Manufacturers from around the province gathered in Fredericton to talk about the current economic climate and investment opportunities. They've had a tough time in the last year or so with the rise in the value of the Canadian dollar and continuing economic difficulties in the U.S. David Plante of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters tells CHSJ News the uncertainty over energy in the province and what will happen with NB Power are not helping. Plante maintains whichever party wins the provincial election in September will have to come up with a long term energy plan. He came out in support of the NB Power deal with Hydro Quebec because of the dramatic reductions for manufacturers in the cost of their electricity.
Plante claims the manufacturers he has dealt with over the past two decades have been improving their energy efficiency by about one per cent per year.