J.D. Irving, Limited has written a public letter criticizing the Holt government for abruptly torpedoing its pitch to conserve areas where it can currently harvest wood, including around municipal watersheds and tourism hot spots, in exchange for access to other already protected lands. It’s a swap the province’s largest forestry company contends has the support of several municipalities across the province that it spent months consulting. But it was quickly dismissed in a short public statement by Natural Resources Minister John Herron last week amid anger from environmental and Indigenous groups. That has now led JDI to call Herron’s response “the worst kind of reactive policy that puts investment, jobs and our economy at risk.” The company then also quotes Premier Susan Holt from her own recent state of the province address where she pledged a “steady hand” and no “rash decisions” as the province’s companies grapple with US tariffs.