Mishaps put spotlight on Irving family’s relationship with Saint John, N.B.
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — It’s been a tough month for one of Canada’s wealthiest families.
The Irvings of New Brunswick are facing renewed scrutiny after a major industrial accident at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John — one month ago Thursday — and three guilty pleas the following day from Irving Pulp and Paper for polluting the Saint John River.
The sudden spate of bad publicity has drawn into sharp focus the delicate relationship between the Irving group of companies and the 69,000 residents of Saint John.
The Irvings are one of the city’s largest employers, and the family’s privately owned companies are thought to be worth about $8 billion.