JDI students represent Team NB at 2025 Canada Games

As athletes from across Canada head to St. John’s, N.L. for the 2025 Canada Games in August, coworkers across J.D. Irving, Limited will be cheering on the home team and two summer students competing for Team New Brunswick.

Olivia Barrett and Oliver Arnfast are not only gaining hands-on experience in forestry and power engineering this summer, but they’re also showcasing their athletic abilities on the national stage.

Olivia Barrett – Power Engineering Student – Team NB Softball

At the Irving Pulp & Paper mill in Saint John, N.B., Olivia is spending her summer immersed in a power engineering student role. She’s also on the Team NB softball team.

Throughout the summer on the job, Olivia has been shadowing with the Chemical Recovery and Utilities (CRU) team, preparing a presentation on recausticizing and earning steam hours toward her Standardization of Power Engineers Examination Committee (SOPEEC) certification. It is the type of role she says she was specifically looking for.

“I wanted something hands-on that would push me to think critically and solve real problems,” Olivia said. “Working in the mill has exposed me to systems and processes that go far beyond what we learn in school.”

Drawn to engineering for its problem-solving nature, Olivia quickly realized she wanted a career that would keep her on her feet, both literally and figuratively. Power engineering, with its focus on operating and maintaining complex mechanical systems like boilers, turbines, and compressors, offered just that. Her summer role at JDI delivered the kind of practical experience she was looking for, allowing her to apply classroom theory to live systems and build confidence working with industrial tools and equipment.

Olivia’s passion for learning by doing has made her summer job at JDI fit like a glove which should come as no surprise. When she’s not at work, Olivia trades her wrench and pressure gauge for a bat and glove, as a softball player for Team New Brunswick.

“I started with basketball as a kid, but when I got asked to try softball, I just fell in love with it,” she said.

Now the starting catcher for Team New Brunswick, Olivia is a versatile player who can also cover any position on the field. She balances full-time work with elite-level training including team practices and self-led gym sessions in preparation.

“It’s definitely overwhelming at times, but I’ve felt really supported by the team at JDI,” she says. “I’ve learned how important it is to manage your time, work hard and support your team whether that’s at work or on the field.”

As the Canada Games approach, Olivia says she’s most excited for the chance to compete at a national level alongside her teammates, calling it a huge opportunity and expressing how proud she is to represent New Brunswick on this stage.

Oliver Arnfast – Engineering Assistant – Team NB Decathlon

Oliver Arnfast, an Engineering Assistant with Central New Brunswick Woodlands for the summer, will be representing New Brunswick in decathlon.

This is the second time the 4th year mechanical engineering student from the University of New Brunswick is competing in the Canada Games, but his first time joining Team NB. Originally from Truro, N.S., Oliver has previously competed for Nova Scotia.

Like many Canadians, Oliver’s first sport was hockey, but he’s been involved in track and field for the last six years.

“I started with only doing the hurdles in middle school, mostly because qualifying for provincials meant missing a day of school,” Oliver said, offering a joking apology to his seventh-grade teachers. “I continued through high school and started picking up more and more events until I decided to give the decathlon a try.”

He would fully commit to the sport through his university career. In decathlon, athletes compete over two days in 10 events: 100-metre dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-metre dash, 110-metre hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-metre run.

“The decathlon is a unique event where you spend almost 48 hours straight with your competitors and develop a sense of comradery,” Oliver said.

He added that he’s also looking forward to competing with athletes from across Canada as well as spending time with his teammates on the tight-knit New Brunswick team.

This is Oliver’s first-time joining J.D. Irving, Limited as a summer student and he said he appreciated the diverse experiences he’s received so far.

“I have been able to get a taste of all the different departments that are needed to supply our sawmills and customers with the wood required,” Oliver said. “From harvesting, trucking, road construction and maintenance I have definitely enjoyed working on such a wide range of tasks and projects.”

Olivia and Oliver are not just learning valuable on-the-job skills in their student roles at JDI, they’re also inspiring their coworkers every day. From the mill floor to the softball field and from the forest to the track, Olivia and Oliver are true examples of dedication, work ethic and passion.