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VIDEO: Irving Pulp & Paper and Irving Tissue executes $22M maintenance project

Irving Tissue and Irving Pulp & Paper are employing over 1,000 contractors from 45 companies in New Brunswick for a $22-million maintenance shutdown until September 17.

The workers will be on the job 24/7, with 150 extra tradespeople on site every day, from millwrights to labourers to pipefitters.

“The work underway with the help of some great New Brunswick contractors represent an annual investment in the future of our mill,” says Mark Mosher, vice-president of pulp and paper for J.D. Irving, Limited, in a statement. “Saint John is home, but we depend on suppliers from across New Brunswick to keep the mill running – from the woodlands through to the workers on site today. We’re committed to sustaining the mill jobs and the local suppliers – many of whom we’ve worked with for generations.”

Scot Chadwick has worked alongside his brother Trevor as a contractor for 38 years on Irving Pulp & Paper projects. They are both members of Local 900 of the International Labourers Union. “These maintenance shut down projects are great. They put money in our pockets and help the Irvings’ rebuild their mills so they can compete in the future,” says Chadwick in a video prepared by J.D. Irving (below).

The pulp mill has been part of the Saint John community since 1893. It is one of the longest running mills in Canada, which the company credits to ongoing environmental improvements and equipment modernization. Anchoring these mills and the sawmills that provide the hardwood and softwood chips is a diverse, and sustainable wood resource where more wood is grown than is harvested every year.