Category: Front Page

This is the last week for the New Brunswick legislature to sit in its current configuration, before a provincial election set for October 21.

CHMA called up Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton to get an update on what’s going on this week in Fredericton, including a sick days report that has yet to see the light of day, and hopes for an Accessibility Act for New Brunswick.

“It’s almost like kids getting excited about summer,” says Mitton. “I feel like the energy gets a bit different in the legislature as we get towards June.”

Mitton says that in addition to being very concerned about revelations in recent Auditor Generals reports documenting a lack of oversight of travel nurse contracts, she’s also concerned that a report into sick days legislation will get lost with the end of the session.

“They did consultations, they wrote a report, and the minister won’t release it,” says Mitton. “I think he’s going to wait till the last day we’re sitting to release it, unfortunately.”

This week the Green Party expects to debate their environmental rights bill, “which would guarantee rights to clean air, clean water, to not have to be breathing in pollution,” says Mitton. “And this would especially protect the most vulnerable, such as children, and would give recourse for people when things aren’t going that way.”

Mitton also introduced an act to ban the use of replacement workers, which she says will most likely “die on the order paper” for this session.… Continue

Tantramar council is considering a new confidentiality policy that would add council members themselves to a list of people required to sign a Pledge of Confidentiality to protect “confidential, personal or health information” of the municipality, its residents, employees and clients.

Councillors are already required to adhere to confidentiality rules outlined in the munipality’s Code of Conduct bylaw, but CAO Jennifer Borne says the addition of councillors to the pledge policy will serve as “an acknowledgement, by employees, by council, that would go on a personnel file, acknowledging that they’re familiar with the information and that they will adhere to it.”

Assistant Clerk Becky Goodwin presented the new Tantramar-wide policy for council’s consideration on Monday at a committee of the whole meeting.

The new policy is a near word-for-word copy of the former town of Sackville confidentiality policy (passed in January 2020) but with a few key changes: it removes a requirement for a pledge to be signed by employees annually, it specifically lists firefighters in addition to employees, and it adds council members as one of the groups required to sign the pledge.

CHMA asked Goodwin to confirm that list, and in an email reply, Goodwin said, “when reviewing policies, we review policies from Municipalities across New Brunswick, as well as our own former municipalities.” CHMA asked what other municipal policies were consulted before proposing the new confidentiality policy, and have yet to receive a response.… Continue

A record 250 people attended the annual Maritime Moto Show at Tantramar Regional High School on Sunday. The TRHS Essential Skills class fundraiser was organized by the students who participate in the program.

Nik Estabrooks and Dominick Wilson put the event together as part of their year end project. “I was definitely nervous for this, I will admit, but it’s turned out great. I’m happy, really happy about it,” said Estabrooks.

Estabrooks is working towards being a firefighter, and he’s also interested in cars. He’s one of 33 students at the high school involved in the program.

Essential skills teacher Matthew Wheaton said the Essential Skills Achievement Pathway (ESAP) Program started in New Brunswick six years ago. It helps students who have a clear sense of what they want to do work towards their career. TRHS was one of the first ten schools to participate.

“We basically have a program designed apart from the regular graduation pathway that traditional schools have,” he said. “Starting in grade 10, [students do] a foundation year where they work on skills that the federal government has said, we need our future labor force workers to be able to do these things, reading, writing, numeracy, digital oral communication, all that stuff,” said Wheaton.

After the foundation year, students then focus on the line of work they want to follow.… Continue

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has proposed a temporary fix for Route 106.

Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black made the announcement to a crowd of about 30 residents at a municipal roadshow session last night in Dorchester.

Black told the crowd he had just received confirmation from DTI Thursday morning that they intend to construct a one-lane modular Bailey bridge beside the current damaged culvert at Two Mile Brook, to allow drivers through on the 106 between Sackville and Dorchester. The move will take some of the pressure off Woodlawn Road and King Street, which are currently serving as the detour route between the village and the town.

