FREDERICTON, N.B. – Layoffs have hit the natural gas industry in New Brunswick.

Enbridge Gas New Brunswick, which distributes natural gas to the public in the province, had earlier warned it may have to trim its 120 member workforce by as much as 50 percent at it’s main offices in Saint John, Fredericton, and Moncton.

Company general manager Dave Charlson says they’ve managed to limit the layoffs to 26 people…

“Over the past number of months we’ve been taking a closer look at our operating model and looking at what staff we would need for now and into the future which resulted in us cutting our workforce by 20%.”

Charlson says the rate of people signing up for natural gas in the province is less than expected.

He also points to changes in provincial legislation which remove the ability for the company to recover its costs.