J.D. Irving Limited (JDI) is a privately owned
conglomerate company headquartered in
Saint John,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, Canada. It is a subsidiary of the parent company,
Irving Group of Companies
The Irving Group of Companies is an informal name given to those companies owned and controlled by the descendants of Canadian industrialist K.C. Irving, namely his children J.K. (b. 1928), Arthur (b. 1930), and Jack (1932–2010) and their re ...
, along with
Irving Oil Refinery,
Canaport
Canaport is a Canadian marine crude oil receiving terminal located on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at Mispec Point, approximately southeast of the city of Saint John, New Brunswick.
Commissioned in 1970, Canaport was the first deep-water ...
,
Irving Tissue
Irving Tissue Company Limited is a tissue products producing company, owned by J.D. Irving Limited.http://www.irvingtissue.ca/About.aspx?id=220&LangType=1033 About Irving Tissue It has manufacturing locations in both Canada and the United States ...
Irving Equipment,
Kent Building Supplies,
New Brunswick Railway
The New Brunswick Railway Company Limited (NBR) is currently a Canadian non-operating railway and land holding company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the J.D. Irving ...
,
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglo ...
, Eastern Maine Railway,
Maine Northern Railway
The Maine Northern Railway Company Limited is a U.S. and Canadian short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate ...
,
Brunswick News
Brunswick News Inc. is a Canadian newspaper publishing company based on Bloor Street in Toronto. Once privately owned by James K. Irving and based in Saint John, New Brunswick, it was sold to Postmedia in 2022.
Brunswick News Inc. (BNI) was in ...
,
Acadia Broadcasting,
Irving Shipbuilding
Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is a Canadian shipbuilder and in-service support provider.
The company owns industrial fabricators Woodside Industries in Dartmouth, Marine Fabricators in Dartmouth, Halifax Shipyard as the largest facility
and company ...
,
Cavendish Farms
Cavendish Farms is a Canadian food processing company and subsidiary of the J. D. Irving group of companies. Its headquarters are in Dieppe, New Brunswick and potato processing plants in New Annan, Prince Edward Island, Lethbridge, Alberta, and ...
. It is involved in many industries including
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
,
forestry products,
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
,
food processing,
transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
ation, and
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...
. JDI company forms, with
Irving Oil
Irving Oil Ltd. is a Canadian gasoline, oil, and natural gas producing and exporting company. Considered part of the Irving Group of Companies, it was founded by entrepreneur Kenneth "K.C." Irving and is privately owned by his son, Arthur, and h ...
, Ocean Capital Investments and
Brunswick News
Brunswick News Inc. is a Canadian newspaper publishing company based on Bloor Street in Toronto. Once privately owned by James K. Irving and based in Saint John, New Brunswick, it was sold to Postmedia in 2022.
Brunswick News Inc. (BNI) was in ...
, the bulk of the
Irving Group of Companies
The Irving Group of Companies is an informal name given to those companies owned and controlled by the descendants of Canadian industrialist K.C. Irving, namely his children J.K. (b. 1928), Arthur (b. 1930), and Jack (1932–2010) and their re ...
, which groups the interests of the Irving family.
History
J.D. Irving Limited (JDI) traces its roots to a sawmill operated in
Bouctouche, New Brunswick
Bouctouche is a Canadian town in Kent County, New Brunswick.
History
Bouctouche was originally named Tjipogtotjg (pronounced ''Chebooktoosk''), a Mi'kmaq word meaning "Great Little Harbour". The region was next settled by brothers Francois L ...
by its namesake,
James Dergavel Irving.
[ J.D. Irving's operations were entrusted to his children, one of whom, ]Kenneth Colin Irving
Kenneth Colin Irving, (March 14, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was a Canadian businessman whose business began with a family sawmill in Bouctouche, N.B., in 1882. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Biography Early life
Bor ...
, assumed majority ownership and used JDI as a springboard for expanding into pulp and paper and other forestry-related businesses between the 1920s and 1940s.
In the post-war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
years, JDI took control of pulp mills in Saint John and upstate New York, as well as sawmills throughout New Brunswick. During the 1950s, JDI took control of a shipyard in Saint John and started several trucking
Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...
companies and heavy industry companies like Irving Equipment to satisfy the growing needs of the company.
