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Xstrata Zinc Canada, owned by Swiss miner Xstrata, has announced that the Brunswick mine, which produces zinc, lead, copper and silver, has exhausted its supply of ore and will close next year.Ryan Carter for The Globe and Mail

After almost 50 years in production, the Brunswick Mine near Bathurst, N.B., will close within the next year.

Xstrata Zinc Canada, owned by Swiss miner Xstrata PLC, has announced that the mine, which produces zinc, lead, copper and silver, will close by March, 2013.

Greg Ashe, the mine's general manager, says the mine has exhausted its supply of ore, with less than three million tonnes left.

The mine opened in 1964 and employed more than 2,000 people at its peak, but that has dropped to about 900.

New Brunswick Deputy Premier Paul Robichaud says the provincial government will help a local committee seek ways to create jobs in the area and minimize the economic impact.

Liberal Opposition Leader Victor Boudreau says the closing of the mine has been known about for years, but the Conservative government has done nothing to help since elected 18 months ago.

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