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‘I will never see him again’: mother of Jamie Leard addresses court

A photo of Jamie Leard circulated on social media in May 2021.

It was two years and two months after Jamie Leard was shot and killed by his former friends in Upper Cape, New Brunswick, that his mother Doris Leard had the chance to speak in court, and tell one of her son’s killers about the impact of his actions on May 25, 2021.

“I miss Jamie so much,” Leard told the Moncton courtroom last week. “He is never coming home again. I will never see him again.”

Leard said she called and texted Jamie almost daily, to see how he was, and tell him she loved him. “Now I can’t, and never will be able to again,” said the grieving mother.

Leard talked about a number of routines and rituals that are now lost to her forever, including dinners at her home with her son, annual visits to family in PEI, and Christmas and birthday celebrations. “I will never have grandchildren,” said Leard, “as he was my only child.”

In addition to the overwhelming grief for the loss of her son, Leard expressed fear and discomfort in her own home. “Every time a car goes by. I get scared. I’m scared that they might get out and set my house on fire,” Leard told the court.

Leard was given time to read her victim impact statement on July 25, during a sentencing hearing for Sean Patterson, one of two men who has pled guilty to a role in Jamie Leard’s death.… Continue

Long-awaited Statements of Public Interest could undermine authority of local councils

When Tantramar finally gets around to reviewing, updating, and consolidating its municipal plans, there could be a new set of province-wide principles to follow.

At the end of June, the province released draft Statements of Public Interest to help steer municipalities when creating and amending their community plans. Brand new Local Government Minister Glen Savoie says the new statements will help accomplish, ”consistent standards for land-use planning to be effective in the province.” A feedback period on the statements ends this Friday.

The draft statements cover five topics: settlement patterns, agriculture, climate change, flood and natural hazard areas, and natural resources. (Scroll down to read the statements, or find the draft in PDF form here.) The document reads like a sort of value system for municipal planning, though an unprioritized one, including things like development of natural resources and environmental protection, without guidance on what should take precedence.

The New Brunswick Association of Planners has been advocating for New Brunswick to adopt Statements of Public Interest, or SPIs, for over ten years now, according to president Andrew Smith.

“New Brunswick is one of the last provinces in Canada to implement SPIs,” says Smith via email. “Although the proposed [statements] are generalized and aspirational in nature, they set out the initial basis for this much needed provincial policy framework for New Brunswick,” he writes.

But politics professor and former municipal councillor Geoff Martin sees the potential for the vagueness of the proposed SPIs to result in an uneven implementation of the principles.… Continue

Bickford makes case to bring back drive-thrus, but with conditions

Drive-thrus may have at one time been a controversial item on Sackville town council’s agenda, but after a public hearing by Tantramar council on Tuesday afternoon, it’s hard to argue that residents feel strongly one way or another on the issue.

No members of the public showed up for a public hearing on whether or not to lift the 22-year-old ban on new drive-thrus in the town’s highway commercial zones, and no comments were submitted online or by mail through Plan 360. Even the proponent of the bylaw amendment, Rashaid Tufail, owner of the former Pizza Delight building on Mallard Drive, didn’t make an appearance.

The final question on the proposed change will be decided by council in a three separate votes, likely happening over the next two regular council meetings in August and September.

The case for drive-thrus

There’s no indication yet of which way councillors are leaning, but planner Lori Bickford’s report outlines the case for supporting the bylaw change.

Bickford told council Tuesday that the amendments she put forward could address one of the main issues cited in 2001 when drive thrus were originally banned, which was concerns over traffic congestion and confusion at exit 504.

The amendments would allow for drive-thrus as a permitted use in highway commercial zones, but would include design standards and also a requirement for a traffic impact study to be conducted, paid for by the developer, and submitted to Plan 360.… Continue

Land donation contributes to growing Amlamgog First Nation conservation project

Amlamgog (also known as Fort Folly) First Nation has just announced another parcel of land to be protected under their Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) project. The small, three acre strip of land along the Petitcodiac river was given to Amlamgog First Nation by a Memramcook family, after an annual ancestor ceremony held nearby at Beaumont. The latest parcel is part of a growing collection of land protected by the first nation.

