The City of Saint John, where Irving Oil is located, is closely tied to the Irving Group of Companies, which are mostly headquartered there. In 2005, Irving Oil received a controversial tax break from the municipality to develop the Canaport LNG (liquid natural gas) terminal; it was apparently negotiated one-on-one with the city's then-mayor Norm McFarlane. The tax concessions have cost the City of Saint John approximately $75 million over ten years, with a potential total loss of over $180 million. The tax break was cancelled in December, 2016 at the request of Saint John city council, with unanimous support in the Legislative Assembly.