The largest employer on Deer Island, with 140 workers, suffered a second fire in less than six months, as an early-morning blaze on March 1 destroyed Paturel International's lobster-processing plant and warehouse at Northern Harbour on the western side of the island. The facility's live lobster building was not damaged, and 40 employees are now continuing there, returning on March 5, but 100 other employees have lost work. At a meeting after the fire on March 3, employees say they were told that the company would rebuild the facility, but it could take two years.
     Rick Doucet, who is the MLA for the island, comments, "This whole situation and the impact for workers and islanders who make a living thanks to Paturel's operations have been heart-wrenching. This fire is a major blow to Deer Island and will have a big impact on the community, the company and their employees. We are thankful  the employees who were working at the time made it out safe and sound with no injuries." He adds, "We know the workers and residents of this region are strong and resilient. We have faced challenges before. We have overcome them together. We will do so again."
     The fire was reported by night-cleaning employees at the plant shortly after 2:20 a.m. According to the RCMP, all people inside were able to leave the building unharmed. A total of about 40 firefighters from the Deer Island, Back Bay, Blacks Harbour, St. George and St. Andrews departments fought the blaze. Deer Island Fire Chief John Dolan says they were hampered at first by the live electric lines that were downed and had to wait about 15 minutes until the power was turned off. Firefighters were on the scene until 5 p.m. on Thursday. Investigators from the New Brunswick Fire Marshal's Office were on the scene that day, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
     Joyce Stuart, chair of the West Isles Local Service District, who has lived on the island for 65 years, says the fire was the largest in her memory. "It's quite a blow to the island. Not just those living on the island are affected, but there were a lot from the mainland working there. It means a lot to the businesses, too, as money earned here is spent here."
     Paul Richardson, who worked at the Paturel plant, says that with over 100 people out of work, "a tenth of the island's population unexpectedly has no employment. It's a big hit for the island and for the communities near us -- St. George and St. Stephen." He notes that perhaps up to 30 workers would come over from the mainland each day on the ferry to work at the plant.
     Richardson says that along with the plant being destroyed there was "a considerable amount of product lost" in the freezers that were filled "close to capacity." Paturel's parent company, East Coast Seafood, though, states that its commitments to customers are being met, with the company having temporarily shifted lobster processing to another one of its 12 facilities on the east coast.
     Along with the March 1 fire, Paturel also has had to deal with the loss of its secondary lobster plant in Lambertville, which was destroyed by a fire on September 23. The company had then made alternate arrangements, renting another building, and planned to rebuild that plant, too.
     As for the 75 to 80 Filipino workers at the Paturel plant at Northern Harbour, some have been in Canada long enough to obtain permanent residency status and will be able to go to other jobs, if they aren't continuing with Paturel. For those who are in Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, their visa status is tied to their working at Paturel, so the company will have to release them from their contract before they would be able to work elsewhere. According to Richardson, Paturel has given them the assurance that it will release them so they can look for other jobs, if necessary. A number of the Filipinos live in three housing units next to the plant that were not damaged by the fire.
     Richardson says he himself is at retirement age and has a small pension, but he will be losing half of his income with the loss of work.
     With few other job opportunities on the island except the fisheries and fish farming, Richardson notes that it has been welcome news that two salmon-processing plants in St. George operated by Cooke Aquaculture and Northern Harvest have reached out to hire as many of the Paturel workers as they can. "The community really has been rallying behind all of us," he says, with East Coast Seafood and both levels of government also indicating support for the workers.

Support being offered
    In the wake of the fire, political leaders have stepped forward to offer assistance. New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant commented, "We will do all we can to support the workers affected by the plant's closure."
     "This is a devastating loss to the island community," stated Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest Karen Ludwig. "I will be working closely with the company and my federal and provincial counterparts in the days and weeks ahead to help support Paturel, the island lobster fishermen and the many employees."
     According to a March 7 statement from Christina Ferranti-Clift, marketing director of East Coast Seafood Group, the company is working hard to assess the damage and considering options moving forward. East Coast Seafood has a network of 12 facilities along the North Atlantic coast, and "each one plays a critical role in the overall operation," the statement says. "It is estimated that it will be months before there is a plan in place for a permanent solution."
     The company also is working with government agencies and other local Canadian companies to assist with job placement and job skills training.
     MLA Doucet, who is minister of the aquaculture and fisheries, says the department's staff are working with their colleagues from the Department of Post‑Secondary Education Training and Labour (PETL) and Service Canada to determine whether workers impacted by the Paturel fire might be able fill positions elsewhere or whether they might be able to benefit from any services from government. Staff at the department of PETL are also available to offer employment services and training through Training and Skills Development to affected employees.
     "Our employees remain our greatest asset at Paturel International, and I am proud to report uninterrupted product logistics to our customers worldwide," says East Coast Seafood CEO and President Chris Maze. "We are an organization made up of extraordinary people with a commitment to production excellence."
     Headquartered in Massachusetts, East Coast Seafood Group is the world's largest distributor of live and frozen North American lobster and a major distributor of scallops and fish. Its subsidiaries include Paturel International, which has live lobster and lobster-processing facilities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with live lobsters being shipped into the European and Asian markets. Other subsidiaries include Garbo Lobster, which has operations in Hancock, as well as a buying station in Dipper Harbour; and Maine Fair Trade Lobster of Gouldsboro, which operates the largest lobster-processing facility in Maine.