From the 1960s-2000s, JDI expanded to become the largest forestry company in the Maritimes and northern Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
and the region's largest industrial player, with extensive land holdings, tree nurseries, pulp mills (plants producing kraft pulp, supercalendered paper, tissue products, and corrugated medium), sawmills, a retail chain of home improvement stores ( Kent Building Supplies), modular home construction ( Kent Homes), industrial construction, wallboard
Drywall (also called plasterboard, dry lining, wallboard, sheet rock, gypsum board, buster board, custard board, and gypsum panel) is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or without additives, typically extruded between thic ...
manufacturing, marine towing and dredging ( Atlantic Towing), prefabricated concrete (StresCon), steel fabrication (Ocean Steel), frozen food production (Cavendish Farms
Cavendish Farms is a Canadian food processing company and subsidiary of the J. D. Irving group of companies. Its headquarters are in Dieppe, New Brunswick and potato processing plants in New Annan, Prince Edward Island, Lethbridge, Alberta, and ...
), fertilizer and agri-services ( Cavendish Agri-Services), railways (New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglo ...
), and manufacturing of personal care products including tissue and paper towels ( Majesta and Royale) as well as diapers (Irving Personal Care).
In the 1970s and 1980s, JDI expanded into trucking with its Scot Truck subsidiary based in Debert, NS. Now called Midland Transport
Midland may refer to:
Places Australia
* Midland, Western Australia
Canada
* Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Midland, Ontario
India
* Midland Ward, Kohima, Na ...
and based in Dieppe, NB, it is joined by sister companies Midland Courier
Midland may refer to:
Places Australia
* Midland, Western Australia
Canada
* Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Midland, Ontario
India
* Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...
(Dieppe), Sunbury Transport ( Fredericton) and RST Industries (Saint John).
JDI is also the largest shipbuilder in Canada with ownership of shipyards in Halifax, Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, Shelburne, and Georgetown.
Incidents
As a large regional industrial conglomerate, J.D. Irving Ltd. subsidiaries have been the focus of several notable incidents:
* In 1970 an oil barge named '' Irving Whale'' sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence causing periodic oil spills until it was raised by the federal government in 1996.
* In 2007 the Irving Pulp & Paper Ltd. mill at Reversing Falls
The Reversing Falls are a series of rapids on the Saint John River located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where the river runs through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy.
The semidiurnal tides of the bay force the flow ...
accidentally released 680,000 litres of green liquid into the Saint John River; pleading guilty, the company received a fine of $50,000. In November 2008 Environment Canada investigators exercised a search warrant at Irving Pulp & Paper's head office to seek more information on this accidental spill.
* In November 2008 JDI Logistics and Atlantic Towing made the news over an accident involving the transport of 2 new turbines from Saint John Harbour
Saint John Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of New Brunswick, Canada, and within the seaport city of Saint John, New Brunswick.
Harbour description
The harbour includes the following geographic areas:
* Anthonys Cove
...
to the nearby Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station
Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power station located 2 km northeast of Point Lepreau, New Brunswick, Canada. The facility was constructed between 1975 and 1983 by NB Power, the provincially owned public utility.
...
. The JDI subsidiaries had been sub-contracted by Siemens AG
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...
, Turbine Replacement sub-contractor for the facility's owner NB Power
New Brunswick Power Corporation (french: Société d’énergie du Nouveau-Brunswick), operating as NB Power (french: Énergie NB), is the primary electric utility in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. NB Power is a vertically-integrated C ...
. The 2 turbines were manufactured by Siemens AG
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...
in Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and were shipped to Saint John on a road transport vehicle aboard a cargo ship. The cargo was off-loaded from the ship onto a barge owned by Atlantic Towing Ltd., however the cargo shifted and the barge tipped, sending the turbines and the road transport vehicle into Saint John Harbour.
* In late November 2008 the Atlantic Towing Ltd. dredging barge ''Shovel Master'' was being towed by the company's tugboat ''Atlantic Larch'' from Saint John to Halifax for a refit when it foundered in heavy seas west of Yarmouth, NS. The barge crew of 3 was rescued by a CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter before the barge capsized. Several ATL tugboats and commercial divers responded and a tow line was secured to the capsized, yet floating, barge by the tugboat '' Atlantic Oak''. The barge was towed south of Yarmouth however it sank in , carrying of diesel fuel, as well as of hydraulic fluid and of waste oil
Waste oil is defined as any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that, through contamination, has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of impurities or loss of original properties.
Differentiating between "waste oil" and "use ...
.
Controversies
J.D. Irving’s ownership of most major media outlets in New Brunswick has led to ongoing concern regarding control of the media. A report from the Canadian Senate in 2006 on media control in Canada singled out New Brunswick because of the Irving companies' ownership of all English-language daily newspapers in the province, including the Telegraph-Journal
The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It serves as both a provincial daily and as a local newspaper for Saint John. The newspaper is published by Brunswick News. The ''Telegraph-Journal'' ...
