Statement on behalf of Premier Blaine Higgs of the Province of New Brunswick, and Port Saint John CEO Craig Bell Estabrooks regarding American Iron and Metal

As a result of the fire at AIM's premises on Sep. 14, 2023, a meeting was held this morning, Sep. 18, 2023, between the most senior levels of the Government of New Brunswick (Province) and Port Saint John (PSJ).

The Province and PSJ agreed as follows:

●      The province and PSJ will appoint a joint task force to investigate the latest events at AIM, to examine all aspects of the situation. 

In addition to the previous, the following events occurred:

●      Under sections 5 and 19 of Port Authorities Operations Regulations (SOR/2000-55, Canada Marine Act), PSJ has restricted activities at the terminal where the fire occurred; only emergency operations directly related to stabilizing the site are permitted. These instructions will remain in place until the investigation is complete.

●      PSJ is also investigating AIM's compliance with the terms and conditions of their lease.

●      The province has suspended AIM's Approval to Operate and directed it to cease activities until a full investigation and review is complete.

“The Province of New Brunswick remains committed to ensuring that a full and thorough investigation will take place,” said Premier Blaine Higgs. “We are very thankful no one was injured or hurt at the site during the incident.  All operations at AIM continue to be suspended. The citizens of Saint John and our province deserve answers, and we will work diligently to provide them. I have directed the Clerk of the Executive Council, Cheryl Hansen, to work with the Port of Saint John on the task force. As there are multiple departments and arms of government involved to effectively investigate this situation with AIM, it was deemed appropriate that the Clerk would be best positioned to lead the Government of New Brunswick side of the task force. 

“First and foremost, community safety is paramount to us, as well as being a good neighbour to the people of Saint John,” said Bell Estabrooks. “Since signing the lease with the operator of this site in 2011, many things have changed. Port Saint John never envisioned the series of explosions, fires, accidents and tragic deaths that have occurred. We are steadfast in our commitment to the health and safety of our community.”

MEDIA CONTACT:
Corporate communications, Executive Council Office, media-medias@gnb.ca.
Patrick Beamish, external affairs manager, Port Saint John, pbeamish@sjport.com.