{"id":1436,"date":"2026-09-19T04:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T20:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/19\/new-brunswick-community-left-reeling-after-mill-closure-premier-vows-support\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T04:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T20:00:38","slug":"new-brunswick-community-left-reeling-after-mill-closure-premier-vows-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/19\/new-brunswick-community-left-reeling-after-mill-closure-premier-vows-support\/","title":{"rendered":"New Brunswick community left reeling after mill closure, premier vows support"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n<\/div>
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt pictured at the Council of the Federation meeting in Charlottetown, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Darren Calabrese – The Canadian Press <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FREDERICTON \u2014 A small New Brunswick community has been left reeling after the owners of an aging pulp mill that has been the area’s economic driver for more than half a century announced it would halt production. <\/p>\n

AV Group NB Inc., an affiliate of the India-based Aditya Birla Group, said Thursday it would temporarily idle its AV Nackawic facility west of Fredericton around the end of October. <\/p>\n

“The decision follows a careful assessment of the continuing challenges presented by prevailing market conditions and broader macroeconomic factors,” the company said in a brief statement. <\/p>\n

The mill employs about 350 people and produces dissolving grade pulp used in the production of textiles, according to AV Group NB. <\/p>\n

Union officials with Unifor said the closure of the mill is a “devastating decision” that will put more than 200 of its members out of work as of Nov. 4, delivering a serious blow to the local economy. <\/p>\n

Tim Fox, mayor of the Nackawic-Millville Rural Community, said the closure will create anxiety and disruption for a community of 4,400 residents, where just about everyone knows someone who will be affected by the layoffs. <\/p>\n

However, Fox said he’s hoping the workers, community and province can find a way to keep the mill running. <\/p>\n

“We’d much rather spend our time working on potential solutions, as crazy as they might be,” Fox said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday. <\/p>\n

It’s not the first time the mill has shut down. <\/p>\n

The St. Anne-Nackawic Pulp and Paper Company first opened a mill in 1970, with the village of Nackawic growing around it to house the workers. Then the mill closed without warning in September 2004 after it went bankrupt. <\/p>\n

Soon after, the province said it would spend more than a million dollars to clean and winterize the mill. <\/p>\n

It re-opened in January 2006 after Aditya Birla Group and Tembec Inc. purchased and retooled the plant, with the support of public and private investors. <\/p>\n

On Friday, Fox said it might be possible to once again find new investors and repurpose the mill. <\/p>\n

“Hopefully we … make sure that it’s temporary and not a permanent closure,” he said. <\/p>\n

Mike Legere, a spokesperson for the owner, said rising production costs and stronger competitors have lead to at least five years of economic headwinds as costs are now outpacing profits. <\/p>\n

For the time being, he said shifting the plant into a “temporary idling” mode will allow AV Group NB to keep it in a ready state rather than implementing a full shutdown. He said the company is now focused on fulfilling legal obligations to its employees and suppliers. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

The mill sells all of its pulp to the textiles industry, he said, adding that most of the company’s customers are in Asia. <\/p>\n

Despite the mill’s lack of reliance on American customers, Legere said U.S. President Donald Trump’s penchant for tariffs has created instability in global markets, reducing consumer demand. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, politicians in New Brunswick say they are disappointed by the planned closure of a mill they say is crucial to the province’s economy. <\/p>\n

Provincial Natural Resources Minister John Herron said various government departments are working on a plan to support those who need immediate help. <\/p>\n

Liberal Premier Susan Holt said the pending closure will be very difficult for the workers, their families and the entire community. <\/p>\n

“Your government has your back,” she said in a social media post. “We will be there for you, for your community, and for the region as we work through this difficult time together.” <\/p>\n

Opposition Green Party representative David Coon called on Holt’s government not to move too quickly. <\/p>\n

“This is no time for the premier and her cabinet to panic and risk making a terrible deal concerning the future of the mill and the Crown land licence that supports it,” Coon said in a statement Friday. <\/p>\n

“The wood needs to stay allocated to the Nackawic region, while options are being explored.” <\/p>\n

Richard Bragdon, the Conservative MP for the area, described the mill’s closure as “deeply troubling” for the province. <\/p>\n

“The impact will extend beyond the mill to forestry contractors, truckers, woodlot owners, local businesses, and everyone who depends on the economic activity it generates,” Bragdon said Thursday. <\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2026. <\/p>\n

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt pictured at the Council of the Federation meeting in Charlottetown, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Darren Calabrese – The Canadian Press FREDERICTON \u2014 A small New Brunswick community has been left reeling after the owners of an aging pulp mill that has been the area’s economic driver for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us-stocks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btbitcoin.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}