SJ Port, AIM lease won't be released pending appeal for 'extremely broad' redactions
CBC News sought the lease in 2022 after 2 workers died at AIM's Saint John operation
But the metal recycling company, a day after a massive fire its west side scrapyard, said it plans to appeal the decision.
More than a year before the fire at AIM and after the deaths of two workers at the AIM scrapyard, CBC News asked the port for a copy of its lease with AIM through access to information. However, because of objections from AIM, the lease documents still can't be released.
At issue is how much information should be redacted from the 2011 lease and the 2017 amended lease.
AIM argued the port's redactions don't go far enough, and more are required. On Thursday, Justice Anne Turley ruled AIM did not adequately prove that releasing the documents as redacted by the port would harm the company's interests.
In the meantime, until AIM has a chance to argue its appeal, the public can't see it.
Last week, a huge pile of scrap metal burned for two days at AIM's waterfront yard, the smoke prompting a shelter-in-place health warning for residents of Saint John and surrounding areas.
Calls for AIM's eviction have been raised for years — because of noise, explosions and alleged safety issues — and they became even louder after the fire. The City of Saint John is among those wanting it shut down permanently.
On Tuesday, the port said it's working with a provincial taskforce to "look at all aspects of the lease" to see if it could move the metal recycling operation elsewhere.
On Sept, 8, the court notified the parties in the case who it was ruling in favour of. Last Friday, before the decision was released, AIM sent a letter to the court saying it plans to appeal.
AIM requested that both the judge's decision and the leases themselves not be released pending the appeal. The judge denied the request to withhold the decision, but agreed that the unredacted lease agreements should remain confidential pending the appeal process.
A year-long legal battle
In July 2022, after two workers died on the job at AIM within seven months, CBC asked Port Saint John for copies of the lease agreement it signed with the company. At the time, the port said it would be able to share the lease after making some redactions "to protect commercially sensitive content as outlined by our regulations" and after allowing AIM to review it.
According to the judge's decision released Wednesday, the port redacted rent and wharfage amounts and the minimum amount to be invested by AIM for capital infrastructure improvements. AIM agreed with the port's redactions but suggested several others.
The judge said the redactions requested by AIM were "extremely broad" and included hours of operations, the lease termination date, description of business activities, environment provisions and cleanup responsibilities.
American
Iron and Metal CEO Herb Black filed an affidavit in support of
redacting information from the company's lease agreements with Port
Saint John before they can be released publicly. (Julia Wright/CBC)
The decision says on Aug. 6, 2022, the port told AIM that they will not be accepting its suggestions for redactions, and that it plans on releasing the lease with the original redactions only.
On Aug. 26, AIM filed an application in Federal Court, asking that a judge review this decision from the port and prohibit it from disclosing "a record, or part of a record," based on the Access to Information Act.
After hearing arguments from lawyers representing Port Saint John, AIM and CBC, the judge decided in favour of the port's version.
The judge said in order to redact something, it's up to AIM to prove that the information is financial or technical, confidential, or supplied to government by AIM and consistently treated as confidential.
The judge said the information AIM is trying to get redacted wasn't supplied to government. Rather, it was negotiated between the two parties.
The judge also said AIM failed to prove that there would be harm to its business interests from the information becoming public.
"Rather than file evidence that addresses the particular information in the two agreements, AIM rests its case on generalities, bald assertions, and speculation," the judge said.
The
American Iron and Metal scrapyard in Saint John after a major fire last
week. The province has said it's shut down the metal recycling
operation for the foreseeable future. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
The judge said the affidavit filed by AIM CEO Herbert Black to back up the company's case "makes broad, sweeping statements about the potential harm" but gives no specific evidence.
The decision said Black wrote that he believes CBC would use the lease to "continue its campaign of negative media coverage of AIM."
The judge said she found there is "simply no evidence to substantiate AIM's claim of a 'campaign' by CBC."
"Only one of the five media articles included in Mr. Black's affidavit was actually published by CBC," the judge wrote.
"AIM's concerns about the possibility of future negative media coverage are insufficient to justify redaction of the information it seeks to protect."
AIM has 30 days from the date of the issued decision to file an appeal.
During the fire last week, the province ordered AIM to shut down. On Tuesday Premier Blaine Higgs said the company won't resume operations until "we're satisfied that it can run."
The province and port have not given a timeline for the review of the lease.
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AIM looking at environmental impact of scrap metal fire that burned for 2 days
Preliminary report sent from company while crews battled flames on 1st day of fire
Engineers were scheduled to be at the facility last Friday and were supposed to meet with a "third-party site professional to assess the environmental impacts from this event and identify if any remedial actions are necessary."
The preliminary report, which the Environment Department released, was part of the requirements imposed by the province when it shut down operations at AIM's west-side metal recycling plant.
The company is also required to send a followup report within five days of the incident, although the department hasn't confirmed whether that has been received.
AIM officials did not respond to a request for an interview.
According to the preliminary report from AIM, the fire was first discovered at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 14 by an industrial mechanic working overnight on maintenance of the shredder.
The employee "noticed an odour" and "proceeded to investigate." That's when he saw the flames coming from the "in-feed scrap pile. He immediately alerted 911, followed by the site manager."
AIM then notified the Environment and Climate Change Canada's National Environmental Emergencies Centre and Port Saint John.
"AIM deployed its emergency response plan and alerted the appropriate authorities in accordance with its Approval to Operate I-11555," according to the one-page report sent by Ann Marcotte, AIM's environment director.
"AIM confirms there are no casualties, no buildings have been affected by the blaze, and the fire affects a single pile of scrap."
The
single pile of scrap that burned is shown here as a small, dark pile
near the middle of the yard. Crews pulled apart bits of the larger,
original pile with an excavator, and water was poured on the sections
before a bulldozer pushed it to the right in this photo. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
For two days straight, Saint John firefighters poured approximately two million litres of water on the fire, according to Fire Chief Kevin Clifford.
That was in addition to a substantial contribution by the Atlantic Osprey, a platform supply vessel owned by J.D. Irving Ltd., which sprayed 1,000 litres a second at the fire from 180 metres away.
All that water washing potentially hazardous chemicals into the harbour is part of the community's concern about environmental impacts, said Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon, who called AIM "a black eye on our community."
Craig Bell Estabrooks, CEO of Port Saint John, said he understands the community's concerns and frustrations.
