The Trump administration’s latest tariff on the softwood lumber industry in Canada has people in a small New Brunswick community very concerned.
Chipman, located inside the municipality of Grand Lake, is home to the Grand Lake Timber sawmill.
It is one of the largest sawmills in eastern Canada and one of eight of J.D. Irving’s [JDI] sawmills located in New Brunswick.
Grand Lake Mayor Kevin Nicklin said it employs around 400 people in a community of around 1,100.
“That mill means survival. That mill means livelihood. That means everything to our community,” said Nicklin.
The U.S. Commerce Department decided to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood to 20.56 per cent late last week, a jump of over 14 per cent.
According to a news release sent by JDI on Monday, the increase to anti-dumping duties will mean an expected new total of 34 per cent by the middle of August when combined with an anticipated rise in countervailing duties.
“It’s unwarranted. We’ve done nothing in our area wrong , but it’s going to effect all of our communities if the forestry industry suffers,” said Nicklin. “If the mill goes down, or if there’s a shut down or a slow down, it means people won’t be able to put food on the table. They won’t be able to pay their mortgages. It’s life for us.”
Cheryl Kenney lives a few kilometres away in Cumberland Bay and said Trump’s tariffs are unpredictable.
“It’s crazy. You don’t know what he’s going to do from one day to the next. It’s hard enough for people living now we don’t need anymore increases,” said Kenney.
Chipman resident Julie Anne Boudreau said the tariffs on softwood lumber are on everyone’s mind.
“It’s a total mess,” said Boudreau. “It’s not a good thing. Not at all.”
People often come up to Nicklin to talk to him about the trade dispute with the United States and what it means to them here in Chipman.
“Without the mill this community would not survive. They do so much for us. Besides the immediate workers, all the spin-off workers, the mechanics, the parts suppliers, the food people. It’s a cycle here,” said Nicklin.
Chipman resident Cindy Gallant is hoping there won’t be any layoffs.
“If we lose jobs in Chipman, Chipman could become a ghost town. There’s a lot of retirement people here, but the people that are here depend upon that mill,” said Gallant.
Longtime Chipman resident Ottie Northrop believes the tariffs could have a big impact on his community.
“The Irving mill here and the Irving people around this area, it’s the life of this community. It has been for a lot of years now,” said Northrup.
Kenney believes the mill means everything to the people who live in the Grand Lake area.
“If it wasn’t for that sawmill we’d have nothing,” said Kenney.
According the JDI, the province’s forestry sector employs over 24,000 New Brunswickers and supports mill communities like Chipman, private woodlot owners and small businesses.
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