Bigger Accomplishments. Thats Ryder.

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New Brunswick - Province Spotlight
Kim Williams, Rental Manager - New Brunswick
Saint John is a historic city and popular port of call. The Loyalist City, as it is often
referred to, is the largest in the province and the oldest in the country. The city is one of
the busiest shipping ports in Canada in terms of gross tonnage. Saint John has become
a major energy hub for the East Coast. It is the home of Canada’s biggest oil refinery and an
LNG terminal has also been constructed in the city. In addition, the public owns large oil-fired
and nuclear power plants, which are located in or near the city. Due to recent prosperity, the
retail, commercial, and residential sectors are currently experiencing a resurgence. Saint John is
arguably the most ‘Maritime’ city in New Brunswick, both in terms of its culture and traditional
industries.
Moncton is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the province and is among the top ten
fastest growing urban areas in Canada. Its economy is principally based on the transportation,
distribution, information technology, commercial, and retail sectors. Moncton has a sizable
Francophone Acadian minority population (35%) and became officially bilingual in 2002. Since
the city’s transition to bilingualism, Moncton has experienced an upsurge in French in-migration
from elsewhere in the province.
Fredericton, the capital of the province, is home to both the University of New Brunswick, and
St. Thomas University. One of Canada’s largest military bases, CFB Gagetown, is located near
suburban Oromocto; which is situated just east of Fredericton. The economy of Fredericton is
intricately tied to the governmental, military, and university sectors.
Highest tides in the world
New Brunswick is bordered on the north by Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula and by Chaleur Bay.
The eastern boundary is formed by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Northumberland Strait. The
southeast corner of the province is connected to the Nova Scotia peninsula by the narrow Isthmus
of Chignecto. The south of the province is bounded by the Bay of Fundy coast, which with a
rise of 16 m (52 ft), has amongst the highest tides in the world. The US state of Maine forms the
western boundary.
River systems play a significant role in economic success
The major river systems of the province include the St. Croix River, Saint John River, Kennebecasis
River, Petitcodiac River, Magaguadavic River, Miramichi River, Nepisiguit River, and the
Restigouche River. Although smaller, the Bouctouche River, Richibucto River and Kouchibouguac
River are also important. The economy of New Brunswick are based more on the province’s river
systems than its seacoasts. Because of this, New Brunswick’s population centers tend to be less
‘centralized’ than in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton
all sit on rivers that have played a significant role in their economic history.
The total land and water area of the province is 72,908 km2 (28,150 sq mi), over 80 percent of
which is forested. Agricultural lands are found mostly in the upper Saint John River Valley, with
lesser amounts of farmland in the southeast of the province.
Fastest clipper ship ever built
Throughout the mid 19th century, shipbuilding on the Bay of
Fundy shore and also on the Petitcodiac River and rivers on the
east coast became a dominant industry in New Brunswick. The
Marco Polo, the fastest clipper ship ever built, was launched from
Saint John in 1851. Resource-based industries such as logging and
farming were also important components of the New Brunswick
economy.
As the 20th century dawned, however, the province’s economy
again began to expand. Manufacturing gained strength with the
construction of textile mills, forestry sector, the sawmills that had
dotted inland sections of the province gave way to larger pulp and
paper mills. The railway industry, meanwhile, provided for growth
and prosperity in the Moncton region. Two influential families, the
Irvings and the McCains, emerged from the Depression to begin
to modernise and vertically integrate the provincial economy—
especially in the vital forestry, food processing, and energy sectors.
In the mid-1960s, forestry practices changed from the controlled
harvests of a commodity to the cultivation of the forests.
Economy
New Brunswick’s urban areas have modern, service-based
economies dominated by the health care, educational, retail, finance,
and insurance sectors. These sectors are reasonably equitably
distributed in all three principal urban centres. In addition, heavy
industry and port facilities are found in Saint John; Fredericton
is dominated by government services, universities, and the
military; and Moncton has developed as a commercial, retail,
transportation, and distribution centre with important rail and air
terminal facilities.
The rural primary economy is best known for forestry, mining,
mixed farming, and fishing.
The US is the province’s largest export market, accounting for 92%
of a foreign trade. Refined petroleum accounts for 63% of the total,
followed by seafood products, pulp, paper and sawmill products
and non-metallic minerals (chiefly potash).[18]
Forestry is important in all areas of the province but especially in
the heavily forested central regions. There are many sawmills in
the smaller towns and large pulp and paper mills.
Heavy metals, including lead and zinc, are mined in the north
around Bathurst. One of the world’s largest potash deposits is
located in Sussex; a second potash mine, costing over a billion
dollars, is in development in the Sussex region. Oil and natural gas
deposits are also being developed in the Sussex region.
The most valuable fish catches are lobster, scallops and snow crab.
The farming of Atlantic salmon in the Passamaquoddy Bay region
is an important local industry.
The largest employers in the province are the Irving group of
companies, several large multinational forest companies, the
government of New Brunswick, and the McCain Foods group of
companies.
6 PRIDE, it’s a culture
Volume 06 June 2015 7
PRIDE, it’s a culture
Volume 06 June 2015