The Bailey bridge will span about 80 feet, said Black, and could take about 4-5 weeks to complete. He said that weather permitting, DTI expects to start work on May 28, and so the project could be completed by July 2. “Which is a lot better than September,” said Black, referring to the latest timeline for a permanent fix to the closure. When the road was first closed at the beginning of April, DTI had predicted a fix by the end of May.  But then that was revised to September,  much to the chagrin of locals and commuters. 

Black said that the temporary solution from DTI came after some pushing from both himself and MLA Megan Mitton.… Continue

A portion of York Street in Sackville has been slated for redevelopment as early as next summer.

Businesses at 26 and 28 York Street have received notice that their leases will terminate at the end of April 2025.  The two properties–which house Blind Forest Books, Sweet Yummyland, The Little Pantry and Steel Clippers–are all owned by Right Coast Realty, whose director is Mike Wilson, the CEO of the AIL Group.  

Blind Forest Books has been operating at 28 York Street since 2017, when owner Miriam Lapp bought Rags of Time, another bookstore that had operated in the space since 2002.

Sweet Yummyland only recently opened in the space next door, and The Little Pantry is the newest tenant, having just moved in last week from its previous location on Bridge Street. 

AIL vice president of finance Wendy Alder confirmed that termination notices have been sent for April 30 of next year, but said the company had no further information to share at this point, including how many properties might be involved in a future redevelopment.

AIL’s Sackville office is next door to the properties, in the former New Brunswick Telephone Company building at 32 York Street. According to the Tantramar Heritage Trust, the NB Tel building dates back to 1926 when it was constructed as a telephone exchange. Around 2012, the building was “extensively restored with a plan approved by the Town of Sackville Heritage Board,” according to the Trust.… Continue

Tantramar council has started the process of fixing a situation it got itself in last week when it repealed a bylaw that allowed for Sunday shopping in the the former town of Sackville. But there’s still no information from staff about how the mistake happened.

On Friday May 17, council held a short, special meeting to consider a new bylaw similar to the previous Sackville version, but with limits on Sunday shopping hours removed. Council passed first and second reading of the new bylaw on Friday, and will have to hold another meeting to entertain a third reading. CAO Jennifer Borne told CHMA via email that another special meeting will likely be called next week.

At Friday’s meeting Tantramar councillors did not ask for, and staff did not volunteer, any explanation of how staff’s bylaw review process resulted in a recommendation to repeal, when information on the province’s website clearly indicates the requirement for municipalities to have their own Sunday shopping by-law. A report from staff recommending the repeal did not include information beyond what was included in a letter from the Retail Council of Canada, who wrote to the Mayor on March 28 requesting an amendment to the bylaw.

Councillor Barry Hicks asked why the provincial law didn’t regulate Sunday shopping directly. “Doesn’t the provincial government supersede our bylaws,” wondered Hicks. “Don’t they regulate when they can be open, when they can’t?”

Tantramar Clerk Donna Beal said staff has been talking about that very issue since the day after the repeal was passed.… Continue

Sackville’s Noah Throop says the Daybreak Activity Centre has helped him get through dark times and supported him in his journey to live with anxiety. The urge to show his appreciation led him to start Noah’s Run, an awareness and fundraising event in its fourth year, happening this Saturday. 

“I want to give back to them for helping me,” says Throop. Daybreak’s programs and activities helped him “get back on track” says Throop, and he feels it can help others as well.

Throop is hoping his run, as well as a community ‘walk around the block’ slated for 11am Saturday, can help end the stigma around mental health challenges. “Before I found Daybreak I never talked about it,” says Throop. Now he wants people to know, “it’s okay to have bad days… We can all get through this.”

Throop’s goal is to run a half marathon on Saturday morning (at an undisclosed location, to avoid the spotlight) and then land at the Sackville Farmers Market where donations are being accepted at a Daybreak booth. Volunteers will lead community members on a ‘walk around the block’ at 11am as part of the event.

Throop says any and all donations can help, no matter how small. “To me, it’s just great that people are helping,” says Throop.

Donations can be e-transferred to sackvilledaybreak@gmail.com,… Continue