Economy & Industry

New Brunswick's traditional resources include forest products, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, fishing and tourism. It is also home to many expanding industries, such as energy, telecommunications, environmental engineering services, advanced technology, value-added forest products, software development and aquaculture.

Like much of Canada and especially like the other Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick has had, since its earliest settlement, an economy that is closely tied to its natural resources. Forestry products (including manufactured items) have been New Brunswick's economic mainstay throughout its history. Both fishing and agriculture have declined in significance. Since the discovery of extensive base metal ore deposits in the 1950's, mineral production has increased dramatically. With the growth of service industries and specialized manufacturing, the province has a wider employment base than ever before.

Agriculture is as important to New Brunswick's economy as its traditional family values are to its social fabric. Potatoes, dairy products, eggs and poultry account for over 60 per cent of all New Brunswick's farm income, which runs around $370 million a year.
We're famous for our potatoes - seed potatoes produced in New Brunswick are exported to over 30 countries around the world and the income from potato sales alone accounts for about 22 per cent of total farm income. In all, about 22,000 hectares (56,000 acres) of potatoes are planted each year. About 133,500 hectares (333,000 acres) are devoted to field crops.
Strawberries are the first sweet taste of summer in New Brunswick. Then come the vegetables, wild blueberries and apples, so in the fall, the shelves in supermarkets and roadside stands are groaning under the weight of the bountiful harvest, and commercial food processors are freezing, canning and packaging at a great rate.
Because New Brunswick is able to produce all its own forage, as well as about 50 per cent of livestock, feed grain, it is self-sufficient in milk and chicken production. Indeed, rolling hills dotted with cattle are not just a significant contribution to the dairy industry - white sandy beaches, ocean bluffs, deep forests, rushing rivers and majestic mountains, they are an essential part of the New Brunswick landscape.

Forestry About 85 per cent of New Brunswick's land base is productive forest, providing wildlife habitat, beautiful landscape, limitless recreational opportunities, and high-quality water and air. It is also the economic backbone, directly employing 16,000 people, with wages of more than $500 million annually. Pulp production is valued at more than $1.5 billion each year, while solid wood products are worth about $500 million. The province is considered a North American leader in forest management.

Fisheries and Aquaculture With more than 50 species of fish and shellfish harvested each year, commercial fishing is a major New Brunswick industry. The preliminary landings value of 1999 was estimated at $165.5 million, an increase of 22 per cent over the preceding year. The 1999 export value of fish and shellfish was $681.1 million, an increase of 26 per cent over the previous year. All this activity supported 7, 233 fishermen on 2,772 boats and employed about 12,000 plant workers during peak production periods.
With raw material resources in the traditional fishery decreasing, however, the aquaculture sector is a promising new industry. It is experiencing rapid growth with 2000 productlon estimated at $200 million; mostly salmon, but also including trout and shellfish.

Mining  New Brunswick is blessed with a variety of rich mineral deposits. Mineral exploration and mining play a significant role in the provincial economy. During the last three years, the value of mineral production has varied from $ 857 million to over $ 953 million. The industry directly employed over 3,500 people. The minerals and commodities contributing to this wealth include metals (antimony, bismuth, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc); non metals (marl, peat moss, potash, silica, salt and sulphur); fuels (coal); and structural materials (lime, sand and gravel, stone).
Our large reserves of lead, zinc and copper are found in the northern part of the province, around Bathurst. Our potash and salt deposits are centred in the southern region, around Sussex. Although peat harvesting takes place primarily on the Acadian Peninsula, the resource can be found in a broad diagonal zone that stretches from the south to the northeast of the province.

Manufacturing At the seasonal peak in 2000, about 1,307 New Brunswick manufacturing firms employed about 51,200 people - and the food group continued to lead our manufacturing industries in the number of employees. Behind it were the wood group followed by the paper manufacturing, fabricated metal products, and machinery manufacturing.
In 1999, the total value of our manufacturing shipments was $8.8 billion, the average weekly wage was $647, and a total of $844 million was invested in capital expenditures in manufacturing.

Tourism in the early 1990's, accounted for 1.4 million nonresidents visiting the province annually; total spending by all travelers generated about Can. $575 million a year for the New Brunswick economy. Among the most popular tourist spots are Magnetic Hill, the reversing falls of Saint John, and the Flowerpot Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. New Brunswick has two national parks, Fundy and Kouchibouguac. In addition, some 48 provincial parks and recreation areas allow for camping in nearly every part of the province.

Transportation in New Brunswick is served by a network of some 20,620 km (some 12,815 mi) of roads and highways. In addition, 1097 km (682 mi) of mainline railroad tracks cross the province. Because it is on the mainland of North America, New Brunswick relies less on water transportation than do the other Atlantic provinces. Saint John, however, is a major seaport, and it is also the terminus of the two major national railroad systems. Ice free in the winter months, the port handles 90% of the province's import and export traffic. Moncton has the busiest airport; Fredericton and Saint John also have major air terminals.

Energy in the form of Electricity generating plants in New Brunswick have a total capacity of about 3.5 million kw and produce about 15.8 billion kwh of electricity each year. New Brunswick sells substantial amounts of electricity to other provinces and to the U.S.