"I get it," he told Information Morning Saint John on Wednesday morning.
"I live two blocks up from the cruise terminal. I live this as well, and this is a very challenging, difficult situation for everyone that lives in proximity and I get it."
AIM's metal recycling facility sits adjacent to the lower west side neighbourhood and very close to some residences. (Mia Urquhart/CBC)
He said the port is committed to the investigation.
"First and foremost, community safety is paramount to us and we want to be a good neighbour to the people of Saint John and the series of explosions, fires, accidents, tragic deaths that have occurred at the AIM site, they just must stop."
Exactly how to stop them is yet to be determined, said Bell Estabrooks.
"The investigation is going to cover absolutely everything to do with our lease and the operations of the facility."
Task force begins this week
Bell Estabrooks said the task force will begin its work this week.
On Tuesday, Premier Blaine Higgs said the group will look at everything that's happened at AIM over its 12 years on Saint John's waterfront.
During that time, the company has had numerous explosions, which prompted letters from Saint John council to the province, complaints from neighbours about noise and odour, and two workplace deaths.
Piles
of scrap metal at AIM's west-side operation caught fire at around 1
a.m. on Sept. 14. Over the next 40 hours, Saint John firefighters used
about two million litres of water to battle the blaze. (Submitted by Ed Moyer)
Higgs said the investigation would "get to the bottom" of what happened "and to answer the question that the public are all asking — is that operation fit to be operating where it is today?"
He said the company won't resume operations until it's clear they can do so safely, and "given what's happened leading into this, there's a lot of doubt about that."
City wants AIM shut for good
At its regularly scheduled council meeting on Monday night, Saint John city council asked the province to shut down the scrapyard and "never allow an organization like this to operate on our waterfront or in our city again."
"What happened last week is an abomination because it was preventable," said Coun. Greg Norton, who made the motion. "There is no reason or room for this type of negligence in the modern world and our residents must never experience a horrific incident like that again."
Talks were already underway
Bell Estabrooks said talks with the company were already underway before the fire about moving the metal-shredding part of the operation off-site.
"I don't know what the status of those conversations will be, but you know, we're committed under this investigation, to looking at all aspects of the lease."
He said the talks hadn't yet included specific locations that could be used.
"So that'll obviously have to be part of any discussion that's had," he said.
Lee diverts cruise ships before fire
Bell Estabrooks said all operations at the port had to be halted during the fire.
He said there was a container ship in port that day, due to be unloaded at 8 a.m. Because of the fire, however, it wasn't unloaded until the following day, he said.
Although there were "definitely costs" associated with the delay, Bell Estabrooks said he wasn't sure of the exact amount.
A water canon was the only thing operating at the AIM plant on Wednesday morning. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
There were three ships in Saint John the day before the fire and two scheduled on the day the fire started. It was only because of Hurricane Lee's expected arrival that the ships weren't actually in port on Sept. 14, said Bell Estabrooks.
"We are going to be looking at that and modelling that exact scenario as part of our investigation into this because you know that was a very real possibility," he said.
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Following Saint John oil refinery blast and fire, Irving Oil to focus on cause
Irving Oil says all workers safely accounted for, although a handful had to be treated in hospital
Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon, Elizabeth Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Oct 08, 2018 10:40 AM ADT
'AIM is a black eye on our community,' says Saint John mayor
Donna Reardon says the health effects of last week's fire may not be known for years
She said American Iron and Metal will be getting a bill from the city for firefighting services for last week's blaze at the company's west side metal recycling plant.
The mayor isn't sure the city has ever done that before, "but this one's definitely going out."
Reardon said it will cover all of the personnel and equipment tied up for several days in battling the fire that started in the dockside recycling plant early Thursday morning.
"That's on port property. Our fire department is for our own property, for our municipality," she said.
"No, it's only reasonable for us to send a bill for this."
Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon was out on Sunday, surveying the damage in King's Square. (Alison Northcott/CBC)
Reardon said the fire diverted city officials from trying to get ready for Hurricane Lee, which was eventually downgraded to a post-tropical storm by the time it reached the Fundy coast.
But when the fire raged on Thursday and into Friday, the city was preparing for a hurricane-force storm and needed all hands on deck, rather than dealing with a fire on federal land, said Reardon on Information Morning Saint John on Monday morning.
She said such an operation should never have been allowed to start so close to residential neighbourhoods and adjacent to a harbour that's so important to the tourism industry.
Later Monday morning, Reardon issued a written statement saying, "The land on which AIM operates is not city land, nor do we have any jurisdiction over regulating AIM operations, yet our residents and businesses are the ones suffering the consequences — the full severity of which we may only learn in months and years to come."
Reardon said AIM's location is "unacceptable and incompatible with our residential communities on both sides of the harbour, our tourism economy from the cruise industry, and our work to attract private investment to beautify our waterfront and create housing for our growing population."
She called AIM "a black eye on our community."
AIM was asked — by phone and email — for an interview, but no one had responded by publication time.
Reardon said the premier's promise of a thorough investigation with clear deadlines, including the first report within 24 hours of the incident, is "music to my ears."
CBC has asked the Environment Department for a copy of that report, but has not received a response to the request.
What was in the water?
Reardon said the health, social and economic impacts of the fire are likely to be felt for years — and may not be fully understood until years down the road.
"I don't know what was happening over there, how it was contained, but just imagine the wind mixing all of that particulate up."
She also worries about what chemicals may have been in the run-off as fire crews poured water on the fire for days.
Reardon believes the site likely has a catch basin of some sort, since "AIM has historically misted that pile of rubble to keep the dirt and the dust down so that I know there is a water collection component.
"But I mean, we were dumping millions of gallons of water on that and then you had a storm with torrential rains that was falling on it. So I don't know how much has been captured with all of that."
The
fire started around 1 a.m. Thursday in piles of scrap metal. Mayor
Donna Reardon said there was still one fire truck on site as late as
Sunday. (Submitted by Ed Moyer)
She said the tides would have washed all of that material out to sea and inland up the St. John River as they came and went.
"So there's all kinds of consequences to a major, major incident like that … and we may not even have thought of all of the consequences yet."
Some economic impacts were immediate
Reardon said there were also economic impacts to local businesses who had to shut down because of the fire.
The Plank restaurant, overlooking the Reversing Falls, was one of them.
