Mr. Speaker, it saddens me to rise today to mark the end of an era in Acadie—Bathurst.
At the end of the month, the Brunswick Mine, located near Bathurst, will close its doors for good after 49 years in business. Eight hundred people will lose their jobs.
Brunswick Mine is an underground lead-zinc-copper mine. It began production in 1964. The Brunswick mine orebody was one of the largest underground zinc mines in the world well into the late nineties, and it produced more than 120 million tonnes of ore over the years.
In its heyday, the Brunswick Mine employed over 1,700 people. The closure of the mine will seriously affect northern New Brunswick's economy.
As a former Brunswick Mine miner, I feel for the workers, their families and the whole community.
I wish all of the employees who will be retiring a happy retirement, and I hope that the rest will find jobs they like.
I would like to thank Brunswick Mine for providing jobs for so many years in northeastern New Brunswick.