Community News Archives » Page 35 of 178 » CHMA, Voice of the Marshes

The Sackville Citizens Band is back with ‘celebration’ concert Wednesday

Rob McLeod and Bill Costin of the Sackville Citizens’ Band. Photo: Erica Butler

The last time Rob McLeod was on stage at the Brunton Auditorium, it was 1982 and he was performing his graduation recital as part of the Mount Allison music programme. Fast forward 41 years, and McLeod is back to hit the stage again, this time as conductor of the renewed and revitalized Sackville Citizens Band. The band is making its comeback on Wednesday night at the Brunton Auditorium.

CHMA sat down with McLeod and the band’s organizing force, French horn player Bill Costin, to talk about the concert, the band’s history, and its future:

“The band is back,” says Costin. “We have our first spring concert in three years.” The last time the band performed together was December 2019. When the pandemic struck a few months later, things went into limbo for a few years, but about a month ago, players started gathering and rehearsing, and are ready to perform their comeback “celebration” concert on Wednesday, says Costin.

“We have a long tradition here and we’d like to continue it,” says Costin. The band formed officially in 1902, and served on and off as a military band in the decades since. “There’s pictures of us in the First World War marching the soldiers down to the train station where they were sent off to fight,” says Costin.

McLeod says the band is a standard concert band, featuring brass, woodwinds and percussion, with a varied repertoire.… Continue

Tantramar resident calls for clean up of dump sites in newly expanded municipality

One of the larger piles of tires visible at a dump site in Tantramar. Photo: Erica Butler, May 2023

When Tantramar council started discussing its new Dangerous and Unsightly Premises by-law, which it passed in May, Kerry Simpson was paying attention.

Simpson has long been bothered by a number of sites in the new municipality where she hikes and walks with her daughters dog, sites that feature loads of garbage or discarded items. Often these sites are on private land, and Simpson wonders how, if ever, they will get cleaned up.

CHMA took a walk with Simpson just off the Cape Road outside of Dorchester, to see one such dump site, where thousands of tires have been strewn throughout the woods and overgrown with brush:

The piles poke up through the shrubs and undergrowth sporadically, and stretch far down the old road, alongside a spring creek. “When you start counting them one by one,” says Simpson, “there’s thousands. There’s got to be.”

Another pile of long since discarded tires. Photo: Erica Butler, May 2023

The tires were likely dumped here a few at a time, but now there’s an overwhelming number, and it’s hard to imagine anyone taking on the job of removing them all. But even so, Simpson thinks it needs to happen.

“I just worry that one day you’re going to have a lightning storm, you’re going to have just a piece of glass that hits the sun the wrong way… And there it goes,” says Simpson.… Continue

‘Disappointment’ over latest round of tuition hikes; University posts $2M deficit, says costs rising faster than revenue

The students’ union at Mount Allison has expressed “disappointment” after the university released a budget with a three per cent tuition hike.

The increases bring overall tuition to more than $10,000 annually for domestic students, following a $290 increase, and more than $20,200 annually for international students, with a $590 tuition hike.

“Any increase will impact a student’s ability to attend university, whether that’s big or small,” said Mount Allison Students’ Union president Alivia Warr.

A statement from MASU acknowledged that some “key budgetary requests” were addressed – notably $100,000 for physical accessibility projects on campus – but it said the student union is “deeply disappointed” with the tuition hike.

Asked about how the government should ensure accessibility to post-secondary education, Warr said MASU doesn’t have a political stance.

“We just want to work with all parties who can impact accessibility and affordability of students’ education.”

In addition to the general increase in tuition fees, there are separate increases for new aviation students, and also for residence fees and meal plans.

During legislative hearings on post-secondary education earlier this year, Mount Allison administrators said costs are rising faster than revenue, especially with rates of inflation that broke records going back four decades when they reached 8.1 per cent last year.

Last month, Statistics Canada reported that the country’s annual rate of inflation had reached 4.4 per cent.

The university’s operating budget is based on a two per cent increase in a grant from the provincial government.… Continue

Tantramar Dragon Boat teams smash their record and raise over $45k for Lions Sick Children’s Fund

Katerina Hicks, Julie Jones, and Mack Faulkner are some of the organizing force behind the TRHS Dragon Boat teams, heading to compete at Jones Lake this Friday. Photo: Erica Butler

When two enthusiastic students first convinced math teacher Julie Jones to help organize a Tantramar Regional High School (TRHS) team for the Greater Moncton Dragon Boat Festival back in 2006, Jones thought the goal of raising $1800 would be tough to accomplish. Now, 17 years later, a small army of 196 students and 14 staff at the school have raised over $45,000 and counting. “Right now I have a total of $45,539,” said Jones on Tuesday. “And there’s still money coming in.”

