Norampac Trenton Mill

lots of hazards

The Hinde and Dauch Paper Mill opened in 1927 as one of two paper mills in Trenton. Originally, the Hinde and Dauch Mill produced 30 tons of paper from oat and wheat straw. Hinde and Dauch continued with this formula until the 1950s, when they switched from oat and straw to the more convenient wood pulp. The site was a run-of-the-mill factory, using the conventional kraft process to convert wood into wood pulp before turning it into paper. In 1959, the production site was acquired by the St. Lawrence Corporation, a company that was a major presence in the North American pulp industry. Throughout the 1960s, the paper mill had multiple ownership changes, with a tar and chemical company known as Domtar Ltd. eventually coming out as the primary owner. The mill was dubbed as Norompac Domtar after the settlement.

The prominence of the paper mill grew from interest from Cascades, a leading brand in the paper product industry. In 1997, Cascades partnered with previous owners Domtar Ltd., and the facility was renamed as the Norampac Trenton Mill, as both companies shared the facility. The partnership didn’t last long, as cascades decided to buy out Domtar entirely in 2006 for a whopping $560 million. The mill was producing an average of over 400 tonnes of paperboard daily, with a workforce of over 150 people.

The plant ran smoothly until 2011, when the contract between the workers union and management expired. As negotiations began, it was clear that the workers and Norampac’s management had very opposing views on what was considered to be a fair offer. Negotiations continued for almost a year, spanning between May 2011 to March 2012, when the final offer made by ownership was rejected. Marc-André Dépin, the CEO of Norompac’s operations expressed his disappointment of the situation: “We are deeply disappointed that the Norampac - Trenton employees have turned down a positive and reasonable offer."

Unfortunately, no public account of the worker’s point of view was available, so no light could be shed on the opposing point of view. As major corporations have a notorious history of having an impaired view of what a “fair” contract would be, it’s indicative that the workers’ points of view were omitted from every article that covered the ordeal.

After the failed negotiations, the plant closed in June 2012. Interestingly, that was not the end of Norompac, as operations quietly continued after the announced closure. The output was reduced in comparison to the mill’s heyday in previous years, but clearly there was a crew still running the mill. One can only assume who or what was going on, as the continued operations ran unnoticed, at least in terms of any media reports. Regardless, the cascades paper mill continued to operate.

The plant finally closed entirely in January 2024, with Cascades citing the reason for its closure to be aging technology and heightened operational costs as the primary reasons for the closure. Demolition of the site began in May 2025, and a real estate listing for the land was put on the market, marking the end of Norompac’s 98 year history.

1988: Tragedy Strikes

A narrative retelling.

A tragedy occurring is perhaps an unsurprising event for a paper mill that has existed for almost a century, and that is what happened on July 12, 1988. The fatality report did not skip out on any details in the retelling of the incident.

“On July 12, 1988 the three welders were working on top of the tank installing catwalks and safety railings. At approximately 1:36 pm there was an explosion involving this white water tank which caused this tank with dimensions of 32 feet in diameter and 38 feet in height to be raised approximately 70 feet in the air and then 50 feet to one side onto the roof of the papermill. One of the welders was off to the side of the tank working on a catwalk and somewhat miraculously survived with minimal injury. The two other workers who were on the roof of the white water tank at the time of the explosion were hurled each in excess of 300 feet. One of them was thrown into the Trent River and the other completely across the pulp and paper mill onto a paved work area on the opposite side of the paper mill.”

As morbid as it seems, the ludicrous nature of the event would have been almost comical in its absurdity if it weren’t for the gravity of the situation. It’s fair to say being launched over 300 feet into the Trent River seems like a shitty way to go out.

The fatality report describes the incident as “completely unexpected”, as the tank essentially only contained only water and trace amounts of cellulose, making explosion seem impossible. The oxyacetylene that the welders had on them at the time were not in use, and even if they were an explosion of that magnitude was impossible.

The author of the report stated that the nature of the explosion was “a completely unexplained phenomenon without previous precedent”. While that may seem like a skirting of responsibility, there was an aspect of truth to that as well. There was no record of any paper mills in the past having similar incidents under comparable circumstances.

Despite that, an incident to this degree cannot be ignored, as having workers launched into oblivion is not a good look for OHSA. Investigations ensued, and a theory was created. Ultimately, the incident can be attributed to four factors, all simultaneously working together to create a disaster. The four variables can be broken down separately, for both comprehension and dramatic effect.

1. The planned shutdown. Approximately 15 minutes before the explosion, a planned shutdown was in effect. Production is stopped, the paper machines deactivated, and the systems begin to flush themselves.

2. Water levels rise, as the white-water tanks stop draining and the pipes leading into the tanks flush more and more water inside. Flushes, showers, and cooling systems all contribute to the influx.

3. A mixture of gases, unnoticed by the workers, have quietly been building up since the last shutdown. The rise of the water levels traps the gas in the upper portion of the tanks, as it compresses more and more as the water levels rise.

4. The heat from a weld. Three workers, oblivious to the threat, take a break from welding as the plant shuts down. However, the metal of the tank has not nearly enough time to disperse to the heat. The pressure of the gases builds, pushing against the hot metal.

The minutes leading up to the explosion was the quiet before the storm, all the while as pressure was building in the tanks. The gases continued to compress, and the hot metal acted as the ignition point in conjunction with the trapped gases. Disaster occurs as a massive explosion shakes the ground. The three welders, standing directly on top of the tank, were hurled from the explosion. As described in the report, the third worker was flung by the explosion and miraculously landed on a nearby catwalk. The other two were less fortunate.