Job losses affect the whole community

As much as people think they live in isolation, the fact remains that connectivity is inevitable.

I’m not pointing fingers here, either. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else. I get up in the morning, do the shave/shower thing and rumble in to work under the false impression that I’m in my own little world.

I have a relatively small circle of family, friends and co-workers who know what I’m about and still either love me or hang out with me despite that. We sip coffee, chat about what matters within the context of our day-to-day and wonder every now and then what it’s all about. Raise your hand if any of this sounds familiar.

But here’s the kicker; what occurs outside that insular realm has tremendous portent and as much as we’d like to believe that it just doesn’t matter, it does.

Take, for instance, the announced closure of the Canard poultry processing plant. I’m no accountant, but when 380 jobs disappear in a stroke -- by the end of the April -- a couple of bad things happen right off the bat.

First, the unemployment rate goes up. Nearly 400 people are suddenly out of work and the human toll is enormous. I’ve been out of work once or twice and I know the feeling.

You’re scared. Something that was once reliable and supposedly sustainable is gone, and it’s only natural to wonder what’s next. Yes, Kings County is growing, but let’s face it; this isn’t an urban centre dripping in job opportunity.

A lot of the work is highly specialized and seasonal. If you want a job, you just might have to wait your turn. In that rarefied environment, I’d be worried sick.

Secondly, the economy suffers. I multiplied 380 jobs by an average annual salary -- and this is a guess only, folks; I have no clue what folks are paid at Canard poultry -- of $25,000. It works out that $9.5 million in gross pay is taken out of circulation.

Couple that with the amount the government will likely have to spend in HR-related support for these workers and the possible impact to the health care system if people are unable to find gainful employment over the long-term and $9.5 million starts to look like pocket change.

Add to this the current condition of the hog industry and the 1,000 or so jobs affected by its circumstance; the closure of an egg grading facility in Port Williams last month and the discontinuance of 15-20 jobs there; the recent cessation of a daily newspaper and 31 jobs it afforded; and the rumoured demise of Larsen’s Packers in Berwick. Connectivity is everywhere.

I know several people affected by these situations and are amazed by their remarkable grace under pressure. I’m not sure I’d be as stoic.

And as much as I continue to do my daily thing, the truth remains that whatever happens to those hundreds of people will undoubtedly impact my life and yours.

We’re part of a larger whole, no matter how mightily we may deny it. We can be thankful individually for the good in our lives, but it’s ridiculous to believe we exist solely within the framework of our own little spheres of influence.

We must recognize that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in tough times, as touched by another’s hardship as we are buoyed by any success. Inevitably, their pain is ours; if not today then soon, and anything each of us can do to help will only make things better in the long run.