Daily News Archives » Page 11 of 231 » CHMA, Voice of the Marshes

Residents share security and privacy concerns over new health centre at Dorchester prison

On today’s show, we listen in to a public meeting in Dorchester as Correctional Services of Canada announces the location of a new Health Centre of Excellence planned for the Dorchester Penitentiary. About 25 residents showed up Thursday evening to ask questions about the security of the new facility, the impact it could have on local services like water and sewer, and the potential for the project to incorporate improvements to local roads.

Plus in briefs, a policy and a bylaw that Tantramar council rejected last week are back on the agenda for Monday’s committee of the whole meeting, a new bank of EV chargers is coming to the Amherst Canadian Tire, and Sackville’s longtime Town Crier, David Fullerton, has died. … Continue

a shadow of a "Downtown Sackville" bike rack on a sidwalk

Sackville gets noticed for its walkability among Maritime small towns

A car-free lifestyle might not be what most people associate with small town living, but car-free Moncton resident Charles MacDougall crunched the numbers this spring to come up with a list of seven Maritime towns where significant numbers of residents walk or bike to get around.

Sackville is number 4 on MacDougall’s list, clocking in with 20.8% of residents walking or biking to work regularly. That may be impressive for a small town, but it’s nowhere near the number for Annapolis Royal, which according to MacDougall’s analysis, has 38.1% of residents walking or biking to work regularly.

To get his numbers, MacDougall used data from Canada’s 2021 long form census, which asks a quarter of Canadians to answer questions on a variety of topics, including their transportation habits. MacDougall pulled the numbers and averaged rates between population centres and actual municipal boundaries of small towns. Then he published his list, along with his thoughts, in a thread on Twitter/X.

Here’s MacDougall’s list of the towns where more than 15% of residents say they mainly walk or bike to work:

Annapolis Royal (38,1%) – Iconic. Lots to admire and (re)discover on foot. Many attractions, services and even grocery options for a town its size.
Saint-Andrews (23,3%) – Very classic and walkable grid layout with a strong Main St (although too touristy for my liking, doesn’t feel as practical). There’s an incredible resort and a small college campus in walking distance from the centre of town.

… Continue

Westcock residents voice concerns over continued blasting, and lack of political support from new municipality

On today’s show, we listen in to the final session of Tantramar’s Municipal Roadshow series, held in St Ann’s Church in Westcock on Wednesday evening. About 25 residents gathered, and the conversation focussed on concerns over increased taxes in the area, and a perceived lack of support from Tantramar council over the impacts of blasting in the area, taking place at quarries very close to private homes.

Plus in news briefs, Correctional Services Canada is expected to announce the site for its new Health Centre of Excellence in a public information meeting tonight in Dorchester, schools will be dismissed early today due to the heat wave, and local writer Patrick Allaby launches his new book tonight at Struts. … Continue

Acadian groups propose a new national park for the Chignecto Isthmus

An interpretive panel at the Beaubassin-Fort Lawrence National Historic Site. Photo: Erica Butler

Acadian groups have proposed a new national park on the Chignecto Isthmus, partially in hopes of securing federal support to protect the dykeland system from increasing risk of flooding due to extreme storms and sea level rise.

“It would be a really nice way to recognize our history and heritage,” says director of the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick (SANB), Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter. “And for economic purposes, being the connection between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, for the rest of Canada.”

But there are some concerns the idea could complicate the protection of the Isthmus. Leon Landry, president of the Cumberland Acadian Society, likes the idea of a Chignecto Isthmus National Park, but is worried that attaching a new national park to the protection of the isthmus could “create more red tape.”

The SANB and their counterparts from Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada submitted a brief pitching the Chignecto Isthmus National Park to a Senate committee on Transportation and Community last month.

The groups say a national park on the Isthmus would have three benefits. First, it would involve multiple federal departments in the protection of the Isthmus against risks brought on by climate change. Secondly, it could allow two heritage institutions, Fort Beauséjour in New Brunwwick and Fort Lawrence in Nova Scotia, to be combined into one site. And lastly, it could preserve and promote the history and culture of the Mi’kmaq and Acadians of Beaubassin.… Continue

Council approves two major Dorchester projects, and commits to new fire hall by 2026

The Dorchester Fire Hall in September 2018. Image: Google Streetview

Last week Tantramar council approved over a million dollars in spending in Dorchester, with a tender awarded for the reconstruction of Station Road and an approval to buy a new pumper truck for the Dorchester Fire Department. But both purchases hit snags with budget limitations before they were approved.

The reconstruction of Station Road will see 115 metres of roadway rebuilt with curbs and storm sewers. The lowest bidder on the project was Bowsers’ Construction, but even their bid of roughly $312,000 (HST included) was about $50,000 too high for the allocated budget. Town engineer Jon Eppell told council he came close to recommending reducing the length of the reconstruction by one fifth, but Treasurer Michael Beal came up with a fix, thanks to some unspent funds in the municipality’s snow removal budget.

