Steeling Lives: Reflections on Hardships in the Ontario Metal Fabricating Industry - Thread

I took a completely different approach with this posting. Who am I to talk about the history of this place? I instead sent the photos to several personal contacts that worked here – some who lost their jobs over 15 years ago – to have them reminisce and tell the real story. This post is made up of their returned comments. Through them, it is my hope that we can experience the camaraderie, the dangers and the memories.

Many years ago, the John Deere plant in Welland shut its doors for good. Like a chain reaction, the effects were felt throughout the region. John Deere was one of the major customers of steel fabricated at nearby Russel Metals in Port Robinson. Without Deere’s business, and with cranes and other equipment too outdated and expensive to replace, Russel suffered financially. It did not take long for the company to terminate its final 18 employees; the remains of a workforce that had been whittled away year after year over the previous decade. For many of them, it wasn’t the first time they had survived a plant closure; many had worked for Union Carbide when it shut its doors in 1982. Several of the 18 went on to metal-related operations in Hamilton, some after putting in 39 years at Russel Metals.

Such is life in the southern Ontario steel industry.

Ennis Steel 01 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“You won't fucking believe this but I worked here from 14 years of age till the end of my under grad. Shit 8 or 9 years, every summer. My dad was the plant manager.” – R.A.

Ennis Steel 02 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“The plant was originally called Ennis Steel...the original owner was Bunny Ennis (yes Bunny)...it was sold in the early nineties to Laurel Steel...a Quebec Company...and then again to Russell Metals in 2000 or so...They gave it the Green Paint Job. The original colour was a baby blue.” - T.P.

Ennis Steel 03 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“The work that was done here was steel fabrication. They would receive stock steel. Anything from round bar, plates, Tubes, I bar, etc, and then sell it to construction companies and cut it to the size ordered.” – R.A.

Ennis Steel 04 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“Holy SHIT! I can't believe what I am seeing!! They lights are still there? That brings back a thousand memories!! - R.A.

Ennis Steel 05 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“I know all the guys named on the wall!!” - R.A.

“R2 stands for Runway Two...One leg Willy actually had one leg He lost it there at work...he drove the overhead crane after that...” – T.P.

Ennis Steel 06 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 07 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 08 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“Pic 08 is of the stairs to the cab crane ... the only overhead crane that had a small cab for a man to drive it. It was the fastest most productive crane. The heart of the plant. 3 very unique guys drove that crane on the 3 rotating shifts. One was the guy named on the wall...Willy One Leg.. he was a grumpy old bastard!” – R.A.

Ennis Steel 09 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“Pic 09 is the train tracks where they used to shunt cars full of steel into the back runway. Once a driver named Skip was backing up his load on the scale in front of the shipping house (that you can't see in the pic) and a train was coming in but he didn't hear or see the signals. The train hit his trailer, flipped his load and his rig on its side and he was pinned in the cab with transmission fluid leaking all over him. He had a minor leg injury and went to hospital.” – R.A.

Ennis Steel 10 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 11 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 12 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 13 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 14 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“That chair in 14 was where a guy named Norm would always fall asleep while cutting his steel. We swore he had narcolepsy! There was a giant cold saw right in front of that chair.” - R.A.

Ennis Steel 15 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 16 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 17 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 18 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 19 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 20 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“Number 20 is of where I worked. Maintenance department. My uncle Joe actually suffered a serious injury here...he feel off a trailer of steel he was unloading down at the far end of this photo and hit his head on a piece of steel...major head injury...was never the same afterwards...” – T.P.

Ennis Steel 21 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 22 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 23 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“I sprayed that "B1B" sprayed on the wall in photo 23...likely back in 1999!! I was making sub-sections so the workers could find stuff easier, then later we came up with those printed signs "1021" to narrow our searches even more.” – R.A.

Ennis Steel 24 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“My uncle Nino working here in Building One...he moved round bar he worked their for 33 years and retired from there...my Dad retired in 2008 he put in 38 years there. He worked his way up from saw helper to Plant Manager. Both my brothers worked there as well in the summer.” – T.P.

Ennis Steel 25 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 26 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 27 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 28 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 29 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“One gentlemen lost his life on the job here in building Two...He was wedge between two I Bars and past hours later in the hospital...tough year that year.” – T.P.

Ennis Steel 30 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 31 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 32 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 33 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

Ennis Steel 34 by Ground State Photos, on Flickr

“Yes I used to bait deer back here behind the plant so guys on the midnight shift could shoot them with BB guns... didn’t kill them.... It was just for fun...smoked a lot of weed here as well....fucked up place but also a lot of good memories.” – T.P.