VIDEO: Kelowna no longer a mill town

A history that began in the 1930s came to an official close today. The closure of the Tolko Industries waterfront sawmill in Kelowna leaves the remaining 127 employees without a job.

United Steel Workers Union Local President Pat McGregor said when you look at the number of layoffs that occurred over the last year it's actually closer to 200 hourly workers and another 20 staff that have been let go.

"The first group that was laid off in July of 2019 had about four to seven years seniority in that range, that was your younger group with kids and families and mortgages," said McGregor. This second group, when they went down to one shift, is your more senior workers."

One of those is Cal Jackson, who will take retirement after 43 years at the mill. "It's bad because when you have that in the back of your mind that something is up. And then when you hear that final 'it's done' you get crestfallen," said Jackson. He's been pretty emotional about the closure. "It's a sense of family," said Jackson. "It's a shock."

While Jackson ponders how to spend his retirement years, McGregor is working with different levels of government and the business community to help the former employees find new work. "They have a lot to offer other employers in Kelowna," he said. "So we're looking to get out there and shop them," he said.

Kelowna's mill has operated on the shores of Okanagan Lake since the 1930s by Stanley Simpson. Its ownership has changed hands several times since then. There was Crown Zellerback, Crown Forest Products and Fletcher Challenge over the decades. It was purchased by Tolko Industries from Riverside Forest Products in 2004.