Last year, Tantramar decided to buy additional equipment in order to take on snow clearing in Dorchester. Previously, the village had relied on private contractors to do the work. Because staff weren’t sure if the equipment would arrive in time for the snow season, the town kept its budget allocation for contracted snow removal in this year’s budget. But the equipment did arrive in time, and so that money was not spent, which turns out to be good news for Station Road.

“Within the 2024 budget for the Dorchester sub-unit, we have $90,000 that is unallocated,” Beal told council last week.… Continue

Sackville gets noticed for its walkability among Maritime small towns

On today’s show, we revisit a conversation with Moncton resident Charles MacDougall, whose curiosity about walkability in small towns prompted him to crunch the numbers from the 2021 Canadian long form census, and come up with a list of seven small towns in the Maritimes where more than 15% of residents mainly walk or bike to work. Sackville is on the list, along with Annapolis Royal, Saint-Andrews, Lunenburg, Antigonish, Pugwash, and Wolfville.

Plus in briefs, Mount Allison is pushing back the timeline for the Ralph Pickard Bell library project, and Amlamgog First Nation is celebrating National Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a launch event at its Medicine Trail. … Continue

Acadian groups propose a Chignecto Isthmus National Park

On today’s show, Acadian groups have proposed a new national park on the Chignecto Isthmus, partially in hopes of securing federal support to protect the dykeland system from increasing risk of flooding due to extreme storms and sea level rise. But there are some concerns the idea could complicate the protection of the Isthmus. We hear from Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick executive director Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter and Leon Landry, president of the Cumberland Acadian Society.

Plus in briefs, Mount Allison has a new Canada Research Chair, Baie Verte musician Jon McKiel has made the Polaris Music Prize long list, and Environment Canada warns of high heat and humidity this week. … Continue

Tantramar council approves two major Dorchester projects, and commits to new fire hall by 2026

On today’s show, we look at over $1 million in spending approved by Tantramar council on Tuesday for projects in Dorchester, including the reconstruction of Station Road and a new pumper truck for Dorchester Fire. Both projects hit snags with budget limitations before they were approved, but thanks to cautious budgeting for 2024, the municipality has the money to cover them.

But now the race is on to get a new fire hall built in Dorchester, one that can accommodate the new pumper truck, which will be too large to fit into the current Dorchester Fire Hall.

Plus in news brief, a Sackville teen that went missing in Florenceville-Bristol has been found, Tantramar council asks staff to engage with province about Aulac info centre, and the fourth Tantramar Roadshow happened in Upper Sackville on Thursday evening.

… Continue

Council rejects new begging and loitering bylaw, but balks at repealing old ones

At their meeting on Tuesday evening, Tantramar council voted down a newly proposed bylaw on loitering and begging, and then opted to keep two existing and similar bylaws on the books in Sackville and Dorchester.

The proposed bylaw is part of the review and consolidation of bylaws for the new municipality of Tantramar being carried out by the municipal clerk.

The Tantramar-wide bylaw would have made “asking for money, food, or help as charity” illegal, and also banned loitering, defined as “remaining in an area with no obvious purpose.” The new bylaw also included a ban on soliciting door-to-door, unless what’s being sold is a book that’s been previously approved by council. (That provision appears to be a call back to the former Municipalities Act, which set up exemptions to solicitation laws for publishers of encyclopedias, educational texts, and Bibles. While Tantramar council has no list of exempted books, the province did keep a list of specific books that were allowed to be sold door-to-door in the province.)

Councillor Josh Goguen was the first to speak on the proposed Tantramar-wide bylaw, and referenced issues that the city of Halifax has had with police street checks. In 2017, Halifax police street check data showed that Black people in the city were three times more likely than white people to be stopped by police.

Councillor Josh Goguen addresses Tantramar council on June 11, 2024. Image: TantramarNB on Youtube

“We’re basically saying to somebody that, you’re sitting down, and the bylaw officer can come up to you and say, What are you doing?… Continue

After final debate, senate gives thumbs up to Chignecto Isthmus bill

On today’s show, we listen in to some of the debate before the Canadian Senate approved a bill that would declare the Chignecto Isthmus Dykelands System for the “general advantage of Canada.” The bill was put forward by New Brunswick senator Jim Quinn, and was approved in a 55-10 vote in the Senate on Tuesday. Now it will move on to the House of Commons to be considered by elected members of parliament.

Plus in briefs, the new owners of the former Pizza Delight are experienced restauranteurs, the Owens is honoured with a community literacy award, and DTI says it has started a partial replacement of a collapsed culvert on Route 106. … Continue

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