Local Employment Potential Information

Local Labour Market News

Week of May 06 – May 10, 2013

• A first contract to build a 45-foot boat at the new Bas-Caraquet shipyard was announced recently at a meeting of the two communities of Bas-Caraquet and Caraquet. The two communities are shareholders of the shipyard. The boat will be built by Construction navale Atlantique this summer, and is expected to create 5 to 6 jobs. Paul Lanteigne, president of Construction navale Atlantique expects that another contract for the construction of a similar vessel will follow.
• The Belledune lead smelter has been acquired by Glencore Xstrata. The smelter has diversified its customer base in the past few years thus mitigating the impact of the recent closure of Brunswick Mine, its main customer. The restructuring is not expected to affect the 350 jobs currently existing at the smelter although some efforts to reduce bureaucratic duplication may eventually affect some administratives positions.
• The Minister of Energy and Mines announced that Trevali Mining Corporation was given approval to operate its Caribou Mine located near Bathurst. It is expected to result in several hundred new jobs for the region. Trevali has begun hiring technical personnel and placing orders for components of the mill.
• The Miramichi Lumber Products Inc. mill reopened this week. Twenty-five workers were hired initially. The workforce is anticipated to double to 55 by next week. An additional 40 workers are expected to be hired in the woodlands operations within two weeks. The mill temporarily closed down last year because of poor market conditions. The company stated that it is committed to hiring more than 100 local workers within the next few weeks.
• A new radio station 95.9 Sun FM began operation in Miramichi on Monday May 6, employing 12 people
• The Miramichi Regional Hospital will cut 6 positions as part of the cost saving measures announced by the Horizon Health Network. Staff were notified on Friday May 3rd.

Week of Apr 29 – May 03, 2013

• A recovery plan proposal submitted by Les Pêcheries G.E.M. Ltée was accepted by its creditors at a meeting held in Bathurst on April 29. The fish processing company had been placed under bankruptcy protection in Nov. 2012. The company has also recently negotiated a contract with L.A. Trading of Caraquet to supply lobster and is currently processing sea cucumbers, lobster and herring under a contract with Marubeni Corporation, providing work to 160 workers at the plant.
• The Marché de poisson Lanteigne in Baie-du-Petit-Pokemouche was destroyed by fire on Wednesday May 1. The plant had recently reduced its operation. In April, the company announced it would not be processing lobster this Spring. Subsequently, many of the workers have found employment with other fish processing plants within the Acadian Peninsula. At its peak of operation, the plant employed 80 workers. It has not been determined if the owner will rebuild.

Week of Apr 22 – Apr 26, 2013

• The provincial and federal governments announced funding in the amount of $775,000 for Heveco, a company that harvests peat moss in Tabusintac NB. The funding will primarily be used to purchase new equipment to improve productivity at the operation.
• Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc., a company offering workplace-based training, plans on creating 22 new jobs at its centre of excellence in Miramichi. Bluedrop currently employs approximately 55 persons.
• MQM Quality Manufacturing of Tracadie-Sheila specializing in steel construction has received $400,000 from the provinces' Northern NB Economic Dev. And Innovation Fund, and a $500,000 interest-free loan from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The money will be used to purchase a new machine for cutting steel. The expanded production is expected to create 10 additional jobs. According to its president, the company has created 20 new jobs in the last year.
• The town of Tracadie-Sheila is expected to lose laundry services at their local hospital, leading to a loss of 10 jobs. The provincial government announced that it was consolidating these services and is transferring the hospital's laundry services to the Campbellton hospital. The municipal council of Tracadie-Sheila is sending a letter to the minister Claude Landry to voice their concerns about this decision.

Week of Apr 15 – Apr 19, 2013

• The snow crab fishing quota for the Acadian Pensinsula (Zone 12) has increased by 22% for 2013 and now stands tentatively at 22,220 tons. Last year the Ichiboshi plant provided approximately 450 workers with 7 to 8 weeks employment to process the snow crab.
• Millennium Marine, a boat building firm in Miramichi has decided to expand operations to Eastport, Maine due partly to a shortage of skilled workers in the Miramichi area. The expansion is expected to create 50 year-round, full-time positions in the Eastport area. Boat hulls and fibreglass components will be manufactured in Maine and shipped back to New Brunswick to be finished.