Jones says the team surpassed last year’s record amount of $39,000. “I’m pretty pretty darn proud of these kids,” said Jones. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Katerina Hicks is the leader of this year’s Dragon Boat council. The graduating student says it is “absolutely wonderful” that a small community like Tantramar was able to raise such a large amount of money to go towards the Lions Sick Children’s Fund and other charities chosen by students. “I’m so proud to be a part of that,” says Hicks.

To raise the money, the students ran a number of activities and events, including a carnival, popcorn and vegetable and flower seed sales, and two shows featuring Nova Scotian hypnotist Ian Stewart. “One of the good things about Dragon Boat is that not only can we fundraise money for charities,” says student council member Mack Faulkner, “but also do it in ways that engages our community.”… Continue

Thousands of orphaned patients expected as two Sackville doctors close up shop this summer

Two Sackville doctors will be closing up shop this summer, leaving a large number of patients with no primary care provider. Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Thousands of patients in Sackville have been getting bad news from two longstanding primary care doctors in the area. Dr. Catherine Johnston and Dr. Andrea Wall are both closing their practices this summer.

After 23 years treating patients in Sackville, Dr. Johnston is retiring at the end of June. Dr. Wall has been practicing in Sackville for 18 years, and is closing her practice on August 4 as she moves on to another position in Moncton. Neither doctor has been able to find a replacement, which means all their patients will become ‘orphaned’ in the system.

There are rumours of other possible closures of practices, but so far they are proving unfounded. CHMA reached out to Dr. Beatrice Milne and Dr. Graeme Stewart, neither of whom have existing plans to retire, despite rumours to the contrary. Both Dr. Milne and Dr. Stewart will continue to see their patients in Sackville.

Another rumoured closure is not what it seems: Dr. Allison Dysart is hoping to move his practice closer to his home in the Cocagne-Grand Digue area. If possible, Dr. Dysart plans to keep his current patient roster. The longtime Sackville physician has been commuting to Sackville from Cocagne since last fall.

Meanwhile, Drs. Wall and Johnston are advising their patients to register with Patient Connect NB as soon as possible to get on the ‘first come, first served’ list that promises to match people with primary care providers as they become available.… Continue

‘We’re writing a new future’: Sackville artist to launch community art project on anti-fracking movement

*Shoshanna Wingate. Photo: conservationcouncil.ca*

A Sackville-based artist wants to help people reimagine collective possibilities in the age climate crisis.

“We won’t build a new future with the same tools that got us to this crisis point,” says Shoshanna Wingate, Sackville’s former poet laureate.

“So we’re writing a new future, a new story for our future.”

Wingate is among three artists taking part in From Harm to Harmony, an artist-in-residency and mentorship program organized by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

“Their time with the Conservation Council will culminate with a community-engaged art event that will encourage New Brunswickers to take action to protect our planet and provide them with an avenue to do so,” the non-profit group announced last week.

Wingate’s project will focus on the movement in New Brunswick against shale gas exploration and hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” a controversial technique to obtain fossil fuels from shale rock.

The Indigenous-led movement against shale gas in New Brunswick came to a head in 2013, when the RCMP cleared an anti-fracking encampment that blocked a facility belonging to SWN Resources Canada.
In 2014, the provincial government under Liberal premier Brian Gallant introduced a moratorium against fracking.

The Progressive Conservative government under Premier Blaine Higgs “quietly carved out a small exemption” to the moratorium in 2019 for an operation near Sussex, according to the CBC. Recently he has pushed for new shale gas development in New Brunswick.

Higgs contends shale gas development will result in a financial windfall and provide “very clean natural gas” to Europe amid the energy crisis prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. … Continue

New era for local greenhouse operation as co-op launches social enterprise

*Sam Bliss* *is pictured in one of the greenhouses located at 19 School Lane, Middle Sackville on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Photo: David Gordon Koch*

An open house is taking place at a nursery in Middle Sackville on Saturday to mark the beginning of a new era for a local gardening institution.

