SAINT JOHN – It was all hands on deck Tuesday for an announcement that has been decades in the making in Saint John.
Politicians of all levels and stripes were on hand for the announcement of a barge terminal facility in Lorneville.
The federal and provincial governments are combining for six of the $7.5 million needed for the project which will allow very large mechanical pieces, too big for road or rail, to be transported by water.
Premier Brian Gallant says it should help New Brunswick companies get a leg up on the competition.
“Investing in a new barge terminal facility will allow many businesses in New Brunswick to bid on large construction projects across Atlantic Canada and across the Eastern United States,” said Gallant. “This is phenomenal news.”
It is also great news for companies like Lorneville Mechanical Contractors who will be able to keep many of their workers at home.
“Up until this point we haven’t had the opportunity to bid on large modular fabrication so we’ve been very effective getting contracts all over Canada and sending our workforce out there to do the work,” said Steve Dumouchel, CEO of Lorneville Mechanical.
The initial barge project will initially create about 175 jobs but Saint John Industrial Park officials believe many more will come with additional companies coming here.
“We’ve projected going out five years it looks like 435-450 jobs when we start to get others to locate here so it’s a significant amount of jobs,” said Brian Irving, General Manager of Saint John Industrial Parks Ltd.
Work on the project is expected to begin later this year.
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