County of St. Paul puts out a call to local businesses to help Salt Plant employees following news of closure

Employees at the Salt Plant in Lindberg received news approximately a month ago that the plant will close effective August 1, 2022, leaving the 50+ employees of the plant searching for new employment. Word of the closure quickly spread to the County of St. Paul council, which is taking action to help the soon-to-be unemployed find new jobs.

This week, a memo was sent out on behalf of the County of St. Paul from Linda Sallstrom, Economic Development Officer for the St. Paul Elk Point Economic Development Alliance (STEP), calling local businesses to help find new employment for the workers. The memo addresses their sudden need for work and the skills employers might expect from the workers.

“With the Plant closing, we will see an immediate loss of jobs for most of the workforce at the site, totaling close to 50 positions. These positions range from administrative staff, safety professionals, environmental professionals, production staff, maintenance (millwrights, electricians, mechanics), quality staff, engineers, certified steam operators, etc. To retain those workers and talent in the region, I am working with Windsor Salt representatives to connect those workers with businesses and industry in the region who are currently recruiting.”

Reeve for the County, Glen Ockerman explains, “the salt plant has been a staple in the North East Alberta – Elk Point region since the mid-forties.” The plant has employed many people throughout its history and has actively participated in the community since its opening. “At one time, whether it was a ball team or a hockey team, whatever you had going on, you could count on the salt plant to donate,” the reeve explained; the plant’s impact stretches beyond employing people.

According to elkpointhistroy.ca, construction on the plant started in 1947 and began operations in July 1948.

“It’s going to leave such a void,” stated the Ockerman, “it raised lots of families.”

Reeve Ockerman is hopeful for the County’s prosperity despite the plant’s closure. “There are lots of good things happening here; we have great tourist destinations, the [Iron Horse] Trail, and great lakes for camping. Agriculture is coming on, and the energy sector is doing well. This is not the end, but it’s definitely going to be felt.”

For the County, a $400,000 annual hit in tax revenue will be felt following the plant’s closure. This figure does not include the gas wells that are on site.

The reeve maintains a guardedly optimistic view on the site’s future; maybe it could be retrofitted for another industry. He added, “it’s a great site. There’s access to the river, power, and the highway. I’m not sure what it could be, but there’s opportunity there.”

Ockerman is hopeful about how the County has been going regarding economic development. Teaming up with the Town of Elk Point and the Town of St. Paul to create STEP has created many opportunities for the area.

“As a municipality, we want to ensure that we’re open for business. Our economic development team is doing a great job ensuring we’re ready.” The labour force in the region is instrumental in bringing in investment; the reeve said, “we have lots of talent, welders, electricians, pipefitters. It’s not just the labour force; the region has hospitals, schools, RCMP, and anything else a company may need.”