October 7, 2018 photos by Darren Clarke

“In January of 2014, Georgia-Pacific announced the Thorold plant that employed 109 people, and two other plants in Caledonia, Ontario, and in Arkansas, were being “idled” due to excess capacity. The company said at the time that there were no plans to sell them off.”

Paul Forsyth, Niagara This Week, July 24, 2017

 

Georgia-Pacific spokesperson Rick Kimble confirmed with Niagara This Week that the mill that produced paper used on the outside of drywall will be dismantled and the equipment inside liquidated.

“The decision has been made to go ahead and demolish it,” he said from Atlanta on Monday. “We are definitely going to demo that site.”

Paul Forsyth, Niagara This Week, July 24, 2017

 

“Great to place to work and paid well with great pension and benefits. The employees had to work together to accomplish daily duties. It took awhile to move up in this company as it was a union position with seniority getting the move ups.”

Former Employee, Janauary 2018, Indeed.ca

 

“GP executives in Atlanta decided to change the mandate in Thorold from strictly manufacturing paper for drywall — which it had always done — to making rolls for toilet paper and paper towels; money-makers in the numerous American factories.

Stephens said that switch, plus the fact that no celebrations were held to recognize the plant’s 100th anniversary in 2015, led some employees to suspect the days of the Thorold plant were numbered.

“We knew something was up.””

Niagara Falls Review, July 26, 2017

 

“The Allanburg Road plant started out as Beaver Wood Fibre Co. in 1915, eventually changing its name to Georgia Pacific.

In its heyday, the Thorold mill operated with employees numbering from 300 to 350, Stephens said.

“At one time, everything was manual.”

In the late 1990s, the plant became more automated, he recalled.

He said GP executives cited lower costs from competitors as their main reason for Thorold’s shutdown.”

Niagara Falls Review, July 26, 2017

 

“Georgia Pacific Thorold (Hiring) | $24-45/Hr – Apply in seconds‎”

Outdated nerdyhire.com Google search result taken October 6, 2018

 

“The news of Georgia Pacific’s plans to demolish its shuttered Thorold paper plant comes as no surprise to Andy Stephens.

Stephens, who was union president at the Thorold South plant, said he and other employees saw “the writing on the wall” a few years ago.

Early in 2014, company officials “said they were going to mothball” the mill, said Stephens, implying there was a possibility of resuming operations at some time in the future.

“But they took all the computers, which told us they were going to shut down.””

 

Niagara Falls Review, July 26, 2017