Amlamgog cultural coordinator Nicole Porter says the band’s IPCA project is acquiring land through donations and purchases from a fund setup for that purpose. “We hold it in trust for everyone to be able to use in a good way, in a sustainable way,” says Porter. “It won’t be harvested or clear cut. It won’t be developed or anything like that. It is strictly for conservation.”

Amlamgog First Nation cultural coordinator Nicole Porter stands on the edge of forested land behind the Fort Folly band office. Photo: Erica Butler

Three other groups in the province also have IPCA projects underway, and Porter says they work in concert to protect land, and make it open, “to the Mi’gmaq people all across Mi’gmaqi.”

Porter says Amlamgog has identified lands to focus on, including in the Tantramar area, as sacred or useful for gatherings and ceremonial purposes. Part of the plan with the IPCA projects is for the province to match or donate Crown land identified for conservation, but Porter says that hasn’t quite come to fruition.… Continue

Mount A summer camps are open to kids with special needs, thanks to one-to-one program created by 3rd year student

Third year Mount Allison student Ben Broadbent founded the Mountie Program, which gives kids of special needs access to Mount Allison summer camps. Photo: Erica Butler

Ben Broadbent spent last summer working with kids at McMaster University’s Marauder program, a support system that makes it possible for kids with exceptionalities and special needs to attend the school’s summer day camps. The third year Mount Allison student liked the job so much that he decided to do it again, this time at Mount A. But although Mount Allison runs a successful summer camp program each year, there was no equivalent to McMaster’s Marauder program. So Broadbent decided to create one.

“I loved every moment there,” says Broadbent. “So I figured, with my internship, why not bring that sort of thing here.”

Over the winter Broadbent pitched his idea to Tabatha Carter, Mount Allison’s co-ordinator of events and summer camps, and through a partnership with the school’s Experiential Learning program, the Mountie Program was born.

Broadbent dropped in to CHMA studios last week to talk about the Mountie program, and how it works alongside Mt A summer camps.

The Mountie Program is for kids who might not normally be able to attend summer camp on their own, or who can benefit from extra help to thrive. Broadbent provides an extra layer of support for kids, shadowing them through activities and stepping in when needed. “I don’t want to overstep, but I want to be there when they turn around and need that extra hand to complete an activity,” says Broadbent.… Continue

Proposed dental clinic and apartments first to receive Tantramar’s development tax incentive, Lafford applies to become second

A $1.3 million dollar mixed-use building project for 35 Main Street will be the first project to receive an incentive in the form of a tax rebate from the new town of Tantramar, based on a policy passed in Sackville in March 2020.

A Moncton-based dental surgeon has plans for the vacant lot just uphill from Sackville town hall. Daniel Nachaat is listed as the director of the numbered company that bought the vacant property in 2021. This year, Nachaat’s company applied to the town’s economic development incentive program with a proposal for a three-storey development including a ground floor dental clinic, and two upper floors with a total of eight one-bedroom apartments.

The site plan for 35 Main Street includes 26 parking spaces. Detail from application for development incentive by 721052 N.B. Inc, presented to Tantramar council June 27, 2023.

The project is being managed by Dieppe-based real estate investment company Quest Capital and is the first ever development to apply for and be approved under the new incentive program, which offers property owners a 50% or more tax rebate over 5 or 10 years, for commercial, industrial or multi-unit residential projects.

The Quest Properties project is estimated at costing $1.3 million, and without the incentive program, would bring in an additional $25,000 per year in taxes for the municipality. With the incentive program in place, more than half of that potential tax revenue, about $72,000 over the first five years, will stay with Nachaat’s company.… Continue

Fine of $1200 after ‘driving without due care’ put Mount Allison student in critical condition

The man who hit and seriously injured a young Mount Allison student crossing Main Street in a crosswalk last December has pled guilty to a charge of driving without due care and attention.

Andrew McGann appeared in Moncton provincial court on July 4 to plead guilty to the charge, and will be required to pay a fine of $1200.

The young man McGann hit was sent to a Halifax hospital in critical condition after the collision. RCMP Sergeant Eric Hanson told CHMA the young man has since been released from hospital and continues his recovery.

Crown prosecutors dropped a second charge against McGann of failing to yield. Prosecutor Annie St-Jacques says it’s not uncommon in the case of a guilty plea on one Motor Vehicle Act charge to see a related charge withdrawn.

