The Press Responds to Industrial Decline in the Mauricie

As in other parts of North America, the 1970s brought major social and economic upheaval to Quebec. The decade was marked by a number of major events, including a resurgence of the Cold War, the October Crisis of 1970, a Quebec general strike in 1972 and the 1973 Oil Crisis.

Then came the 1980s, a decade defined by a major recession, the collapse of oil prices and the lead-up to the Gulf War. Amidst it all, I found it helpful to read articles in Mauricie newspapers.

Our regional economy, which had once prospered thanks to the paper and chemical industries, was experiencing an unprecedented downturn. The 1980s and 1990s were especially hard.

I clearly remember this period, when the newspaper was full of articles on bankrupt companies and widespread layoffs. All we could do was try to help instill our readers with the resilience they needed to get through a difficult period.

Red Mill plant before its closure

Official closure of the BF Goodrich plant

On the one hand, our region had always been vulnerable to major industrial decline. On the other hand, in our role as reporters, we detected a gradual shift in the regional identity, toward a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The trend began in 1972, when Fernand Pellerin opened the Marmen plant in Trois-Rivières. It was followed by the Cananel factory in Louiseville (1982) and the Megatech Electro facility in Shawinigan (1988).

I’m very proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to showcase Megatech’s success, such as by reporting on the contracts it secured from Bombardier and on the Gold Award it received from National Bank. It was important for us to recognize these regional initiatives, especially the role they played in softening the blow of de-industrialization.

Woman working at BRP Megatech