The winds of change are blowing in Trenton and they will bring prosperity not only to the Steeltown but to all of Pictou County.
Indeed, since the March 5 announcement of a buyer for the mothballed railcar plant, it seems like a pall has been lifted and the sun has continued to shine.
South Korean manufacturing giant Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Ltd. will be manufacturing wind turbine components at the plant, with operations anticipated to begin by the fall with an initial workforce of about 100. Even better news: Company officials have gone on record to say that they anticipate growing the workforce at the Trenton facility to 500 within three years. That’s like manna from heaven for a community of this size – and a workforce – that has felt the sting of widespread unemployment for three long years.
One former TrentonWorks employee, who spent 40 years at the plant, welcomed the news with a smile on his face. “It was a sad day when it closed and there was a lot of doom and gloom, but the plant’s alive now,” he was quoted as saying in this newspaper.
Indeed, what welcome news for this community. It has always been that Pictou County business as a whole enjoyed a certain measure of prosperity when the railcar plant was operating. When it was booming and hundreds of individuals were happily bringing home a weekly paycheque, so, too, was business booming elsewhere: restaurants were full, car dealers were selling vehicles, real estate agents were selling houses.
The wind energy market is growing and so, too, are the hopes and dreams of an entire community. It is hoped that as Daewoo grows its presence in Pictou County, more local families will enjoy the prosperity they used to when the plant was in its heyday. They will continue to grow stronger, laugh more and walk tall.
Local politicians of all stripes – on the federal, provincial and municipal levels -- have worked tirelessly for years to bring this opportunity home and we hope the entire community puts their support behind this new venture and welcomes Daewoo with open arms.