For the three years that the Rayner dam and the new highway were being created, many jobs were available in Wharncliffe. Most of the remaining Wharncliffe farmers quit farming for the steady work, good pay, and fewer hours that Hydro and Highways provided. With over 850 jobs being offered who would not try to get one? In their opinion it sure beat farming!

One of the jobs being offered during this time was being a guard at the guard house up at Hydro. When anyone came up to Hydro to look around, they were required to stop at the guard house and one of the men on duty would escort them around. There were two men working at this guard house: Gordon Pidd and Steven Osborne."

Picture: courtesy of Margaret Osborne.

After the three years passed and Hydro was packing up to leave, many decided to leave the area, following Hydro in hopes of getting on for work on other dams. The same went for the highway crews. Others lost their jobs, but remained in Wharncliffe slipping into poverty with the loss of income. After abandoning their farms for so long some found it hard to get back into the swing of farm life. Eventually, economic life in Wharncliffe returned to the way it was before those three busy years. Except for the new highway and dam, Wharncliffe had nothing to show: not much long-term employment had been created, and Wharncliffe didn't even receive electricity until three years after the dam was in. For some it was like waking up from a dream, when you realize that your dream did not come true and that you're still at home in bed. Or in their case, right back where they had started.

Picture: courtesy of Lyle and Dorothy Ansley.

Presently, there is usually a highway crew working somewhere on the highway each year from spring to fall. They are usually fixing up patches or doing bridge work. This provides a few jobs for local residents. The hydro generating stations on the Mississagi River also provide employment for about 65 local residents, although the operation of the dams themselves is now mainly done by computer from operating centres in Toronto and Thunder Bay.