Canadians Have Never Seen a Company Quite Like Irving

In Saint John, New Brunswick, it’s impossible not to notice the massive Irving Oil refinery, standing out starkly against the frequently foggy backdrop of the Atlantic Coast port city. Towering over the landscape, the refinery, owned by the dominant Irving family, boasts six enormous tanks, each capable of holding a million barrels of crude oil. Alongside the refinery, the larger of two Irving-owned paper mills looms like a formidable medieval fortress, a consistent presence alongside the Saint John River. Across the city, Irving’s influence is pervasive – from railway tracks crisscrossing the urban fabric to gas stations and building-supply stores, all bearing the Irving name, with local park signs acknowledging the family’s contributions to their maintenance.

Irving also dominates the media landscape in New Brunswick through their four radio stations and their transport trucks plying the routes with Irving-made products ranging from structural steel to frozen French fries. The family’s economic prowess extends to security, with an Irving-owned company providing guards for their many properties. While other Canadian families have also amassed considerable business empires, such as the Thomson family controlling Thomson-Reuters, the Irvings are distinctive for their tight hold on a singular region.

Kenneth Colin “K.C.” Irving founded the empire in the 1920s with a general store and a Ford Model T gas station. Today, the privately-held family business is valued at an astounding 14.5 billion Canadian dollars, roughly 10.1 billion USD. Although the Irvings have brought employment to a region with limited job opportunities – with some estimates suggesting one in ten people in New Brunswick works for an Irving company – the province is still among the lowest in Canada for family income. The legacy is also marred by the environmental and health consequences from the industrial activities of Irving companies, such as pollution which has affected Saint John and led to an increased prevalence of certain cancers among residents.

There is a culture of silence in Saint John, where people are reluctant to criticize the powerful family due to their economic clout and political influence. For instance, the closure of a major Irving-operated shipyard in Saint John, which led to the loss of 4,000 jobs, was viewed by many as a result of fraught labor relations. Lisa Crandall, who lives near the refinery, expressed frustration over the lack of transparency from Irving, especially regarding demolished homes intended to create a buffer zone from the refinery. Despite official reassurances, the presence of dust and soot from the refinery’s activities has raised concerns about health risks in the community, including asthma and other respiratory issues.

In the early days, K.C. Irving enhanced his car dealership and gas station by adding an oil company, a move which predated the family’s foray into buses, trucks, paper, ships, and lumber during the Great Depression. Over the years, the Irvings benefited from government support such as tax exemptions and the legal allowance for their pulp mill to discharge waste into the Saint John River. Despite this, many in Saint John wish to see a reduction in Irving’s power, perhaps even hoping for the sale of their businesses to diversify the local industry.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/world/canada/irving-family-canada-oil-environment.html