ESPANOLA, Ontario — “Traffic stopped” when the news hit earlier this week that Domtar planned on idling operations at its Espanola-based pulp and paper operations. So described a local hairdresser. …Espanola’s 2021 Statistics Canada population count was 5,185, and approximately 450 Domtar employees will be directly impacted by the pulp mill’s operations being put on pause. …It’s by far the community’s largest single employer, and the community’s history has been intertwined with the pulp and paper industry, originating as a company-owned town. Domtar acquired the mill during a takeover of E.B. Eddy in 1998. …The unionized workers at Domtar’s Espanola pulp and paper mill have joined the broader community in processing last week’s news, which they only caught wind of on Sept. 6. The Town of Espanola’s elected officials are also coming to grips with the impending shutdown.