Pat Vaughan, one of the owners, said his restaurant had $11,000 worth of sales the day before the fire and $1,100 on the day of the fire.
Public health officials issued a shelter-in-place advisory while the fire raged, due to the poor air quality, so few people were out spending money at local businesses that day.
'The final straw'
Reardon said she's looking to the provincial and federal governments to hold AIM accountable. The operation sits on federal land, while the province issues the licence to operate.
"What we have though is a voice," said Reardon.
And she plans to be heard.
"I feel like this is the final straw."
CBC requested an interview with Environment Minister Gary Crossman, but he has not yet been made available.
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With files from Information Morning Saint John
Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon says "enough is enough."
She said American Iron and Metal will be getting a bill from the city for firefighting services for last week's blaze at the company's west side metal recycling plant.
The mayor isn't sure the city has ever done that before, "but this one's definitely going out."
If AIM occupies Federal Crown land, how could Trudeau NOT be relevant to the story?
Shut down AIM scrapyard for good, Saint John council asks province
Mayor also asks for audit of AIM's compliance with regulatory requirements and to make results public
A council motion tells city staff to write Premier Blaine Higgs, asking the province to close the scrapyard on the city's west side and "never allow an organization like this to operate on our waterfront or in our city again."
"What happened last week is an abomination because it was preventable," said Coun. Greg Norton, who made the motion. "There is no reason or room for this type of negligence in the modern world and our residents must never experience a horrific incident like that again."
During AIM's 12 years on Port Saint John land, it has been the scene of explosions, which prompted letters from council to the province, and two workplace deaths. Neighbours in nearby homes have complained, especially about the environmental impact and the noise from explosions.
Cleanup
continued on Monday morning at the AIM plant on the city's west side
following last week's fire. Port Saint John has restricted all
activities at the site except for stabilization efforts. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
No one was injured in the AIM fire that began early Thursday.
Before the flames were under control, Higgs had promised a full investigation and said AIM's operations were suspended.
On Monday, Higgs and Port Saint John CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks promised to create a task force to find out what happened.
Mayor wants results of audit made public
A statement from the province on Monday said that the port had restricted activities at AIM, except for emergency operations stabilizing the site, until after the investigation, AIM's approval to operate would be suspended until the investigation is complete, he said.
Saint
John Mayor Donna Reardon is urging the province to undertake an
independent audit of AIM's compliance with its approval to operate and
make the results public. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
At the start of the council meeting, Reardon read a statement asking for a full and independent audit of AIM's compliance with the terms of its licence. She also said the results of the audit have to be made public.
"Residents of Saint John deserve answers around oversight, operational compliance, environmental impacts and public health," she said.
Letter to be drafted
Norton's motion, a last-minute addition to the agenda, provoked extensive discussion about AIM's impact and the response to the latest trouble at the yard. Emotions ran high as councillors talked about what more the city could do.
The motion eventually passed, with only three councillors opposed. All said they wanted a stronger letter.
An amendment to the motion had been brought forward that would have had the city use whatever power it has to close the plant, but the amendment was defeated.
As the mayor's statement pointed out, the scrapyard sits on port land, and the city doesn't have the power to regulate it. The provincial Environment Department does.
The
fire at the waterfront scrapyard went from around 1 a.m. Thursday until
late Friday. The hazardous smoke from the fire prompted the city to ask
people to shelter in place. (Submitted by Ed Moyer)
For Deputy Mayor John MacKenzie, the letter proposed by Norton was a good starting point.
He said he's already spoken to some of his counterparts in the region and found even people in Quispamsis, Rothesay, Hampton and Grand Bay-Westfield are concerned.
He plans to take the issue to the regional public safety committee.
"It's important to me that we send this off right away," said MacKenzie.
"There were people in Rothesay that couldn't sit outside because of the effect on their breathing."
The Uptown Saint John Business Improvement Association also sent a letter to mayor and council on Monday.
Coun. David Hickey, who chairs the public safety committee, read the letter aloud during the meeting. Many of the more than 500 businesses the association represents had to shut down for the day because of fire, the group said.
Coun.
David Hickey, who chairs the public safety committee, said this isn't
the first time council has called for an end to AIM's operating licence.
(Lane Harrison/CBC)
Hickey said the committee is also calling on the province to end AIM's licence to operate on the waterfront.
He noted the calls to action weren't new but simply a renewal of a request made in July 2022, when council called on the province to review AIM's operating licence in the wake of the second workplace death at the facility within seven months.
"It's in my opinion that should have been enough," Hickey said. "The countless explosions, fires and community impact from this facility should have also been enough.
"Residents and businesses deserve respect. In the wake of lost wages, closed shops, closed offices and closed windows — they deserve answers and, I think, clear outcomes as to what comes next."
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'I'm not God,' AIM president says in response to workplace deaths at Saint John plant
Herbert Black says he’ll implement any WorkSafeNB recommendations
Julia Wright · CBC News · Posted: Jul 19, 2022 4:30 PM ADT
Higgs and port question whether AIM can stay on Port Saint John property
Saint John councillors call on province to shut the company down permanently
Port CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks said they talked about moving metal shredding from port property.
During a Zoom call with Premier Blaine Higgs and reporters on Tuesday morning, Bell Estabrooks was asked about whether the lease with AIM allows the port to relocate them.
Bell Estabrooks said legal counsel has been "looking at all aspects of the lease."
Fire crews were focused on making sure the fire in one pile of scrap didn't spread to other piles. (Submitted by Ed Moyer)
Saint John city council has asked that AIM's waterfront operation be shut down permanently. Higgs also raised the possibility the scrapyard would not be back in business, but he didn't make a firm commitment.
He said the investigation would "get to the bottom" of what happened "and to answer the question that the public are all asking — is that operation fit to be operating where it is today?"
Before the flames were even under control last week, the province ordered AIM to shut down, and Higgs has promised to create a task force that includes Port Saint John to find out what happened.
No one was injured in the fire, but it produced a hazardous smoke and provoked a city advisory that residents take shelter or wear masks.
During Tuesday's Zoom call, Higgs said the company won't resume operations until "we're satisfied that it can run, and right now, given what's happened leading into this, there's a lot of doubt about that."
Higgs said the investigation will look at the fire and all of the other incidents at AIM over the last 12 years.
