Talking Points
J.D. Irving, Ltd. notified employees at its Four Corners chip plant near Sussex, N.B., last week that their jobs will be relocated to a new facility in Saint John this spring.
The company said the move will centralize operations at the South Bay Chip Plant, affecting 20 unionized workers and five vacant positions. Employees will stay in their current roles through April as J.D. Irving works with them and Unifor Local 1309 on next steps.
The new Saint John facility is part of a broader $1.1-billion overhaul of the Irving Pulp & Paper, Ltd. mill. J.D. Irving said it now employs just over 220 people in the Sussex area after the reassignment.
- Twenty unionized jobs and five vacancies are impacted by the move
- J.D. Irving is consulting with employees and Unifor Local 1309
- The new chip plant opens in Saint John this spring
This story matters as it highlights changes in New Brunswick’s forestry sector and the impact of industrial restructuring on local communities and workers.
Employees working at the chip plant at J.D. Irving, Ltd.’s (JDI) sawmill outside of Sussex, N.B. were notified last week that the company is moving those jobs to Saint John.
The company informed workers at the chip plant in its Four Corners facility last week that their positions would be “centralized” to the new South Bay Chip Plant in Saint John when it opens this spring, according to vice-president of communications Anne McInerney. She described the move as a “small organizational change” that affects 20 unionized workers, plus another five currently vacant positions.
“Employees will remain in their current roles through April while we work with them on next steps,” McInerney said in an email Tuesday.
JDI first announced plans to convert the Bald Mountain Rock Quarry site in West Saint John to a wood chip facility in May 2024 alongside Irving Pulp & Paper, Ltd.’s $1.1-billion plan to overhaul the Saint John pulp mill. McInerney said the company is working with the employees and their union, Unifor Local 1309, and that she can’t yet say how many will accept roles in the new location.
The company directly employs “just over 220 people” at its Sussex-area sawmill and woodlands operations following the reassignment, McInerney said.
“Unifor is currently engaged in discussions with the Irving group on the future of members at the Sussex chip plant and has no information to share publicly at this time,” Unifor’s Atlantic regional director Jennifer Murray said in a statement Tuesday.
Sussex-Three Rivers MLA Tammy Scott-Wallace said that she has spoken with families affected by the change.
“I am sad to hear the loss of any jobs in this community, it’s important work for this region,” Scott-Wallace said Tuesday. “Each and every one of these job losses hurt us as a community, so I’m hopeful that the company will work fairly with these employees and ensure they land on their feet.”
