McAdam’s Largest Employer To Close

The largest employer in the village of McAdam is closing its doors, leaving 59 people without work.

CertainTeed Canada says its gypsum wallboard plant in the village will stop production Aug. 28 and close by the end of February.

In a statement, the company said the decision follows an “extensive review” of their business.

“As a company, we continually work to understand customer needs and to meet changing customer demands, and that important work informs our decisions to re-evaluate our plant network and make changes to ensure our future success,” said the company.

The village council also released a statement, saying they were told the closure was based on poor market conditions and that the plant was operating at 22 per cent of its capacity.

According to the village, about two-thirds of the employees live in McAdam, with the rest residing in Fredericton, Harvey and St. Stephen.

“We have notified our MLA and will be requesting a meeting with Premier Higgs and his staff to discuss the CertainTeed plant closure and together develop a strategy going forward to minimize the negative impacts of this closure on the members of our community affected directly and the village as a whole,” said the council.

“We are all in this together and together we will get through this.”

CertainTeed Canada said it will work closely with employees to provide support and resources, such as career counselling and identifying other job opportunities.

Meanwhile, the leader of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick said it will be important for the government to do whatever it can to prevent the plant’s closure or to help those affected.

“The company has been in McAdam since 1991 and has provided steady, well-paid jobs for many people in the community over nearly three decades,” said Kris Austin in a statement.

“Whatever can be done to prevent this closure from happening must be done. If there is no way forward for the plant’s future operations, then efforts must be made to soften the financial blow for the employees and the village.”