Aerospace plant in eastern Ontario to shut down after 60+ years

An aerospace plant that has been a landmark in Arnprior, Ont., for more than 60 years is set to permanently close in March, according to the facility's owner.

In a statement to CBC, Arnprior Aerospace says the plant has experienced financial difficulties in recent years due to economic changes in the industry, and actions to adapt have not resulted in a financially viable manufacturing facility in Arnprior.

The announcement does not surprise the union representing 71 workers at the plant nestled between Highway 417 and the Ottawa River.

"It was something that we did see coming in the last few months," said Gary Hynes of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

"We heard rumours that the equipment was up for sale, but it's never real until you actually hear it."

The imminent closure also marks the end of an era, added Hynes.

"It's devastating," he said. "We have two generations that went through that plant."

Plant once belonged to Boeing

Established in 1954, Arnprior Aerospace joined the Boeing family of companies in 1960, beginning a partnership that would see the plant's workforce increase to more than 900 in a facility topping 15,000 square metres.

Gary Scholl was one of those workers during the company's heyday, having worked with Arnprior Aerospace fromthe mid '80s until he retiredin 2012.

"When you said you worked at Boeing, people thought 'wow,'" said Scholl. "Boeing was a huge aircraft company and it was right here in our little town."

Scholl, who also served as a union representative at the plant, recalls corporate ice and ball hockey teams, as well as big dances put on for employees and their families.

"It was awesome because you were well-paid, you were working near your home and you knew everybody there," said Scholl. "They made a good living out of that company and the company was good for the town."

Over the decades the Arnprior facility specialized in sheet metal fabrication and machining parts which, for the most part, found their way onto Boeing aircraft.

In 2005, the American aerospace giant divested itself of its eastern Ontario plant as part of a new strategy to focus on integrating parts it would now purchase from independent subcontractors, according to Tyler Chamberlin, associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management.

In the years that followed, Chamberlinsaid aerospace plants in regions with lower labour costs have won contracts with Boeing, meaning the odds were stacked against the Arnprior facility.

"I think that they're dealing with global forces that were just too much for them to overcome, so it's not surprising," he said.

Arnprior Aerospace hasitself been operating a 7,000 square metre plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, since 2010.

Retraining help available, says mayor

The loss of a major employer will be felt across the town of 9,000 residentsand well beyond, said Arnprior MayorLisa McGee.

"We're stronger together and when one is down, we're all down," she said.

McGee said the town is home to an office for Ontrac, the Ontario government's resource centre, which can helpthe plant's workers retrain or find similar work.

Ottawa Morning9:21Arnprior Aerospace closing after almost 70 years

The decades-old aerospace manufacturer told employees operations will shut down in March. University of Ottawa Prof. Tyler Chamberlin explains what that will mean for the town.

She did acknowledgethere will be a trickle-down effect come March when the plant shuts down for good.

"The impact when you lose any employer, especially in a small town, is a lot more significant because they were an employer of choice," said McGee. "Good paying jobs in a small town are not easy to come by."

Worse than the impact on the economy is the end of a storied landmark and hub that put Arnprior on the map, said Scholl.

"It hurts andit's a shame to see it happen," he said. "When I'm passing it on the highway I always look and think of the parking lot being full."