The
New Brunswick government and Port Saint John say they're creating a
task force to examine the fire and all of the other incidents at AIM
over the last 12 years. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
During that time, the company has had numerous explosions, which prompted letters from Saint John council to the province, complaints from neighbours about noise and odour, and two workplace deaths.
In a statement released late Tuesday morning, AIM acknowledged concerns expressed by Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon, and Higgs and Bell Estabrooks.
"The safety and well-being of AIM's employees, and the residents and Community of Saint John are paramount and at the heart of AIM's priorities," the company said. To this end, AIM welcomes the appointment of a Government task force to investigate the incident and pledges its active support and collaboration.
"Additionally, AIM is resolute in keeping residents and stakeholders well-informed as we all navigate through this challenging situation."
The emailed statement was signed by "The American Iron & Metal (AIM) Management Team."
Last week, Higgs said AIM would be required to submit an initial report within 48 hours of the incident. On Tuesday, he said he hadn't seen any report and said one "may have gone" to the Environment Department.
Province wants answers
Requests to the department for a copy of the report have not yet been answered.
"We recognize that people are angry and want answers about this and how it could have happened," Higgs said. "We want answers as well," said Higgs.
In addition to being the CEO of Port Saint John, Bell Estabrooks said he lives two streets from the terminal.
"I felt it. I get it. And I share their frustration as well," he said, referring to some pretty harsh words from Saint John council on Monday night at its regularly scheduled meeting.
After
two deaths, numerous explosions and countless complaints about its
disruptive operations — and now last week's fire — Saint John council
wants AIM shut down for good. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
Councillors want the province to shut AIM down — for good.
The motion drafted on Monday night directs city staff to write to the premier and ask the province to close the scrapyard and "never allow an organization like this to operate on our waterfront or in our city again."
"What happened last week is an abomination because it was preventable," said Coun. Greg Norton, who made the motion. "There is no reason or room for this type of negligence in the modern world and our residents must never experience a horrific incident like that again."
Higgs said last week's fire could have been much worse.
He said it "had the potential to be much broader, to have much greater impact on the city had it not been for certain pieces of equipment from Atlantic Towing that were present in the harbour and happened to be there."
The
Atlantic Osprey, a platform supply vessel owned by J.D. Irving Ltd.,
sprayed 1,000 litres a second at the fire from 180 metres away, at a
height of 70 metres. (Harbour Development/Submitted by Anne McInerney)
That piece of equipment was the Atlantic Osprey, a platform supply vessel, explained Anne McInerney, vice-president of communications for J.D. Irving, which owns Atlantic Towing.
She said the vessel's two water monitors, or water canons, sprayed 1,000 litres a second at the fire, from 180 metres away and at a height of 70 metres.
"Atlantic Towing tugs also assisted in the effort by pumping seawater for rapid access," said McInerney.
The Osprey's home port is St. John's, but it happened to be close enough at the time of the fire to pitch in, she said.
Premier Blaine Higgs said last week's fire may have been worse had it not been for the efforts of the Atlantic Osprey. (Harbour Development/Submitted by Anne McInerney)
2 million litres of water used
Saint John firefighters responded to the call at about 1 a.m. on Thursday and spent the next 40 hours pouring water on it.
Fire Chief Kevin Clifford estimates this added up to more than two million litres of water before crews finally pulled out at about 8 p.m. on Friday.
The
air quality index in areas affected by the smoke were at the high end
of 'moderate risk,' or a six out of 10, leading public health officials
to issue a shelter-in-place warning. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
Clifford said a "chemical cocktail" would have been given off during the fire — into the air and into the water used to douse the flames. He said the list would include benzene, propane, propene, styrene, heptane, and toluene — basically anything that a car may have had in it before it was disposed of.
He said that cocktail of toxins eventually gets washed into the harbour, where the tides would have carried it farther up the St. John River and out to sea.
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Environment minister threatens stop-work order for scrap recycler
'Not an acceptable situation,' Jeff Carr says of explosions at Saint John company
CBC News · Posted: Nov 21, 2018 6:49 PM AST
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/american-iron-and-metal-aim-environment-saint-john-port-explosions-1.4915324
Environment minister threatens stop-work order for scrap recycler
'Not an acceptable situation,' Jeff Carr says of explosions at Saint John company
There have been at least two explosions so far this week at the scrap recycling operation on the city's west side, and more than 40 blasts, large and small, over the past 18 months.
"I've got to tell you, I'm pretty concerned with what I see down at the port with AIM and the volume of incidents that have happened lately," Carr said Wednesday. "If this keeps elevating and continues, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to come in and take it to the next level."
- Another blast from American Iron & Metal rocks part of Saint John
- Noisy metal recycler belongs away from Saint John port, MLA says
"We will look at the approval to operate and a cease-work order if we have to because it's getting to the point where there doesn't seem to be a resolution in sight."
The approval to operate is a permit issued by the Department of Environment and Local Government. If revoked the company would have to shut down.
AIM's permit comes with 53 conditions that give the province broad powers over the facility.
Meeting set for this week
Among them is condition 26: "If, in the opinion of the Minister, the environmental impact of the Facility is unacceptable, the Minister reserves the right to cancel the Approval and issue a new Approval with terms and conditions as deemed necessary."
Two other conditions, numbers 37 and 38, deal with steps to control the arrival and handling of potentially explosive components to limit or eliminate explosions.
Carr said he will ensure a representative of the Department of Environment and Local Government attends a meeting scheduled Friday between AIM owner Herb Black and officials from the city and Port of Saint John.
An American Iron and Metal communications consultant could not immediately be reached Wednesday
eddy watts
GARY MERCER
"I had a window that wasn't locked down and it rattled that," he said. "It was a good one." Citizens affected by the explosions have scheduled a public presentation...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/aim-scrap-metal-explosion-saint-john-1.4911676
Fred Brewer
With all due respect Mr. Carr, this situation is already out of control. Why do you think it has to get worse before you will step in and "take it to the next level" (whatever that means).?
Matt Steele
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CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
Meet the 'Scrap King': controversial scrap yard CEO visits Saint John
City, port seeking resolution after dozens of explosions
Black, who some have called the "Scrap King of Montreal," met with Saint John Mayor Don Darling and Port Saint John officials to discuss a way forward after the Department of Environment issued a stop-work order to the company.
I think people don't understand the difference between an explosion and a vibration.
