maynard said stealing was the worst thing he ever did to get by while he was on the street and would even jump people to take their money.

"I made so much money from stealing."

He admitted he struggles with anger issues and said he needs help, which is getting at the youth house.

"Thankfully these guys will help me out with that."

Land claim won't displace people, says Augustine

Feb. 18, 2009

Nobody will be displaced by a land claim dispute near Red Bank, says Metepenagiag Mi'kmaq First Nation Chief Noah Augustine.

Augustine has been meeting with officials from the federal government to negotiate a land dispute 114-years-old.

A lot of people don't know they are on the disputed lands the negotiators are discussing during their talks, he said.

"Any of these people who are on these lands don't have anything to worry about because they won't be displaced."

There are more than 3,000 acres of land in dispute near Indian Point, Big Hole Tract and Little Southwest Miramichi dating back to 1895 when the land was taken form the Metepenagiag Mi'kmaq First Nation.

Augustine said in the past people have been displaced by land claims settlements, like in 1994 when they settled a previous dispute.

"Back then, if there was a third party on a property the government went and bought them out."

Under the current policy, the government compensates First Nations the value of the land at the time it was taken plus the value of any improvements since.

In a similar claim, the Metepenagiag First Nation received $1.35 million for 164 acres of land and Augustine said the land involved in the current claim is more valuable.

"I can't speculate what the settlement will be at the end of the day."

Augustine said the First Nations don't receive enough funding for things like housing and have to start making their own money.

"In this day and age a band has to start looking at generating its own revenues."

To that end, the Metepenagiag First Nation plans to buy land around bigger municipalities and will collect 95 per cent of the PST from businesses on that land, he said.

"That's our whole foundation of our economic plan for Metepenagiag."

Augustine said the new land will become part of the reserve with a board - set up separate from the chief and council - in charge of the funds to make them more accountable.

"I don't feel comfortable with thousands coming in without accountability."

Augustine said they plan on buying land around Moncton and the Miramichi and will partner with the cities to share revenues.

"We're not being greedy. We don't want it all."

They have already been in talks with Moncton, Dieppe and Shediac about possible land purchases in those areas, he said.

"There's always a win, win, win situation."

Augustine said it will take at least a year and a half to settle the land claim and getting any purchased land designated as additional reserve land will take about three years.

Indian and Northern Affairs spokesperson Patricia Valladao said the size of a potential settlement hasn't been determined yet.

"That has to be determined by the negotiations between the parties."

The government entered into negotiations with the first nation as an alternative to litigation, she said.

"Negotiations allow the parties to arrive at a mutually satisfactory settlement while strengthening the relationship."

Luncheon helps develop leaders

Feb. 18, 2009

When Sunny Corner Enterprises employees found a way to save the company money, controller Darrell Stewart recognized they did a good job.

The problem was he didn't acknowledge it.

Stewart said he learned enough from the leadership seminars he was attending to know he did something wrong and planned on letting the employees know they were doing good work.

"There I fell. I failed, but I'm gonna make it right."

Last Thursday Stewart was one of 13 people who attended a weekly luncheon at the Newcastle Superstore to develop their skills as leaders.

The session, hosted by Impact Miramichi, was about developing leaders around them and included soup, sandwiches and dessert for everyone who took part.

Colin Holmes started hosting the luncheons last spring and holds them twice a week with a Tuesday session at NBCC in Chatham and the Thursday session in Newcastle.

The goal of the latest session was to teach people how to be leaders who help turn other people into leaders, he said.

"It's not producing followers."

Holmes is a pastor and used to host business leader breakfasts at his church. When someone approached him about attending a simulcast leadership seminar, he tried to organize a trip to Moncton for it, but local business leaders wanted it in the Miramichi instead.

Almost 200 people attended the first simulcast and the leadership luncheons grew from there.

Holmes said when he started he knew he needed to work on his personal leadership skills.

"If I'm sensing it I know there are others."

Along with the video seminars, there are books available with more in depth material to help participants get more out of each session.

Remax 3000 real estate agent Lisa McCormack attended Thursday's session and said even though she doesn't have anyone working under her, she can show leadership to her clients.

"It reinforces the importance of self-development."

Some people are more difficult to deal with than others, she said.

"You can't use the same technique on every person."

For Stewart, he said his training was as an accountant where he can control the numbers and paperwork.

"The toughest part of the job is managing people."

The sessions gave him more confidence in allowing people to grow, taught him practical leadership skills and to invest in people, he said.

"I guess it's like anything else. If you don't invest in your project it won't work."

Holmes said since starting the sessions he is more aware of the leaders in the community and he can help others as he develops as a leader himself.

"Developing a leader isn't a one time thing."

Each 40 minute session is open to anyone and costs $15, which includes lunch. The next session will be on March 19 in the Newcastle Superstore's community room.

Checkpoints watch roads and trails

Feb. 16, 2009

MIRAMICHI - Breaking the law on New Brunswick's white gold could cost snowmobilers some green if they get caught by the province's off-road vehicle enforcement officers.

Over the weekend members of the enforcement unit teamed up with Miramichi police to conduct check stops around the city.

