The split-family phenomenon has become a way of life in Stephenville these days.

Stephenville Middle School hasn't seen a big decrease in the number of students due to the mill closure — principal Truman Greenham estimates enrolment is down by about six for the latest school year — but the effects are still being felt.

The Abitibi-Consolidated pulp and paper mill was idled in December 2005. (Photo courtesy town of Stephenville)

"If the parents moved away for work, then the families stayed. For some of those students it's pretty traumatic to have a parent who has moved away for work," Greenham said.

Other people chose to relocate the whole family when they found out-of-town work. Stephenville officials estimate that 40 to 50 families have left the area in recent months, although it's difficult to come up with a definitive figure, they say.

"People leaving is the most unfortunate part," O'Brien said. "It's very disruptive to families that worked at the mill and depended on the mill. Some have left the community and some are out on work location. It's chaotic for some people."

Brent Fradsham worked at Abitibi as a pulp operator for 25 years and first moved to Stephenville in 1971. After the closure, he landed a job at Syncrude Oil in Fort McMurray, Alta. His family joined him at the end of the school year.

"We're from a small community and when you make roots, it's really hard to tear them up and move elsewhere," Fradsham said.

He added that they still keep in contact with friends and family in the Stephenville area and plan to return to Newfoundland — although it likely won't be soon.

"It's a permanent move for now. I'm fifty-one, I've come here to finish out my working career," Fradsham said. "We are hoping to retire in the Stephenville and Bay St. George area."

In the meantime, a small Stephenville contingent is growing in Fort McMurray. Fradsham estimates that there are about 12 former Abitibi workers from Stephenville living in the area and more on their way.

At the beginning of February 2007, the local legion held a Stephenville night to welcome the new residents and make them feel at home.

Future prospects

Since the mill closure, the town council and the development task force have focused their efforts on attracting jobs and potential employers to the area — and there are positive signs.

Since 2005, approximately 140 jobs have been created, due in part to:

• Various government positions opening up.
• A call centre opening in the area.
• Expansions at the emergency training facility.
• A brand-new $34-million hospital that has 42 beds and employs many in the area.
• A new program at the College of the North Atlantic that resulted in 15 jobs.

"They're not paying as much as the mill jobs, but they are jobs," said Wheeler, the president of the Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce.

The oil company, Tekoil, is expected to start operations in 2007 on an oil refurbishing plant, with the potential to employ 50 to 70 people. Wheeler said he was expecting a major announcement from Tekoil in coming months.

The chamber is also optimistic that other proposed business ventures will pan out over the next year. There is talk of a wood pellet plant that could take over the old Abitibi mill site and provide up to 30 jobs.

Stephenville today. (Photo courtesy town of Stephenville)

Meanwhile, the Canadian Imperial Venture Corp. (CIVC) is exploring the area for oil. If oil can be feasibly harvested, the area will become home to the province's first onshore production facility. It would also create spinoff jobs in areas such as welding and trucking.

There has also been good news for the Stephenville International Airport, which went bankrupt two years ago. Shell Canada recently inked a deal to supply fuel to the former airbase, which means it could again serve as a refuelling point for any domestic or international flights passing over Newfoundland.

Airport manager Larry Smith said he hopes the new fuel supplier will help him lure back the package vacation company Sunquest, which flew out of the airport in the summer of 2006.

"We've got the new fuel deal with Shell to keep our fuel full. Things are looking brighter," said Smith.

'Another boom will come'

The mayor said he is pleased with the way business is headed.

"Quite a number of companies are looking to start up in Stephenville," O'Brien said.

In 2007, the chamber of commerce is holding a week-long event called Stephenville's Come Home Year, filled with activities welcoming former residents back to the community.

Wheeler, the chamber president, said the group hopes to bring 7,000 people into the area during the event and thus give businesses a boost.

With the new businesses appearing and the other opportunities for development, townspeople are crossing their fingers and hoping the town will get by.

"The economy is more diversified than it was in the base days," said former mill worker Bob Byrnes, who moved to Stephenville in 1960 and spent his teenage years on the base.

"A number of companies are looking at the area, and there have been a number of contacts made. Within the next year, these should be coming to Stephenville."

That optimism was echoed even among those working on the other side of the country.

"The town has had several peaks and valleys: the Abitibi mill is just the most contemporary example," Fradsham said. "Stephenville's had two quarter-century runs of prosperity. And I'm sure, because of its resilience, another boom will come."

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