- Herbert Black, American Iron and Metal CEO
The order gave AIM 60 days to submit a plan to eliminate explosions and the impact of excessive noise.
Black said misinformation has been circulating about the operation.
"When you read some of the things that have been printed in the newspaper — I am not a second Donald Trump and I'm not going to say it's fake news, but I'm going to say it's incorrect news … people are giving you false information and you are taking it at their word and you are printing it."
American
Iron and Metal is capable of processing thousands of tonnes of scrap
daily. Junked cars make up the majority of the material, and they can
contain hazardous materials that have caused explosions. (Julia Wright / CBC)
"I think people don't understand the difference between an explosion and a vibration."
He initially disputed that Saint Johners have heard explosions and suggested they were exaggerating the impact.
"There might be some people that really have a problem, and I would be more than happy to meet with them and to discuss it with them and find a solution."
Unique explosion problem
The
American Iron and Metal building opened on port property on the west
side in 2008 and processes as many as 250,000 tonnes of scrap annually
following an expansion of the shredder in 2011. (Julia Wright / CBC)After a heated conversation between Black and city officials over whether the news media would be allowed to attend, the meeting was held in private.
Afterward, Darling said the parties will try to work together.
Black said American Iron and Metal is a "victim" of the explosions, "not the creator of them."
AIM
signed a 40-year-lease for its Saint John scrapyard with the Port of
Saint John in 2002. It's the first major lease the Port had landed since
the 1980s. (Julia Wright / CBC)
The Saint John yard shreds and recycles old vehicles and other metal scraps into marketable metals.AIM's main suppliers are auto parts recycling centres from New Brunswick and some from P.E.I., Nova Scotia, and Maine.
Black said hazardous materials are sometimes "camouflaged" in the thousands of cars that can be processed daily.
"We're working to find out exactly who is shipping what, and we've tried hard but there are a lot of pieces of the puzzle," he said.
Black said Saint John's issue with explosions appears to be unique among his operations. Of AIM's 10 shredders, "I don't have the problem I have here with any of them," he said.
"I do have explosions from time to time. I have never had a shredder operate for a year without an explosion or two or three. It just doesn't happen."
'Nothing is perfect in life'
AIM upgraded its Saint John shredder in 2011 at a cost of $30 million — increasing its output by roughly 500 per cent.
"I feel very confident that there won't be any problems in terms of dust or noise or other situations," Black told CBC Information Morning Saint John at the time.
Saint John Mayor Don Darling and Black 'are committed to working
together in an open fashion,' Darling said. (Graham Thompson / CBC)
"And if there are, even if it's within the law and it makes people uncomfortable, I'll be the first one to correct it."
AIM's approval to operate certificate says it is the company's responsibility to inspect the material that gets shredded.
With 1,000 tonnes coming through the yard daily, Black said, things can fall through the cracks
There's such a thing as human error. They go for a coffee break, or they have to go to the bathroom, or something happens in between. Nothing is perfect in life.- Herbert Black
"There's such a thing as human error. They go for a coffee break, or they have to go to the bathroom, or something happens in between. Nothing is perfect in life."
Darling said that during the meeting, the port, city and AIM reached an agreement to "get going right away to get us to a better place."
"I'm a believer that we can have a coexistence between industry … and citizens quality of life."
$5 million lawsuit in Quebec
This isn't the first time Black has dealt with complaints about his operations.
When Black started a metal recycling plant at the former dump in Levis, Que., in 2005, the $25 million project was met with opposition by local environmental groups.
They alleged the company lacked the proper permits and was polluting the nearby Etchemin River. The opponents managed to halt work on the plant by getting an injunction.
Black
sued a group of Quebec environmentalists who objected to the
installation of a metal shredder in a dump in Levis, Que., in 2005. (Graham Thompson / CBC)
Black then filed a $5 million lawsuit for what he called "malicious, reckless and abusive efforts" to stop the project.
The defendants alleged this response was a SLAPP suit — or strategic lawsuit against public participation — a tactic sometimes used by companies with deep financial reserves. Black denied the allegation.
SLAPP actions are designed to intimidate and silence opponents by dragging them through lengthy and expensive court proceedings until they abandon their cause.
The matter was settled out of court in 2007.
American Iron and Metal has no plans to relocate its Saint John facility, Black said. (Julia Wright / CBC)
'No flame and no fire'
On Friday, Black said all shredding activity has stopped for now at the west side operation — and AIM is working on a "program" to penalize suppliers who ship explosive material.
"If people don't ship the proper material and it would explode, that we could go back on them, we could find them, we could penalize them, we could shut them down, or we could do something," he said.
He also reiterated that the blasts have "no flame and no fire to it."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As I review this article I recall my conversations with both dudes and concluded that they deserved each other
Hey Mr Butts I have no doubt Premier Higgs and his mindless Minister Carr know why I want to have a long talk with AIM president Herb Black ASAP EH?
David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Thu, Oct 17, 2019 at 11:53 AM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---------- Original message ---------- From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com> Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:58:33 +0000 Subject: Automatic reply: Hey Mr Butts I have no doubt Premier Higgs and his mindless Minister Carr know why I want to have a long talk with AIM president Herb Black ASAP EH? To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail. Thank you for contacting The Globe and Mail. If your matter pertains to newspaper delivery or you require technical support, please contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-387-5400 or send an email to customerservice@globeandmail. If you are reporting a factual error please forward your email to publiceditor@globeandmail.com< Letters to the Editor can be sent to letters@globeandmail.com This is the correct email address for requests for news coverage and press releases. AIM president blasts Saint John city leaders, province at public meetingThe company has been a catalyst for complaints about noise, dust, pollution and series of explosionsThe billionaire president of American Iron and Metal put on a combative performance at a public meeting in Saint John on Wednesday. Herb Black hosted the event to defend his embattled scrap-recycling operation, which has been in the spotlight over the past few years. The scrapyard has been a catalyst for noise, dust and pollution complaints from neighbours on the city's lower west side and central peninsula. But the 75-year-old Black had little time for apologies when he addressed the public. "Seriously folks, wake up and see, and tell me what you really want," he said. "You don't want a scrapyard here. You don't want action. You don't want jobs." As loud as a lawn mowerAIM operates 70 scrap metal yards on five continents. Black likened the impact of his Saint John plant to a visit from a cruise ship with attendant taxis and crowds on the streets of the uptown.
