Canada’s Resource Cities: Fredericton

Canada’s Resource Cities: Fredericton

In this series of five infographics, we will be highlighting some of Canada’s most intriguing resource cities. Today’s post is sponsored by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

What makes Fredericton one of Canada’s most prominent resource cities?

The official motto of New Brunswick’s capital city is “Fredericton, noble daughter of the forest”. This is fitting, because the city and surrounding area has a wealth of forests, minerals, and value-added services. As a result, the city is becoming a strong natural resource research hub that will create wealth in New Brunswick and Canada for decades to come.

Some interesting facts on Fredericton and the region covered in this infographic:

• Forestry has been a cornerstone of the city’s history, and the sector contributes $2 billion in output to the provincial GDP.
• 22,000 men and women are employed directly or indirectly through the province’s forestry sector.
• Mining exploration expenditures have tripled since 2009 to $34 million in 2014.
• The New Brunswick government has received over $90 million in royalty payments for the province’s mining and forestry sectors. It’s enough to pay for 50% of the province’s drug programs.
• The number of bioscience companies in the province have quadrupled over the last decade. Employment has risen 15% per year for the last 10 years.
• The University of New Brunswick contributes $385 million to the provincial economy and Fredericton community. 25% of graduates work in natural resource sectors or related fields.