When a small town loses a major employer, the impact is enormous. Consider a community of about 20,000 people where 1,200 are employed at one business that suddenly lays off half of its employees. This happened recently at a Nova Scotia factory, Queenston Paper. The 600 dismissed employees were offered relocation, early retirement, or severance packages. One hundred fifty of the previous employees opted to relocate to another Queenston Paper factory in Nova Scotia. About 200, primarily those having built up a large enough pension, are considering retirement. Many others will receive a severance package of more than half their annual earnings. However, many feel this has little appeal since government taxes will take at least 40 percent. The rest have yet to choose their future.

Janice Witherspoon says that she and her husband wanted to enjoy their attractive Queenston salaries for five more years. Feeling secure in working at the 50-year-old factory and with their seniority status, they have been spending instead of saving. Moving isn’t an option, she says. Real estate prices are far higher at the other Queenston Paper town, so the Witherspoons would end up in debt again. She scoffed at the ridiculous severance package. “Three choices”, she says, “but not one is really viable for us at this time of life.”

Ginny Rousseau is more optimistic. An immigrant from France, Ginny loves the area. She and her family intend to stay. “It doesn’t cost a lot to live here,” she says, “so we’re going for early retirement. We’re already doing a little farming, a little gardening, and trying to be self-sustainable. It’s very rewarding.” Like Ginny, many Queenston Paper employees are not native to Canada, but they don’t all share her complacency. Without jobs, these relative newcomers have no reason to remain. Quite a few have packed their bags and headed west in search of work. "It's unfortunate", says David Santos, a Brazilian. "With the low cost of rent, I have managed to save a lot. I had hoped to eventually save enough to bring my family over from Brazil. This would have been a great place for my kids to grow up. Without work though, there is no point in sticking around."