We are a small isolated community that has a population of about 3,300. In Lebel-sur-Quévillon and the surrounding area, 1,000 jobs were lost in the forest industry. You can see the size of the disaster.
Some people chose to stay in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, but obviously most people who had training went to work all over the place. Some of them had to leave because they knew they could not get any help. Often, they had to make choices that were quite difficult, even in terms of their families. There are also people who have no opportunities.
When someone has spent over 40 years of their life working in a pulp and paper plant, they are specialized in a very specific field. Even if a digester operator wanted to work in the mines, they wouldn't get hired, because of their age and their lack of experience. So opportunities are limited.
Yes, people can take training, but when the person is 53 or 54 years old and has spent their live working in the forest industry, they are not certain to get hired in the mining industry, even if they retrain.