The Family That Owns New Brunswick: The House of Irving

If you ask just about anyone in New Brunswick about the Irving family, you're likely to get a strong response one way or the other. But beyond the province, not many people have heard of the family.

The Irvings own so much of New Brunswick, whether it be land, industries, or politicians, that the entire province has been called a company town. They own Irving Oil, the largest oil refinery in the country, in Saint John, New Brunswick, and operate one of the province's most prolific logging operations.

So who are the Irvings? Starting from humble beginnings in the early 20th century, the Irving family has built up an expansive empire that has ruled the province for decades. But the question remains, has their dominance been good for the people of New Brunswick?
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#news #irvingoil #theirvings #canada #newbrunswick #saintjohn #oil #logging #monopolies #capitalism #business #documentary #businessnews

[Crme-wavE]

THIS is why I love the internet. You would never see something like this on cbc or ctv. Awesome video man.

Side note: the gas stations do have clean bathrooms tho

[ramblingrootscamp]

They logged all the land behind where i live, utterly destroyed the land, not a tree left standing and zero replanting. They are demons.

[emilymuckler]

as an NBer, THANK YOU for covering this! I've seen it shared in a lot of FB groups and subreddits, most folks have no idea about the sheer size of the Irving's influence, especially on our current provincial premier.

[renehache]

Great video that illustrates how Irving is a big fish in a small pond and how this holds back the province's potential!

[alishanesbitt]

I am from N.B....THANK for making this video! It is 100% true! And 99.9999% of us NBers hate Irving and Higgs!

[erikals]

This is what irving doesnt want the public to hear. Hope this video continues to gain popularity!

[melnichols]

Great to see a local company doing well and providing jobs for so many.

[joecarey]

For those not from NB wondering about this, think Monty Burns.

[night_bot_dev]

Amazing video with great research. Thanks for shedding a light on Irving's evil ways

[a.a.p]

We need more reporting of this type! Many provinces have the same issues !

[Thebeardedcanucks]

Start taxing the corporations properly, instead of relying on equalization payments to make up for it. These politicians need to be held accountable.

[StoicismForToday]

Since moving to the Maritimes two years ago it became quite apparent very quickly that the Maritimes are not only a neglected part of Canada ut one ruled by a handful of families. Forming their own Maritime Mafia.
And very few speak up as they have jobs with these families. Which in and of itself is very sad.
These families have such a choke hold on the provinces and I don't see it changing anytime soon. And the amount of natural destruction they cause to the environment here, well, simply appalling. The clear cutting alone is a catastrophe. Never made sense to me to cut down decades old forests, replacing them with yearlings which will not have a positive effect on the environment for decades to replace the harvested trees.

[ZacCrawforth]

Thanks! I knew Irving was garbage but didn't realize just how bad.

[HunterFloyd-qysu]

I was working for a company as an engineer and the NB government was paying 1.2 million for an embankment/road repair. It made little sense, as there was only like 1 house on this isolated, rural road.

Near the end of the project, no sooner than the asphalt had been laid, orange Irving pickups began showing up.

I cannot say forsure, but I'd imagine the province spent the 1.2 million making the repairs just so Irving could come and log the land.

[davidgauthier]

When I travelled to NB, I was so shock that everything was own by Irving. From oil, to transport, to hardware stores, food chain. You can’t beat them as they own everything.

[raymondfranke]

Interesting podcast, thank you. I've read 2 books about this family. A large fish in a small pond, they monopolized the business climate and leveraged to their advantage, staying within their core.

[mullacy]

As a saint johner I can't escape irving they're everywhere omg

[CanadianSledDog]

Very informative look behind the curtain!

[HerbDuncan]

Great piece of investigative journalism.

[jimperrin]

Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations! Proving true again. Eaton's, Birks, Irvings. Very insightful report.