While local police stopped cars, the enforcement officers checked snowmobiles at points where trails crossed the roads.

Officer Brody Sisk was one of the enforcement officers who were out Saturday watching the trail crossings.

As he waited on the side of Route 8, Sisk said there are two officers stationed in Miramichi who check for things like registrations, insurance, trail passes and drunk riders.

"We split our time between public education and trail enforcement."

Three officers came from Fredericton to help with the check stops and their white snowmobiles lined the sides of the trails, blue and red lights flashing on their mirrors as they waited for riders to come along.

The distant whine of an engine gave them an early warning everytime a rider made his way through the woods to where the men stood in their yellow jackets or vests and fur hats.

Sisk said the unit started last February after training at the Atlantic Police Academy in P.E.I. and people are starting to become aware of their presence on the trails.

"A lot of people are starting to realize what's required to enjoy the sport safely."

Officers patrolling the trails can issue for fines for various offences including $172.50 for not having a valid trail pass and $604.50 for not having insurance.

While the off-road vehicle enforcement unit was watching the trails, Cst. Larry Matchett and Sgt. Bob Bruce were stopping vehicles on the road to check for expired drivers licences or registrations, drunk drivers and other infractions.

Matchett said they had a few scheduled days with check stops last year and try to do them when there is a big event going on in the city.

"We try to do quite a few."

The city held its White Gold festival during the weekend so they decided to partner with the off-road unit for the check stops, he said.

Although the off-road enforcement unit was in the city Saturday afternoon, Sisk said they patrol all of Northumberland County and split their time around different areas.

"We spend more time in certain areas if there are issues."

Checkpoints aren't just at road crossings and are often set up at junctions on the trails. The unit also patrols the trails and has helped stranded snowmobilers who run into trouble.

Sisk said people who travel off-road should always go in pairs or large groups and should be properly equipped in case something happens.

"It's important to be prepared for any emergency situation."

But even though they do penalize some riders, Sisk said the unit gets a lot of good feedback from people they talk to while out on the trails.

"They're happy to see we're making the trails safe."

Cold doesn't deter people from gathering

Feb. 16, 2009

MIRAMICHI - When the Weyerehaeuser mill was running, Valmond Rousselle was working in their wood yard unloading trucks.

The yard was run by Coastal Millyard and he found work with them at different sites when the mill closed.

"I was one of the lucky ones."

But not everyone was as fortunate as Rousselle and about 200 people showed up at the mill Saturday morning for a rally to pressure the government to help with a potential sale get the mill open.

It was a cold morning as the crowd started to gather under an overcast sky across the road from the oriented strand board mill.

Rally organizer Dawn MacDonald passed out T-shirts with the words "help save our OSB mill" in bold print on the front and a simple "help" on the back.

There were a few complaints about the cold, but most people were prepared and bundled up in heavy winter coats and hats.

A sign planted high up on a snow bank greeted drivers as they passed men and women who handed out leaflets to any cars that stopped long enough to grab one.

Despite the occasional stopped car, there was never a build up of traffic along that section of Water Street and the rallyers stayed out of the way as much as possible to avoid any problems.

Harold Hannah was a former shift supervisor at the mill and worked there off and on through different owners since 1970.

He attended the rally because he said people don't know what's going on with the mill sale and want to see a commitment made.

"People have a concern and they're wondering what's going on."

But Hannah said he thinks the government is doing what it needs to do to make sure the mill stays open if someone buys it.

"It's no good starting it up and shutting it down in two years."

There was a hopeful atmosphere between the heavy snow banks as former employees mingled with other members of the community to talk about the impact the mill closure had on the Miramichi.

CEP Local 181 president Dwayne Hancock was another former employee at the rally and with the union patch visible on his jacket he said he was impressed by the turnout.

"I'm very glad to see the community supporting it here."

The government should do everything in its power to work with Arbec on the mill sale, he said.

"Wood allocation shouldn't have been an issue for this mill."

Hancock said he hopes the local and provincial governments realize the need for the mill in the Miramichi.

"Although the forest industry is a changing industry this was a successful mill and this mill has a future."

Although natural resources is a provincial issue, Miramichi MP Tilly O'Neil- Gordon made a brief appearance to show her support and said she was impressed by the turnout.

"I sure hope this makes an impact on the provincial government."

The rally was supposed to run until noon, but the cold and wind drove many of the supporters away as they morning wore on.

By 11:30 a.m., there were only a few people left to gather what was left of the pylons and signs.

Despite the cold, MacDonald said she was happy to see so many people show up, including local MLAs John Foran, Bill Fraser and Carmel Robichaud.

"I was really pleased with the turnout and the support that we received."

The MLAs were optimistic about the mill's sale and told the crowd they are working with Arbec to help move things forward.

MacDonald said the rallyers handed out about 200-300 leaflets to passing motorists throughout the morning and the next step is to get people to sign a petition she plans to take to the legislature when the next session opens.

"Keep the public aware of what's happening and it's our job as citizens to keep the government on their toes."

As for Rousselle, he said the Weyerehaeuser mill was a good place to work and he would go back if it reopened.

"I did work here before and I would like to come back."