UPDATED: Here’s what we know so far about the first-ever election in the new Town of Tantramar
This article was updated at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 to include new information.
Election Day is scheduled for November 28 across the province in communities affected by local governance reform, including the Town of Tantramar.
Also known as Entity 40, the newly-created municipality will mash together Sackville, Dorchester and other nearby communities.
Nominations opened last Saturday, and so far only one candidate for mayor has come forward, according to unofficial records from Elections NB.
Shawn Mesheau, currently mayor of Sackville, is running for the top job in Tantramar.
One eagle-eyed resident spotted Dorchester Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell on the list of mayoral candidates, but her name was later removed.
Josh Goguen, an admin for the Facebook group Sackville NB Community Chatter, posted a screenshot online showing her listed her as a candidate.
Two candidates in Ward 1
Two members of the Village of Dorchester council, including the mayor herself, are vying for a seat. Mayor Wiggins-Colwell and Councillor Robert Corkerton are both running for the Ward 1 council seat, according to an updated list of candidates.
Ward 1 is a large area hemmed by the Memramcook River on the west and a section of Highway 2 in the north. To the south, it includes a chunk of land around Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Interpretive Centre and it extends past Cherry Burton Road to the east. You can check out a detailed ward map here.… Continue
‘What are renters supposed to do?’ MLA Mitton presses government to extend rent control
Listen to Tantramar Report for Thursday, October 13, 2022:
N.B. is changing the way it funds local government — what does it mean for Tantramar?
The provincial government says changes to local government funding will “provide financial stability to local governments and rural districts,” but changes to the law have prompted a backlash.
Bill 120 received Royal Assent on Tuesday, effectively freezing local government funding across the province at its current level of about $76 million for the next five years.
Megan Mitton, the MLA representing Memramcook-Tantramar, said municipal reform will download more responsibility from the province onto local governments without funding them adequately.
“Municipalities want there to be stability, but not stagnation,” Mitton told lawmakers in the provincial capital last week.
Liberal MLAs also criticized the law. Jacques LeBlanc, who represents Shediac-Beaubassin-Cap Pelé, said in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday it will force municipalities to raise taxes.
Opposition members also criticized the government for rushing the legislation through the Legislative Assembly.
Formula changing
The current formula has been in place since 2013, and includes so-called equalization and core funding.
The equalization system, which dates back to 1967, involves the redistribution of tax revenue across the province so that less prosperous communities can still offer a certain level of services.
Under the new system, equalization payments remain in place, but will be adjusted annually by a maximum of three per cent, through a comparison of local and provincial tax base growth. … Continue
Sackville’s hidden video and pinball arcade grew from pandemic hobby
Listen to Tantramar Report for Monday, October 10, 2022:
… Continue
Tories introduce changes to local government funding – what does it mean for Tantramar?
Listen to Tantramar Report for Thursday, October 6, 2022:
Following ‘mix-up,’ voters may receive notices falsely stating no election in November: Elections NB
Local government elections are slated to take place on November 28 across the province, including for the new Town of Tantramar.
But local residents may receive a notice in the mail stating incorrectly that no election is taking place.
And in parts of the province where, in fact, no election is planned, residents may receive the opposite information.
That’s because of a “mix-up” involving a quarter of a million households, according to a statement issued by the government agency on Wednesday.
“A mix-up in the name on files sent to the vendor who printed the content and packaged the envelopes for Elections NB resulted in over 260,000 households being sent the wrong election message,” the statement said.
“The mistake, introduced after the files were sent to the supplier, was not caught by us during the proofing process,” chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth added.
Several communities don’t have elections scheduled in November, including Belledune, Dieppe, Moncton, Saint John, and about a dozen other places.
That’s either because they were unaffected by municipal reform, or their total number of voters will increase by less than 15 per cent.
But Sackville, Dorchester and other communities that will be merged into the future Town of Tantramar are not on that list.
At least one Sackville resident told CHMA she had received one of the erroneous notices by Wednesday.
Voters and candidates with questions about the November election can contact Elections NB at 1-888-858-VOTE.
More information about the election is available on the Elections NB website.… Continue
Outages raise questions about emergency preparation in Sackville; ‘Hay bale teddy bear’ built for Truth and Reconciliation Day
Listen to Tantramar Report for Thursday, September 29, 2022:
Power failures, uprooted trees and a collapsed warehouse: Hurricane Fiona’s effects on Sackville
In Sackville, Hurricane Fiona caused prolonged power outages as hurricane-force winds knocked down trees and caused at least one building to collapse.
The warehouse on Crescent Street belongs to FRS Flooring Solutions.
“It was still standing Friday night,” said Damon Doncaster, a sales associate with the company. “I went to check on it… I think it was about 11 o’clock on Saturday morning, after I had heard a few rumours that the building had fallen.”
Sure enough, the old storage facility was a wreck.
Listen to Damon Doncaster speaking to CHMA on Tuesday, September 27, 2022:
Firefighters responded to about a dozen calls during the hurricane, according to Craig Bowser, chief of Sackville Fire and Rescue.
“Most of those calls were related to trees down on power lines, or power lines dangling, and we needed to secure an area for public safety,” he said.
Listen to Craig Bowser speaking to CHMA on Tuesday, September 27, 2022:
The Town of Sackville opened the Civic Centre as a warming centre for residents affected by power outages.
But very few people — perhaps just one or two — ended up using it, according to the municipality.
And one elderly Sackville resident said people on Devon Avenue were without power for more than 48 hours.
‘This storm scared me’: Fiona leaves Sackville with uprooted trees, power outages
Listen to Tantramar Report for Monday, September 26, 2022:
New book examines how Canadian companies accumulate profits through ‘dispossession’ at home and abroad
A Mount Allison professor is launching a new book in Sackville next week.
Dave Thomas is an associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Mount Allison University.
His work focusses specifically on the role of Canadian actors in the Global South.
He is the co-editor of a new book from Fernwood Publishing titled Capitalism and Dispossession: Corporate Canada at Home and Abroad.
Thomas spoke to CHMA about the book on Wednesday.