Arthur Irving remembered for leadership and enthusiasm for New Brunswick

The death of Arthur Irving is causing New Brunswickers who knew him best to pause and reflect on his legacy.

The billionaire businessman who died Monday at the age of 93 served as chair emeritus of Irving Oil Ltd. later in his life after running the company for many years. Based in Saint John, the company owns Canada's largest oil refinery.

"He never lost his enthusiasm for the province, for the business, for the people that were in it," said Premier Blaine Higgs, who worked at Irving Oil for 33 years.

"And he never lost appreciation for everyone that he served as a customer and who worked in the business. And I think that respect was demonstrated in everything that he did."

He said he recalls Irving as having a humble nature and unshakable pride in being a New Brunswicker. 

"He never felt that he had a big company," Higgs said. "In the size of Irving Oil, compared to the Exxon Mobils, and the Ultramars and Shells, he always felt it was a small, regional company and it could compete in a big world.

"And I think that's the vision that we share as a province, that every day we can work a little harder to be a bigger and better province."

As premier, Higgs said, he applies lessons from Irving's leadership style. 

"Yes, it has had an influence, in the sense that you plan, you look at information and you study it ahead, and you decide on where to go next and the idea is you've got to make a decision and get on with it," Higgs said.

"And you just can't continually talk about something."

Former Saint John mayor Don Darling described Irving's death as a tremendous loss for New Brunswick but also for his city.

"Mr. Irving was a passionate champion of our region, of our city," Darling said.

"I had a couple of occasions to sit with Mr. Irving when I was mayor. And the very first thing he said was, 'How can I help you, mayor? How can we help the city?'"

Darling echoed the fact that Irving took pride in New Brunswick, both by employing so many locals and keeping his oil refinery and headquarters in Saint John.