After 45 years, North Bay mechanics call it a career

It's the end of an era at the Petro Canada Mechanic Shop on Algonquin Street in North Bay.

After 45 years, Don Lelievre and Blair Martin are calling it a career and hanging up their tools.

A garage with a bay for Don and a bay for Blair is what you see at the Algonquin Garage – at least until next Thursday.

Martin said he has seen a lot of evolution in the industry in the last 45 years.

“Lots of changes happening very quickly with the automobile,” he said.

“It's been fun. You move along with the changes, you adapt, and do what you can.”

"We're hanging our tools up!” said Lelievre.

“It's been interesting, put it that way. You learn things ... hard things you learn -- and easy things you learn."

The duo have been working at the garage since 1977 and said loyal North Bay customers have made their job so enjoyable for this long.

"The ones that we've had, they're excellent,” Lelievre said.

“Me and Blair make them appointments and then they're back for other things. We had very good customers, repeatedly the same customers, and everything always seems to go fine."

The pair said there's been some ups and downs during their more than four-decade career, but said teamwork has gone a long way.

"We work off each other,” Martin said.

“There's things Don (excelled) at, there's other things I (excelled) at. We put those things together and make a good team."

While he’s retired before, at age 70, Lelievre said this time it’s for good.

As for Martin, he said you can find him on the lake fishing from here on out.