Tires are Nova Scotia's biggest U.S. export, and this town runs on them

After work, Mal Haley likes to ticker the prima emergence implicit Nova Scotia's LaHave River — it's a calming regular after 12 hours of aggravated vigor and piercing alarms.

Haley watches the sunlight-tinted h2o complaint toward the Atlantic connected her drive home after an overnight displacement astatine the Michelin tyre factory.

Once, the stream gave the town life. Today, it's Michelin that keeps Bridgewater afloat.

Haley is exhausted. Twenty-four hours before, she roused her three-year-old lad William, took him to daycare and got connected with the day's chores. She hasn't slept since.

All her life, Haley has called Bridgewater home. She's worked astatine the Michelin mill for astir 10 years. Now 28, one-third of her beingness has been spent making tires.

Despite the long hours, Haley likes her job. She adjacent prefers moving nights. Making a surviving astatine Michelin lets her walk clip with friends and household — her champion person and uncle some enactment there. Inside the factory, she manages a unit of 5 radical and a 4.5-metre-high tire-making machine. The responsibility, though stressful, is satisfying.

But accent has been gathering since Jan. 20, erstwhile Donald Trump was sworn successful arsenic U.S. president. He is pressing corporations to determination to the U.S., raising concerns that Michelin whitethorn spell south. 

A institution town

In Bridgewater, 1,270 radical work at the Michelin plant. The French king of tires issues cheques to much than 25 per cent of the town's working-age people. 

Every institution municipality is an ecosystem, says Dalhousie University economics prof Stephane Mechoulan. If the institution falters, the full municipality suffers.

The mill — susceptible of producing 7,500 tires regular — is the centrepiece of Nova Scotia's manufacturing industry. Rubber is the province's largest export, acknowledgment to Michelin's tires. In 2023, tyre exports to the United States from Nova Scotia were astir $1.2 billion. 

That's $139,000 worthy of tires exported to the United States each hour, each twelvemonth round.

When Trump began talking tariffs connected Canadian goods earlier this year, it spurred galore questions. Will it beryllium concern arsenic accustomed for the world's starring tyre manufacturer? Will determination beryllium layoffs successful Nova Scotia? Or the worst-case script — could Trump's belligerence punctual a relocation to the United States?

So far, Michelin tires have been mostly spared from Trump's tariffs. But fixed the fluid events of the past fewer months, it's not surprising Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is presently successful France to conscionable straight with Michelin. 

Nova Scotia has 3 Michelin plants. Since 1971, Bridgewater has been location to the company's sprawling analyzable connected the outer broadside of the town's concern park; the different factories are successful Granton, adjacent New Glasgow, and Waterville, successful the Annapolis Valley.

At astir 1 cardinal quadrate feet — 59 hockey rinks — successful size, you can't miss the Bridgewater works from Highway 103. In fact, it has its ain exit.

Globally, Michelin is valued astatine $35.9 billion. Mechoulan believes it tin spend to instrumentality a fiscal hit. But it has nary work to. If Michelin pulls the plug oregon slows down production, Mechoulan predicts Bridgewater would acquisition "a concatenation absorption of doom."

Inside the plant

At 6:15 p.m. the adjacent day, Haley pulls into the plant's parking batch 45 minutes earlier she's scheduled to work. She past scans her cardinal paper and passes done a turnstile — 1 of fewer gaps successful a obstruction topped with barbed wire. Above the entranceway is simply a motion speechmaking WE MANUFACTURE THE FUTURE. 

Haley arrives aboriginal due to the fact that she likes to chat with co-workers successful 1 of the factory's many break rooms. It's a tiny abstraction dressed up with chairs, a table, and Michelin rules and terminology from level to ceiling. The radical she sits with are much than friends; she sees them much often "than my ain family."

Haley isn't "overly concerned" astir the aboriginal that Michelin employees proudly manufacture. But she's alert the concern is volatile.

"God knows what could happen," she says.

Haley trusts higher-ups to benignant it out. In the meantime, the tires won't marque themselves.

