1,000 jobs promised for Moncton appear slow to materialize

BMM Testlabs wasn't shy when it announced in September 2015 that 1,000 jobs would be coming to Greater Moncton, but since then it's been harder to pin down if it is hitting its mark.

In September 2015, the president and CEO of BMM Testlabs, Martin Storm, and Premier Brian Gallant packed the Capitol Theatre in Moncton with politicians and spectators to announce 1,000 jobs would be coming to the city by 2020.

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At the time, Storm said the first batch of 200 employees would be hired by the end of this year. But since last year's announcement the company is keeping a lower profile, refusing to confirm if the first target was met.

Upon announcing $14 million of provincial money was being earmarked to subsidized the 1,000 jobs, Gallant was clear in saying, "We would not invest any of this money unless the job has been created."

$129,521 in rebates

Opportunities New Brunswick confirms that BMM Testlabs has received $129,521 in payroll rebates, but it says it can't confirm how many jobs that money is helping to finance.

On Sept. 15, 2016, Wendy Anderson of BMM Testlabs posted a news release to the company's website quoting Storm as saying, "We expect to increase headcount by 60+ engineers during the first quarter of 2017 and are in the process of securing additional space to facilitate this growth."

The release states that the Dieppe branch more than doubled its employees since the announcement one year earlier when BMM employed about 50 people.

Anderson said Storm isn't available to comment until February of 2017.

Brian Gallant has taken criticism at the New Brunswick Legislature from the opposition for not delivering on the promise. In mid-December, Bruce Northrup, MLA for Sussex-Fundy-St. Martins said: "The premier has been to a lot of splashy events paid for by the taxpayers when he announces jobs but nobody has been actually going to work and earning a paycheque at most of them so how can you call them jobs?"

At the announcement last year Storm also announced the company would immediately be finding new office space to accommodate the incoming hundreds of employees.

No new property is registered to the company's name in Greater Moncton to date.