At one point, he claimed the facility's centrepiece metal shredder was no noisier to neighbours than a lawn mower or motorcycle. With his Department of Environment operating permit up for renewal in December, Black went further, by repeatedly criticizing New Brunswick Environment Minister Jeff Carr, who was seated a few feet away in the front row. In November 2018, Carr briefly ordered the shutdown of the AIM facility. The decision came after a series of explosions on site. Black said the shutdown cost the company more than $1 million. "Close my place down … Minister Carr? I'd like to close your place down," he said. Vern Lanteigne watched the performance from his seat just behind Carr. The west side resident estimates his home, located about 150 metres from the AIM scrapyard, is worth far less since the company set up shop in the city in the mid-2000s. "I've put thousands of dollars into it, to get it to where it is now," he told Black. "And I can't get half the value of it."
Black immediately offered to have the home appraised, suggesting the company could buy the property. An AIM representative then took Lanteigne's contact information. Limiting dust, explosionsBlack said the company had done a lot to limit dust and explosions from things like propane tanks hidden among the scrap, but adds: noise is part of any business. During his presentation, he referred several times to recent expansion plans for the facility, including a factory and retail operation, that would have brought "hundreds" more jobs to the city. Speaking afterwards to reporters Black said the only way he would expand now would be if someone with "authority" asked him to: "Expand your business, we want you, we like you." He claimed however, the meeting overall was a success. "I feel good about it, for me I feel good. You know why? I was able to share with the people the truth."
Carr, who appeared unruffled by a series of exchanges with Black, shrugged off the criticism. He said there hasn't been an explosion at the AIM site since July and that both noise and dust levels were improved and within limits. He said the department will "wait and see" how the company performs before making a decision on renewal of the approval to operate in December. ABOUT THE AUTHOR 'I'm not God,' AIM president says in response to workplace deaths at Saint John plantHerbert Black says he’ll implement any WorkSafeNB recommendations"The people who say it never happens, nothing happens, are dreaming in 3D. It does happen, and we have to address all the variables, all the issues, to the best of our ability." Black spoke with reporters at length in Saint John on Tuesday, addressing "a lot of curiosity about what transpired" leading to the deaths of the two workers at the west side metal recycling plant. He blamed human error for the first death, a man whose name has not been public, and said he couldn't see how the more recent death, of Darrell Richards, could have been prevented. "I've been in business for 62 years and I've never had anyone die until two years ago," said Black, 78. "I don't know how to prevent it at this juncture." WATCH | 'He decides:' AIM owner explains who's responsible for worker safety  When asked who was responsible for safety at AIM, Black said, "You have to make a connection with the Lord and ask him. I'm not God. I don't decide." Black later clarified that there are people whose job it is to carry out safety monitoring, but he declined to provide details specific to safety practices at AIM Atlantic. He would not say whether safety rules were posted on the site or provide details about any personal protective equipment workers would have been wearing. Black did share new information on the circumstances of the two deaths at AIM, which signed a 40-year-lease for its scrap yard with the Port of Saint John in 2002 and has since been the site of fires and dozens of loud explosions. There have been threats of legal action, and mayors, a member of Parliament, and community members have called for AIM's licence to be suspended.
In November, Black said, a truck driver died when his driver-side door became stuck and the worker decided "to go around and get out of the door on the right-hand side of the truck, which is completely blind." Instead of walking around the front of the truck to signal to the crane operator, the worker then climbed between the tractor and the trailer and through a small hatch into the trailer.
He was killed, Black said, when the crane operator swept the truck out with a broom attachment. "The crane operator had no idea that anybody was in that trailer," he said. "It was impossible to know. And he gets killed." "You want to fault the procedures of the crane operator, you want to fault the procedures of AIM, you want to fault that we're not doing a professional job after having a million trucks unloaded that way? "Maybe he was in a rush, and maybe he was anxious, god knows what he was thinking when he came out that door. He obviously didn't think about the crane that was still operating. Human error. We all make mistakes in life. I don't know what the prevention of that is."
Daughter-in-law of late worker speaksKrista Collins, the daughter-in-law of lifelong tradesman Darrell Richards, was also in attendance at the news conference and shed light on Richards's death. Richards, 60, died July 1 of injuries he suffered while cutting into a paper roll with a saw. As he made the second cut through, "something caused the roll to decompress," Collins said. "I wouldn't call it an explosion. It wasn't ignited, there was no burns, there was nothing of that nature. It was just laceration to his leg that caused the bleeding."
Collins said she and the family do not bear AIM any ill feeling. "The general population is looking at AIM like it's a bad place, and it's not fair to the people who work there. They're there feeding their families, they are your neighbours, their children go to school with your children. "We just want to mourn and get over this."
'I'm not God'WorkSafeNB is investigating both of the recent deaths at the yard. WorkSafe spokesperson Laragh Dooley told CBC on July 6 that once the investigations are completed, depending on the findings, WorkSafe "may recommend that the Department of Justice lay charges against AIM for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations." In July, WorkSafeNB issued a stop work for the piece of machinery involved in Richards's death. No stop work order was issued in November. WorkSafe has said "complex investigations, such as this one, can take 12 months or more to conclude." In the meantime, "I don't see how it could have been prevented," Black said. "I genuinely don't. But I welcome an investigation and I welcome somebody coming and showing me that they can teach me something that I don't know. "Listen, I'm not God. I only have the experience I've accumulated over 62 years." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Comments
David Amos 'I'm not God,' AIM president says
True and neither is CBC
David Amos CBC published these words of Black's yet blocks mine?
"Shit happens in life," says Herb Black, president and owner of American Iron and Metal, the Saint John scrap yard where two workers have died in the past seven months."
David Amos Wow Herby Black must remember our conversation before
the election of the 43rd Parliament After all he cannot deny that he
called me after I made a few calls and sent a few emails. Now I read
this and am overjoyed that I told him off and hung up on him.
