Garry Resvick was hoping to work until he was 65. Instead, the 64-year-old employee of the Ice River Springs water bottling plant near Revelstoke received a rude awakening at the end of his shift last Thursday when he and his 18 co-workers suddenly found themselves without jobs.

The news came as a shock to everyone who worked at the plant. “They just told us was closed and how soon can you be out of here,” said Resvick. “They blindsided us, we had no idea.”

On Friday, the plant, located about 40 kilometres east of Revelstoke along the Trans-Canada Highway, sat empty, with an ambulance in the parking lot and a Canadian Pacific train slowly rolling by being the only signs of life.

“It certainly wasn’t a split decision made just that day because they had all our paperwork ready to give us when we left,” said Resvick. “They couldn’t wait for us to get out. I thought they were a little harsh there but I don’t suppose hanging around was going to make it any better.”

Resvick worked at the plant for 18 years and said he saw it go through seven different owners, including such beverage giants as Naya and Cott. Ice River Springs took it over beginning June 1, 2008.

Resvick said that at it’s peak the plant employed over 60 people and had four shifts running each week.

“The water’s there and it always will be and that’s what I always thought would keep the plant open.”

Resvick said they were really busy up to the last moment. “We were totally shocked,” he said. “We had trucks coming in with supplies until the day before and everything.”

The plant was down to only nine employees at the time of closure, with 10 others on temporary layoff. Ryan L’Abbe, Ice River Springs’ vice president of human resources, said the abrupt announcement was necessary.

“We decided it would be best to close rather than to risk employee dissatisfaction,” he said.

In a statement issued a day after the plant closed, Ice River Springs said the closure was due to the plant’s uncompetitive transportation and production cost structure.

“We had shrinking volume at the plant and we were already starting to reallocate production to our other locations,” said Ryan L’Abbe, Ice River Springs’ vice president of human resources.

Jamie Gott, co-owner and president of Ice River Springs, said in a press release that closing the plant was a difficult decision “but the decision was necessary.  Our decision was made based on the increasing cost competitiveness demanded by our customers.”

The plant was operated by Ice River Springs and drew its water from the Illecillewaet River. It was opened by Naya in 1995 and changed hands several times over the years. After Naya closed the plant, it was acquired by JD Iroquois Enterprises Ltd., who then sold the plant to beverage giant Cott Corporation in 2002. Ice River Springs bought the plant from Cott in 2008.

L’Abbe said they made efforts to improve productivity at the plant but were unable to make it competitive.

The company will be moving equipment from the plant to its other facilities nearby. L’Abbe added that the nine employees still working at the plant were given the option to join Ice River Springs at its Calgary operation, but Resvick said he only knows of two former co-workers who were extended that offer.

With the equipment being reallocated, the plant will now be closed for good, he said.

For Resvick, closing in on his 65th birthday, the layoff is not so bad, but he sympathizes for his younger co-workers, all of whom live in Revelstoke.

“I’m the lucky guy, I’m 64 and a half so it’s my last job but all the rest, younger people, most of them have homes here so it’s kind of bad,” he said. “Nothing’s forever anymore.”