January 2017 | Business View Magazine

118 119 BATHURST, NEW BRUNSWICK 1923. It employed hundreds of people when it ceased operations in 2005. By the 1960s, base metal mining had over- taken pulp and paper as the driving force of the local economy. Significant lead and zinc deposits discovered in 1953 in the surrounding region further spurred the city’s development. The Brunswick Mine began production in 1964 and quickly became one of the largest, and most profitable, of its kind in the world. It was also northern New Brunswick’s largest private sector employer. When it closed 50 years later in 2013, it had employed over 7,000 people, including 700 during its final year. Today, Bathurst is a town in transition. “It was easy for us in the last half century because of the large industries that were in our city,” says Mayor Paolo Fongemie. “Now we have to rein- vent ourself.”A major part of that reinvention consists of taking advantage of the area’s nat- ural beauty. “We have a bay, we have beaches, we have rivers, we have mountains, and we have trails,” Fongemie explains. “We’re going to start promoting our region as the outdoor capital of the Atlantic.” To that end, a regional tourism office is being created within the area’s Regional Service Commission, set up by the Province of New Brunswick to deal with zoning, planning, and waste management. “That’s a big step moving forward in regards to our region taking responsibility for our own development,” the mayor adds. “We’re trying to position our assets,” Fongem- ie continues. “We have 40 kilometers of trails within the city limits; we’re restoring an old Migma Indian trail from Mt. Carleton Provincial