In Canada, Irving interests are not just powerful in New Brunswick. Besides the hundreds of Irving Oil gas stations throughout eastern Canada, J.D. Irving has an especially big presence in Nova Scotia.

It owns 124,000 acres of forest land there and, in Halifax, a large shipyard, which is gearing up to fulfill a $25-billion contract with the Canadian military to build 21 ships.

J.D. Irving’s relationship with government in Nova Scotia is much like it is in New Brunswick. The city of Halifax recently gave Irving Shipbuilding a big property tax break, negotiated in secret and retroactive for a year.

The province two years ago announced a “forgivable loan” to the shipyard of $260 million – forgivable if 4,000 jobs are created over 29 years – and a repayable loan of $44 million.

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