• New Brunswick signs deal for Canadian firm to explore old antimony mine

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-27 16:53:35.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Mining, Resources, Industry, Economy]

  The New Brunswick government has signed an exclusive exploration agreement granting Toronto-based Avenir Minerals 30 months to study the potential for reopening the former Lake George antimony mine southwest of Fredericton. The historic site, which operated intermittently from 1876 to 1996, was one of North America's largest producers of antimony, a critical mineral used in flame retardants, solar panels, lead-acid batteries, infrared missiles, nuclear weapons, and night vision goggles. Avenir Minerals CEO Alden Greenhouse stated that the exploration process will involve drilling and consultations with First Nations. This initiative follows a similar exploration deal announced by the province with U.S.-based Regeneration Enterprises for an abandoned mine site in northern New Brunswick as part of the provincial Liberal government's efforts to rejuvenate the mining industry.

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• New Brunswick strikes deal to explore recovering metals from old mine waste

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-26 21:19:48.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Resources, Mining, Environment, Industry]

  The Government of New Brunswick has struck an agreement with U.S.-based firm Regeneration Enterprises to explore recovering valuable metals, such as copper, lead, zinc, and silver, from decades-old mining waste at the closed Nigadoo mine site near Bathurst, N.B. The site currently represents a $35 million environmental liability for the province, which the company aims to remove from the provincial balance sheet by using recovered critical minerals to fund full site restoration and environmental remediation. Regeneration Enterprises, which is working alongside the Pabineau First Nation, expects to determine the financial viability of the project within a year, with potential processing operations beginning in two to three years if regulatory approvals are secured.

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• Nackawic mill workers and union push for government action as shutdown looms

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-16 20:51:04.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, National, Labour, Industry, Trade, Resources]

  AV Group NB Inc. announced it will temporarily idle the AV Nackawic Mill in New Brunswick on November 4 due to prevailing market conditions and trade pressures, placing roughly 240 unionized workers and 300 to 350 direct jobs at risk. In response, Unifor leadership and local union representatives are pushing for government intervention, including a national forestry strategy, a joint government task force, a provincial modernization review, and keeping the facility heated through the winter. Premier Susan Holt stated that the Government of New Brunswick is working with AV Group NB Inc. and municipal officials to explore employment alternatives and facility uses while Working NB assists affected employees with federal and provincial benefits.

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• AI-driven project to modernize New Brunswick forestry getting $50M boost from Ottawa

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-14 20:19:53.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, National, Economy, Resources, Technology, Industry]

  The federal government is committing up to $50 million to help build the New Brunswick Strategic Innovation Centre in Digital Forestry. The total $86 million project, led by the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute in collaboration with ResearchNB and the provincial Department of Natural Resources, will use artificial intelligence and digital tools to better track wood supply, optimize logistics, and reduce empty truck miles. Forestry currently supports approximately 24,000 jobs in New Brunswick and contributes roughly $1.5 billion annually to the provincial economy.

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• Atlantic business leaders call for regional policies and more natural resource development

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-25 21:34:13.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Economy, Trade, Energy, Resources, Mining, Industry]

  The Atlantic Economic Panel, chaired by Don Mills and commissioned by federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Minister Sean Fraser, released a strategic growth plan calling for the creation of a $1 billion Atlantic prosperity fund to help regional companies scale up. The report recommends greater regional integration, including the establishment of an independent electricity system operator across the four Atlantic provinces, the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers, coordinated immigration policies, and streamlined regulatory processes for major projects. Furthermore, the plan urges a 50 per cent expansion of the region's natural resources sector, bolstered by recent provincial policy shifts such as Nova Scotia lifting bans on fracking and uranium mining and approving five new mines.

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• Uncertainty hangs over Nackawic after pulp mill announces temporary shutdown

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-18 20:32:12.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Economy, Industry, Resources, Labour]

  AV Group NB Inc., a subsidiary of India-based Aditya Birla Group, announced the temporary idling of its AV Nackawic dissolving-grade pulp mill facility west of Fredericton, effective around the end of October. The shutdown will result in 350 workers losing their jobs, including 228 represented by the union Unifor. The company cited surplus market supply of dissolving-grade pulp and production costs outpacing stable price realizations as the primary drivers. Municipal and provincial officials, including Natural Resources Minister John Herron and Premier Susan Holt, expressed concern over the impact on the local economy and forestry sector, with provincial authorities working to assemble a support plan for affected workers.

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• New Brunswick mill laying off hundreds of workers, union says

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-17 21:44:08.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Labour, Industry, Resources, Economy]

  Unifor reports that the AV Nackawic mill, a subsidiary of the India-based Aditya Birla Group located in Nackawic-Millville, New Brunswick, will temporarily idle operations and lay off 228 workers in November. The facility produces dissolving grade pulp used for textiles and serves as a major economic driver for the rural community. New Brunswick Natural Resources Minister John Herron stated that the provincial government is developing a response plan to support the affected workers.

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• N.B. moves to bar U.S. goods from major provincial contracts amid trade war

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-10 18:54:54.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Trade, Economy, Resources, Industry]

  In response to escalating U.S. tariffs and executive orders targeting Canadian exports, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt announced that the province will prohibit the procurement of American goods and services for provincial contracts exceeding $5 million starting October 1, 2026. The restriction extends to suppliers operating in Canada that provide U.S. products, following a reduction in the value of U.S. government contracts from $34.4 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year down to $16.4 million in 2025-26. Additionally, the provincial government is reviewing its authority to restrict Americans from obtaining hunting and fishing licences as well as mining claims as a strategic negotiating tool.

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• New explosives factory could be built on 1,500 acres in northern New Brunswick

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-08-26 20:19:36.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Municipal, Industry, Defence, Resources, Infrastructure]

  The Government of New Brunswick has offered a 1,500-acre parcel of land near Belledune and Huron Bay to defense company Nalagx for the potential construction of an energetics and explosives factory producing TNT and propellants. Natural Resources Minister John Herron stated the land will be held for two years on the condition that Nalagx secures an agreement with a credible operating partner by December 31, with full production targeted for 2030. Premier Susan Holt emphasized that no final contract or commitment has been finalized and that the project is in its earliest exploratory stages, involving community and First Nations consultations. The site was selected for its proximity to regional roads, rail infrastructure, and the Port of Belledune to support NATO and allied defense supply chains.

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