. Senator Joan Fraser
Joan Fraser (born October 12, 1944) is a Canadian former senator and journalist.
Biography
Fraser went to Edgehill School and then joined the ''Montreal Gazette'' in 1965 after graduating from McGill University. After two years as a cub repo ...
, author of the Senate report, stated, "We didn't find anywhere else in the developed world a situation like the situation in New Brunswick." The report went further, stating, "the Irvings' corporate interests form an industrial-media complex that dominates the province" to a degree "unique in developed countries." At the Senate hearing, journalists and academics cited Irving newspapers' lack of critical reporting on the family's influential businesses.
Divisions
The following is a list of divisions of J.D. Irving, Ltd.
Irving Forest Products & Services
* Irving Pulp & Paper Ltd.
* Irving Paper Ltd.
* Irving Tissue Co. Ltd.
* Lake Utopia Paper
* Irving Sawmill Division
* Irving Woodlands Division
Irving Transportation Services
* New Brunswick Railway Co. Ltd.
** New Brunswick Southern Railway Co. Ltd.
** Eastern Maine Railway Co. Ltd.
** Maine Northern Railway Co. Ltd.
* Midland Transport
Midland may refer to:
Places Australia
* Midland, Western Australia
Canada
* Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Midland, Ontario
India
* Midland Ward, Kohima, Na ...
* Midland Courier
Midland may refer to:
Places Australia
* Midland, Western Australia
Canada
* Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Midland, Ontario
India
* Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...
* RST Industries
* Sunbury Transport
* Atlantic Towing
* Kent Line
* JDI Logistics
* Harbour Development
Irving Shipbuilding & Fabrication Services
* Saint John Shipbuilding
Saint John Shipbuilding was a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Saint John, New Brunswick. The shipyard was active from 1923 to 2003.
History
Numerous shipyards were located on the shores of Courtney Bay in the east end of Saint John H ...
* Halifax Shipyard
The Halifax Shipyard Limited is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Founded in 1889, it is today a wholly owned subsidiary of Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and is that company's largest ship construction and repair facili ...
* Shelburne Ship Repair
Shelburne may refer to:
People
* Marquess of Lansdowne
* John Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne (1706–1761), Member of the Great Britain Parliament
* William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne (1737–1805), Prime Minister of Great Britain
* Ramona Shelbur ...
* Woodside Industries
* Fleetway Inc.
Oceanic Consulting Corporation
East Isle Shipyard
East Isle Shipyard is a shipbuilding facility in Georgetown, Prince Edward Island
Georgetown is a community located within the municipality of Three Rivers in Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is the Capital of Kings County. Previously incorporated as a town, it amalgamated with the town of Montague, the rural ...
and owned by Irving. The small shipyard is located on Water Street with single slipway along Georgetown Harbour. It is the sole shipbuilding facility in the province.
It was founded as Bathurst Marine in Bathurst, New Brunswick
Bathurst ( 2021 population; UA 12,157 ) is the largest City in Northern New Brunswick, it overlooks the Nepisiguit Bay, part of Chaleur Bay and is at the estuary of the Nepisiguit River. As part of the New Brunswick local governance reform , ...
in 1961 before moving to Georgetown in 1965. The facility has operated in various names but with current name since the 1990s.
The yard built trawlers in the 1960s, the diversified in the 1970s before it began to specialize in tugs in the 1990s.
In 2010 the shipyard laid off staff due to lack of orders.[ ]
Notable ships built here include:
* ''Atlantic Spruce'' fireboat tug (1995)
* Atlantic Oak tugboat (2004)
* Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
's Glen class tugs:
** CFAV Glenevis (YTB 642) (1976)
** CFAV Glenbrook (YTB 643) (1976)
** CFAV Glenside (YTB 644) (1977)
Irving Retail & Distribution Services
* Chandler
* Kent Building Supplies
* Universal Truck & Trailer
* Shamrock Truss
* Atlas Structural Systems
* Cavendish Agri Services
Irving Consumer Products
* Irving Tissue
Irving Tissue Company Limited is a tissue products producing company, owned by J.D. Irving Limited.http://www.irvingtissue.ca/About.aspx?id=220&LangType=1033 About Irving Tissue It has manufacturing locations in both Canada and the United States ...
