Irving may be one of the largest employers in the province of New Brunswick, but their influence goes further than that. They own all the major english daily newspapers in the province of New Brunswick. So anyone that reads these newspapers reads a version that is heavily censored and tailored to a certain point of view. Irving is also one of the largest employers in the province, with interests in the forestry, retail, construction, transportation and food sectors.
Our municipal and provincial goverments are heavily influenced by the Irvings as well. Just recently, former Saint John major Norm McFarlane, who was a major force behind providing the Irvings with a huge tax break on the liquefied natural gas facility in the eastern part of the city, was defeated in the municipal election. Irving Paper which runs the pulp and paper mills recently stated that it has examined the possibility of moving operations out of New Brunswick and into Quebec if energy rates don't become more competitive. In effect, the municipal and provincial governments constantly get threatened so they will provide this group of companies with extremely favorable energy and tax rates while the rest of New Brunswick citizens enjoy yearly tax and energy price increases.
This is not about bashing the Irving's or big business. Business is essential for New Brunswick. This is about special treatment for certain businesses as far as taxation and energy costs are concerned. Huge savings for the Irving's translates into higher prices for the rest of us. They need to pay their fair share. In order for this province to truly prosper we need fairness and equality for everyone and every business. We also need freedom of speech and not having the media muzzled when reporting the news.
What do you think New Brunswick?