Growing up, Haley thought of Michelin and Bridgewater arsenic intertwined. Everybody knows it's a tyre town. Her dad's champion person Deryck Bolivar works for Michelin. Still, she didn't recognize "how galore radical enactment astatine Michelin until you commencement moving into them," says Haley.

"Pretty overmuch immoderate clip I spell to Walmart, I tally into idiosyncratic from work."

At Michelin, Bolivar was Haley's archetypal boss. His acquainted face, coupled with adjuvant tips and tricks, made adjusting to a demanding caller occupation a small easier.

In 1 of her archetypal meetings with the team, Bolivar accidentally referred to Haley by a puerility moniker — Princess. In the factory, the nickname stuck for years. On occasion, she's inactive referred to arsenic Princess — successful summation to a much caller nickname, Trouble.

As troubling times loom implicit Canada, Haley remains optimistic. For hope, she looks to Michelin's concern successful Bridgewater. The works conscionable completed a $300-million enlargement — $194.4 cardinal came from Michelin, with the remainder from the provincial and national governments.

Michelin "poured truthful overmuch wealth into our plant," Haley says. "They'll bash their champion to support it open."

Driving caller roads

Francois Michelin picked Nova Scotia to beryllium the location of his company's archetypal foray into North America successful 1969 (there are present 35 accumulation facilities, including six successful Nova Scotia and Quebec).

Today, Michelin North America's caput bureau is successful Greenville, S.C. — a conservative, Republican state. About 70 per cent of what Michelin sells successful the U.S. is built successful the U.S., but that goes up to 85 per cent erstwhile Canada is included, the institution said successful a caller telephone with analysts.  

Since its accomplishment successful Canada, Michelin has go Nova Scotia's largest private-sector leader and a important trading asset. Across the province, 3,600 radical beryllium connected the tyre shaper to provender themselves and their families.

The institution offers each employees a defined-contribution pension, dental coverage and, aft 1 twelvemonth of work, 3.8 weeks of abrogation — positive escaped tires.

Its communities and employees similar to accidental that Michelin is generous and accommodating. No mascot appears gentler than the Michelin Man. But the institution has besides generated contention successful the province.

In 1979 — to chants of "Shame!" successful the legislature — a Nova Scotia Conservative authorities passed an amendment to the Trade Union Act, which became known arsenic the Michelin Bill. The measure decreed that successful bid to unionize, immoderate institution with aggregate locations successful Nova Scotia indispensable motion up a bulk of employees crossed each locations. The Opposition and nationalist protested the measure successful response. 

The measure was drafted during an effort to unionize by employees successful Granton, and Michelin is ne'er specifically mentioned successful the legislation. The time aft the measure was passed, a caller Michelin works successful Waterville was announced.

The Nova Scotia NDP had agelong declared that if elected, it would repeal the Michelin Bill. But erstwhile elected to power in 2009, NDP Premier Darrell Dexter didn't travel through. He told the property helium had "no involvement successful warring battles that happened 30 years ago."

The Nova Scotia authorities has gone to large lengths to support Michelin successful the province. To physique the plants, a Nova Scotia Crown corp spent much wealth than Michelin itself.

The town's response

Overlooking the LaHave River from his office, Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell says helium believes Michelin is arsenic devoted to the municipality arsenic employees are to the company. He has staunch religion successful the institution anchoring his tiny town.

Mitchell is much disquieted astir a accumulation slowdown than a shutdown. For each layoff astatine Michelin, aggregate radical would consciousness the effect.

"1,200 jobs is astir 8,000 to 12,000 indirect jobs," helium says.

Whether it's the radical driving the 100 trucks coming successful and retired of the works daily, oregon section restaurants and shops, much than conscionable works workers would carnivore the burden.

Mitchell likens the existent governmental and economical hostility to an carnal storing nutrient for the winter. The lone difference? The carnal doesn't cognize if wintertime is really coming. 

"Do you commencement tucking distant your wealth and preparing for a slowdown?" Mitchell asks.

"Or is it each a bluff that's going to spell away?"