New Brunswick's Import Interests

New Brunswick, a province of Canada, imports a variety of goods and services. The province has a diverse economy, with key sectors including agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and energy production. While historical data on specific import values is limited, it is known that New Brunswick imports refined petroleum products, electricity, and natural gas to meet its energy demands. Additionally, the province has a well-established trade relationship with the United States, which is its largest export market.

Seafood

New Brunswick is one of the largest exporters of seafood products in Canada. In 2015, the province exported close to $1.4 billion worth of seafood, with the United States as its largest export market. Other key markets include Asia and the European Union.

The seafood industry is a vital component of the social and economic fabric of New Brunswick, particularly in many rural coastal communities. The province is committed to innovative harvesting practices and sustainability, with companies shipping freshly-harvested, diverse, and innovative products to dozens of countries worldwide.

The top three seafood exports from New Brunswick are lobster, salmon, and crab. Other seafood products available in the province include snow crab, oysters, shrimp, clams, caviar, and various fish.

The start of lobster season is an exciting time for the local communities, as it is accompanied by much excitement and pageantry as the boats are launched. Commercial fisheries are an integral part of the local culture and economy, with working fishing wharves serving as hubs for many fishing villages.

The seafood industry in New Brunswick benefits from its proximity to the sea and the Bay of Fundy, making locally caught seafood readily available for both local consumption and export.

Gold

New Brunswick, a province in Canada, has an abundance of mining wealth. The province has several mines in the Bathurst camp in northeastern New Brunswick and at the Mt. Pleasant Camp. These mines produce a variety of metals, including base metals like copper, lead, and zinc, and precious metals like gold and silver.

New Brunswick is one of the best places in Canada to find gold, and it is not uncommon to find people panning or "placer mining" for gold and other minerals in its rivers and streams. The province has two major gold-producing areas: the Bathurst mining district in the northern part and the Annidale Belt along the Bay of Fundy in the southern part. The Cape Spencer Gold Mine, operated by Gordex Minerals Ltd, is the first primary gold producer in the province.

The Brunswick Mines in northeastern New Brunswick produce significant amounts of gold, along with other metals such as lead, zinc, silver, cadmium, bismuth, and antimony for export worldwide. The Clarence Stream in the southwest part of the province is also a site of intensive gold exploration.

New Brunswick's mining industry is a significant contributor to its economy, along with energy, forestry, and fishing. The province has about 63 separate mine sites, and its mines produce strategic minerals and metals that are important for both domestic use and export.

Copper

New Brunswick, a province of Canada, has an abundance of mining wealth. It produces a wide variety of base metals, and its major mines work deposits of copper, zinc, and lead. The province is home to some of the world's most significant copper deposits, with substantial reserves of ore still in the ground.

The Bathurst mining district in northeast New Brunswick is primarily a copper/zinc mining area. The ore is contained in up to ten massive sulphide lenses within folded and uplifted lead-zinc, pyrite, and copper zones. The metals occur as extremely fine-grained mixtures of chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and pyrite, along with gold, silver, and other metals. At the end of 2009, proven reserves included 6.2 million tonnes grading 0.4% copper, 8.4% zinc, 3.4% lead, and 104 grams/tonne of silver.

The Brunswick lead/zinc mine, located 35km southwest of Bathurst, was formerly owned and operated by Noranda. It is now part of Xstrata's zinc division, producing lead and zinc concentrates with byproduct copper, silver, gold, bismuth, antimony, and cadmium. Employing around 800 people, the mine treats about 3.6 million tonnes/year of ore and is the world's largest underground zinc mine.

The concentrator design capacity at the Brunswick mine is 10,500 tonnes/day of complex lead, zinc, copper, and silver sulphide ore. During 2009, 3.3 million tonnes of ore were treated in the mill with a zinc recovery rate of 88.43%. The head grade was around 8.59%. Production increased due to a zinc circuit stabilisation project, leading to a 4% increase in zinc in concentrate. The rod mill oversize is recycled through a ball mill before re-entering the hydrocyclones. The undersize pulp, containing sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite/galena combined, and gangue minerals, feeds the sequential flotation circuits to produce individual zinc, copper, lead, and bulk sulphide concentrates.

Iron

New Brunswick is one of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories. It is bordered by Quebec, Nova Scotia, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the Bay of Fundy, and the U.S. state of Maine. The province has a diverse economy, with key sectors including agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and manufacturing.

New Brunswick's history of iron imports and exports is closely tied to its economic development. In the early 1900s, the province's economy began to improve, with the emergence of new industries such as iron mills, facilitated by the development of railways and tariffs.

The Belledune region of New Brunswick, in particular, has played a significant role in the province's iron industry. Maritime Iron, a company involved in the iron industry, has chosen Belledune as the site for its Pig Iron project. This decision was influenced by the availability of land near the Port of Belledune and the potential for integration with the NB Power's Belledune Generating Station.

The Port of Belledune is strategically located less than a day's sail from Canada's primary iron ore export terminals in Quebec. This provides access to customers along the eastern seaboard of North America, the Great Lakes, and Europe. The port has the capacity to handle the projected volume of the Pig Iron project, with terminals capable of accommodating large shipping carriers and year-round operations.

The integration of the Pig Iron project with the Belledune Generating Station offers several advantages. Firstly, it allows for the recycling of process gases, reducing the need for coal consumption and resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, it maximizes the sharing of utilities and services, leading to operational synergies and enhanced productivity for both NB Power and Maritime Iron. Lastly, this integration ensures the continued operation of the Belledune Generating Station beyond 2030, preserving existing jobs at the plant.

In conclusion, New Brunswick's iron imports and the development of related infrastructure have been influenced by the province's natural resources, geographic location, and efforts to promote economic growth. The Belledune region, with its proximity to export terminals and integration opportunities, has become a focal point for the province's iron industry, contributing to New Brunswick's economic landscape.

Lumber

New Brunswick has a thriving lumber industry, with softwood lumber being one of the province's key exports. In 2017, New Brunswick's exports increased by 10%, with a further 5% growth expected in 2018. This positive trade performance comes after a poor showing in 2016, which was attributed to decreased demand for softwood lumber in the US following the great recession.

The US is the primary market for New Brunswick's softwood lumber exports, with 90% of the province's exports heading south of the border. Historically, New Brunswick enjoyed an exemption from export duties when selling softwood lumber to the US. However, in 2017, the US eliminated this exemption and imposed duties on Canadian lumber, arguing that government subsidies allowed Canadian wood to enter the US market at unfairly low prices. This change was a significant blow to New Brunswick's lumber industry, as it had relied on its preferential access to the US market.

Despite the duties, the high demand for lumber and high prices have helped New Brunswick's lumber mills remain profitable. In 2020, the US Commerce Department provided some relief by lowering export duties on New Brunswick softwood lumber from 20.2% to 8.9% as part of its annual review of rates. This reduction was welcomed by the industry, with representatives calling for the reinstatement of the provincial exemption and a negotiated settlement to the dispute.

The Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006, outlines the charges applicable to exports of softwood lumber products from New Brunswick to the United States. The Act specifies that every person exporting softwood lumber to the US after October 11, 2006, is subject to a charge determined under this Act. The export charge is payable at the time the product is exported and is based on the export price and reference price for the month.

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