Small Town Week, Episode 4: A New Brunswick town deals with a horrific stench

This is the fourth episode of Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.

The smaller your community is, the more likely it is to rely on a handful of employers to keep its economy stable. So when employers are looking for a place to set up shop—especially if that shop might be a little noisy or disruptive or require some tax breaks—they know that promising a certain number of well-paying jobs is a pretty good way to get the community on board.

That’s how it’s worked forever. But sometimes, as is the case in one town in New Brunswick, it stinks. Literally. A shell-drying company moved into Richibucto, N.B., promising jobs and prosperity, and the process produced a stench so bad it makes people gag.

So what happens when the jobs are fewer than hoped for? When the byproduct of the plant actively drives people away? What are the consequences, if any? And is there any way to stop the stink?

GUEST: Lindsay Jones, reporter, The Globe and Mail

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