Out of the ashes: In Bay de Verde, 3 months makes all the difference
For workers like Wanda Riggs, heartache has been replaced by hope
Hope is replacing heartache in Bay de Verde, a fishing community that's lived through dark days after a fire ravaged its fish plant — the area's economic mainstay — just over three months ago.
Arriving in the town just after nine o'clock on April 11, the atmosphere was one of pandemonium.
Roads were blocked by police, the school was being transformed into an emergency evacuation centre, an ambulance was slowly making its way around town, with someone on a loud speaker urging residents to evacuate, and winds blowing in from the southwest were picking up speed.
I saw the sky over the scenic fishing village was dark with thick smoke, and dozens of volunteers were battling one of the most dramatic infernos witnessed in the province in more than a decade.
By the end of the day, the massive Quinlan Bros. seafood processing plant would be razed to the ground, and the livelihood of 700 people cast into serous doubt.
It was the very beginning of the 2016 crab harvest, and anticipation was quickly replaced by uncertainty, fear and shock.
'People are going to lose everything'
One of the first persons I met that morning was plant worker Wanda Riggs, standing in the doorway to her home, her right hand covering her forehead.
She had a front row seat for the disaster, and could barely control her emotions as she spoke.
"I just can't believe what's happening here today. It's going to be total devastation for everybody here in Bay de Verde ... people are just going to lose everything they have," she said.
Less than four months later, the future seems brighter for people like Riggs.
Like many of the displaced workers, she was called back to work not long after the fire, and now has a much different outlook.
"Well it feels much better to smile than the way I was the last time I spoke to you," she said during an interview on Tuesday, this time standing in the doorway of the weighing shack on the Bay de Verde wharf.
She's been weighing crab as it's landed, and instead of worry and fear, she's brimming with enthusiasm and confidence.
"This has been a really good year for me," she said. "I have a completely different job, but I really enjoy it. It's been really good."
That's the kind of roller-coaster ride it's been for Bay de Verde these past few months.
Located at the northern tip of the Baccalieu Trail, on the northern shore of Newfoundland's Conception Bay, the town is home to roughly 350 residents.
For more than a generation, it's been a kingpin among the province's fishing communities, processing millions of pounds of snow crab and northern shrimp each year and employing workers from every corner of the province, and as far away as Thailand.
There's a joke in Bay de Verde that even the dogs could find work if they had opposable thumbs.
Many felt that distinction was threatened following the fire, but there are powerful signs that Bay de Verde will rise from the ashes.
The owners of Quinlan Bros. have received widespread praise for their response to the crisis.
The company quickly reached agreements with plants in Brigus and Winterton to process some of its crab, employing dozens of workers on night shifts, while many others transferred to nearby Old Perlican.
Most workers will receive enough hours to qualify for employment insurance benefits, though many say their income was reduced because they received fewer hours.
A reversal of fortunes
But the biggest question was whether the company would rebuild in Bay de Verde, where company founder Pat Quinlan first established a simple fish buying station in the 1950s.
Any doubt about that was quashed earlier in July when the company issued a statement, saying work on a new plant would begin "in the coming days," and be ready for snow crab processing next spring.
It's been quite a reversal of fortunes, in a very short period of time.
The company will spend millions on a new plant, and millions more will be spend on port upgrades and municipal infrastructure.
And the town's population is expected to more than double beginning July 31 as a week-long come home year celebration gets underway.
What small town in rural Newfoundland and Labrador wouldn't wish for prospects like that?
"We've been on a sort of a winning streak," said Mayor Gerard Murphy. "We're looking forward to a very positive future."
That feeling also extends to the next generation.
Kassidy Coish is one of just three young people from Bay de Verde entering Level III studies in September.
She plans to go on to post-secondary education in St. John's after high school, but wants to return to her home community.
"I think the plant is going to rebuild and many workers are going to be back to work again," she said.
Wanda Riggs couldn't agree more.
"We're all looking forward to seeing some progress across the way," she said, pointing in the direction of the now vacant lot where the old plant used to stand.
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