---------- Original message ---------- From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail. Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 10:58:27 -0300 Subject: Hey Mr Butts I have no doubt Premier Higgs and his mindless Minister Carr know why I want to have a long talk with AIM president Herb Black ASAP EH? To: Gerald.Butts@pmo-cpm.gc.ca, marc.garneau@parl.gc.ca, premier@gnb.ca, blaine.higgs@gnb.ca, Jeff.Carr@gnb.ca, Kevin.Vickers@gnb.ca, don.darling@saintjohn.ca, hon.ralph.goodale@canada.ca, Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca Cc: motomaniac333@gmail.com, Connell.smith@cbc.ca, news-tips@nytimes.com, Newsroom@globeandmail.com, sturgeon.nathalie@ https://www.cbc.ca/news/ AIM president blasts Saint John city leaders, province at public meeting The company has been a catalyst for complaints about noise, dust, pollution and series of explosions Connell Smith · CBC News · Posted: Oct 17, 2019 9:49 AM AT "Black said the shutdown cost the company more than $1 million. "Close my place down … Minister Carr? I'd like to close your place down," he said." ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail. Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 10:36:18 -0300 Subject: I just contacted the Governor General and Canada's latest Lieutenant Governor through their offices in Ottawa and Fredericton .byway of phone and obviously email as well N'esy Pas Mr Butts? To: info@gg.ca, ltgov@gnb.ca, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "kris.austin" <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "David.Coon" <David.Coon@gnb.ca>, "Kevin.Vickers" <Kevin.Vickers@gnb.ca>, "brian.gallant" <brian.gallant@gnb.ca>, "ian.hanamansing" <ian.hanamansing@cbc.ca>, "Katie.Telford" <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, "darrow.macintyre" <darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca>, "carl.urquhart" <carl.urquhart@gnb.ca>, "Catherine.Tait" <Catherine.Tait@cbc.ca>, "sylvie.gadoury" <sylvie.gadoury@radio-canada. <Alex.Johnston@cbc.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)" <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "Mitton, Megan (LEG)" <megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, "michelle.conroy" <michelle.conroy@gnb.ca>, "rick.desaulniers" <rick.desaulniers@gnb.ca>, "robert.gauvin" <robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, robmoorefundy <robmoorefundy@gmail.com>, alaina <alaina@alainalockhart.ca>, "robert.mckee" <robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, "andrea.anderson-mason" <andrea.anderson-mason@gnb.ca> andre <andre@jafaust.com>, jbosnitch <jbosnitch@gmail.com>, "Roger.Brown" <Roger.Brown@fredericton.ca>, "dan. bussieres" <dan.bussieres@gnb.ca>, "Gilles.Blinn" <Gilles.Blinn@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Gilles.Cote" <Gilles.Cote@gnb.ca>, "hon.ralph.goodale" <hon.ralph.goodale@canada.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, "Nathalie.Drouin" <Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca kathleen.roussel@ppsc-sppc.gc. Cc: "Gerald.Butts" <Gerald.Butts@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, Tim.RICHARDSON@gnb.ca, motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, Newsroom <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, "Jacques.Poitras" <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, "David.Lametti" <David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>, "Ian.Shugart" <Ian.Shugart@pco-bcp.gc.ca> Office of the Secretary to the Governor General Rideau Hall 1 Sussex Drive Ottawa ON K1A 0A1 613-993-8200 1-800-465-6890 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) TTY: 1-800-465-7735 info@gg.ca I spoke to a lady named "Hannah" Lieutenant Governor . Phone: (506) 453-2505 Fax: (506) 444-5280 E-mail: ltgov@gnb.ca Or by regular mail (see below) I got the recording so I left another voicemail This is the lawsuit I was referring to https://davidraymondamos3. Friday, 18 September 2015 David Raymond Amos Versus The Crown T-1557-15 Court File No. T-1557-15 FEDERAL COURT BETWEEN: DAVID RAYMOND AMOS Plaintiff and HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN Defendant STATEMENT OF CLAIM The Parties 1. HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN (Crown) is Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, the Protector of the Faith of the Church of England, the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and one of the wealthiest persons in the world. Canada pays homage to the Queen because she remained the Head of State and the Chief Executive Officer of Canada after the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.) 1982, c. 11 came into force on April 17, 1982. The standing of the Queen in Canada was explained within the 2002 Annual Report FORM 18-K filed by Canada with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It states as follows: “The executive power of the federal Government is vested in the Queen, represented by the Governor General, whose powers are exercised on the advice of the federal Cabinet, which is responsible to the House of Commons. The legislative branch at the federal level, Parliament, consists of the Crown, the Senate and the House of Commons.” “The executive power in each province is vested in the Lieutenant Governor, appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the federal Cabinet. The Lieutenant Governor’s powers are exercised on the advice of the provincial cabinet, which is responsible to the legislative assembly. Each provincial legislature is composed of a Lieutenant Governor and a legislative assembly made up of members elected for a period of five years.” 2. Her Majesty the Queen is the named defendant pursuant to sections 23(1) and 36 of the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act. Some of the state actors whose duties and actions are at issue in this action are the Prime Minister, Premiers, Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, members of the Canadian Forces (CF), and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), federal and provincial Ministers of Public Safety, Ministers of Justice, Ministers of Finance, Speakers, Clerks, Sergeants-at-Arms and any other person acting as Aide-de-Camp providing security within and around the House of Commons, the legislative assemblies or acting as security for other federal, provincial and municipal properties. 3. Her Majesty the Queen’s servants the RCMP whose mandate is to serve and protect Canadian citizens and assist in the security of parliamentary properties and the protection of public officials should not deny a correspondence from a former Deputy Prime Minister who was appointed to be Canada’s first Minister of Public Safety in order to oversee the RCMP and their cohorts. The letter that helped to raise the ire of a fellow Canadian citizen who had never voted in his life to run for public office four times thus far is quoted as follows: “Mr. David R. Amos Jan 3rd, 2004 153Alvin Avenue Milton, MA U.S.A. 02186 Dear Mr. Amos Thank you for your letter of November 19th, 2003, addressed to my predecessor, the Honourble Wayne Easter, regarding your safety. I apologize for the delay in responding. If you have any concerns about your personal safety, I can only suggest that you contact the police of local jurisdiction. In addition, any evidence of criminal activity should be brought to their attention since the police are in the best position to evaluate the information and take action as deemed appropriate. I trust that this information is satisfactory. Yours sincerely A. Anne McLellan” 4. DAVID RAYMOND AMOS (Plaintiff), a Canadian Citizen and the first Chief of the Amos Clan, was born in Sackville, New Brunswick (NB) on July 17th, 1952. 