(Royale, Scotties, private labels)
* Irving Personal Care Irving may refer to:
People
*Irving (name), including a list of people with the name
Fictional characters
* Irving, the main character's love interest in Cathy (comic strip)
* Lloyd Irving, the main protagonist in the ''Tales of Symphonia'' vide ...
(diapers, training pants)
* Cavendish Produce (fresh vegetables)
* Cavendish Farms
Cavendish Farms is a Canadian food processing company and subsidiary of the J. D. Irving group of companies. Its headquarters are in Dieppe, New Brunswick and potato processing plants in New Annan, Prince Edward Island, Lethbridge, Alberta, and ...
(frozen potato processing)
** Indian River Farms
** Riverdale Foods Riverdale may refer to:
Buildings
*Riverdale Centre, former name for Lewisham Shopping Centre, London, England
* Riverdale House, a Victorian mansion in Sheffield, England
* Riverdale (Selma, Alabama), a historic plantation house in Dallas County, ...
Construction & Equipment Division
* Irving Wallboard
* Gulf Operators
* Irving Equipment (crane rental, heavy lifting, specialized transportation, pile driving and project management services)
* CFM
* Kent Homes
* PumpsPlus Ltd
Specialty Printing
* Plasticraft
Personnel Services
* Protrans Personnel Services Inc.
Security Services
* Industrial Security Limited
Amateur Sports
* Moncton Wildcats
The Moncton Wildcats are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The franchise was granted for the 1995–96 season, known as the Moncton Alpines for one season, and as the Wildca ...
Brunswick News
Brunswick News Inc. is a Canadian newspaper publishing company based on Bloor Street in Toronto. Once privately owned by James K. Irving and based in Saint John, New Brunswick, it was sold to Postmedia in 2022.
Brunswick News Inc. (BNI) was in ...
* ''Telegraph-Journal
The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It serves as both a provincial daily and as a local newspaper for Saint John. The newspaper is published by Brunswick News. The ''Telegraph-Journal'' ...
'' ( Saint John NB)
* ''Times & Transcript
The ''Times & Transcript'' is a newspaper from Moncton, New Brunswick. It serves Greater Moncton and eastern New Brunswick. Its offices and printing facilities are located on Main Street in Downtown Moncton. The paper is published by Brunswick N ...
'' ( Moncton NB)
* ''The Daily Gleaner
''The Daily Gleaner'' is a morning daily newspaper serving the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and the upper Saint John River Valley. The paper is published Monday through Saturday and began operating in 1880. In April 2006, the paper switch ...
'' ( Fredericton NB)
* ''The Tribune'' ( Campbellton NB
* ''La Voix du Restigouche'' ( Campbellton NB)
* '' The Bugle-Observer'' ( Woodstock NB)
* ''Le Journal Madawaska'' ( Edmundston NB)
* Victoria Star (Grand Falls NB)
*''L'Étoile'' (various editions)
** ''Édition provinciale''
** ''Édition La Cataracte'' ( Grand Falls NB)
** ''Édition Chaleur'' ( Bathurst NB)
** ''Édition Dieppe'' ( Dieppe NB)
** ''Édition Kent'' ( Bouctouche NB)
** ''Édition Péninsule'' ( Shippagan NB)
** ''Édition République'' ( Edmundston NB)
** ''Édition Restigouche'' ( Campbellton NB)
** ''Édition Shédiac'' ( Shediac NB)
* ''Kings County Record
The ''Kings County Record'' is a weekly newspaper serving Sussex, New Brunswick and the surrounding area. It began publication in 1887. It is the paper of record in Kings County, New Brunswick and is published on Tuesdays.
See also
*List of news ...
'' ( Sussex NB)
* ''Miramichi Leader'' ( Miramichi NB)
* ''The Northern Light'' ( Bathurst NB)
* ''Here'' ( Saint John NB, Moncton NB, Fredericton NB)
* ''Money Saver'' ( St. Stephen NB)
A selection of former subsidiaries
* Acadian Lines Ltd
* SMT (Eastern) Ltd. Bus Lines
* Saint John City Transit
* Hawk Communications
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily a ...
* Steel and Engine Products Ltd
* Pictou Shipyard
* Commercial Equipment Limited
* Maritime Tire
* MITI (AKA XWAVE)
* Barrington Industrial
* Lexitech
* Irving Industrial Rentals
Citations
References
*
External links
Official website
J.D. Irving, Equipment Division
{{Irving Group of Companies
Conglomerate companies of Canada
Food and drink companies of Canada
Pulp and paper companies of Canada
Transport companies of Canada
Companies based in Saint John, New Brunswick