J.D. Irving Limited (JDI) is a privately owned

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** ...

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 The Irving Oil Refinery is a Canadian oil refinery located in Saint John, New Brunswick. It is currently the largest oil refinery in Canada, capable of producing more than of refined products per day. Over 80 per cent of the production is exported ...

, Canaport,

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 Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it fac ...

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. Irvin ...

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 congl ...

, 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 Acadia Broadcasting Limited is a Canadian radio broadcasting network that operates 5 FM radio stations in Northwestern Ontario and 10 in the Atlantic Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It is owned by Ocean Capital Investments wh ...

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 ...

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex in ...

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 bef ...

. 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 K.C. Irving, Kenneth "K.C." Irving and is privately owned by his son, A ...

, Ocean Capital Investments and

, the bulk of the

, 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, assumed majority ownership and used JDI as a springboard for expanding into

pulp and paper The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process The pulp is fed to a paper machine where it is formed as a paper web a ...

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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 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 The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of C ...

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 nor ...

and the region's largest industrial player, with extensive land holdings, tree nurseries, pulp mills (plants producing

kraft The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015. A merger with Heinz, arran ...

pulp, supercalendered paper, tissue products, and corrugated medium), sawmills, a retail chain of home improvement stores (

), modular home construction (

Kent Homes Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the ...

), 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 (

), fertilizer and agri-services ( Cavendish Agri-Services), railways (

), 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 (Dieppe), Sunbury Transport (

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

) and RST Industries (Saint John). JDI is also the largest shipbuilder in Canada with ownership of shipyards in Halifax,

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, 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 Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ...

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 Co ...

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. The 2 turbines were manufactured by

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

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 The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the Canadian Forces designation for the AgustaWestland AW101 (formerly EH101), a helicopter used for air-sea rescue in Canada. Developed as a joint venture between Westland Aircraft in the UK and Agusta ...

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 The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the Br ...

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, 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 Courier * 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 * Shelburne Ship Repair *

Woodside Industries Woodside may refer to: Places and buildings Australia * Woodside, South Australia, a town * Woodside, Victoria, a town Canada * Woodside National Historic Site, the boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King *Woodside, Nova Scotia, a neighbo ...

* 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 subma ...

'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 Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

* Shamrock Truss * Atlas Structural Systems *

Cavendish Agri Services Cavendish may refer to: People * The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family * Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist * Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...

Irving Consumer Products

(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'' video ...

(diapers, training pants) *

Cavendish Produce Cavendish may refer to: People * The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family * Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist * Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...

(fresh vegetables) *

(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 Wildc ...

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 ...

* ''

'' ( 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 Kings County (2016 population 68,941) is located ...

'' ( 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 The Pictou Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding site located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and made famous by its use as an emergency shipbuilding facility in World War II, during which it constructed twenty-four 4,700-ton Scandinavian class freig ...

* 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