5. The Plaintiff claims standing in this action as a citizen whose human rights and democratic interests are to be protected by due performance of the obligations of Canada’s public officials who are either elected or appointed and all servants of the Crown whose mandate is to secure the public safety, protect public interests and to uphold and enforce the rule of law. The Crown affirms his right to seek relief for offences to his rights under section 24(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter). Paragraphs 6 to 13 explain the delay in bringing this action before Federal Court and paragraphs 25 to 88 explain this matter. 6. The Plaintiff states that pursuant to the democratic rights found in Section 3 of the Charter he was a candidate in the elections of the membership of the 38th and 39th Parliaments in the House of Commons and a candidate in the elections of the memberships of the legislative assemblies in Nova Scotia (NS) and NB in 2006. 7. The Plaintiff states that if he is successful in finding a Chartered Accountant to audit his records as per the rules of Elections Canada, he will attempt to become a candidate in the election of the membership of the 42nd Parliament. 8. The Plaintiff states that beginning in January of 2002, he made many members of the RCMP and many members of the corporate media including employees of a Crown Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) well aware of the reason why he planned to return to Canada and become a candidate in the next federal election. In May of 2004, all members seated in the 37th Parliament before the writ was dropped for the election of the 38th Parliament and several members of the legislative assemblies of NB and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) knew the reason is the ongoing rampant public corruption. Evidence of the Plaintiff’s concerns can be found within his documents that the Office of the Governor General acknowledged were in its possession ten years ago before the Speech from the Throne in 2004. The Governor General’s letter is as follows: “September 11th, 2004 Dear Mr. Amos, On behalf of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, I acknowledge receipt of two sets of documents and CD regarding corruption, one received from you directly, and the other forwarded to us by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. I regret to inform you that the Governor General cannot intervene in matters that are the responsibility of elected officials and courts of Justice of Canada. You already contacted the various provincial authorities regarding your concerns, and these were the appropriate steps to take. Yours sincerely. Renee Blanchet Office of the Secretary to the Governor General” 9. The Plaintiff states that the documents contain proof that the Crown by way of the RCMP and the Minister of Public Safety/Deputy Prime Minister knew that he was the whistleblower offering his assistance to Maher Arar and his lawyers in the USA. The Governor General acknowledged his concerns about the subject of this complaint and affirmed that the proper provincial authorities were contacted but ignored the Plaintiff’s faxes and email to the RCMP and the Solicitor General in November of 2003 and his tracked US Mail to the Solicitor General and the Commissioner of the RCMP by way of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in December of 2003 and the response he received from the Minister of Public Safety/Deputy Prime Minister in early 2004. One document was irrefutable proof that there was no need whatsoever to create a Commission of Inquiry into Maher Arar concerns at about the same point in time. That document is a letter from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office Inspector General (OIG complaint no. C04-01448) admitting contact with his office on November 21, 2003 within days of the Plaintiff talking to the office of Canada’s Solicitor General while he met with the US Attorney General and one day after the former Attorney General of New York (NY) and the former General Counsel of the SEC testified at a public hearing before the US Senate Banking Committee about investigations of the mutual fund industry. Here is a comment I made in CBC before I called their offices https://www.cbc.ca/news/ 6 Comments David Raymond Amos Methinks whereas Murphy spoke about her passion for social justice, the lady and I should have a long talk very soon about the lawsuit I filed in Federal Court in 2015 while I was running in the last federal election N'esy Pas? Brenda Murphy installed as New Brunswick's 32nd lieutenant-governor Formal ceremony held in Fredericton on Tuesday follows swearing-in last month CBC News · Posted: Oct 08, 2019 5:40 PM AT | Last Updated: October 8 Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy's installation ceremony included an honour guard. (Ed Hunter/CBC) Brenda Murphy was installed as New Brunswick's 32nd lieutenant-governor during a formal ceremony Tuesday at the legislative assembly in Fredericton. In her first speech as lieutenant-governor, Murphy spoke about her passion for social justice. "Effective change can happen when we work together to build an inclusive, equitable society, address systemic barriers and support one another," she said. "Having experienced New Brunswick through several different lenses, I am looking forward to bringing that diverse perspective to this role and to continuing to serve the people of our province." Murphy, 60, of Grand Bay-Westfield, succeeds Jocelyne Roy Vienneau, 63, who died Aug. 2 following a battle with cancer. Murphy was sworn in during an informal ceremony on Sept. 8 to allow for the immediate commencement of her duties. Brenda Murphy 'humbled' to be appointed New Brunswick's new lieutenant-governor Premier Blaine Higgs, who hosted Tuesday's official ceremony, thanked Murphy for her leadership in social justice and making "a profound difference in the lives of many New Brunswickers." "I know she will continue to inspire others and contribute to the betterment of our province as lieutenant-governor, and I look forward to working with her." Murphy spent more than two decades as the head of the Saint John Women's Empowerment Network before retiring in April and has served on advisory councils on poverty and the status of women at the federal and provincial levels. She served three terms as a town councillor in Grand Bay-Westfield and has volunteered with a variety of organizations over the years, supporting housing, justice and equality for women. Lieutenant-governors are appointed by Julie Payette, the Governor General of Canada, on the recommendation of the prime minister. They serve terms of at least five years. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
American
Iron and Metal's west Saint John scrap metal recycling operation has
been the source of numerous noise, dust and pollution complaints. (Julia Wright, CBC)
West
Saint John resident Vern Lanteigne claims his home has lost more than
half its value since American Iron and Metal set up shop nearby. (Connell Smith, CBC)
New Brunswick's Minister of Environment Jeff Carr faced repeated criticism from Black during the Wednesday night meeting. (Connell Smith, CBC)
The American Iron and Metal property on the west side of Saint John. (Julia Wright/CBC )
AIM's
operations in Saint John have courted controversy since the company
signed a 40-year-lease with the Port of Saint John in 2002. (Julia Wright / CBC)
Darrell
Richards, who died July 1 in a workplace accident at American Iron and
Metal, is remembered by family and friends as a multi-talented,
hardworking man who loved to entertain and made everyone he met feel
important. (Submitted by Rick Richards)
Krista
Collins, the daughter-in-law of late AIM worker Darrell Richards, said
she bears no 'ill feeling' toward the company but that social media
speculation and rumours about Richards's death have caused the family
additional pain. (Julia Wright / CBC)
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