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Operations & Footprint 4 Nov 2026

AV Nackawic pulp mill to close on 4 November, ending 228 union jobs

The AV Nackawic pulp mill in New Brunswick is expected to shut on 4 November 2026, ending 228 unionised jobs and affecting hundreds more employees, contractors and connected workers. The mill has been the community's largest employer for more than half a century; the deputy mayor puts the site at about 350 direct jobs and USD 25-28m (CAD 35-40m) of direct economic impact. Nackawic-Millville, which lost another mill in 2004, is seeking land to expand an industrial park now at capacity.

Why this mattersClosing a mill that has anchored a single-employer town for half a century removes pulp capacity and leaves the municipality rebuilding its tax base.

  • The AV Nackawic pulp mill is expected to shut down on 4 November 2026.
  • 228 unionised workers will lose their jobs, with hundreds more employees, contractors and connected workers affected.
  • Deputy mayor Greg MacFarlane cites about 350 direct jobs and USD 25-28m (CAD 35-40m) in direct economic impact.
  • It is the second mill closure in Nackawic, following one in 2004.
  • Mayor Tim Fox says the municipality's industrial park is at capacity and it is discussing acquiring adjacent land.
  • Federal secretary of state for financial institutions Wayne Long says AV Group NB, an Aditya Birla Group subsidiary, has not yet submitted a formal request for federal support.
  • The company attributes the closure to dissolving-pulp oversupply, weak prices and competition from South Africa, South America and Indonesia.
  • MP Richard Bragdon says the mill's industrial carbon tax bill exceeds USD 1.4m (CAD 2m) a year.
  • Canada added a USD 5.3bn (CAD 7.5bn) tariff-relief package in August 2026, on top of USD 17.7bn (CAD 25bn) deployed over 18 months.
  • AV Group NB attributes the idling to difficult market conditions and broader economic factors
  • The company now expects the mill to be idled from the end of October 2026
  • Unifor says AV Group NB's Nackawic and Atholville mills together account for 70% of container exports through the port of Saint John.
  • Unifor attributes the closure to under-investment at Nackawic while Aditya Birla Group continued investing in other operations outside Canada.
  • Unifor proposed diversification into xylitol, other chemicals and bioenergy at Nackawic and Atholville in a June letter to the New Brunswick government.
  • Unifor has engaged New Brunswick's natural resources minister John Herron and the provincial premier to seek alternatives to closure.
  • Port Saint John CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks says the Nackawic mill accounted for 5 to 10 per cent of the port's overall container volume.
  • The mill made up 15 to 20 per cent of the port's exports in some years, according to Estabrooks.
  • Estabrooks says the port's diversified sector mix will help offset the lost revenue.
  • Provincial and local officials met on 25 September 2026 to set up an action plan for workers and the community affected by the mill closure.
  • 588 students across three schools in the Anglophone West School District will have fees waived or reduced.
  • A job fair and employment counselling booth have opened in the Nackawic Shopping Mall, with sessions starting the week of 28 September 2026.
  • The Nackawic mill represents 8-10% of Port Saint John's containerised traffic.
  • The mill accounts for 15-20% of Port Saint John's export containers.
  • Port Saint John is seeking other shippers to replace the lost container volume.
  • Unifor Local 219 has asked AV Group NB to keep the mill heated through winter to prevent cold-weather damage.
AV Group NB
Sources tj.news tj.news bevnice.ca unifor.org FR acadia.news pentictonherald.ca rivervalleysun.ca treefrogcreative.ca
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-09-24 · Edited before publication: The excerpt does not support "AV Group NB confirms permanent closure" or the claim that a temporary shutdown was converted into a full closure; the source reports an expected 4 November shutdown and a prior "mill announcement". "Textile-grade pulp capacity" is not in the source at all. CAD figures need USD conversion at 1.409. Rewritten to what the source carries; materi
  • 2026-09-26 · Update: Ottawa presses AV Group NB to file for federal support ahead of the 4 November Nackawic mill closure, as the company cites oversupply and low-cost overseas competition.
  • 2026-09-27 · Update: AV Group NB now says the Nackawic mill idling will take effect at the end of October, citing difficult market conditions and broader economic factors.
  • 2026-09-29 · Update: Unifor says the Nackawic and Atholville mills together handle 70% of container exports through the port of Saint John and blames the closure on under-investment relative to Aditya Birla's other sites.
  • 2026-09-30 · Update: Port Saint John says the Nackawic mill's closure removes an anchor export cargo, citing 5-10% of overall container volume and 15-20% of exports in some years.
  • 2026-10-01 · Update: New Brunswick officials have launched a support plan for workers hit by the Nackawic pulp mill closure, including a job fair and school fee waivers for 588 affected students.
  • 2026-10-08 · Update: Port Saint John says the Nackawic mill's idling already accounts for 8-10% of its containerised traffic and 15-20% of export containers, while Unifor Local 219 has asked that the mill be kept heated over winter to prevent damage.