The collision occurred at the crosswalk on Main Street at King. Witnesses say the lights in the crosswalk were flashing when the young man crossed, and traffic in one direction had stopped.… Continue

Hennessy appointed president of Acadia, Mt A starts search for a new interim president

Dr. Jeff Hennessy (right) represented Mount Allison alongside VP finance Robert Inglis at a legislative committee hearing on Feb. 28, 2023. Screenshot: legnb.ca

Mount Allison is losing another president.

Dr. Jeffrey Hennessy, who has been serving as interim president since June 30 when Dr. Jean Paul Boudreau’s term ended, has just been appointed president of Acadia University in Wolfville.

Hennessy came to Mount Allison from Acadia in 2020, and served just over three years as Provost and Vice President Academic before taking on the role of transition officer and interim president.

Dr. Jean-Paul Boudreau announced in March that he would not be returning for a second five year term

According to an announcement from Acadia, Hennesey’s new tenure in the school’s top job will start on September 1.

In an emailed statement, Mount Allison University says they have hired a search consultant to help find a new interim president to take over on September 1.

Dr. Vicki St. Pierre has taken on the job of acting Provost and Vice-President Academic for a one-year term starting July 1, and the Dean of Libraries, Rachel Rubin, is filling in for St. Pierre as Dean of Arts.

Mount Allison’s statement also reads:

“Mount Allison University congratulates Dr. Hennessy on his well-deserved appointment as President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia University. We thank him for his invaluable contributions to Mount Allison over the past three years. Dr. Hennessy’s assistance during the leadership transition at our University has been greatly appreciated, and we are eager to continue collaborating through our Maple League of Universities connections.”

… Continue

New hires, plans for Sackville clinic, and plenty of concerns up for discussion at local healthcare meeting

Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton hosted and MC’d the Future of Our Healthcare meeting on July 18, 2023. Photo: Erica Butler

Two years afters cuts were announced due to nursing staff shortages, the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency room is still on reduced hours, but Horizon Health Network CEO Margaret Melanson is continuing with her message that the network’s goal is to return to full 24/7 service.

Melanson had a chance to deliver that message in person last night at a Future of Our Healthcare meeting organized by Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton.

About 120 people gathered at the Tantramar Civic Centre to ask questions of Melanson and members of her management team.

“I will say that tonight feels different than February 2020,” Mitton told the crowd, referencing a previous attempt by Horizon management to reduce services at the Sackville hospital. “I know a lot of you showed up in different ways and sometimes in the streets to push back on that,” said Mitton, ”and many people have been organizing ever since.”

Melanson shared some updates on the hospital front, including the recent hiring of an anesthesiologist to cater to surgeries happening in the one functioning Sackville operating room. She also told the crowd that a new emergency department physician would be starting soon. For awhile now, the original nursing shortage that caused the service reduction has been replaced by a doctor shortage. That means the imminent hiring of a new ER doc “is great progress,” said Melanson, “as we do have the plan to be restoring your emergency department services on a 24/7 basis.”… Continue

Premiers agree to apply for 50% federal funding on Isthmus project, now estimated to cost $700 million

The provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will apply for federal funding to help pay for the protection of the Chignecto Isthmus, but they will also pursue court direction on whether or not the federal government should indeed be covering the entire cost of the project.

Premier Blaine Higgs shared the news in a conference Tuesday, along with a number of federal ministers and Atlantic premiers, marking the renewal of the federal-provincial Atlantic Growth Strategy.

“Yes, we will be applying for it to meet the deadlines that have been put forward,” Higgs told reporters. “At the same time, we will be seeking clarification and legal interpretation of the constitution.”

Higgs said that given the deadline of July 19 for the current round of the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, “it would be prudent for us to go both avenues, one notwithstanding the other.”

Premier Tim Houston told reporters he would be seeking an opinion on the matter from provincial appeals court.

The cost estimate for the project has ballooned since the long awaited release of a 2019 engineering study on the project, according to comments Tuesday from Higgs and Houston. What was once estimated to cost between $190 million and $300 million is now expected to cost about $700 million, according to Houston. That means a federal contribution could run as high as $350 million, and the provinces could each be responsible for $175 million in costs.… Continue

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The case for drive-thrus