Former Anderson’s greenhouse operators Heather and Blane Smith announced last year they would retire after 37 years operating the nursery.

Then, in November, Heather Kristine Smith – née Heather Anderson – died at the age of 64.

Open Sky Co-operative – a group that works with neurodivergent young adults at an 11-acre farm, also located in Middle Sackville – is part of an effort to keep the greenhouses running.

Listen to the report from CHMA:

The group has launched a social enterprise that’s meant to create a new source of revenue for Open Sky, while also providing its participants with new opportunities.

Sam Bliss was the first-ever summer student at Open Sky. He’s now in his ninth season working at the greenhouse operation, and is coordinating the program.

“Everything’s sort of come full circle for me,” he said, while giving CHMA a tour of one of the greenhouses.

“My dream was always to open my own greenhouse, and knowing the folks at Open Sky really helped,” he said.

He’s working with participants from Open Sky, along with fellow greenhouse worker Jess Paget, who has been working there for the past two seasons.… Continue

Review of gender diversity and inclusion policy in schools prompts backlash

A Rally for Policy 713 and Pride in Education took place in Fredericton on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Gail Costello, co-chair of Pride in Education (upper left), is shown speaking to the crowd. Screenshot: nbmediacoop.org

News that the Higgs government is reviewing its policy on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools has generated controversy in New Brunswick.

Policy 713, which came into effect in 2020, is meant to set “minimum requirements” to create safe environments for LGBTQ+ students in schools.

The Department of Education has said the review will look, in part, at whether schools should inform parents if their children under 16 want to use a different name or pronoun.

Premier Higgs has said schools should have the obligation to pass that information to parents. Critics have warned that could put the safety of queer and trans children at risk.

At least one Sackville resident travelled to Fredericton for a demonstration against the review on Saturday, May 13.

“Using an individual’s correct pronouns, and chosen name — that has a real, measurable impact on your mental health,” said Patricia Kelly Spurles, a professor at Mount Allison University.

She’s concerned about the review not only as an educator, but also as the parent of a child who came out as trans a few years ago.

In the Legislative Assembly, Higgs defended his approach to the issue during Question Period recently, suggesting it’s a matter of the rights of parents, and that students can have private conversations with school councillors.… Continue

Black hopes for changes to Bill 45, removing power for minister to override municipal bylaws

Tantramar mayor Andrew Black after the first meeting of council on January 10, 2023. Photo: Erica Butler

The provincial government has introduced another bill that local leaders are criticizing for infringing on the principles of local democratic representation. After taking criticism for proposed changes to remove authority from elected District Education Councils, and announcing new Horizon and Vitalité boards will be formed without any elected seats, the Conservatives have introduced Bill 45, an act to create an independent municipal commission, which some say includes overreach powers for the minister of local government.

Three municipal associations in New Brunswick have raised concerns over the bill, saying it gives Minister Daniel Allain the power to repeal or change municipal bylaws. One of those organizations is the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick (UMNB), led by Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black.

CHMA spoke to Black by phone from Toronto, where he is attending the annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference along with Deputy Mayor Greg Martin, and councillors Debbie Wiggins Colwell and Josh Goguen.

The biggest problem with Bill 46 identified by the UMNB, says Black, is “the power of the Minister to repeal or essentially overturn municipal bylaws.” There are also other concerns such as the relative independence of the commission structure, but the main concern is “the fact that the minister has power over municipal governance,” says Black.

The specific change Black refers to reads in part:

97(2) The Act is amended by adding the following after section 20:
Power to repeal or amend by-law
20.1 A by-law made by a council under any Act, except a by-law prescribed by regulation, may be repealed or amended by order of the Minister if the Minister determines
(a) that the by-law or any portion of the by-law prevents the reasonable use of property consistent with the purpose for which it was zoned, and
(b) that it is in the public interest to repeal or amend the by-law, as the case may be.

… Continue

Climate change coordinator, watershed monitoring, wetland education, and energy retrofits in Tantramar among projects funded by NB’s Environmental Trust Fund

Image of Joe Brook crossing under Mount View Road, from EOS Eco Energy Habitat Assessment 2021, a project previously funded by the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund. This year, EOS will return to the Dorchester-Rockport area for water quality monitoring.

The province of New Brunswick has announced another year of project funding with its Environmental Trust Fund, and about $500,000 of the $8.6 million funding package will go towards 13 projects directly impacting the Tantramar region.

A large share of the funding—$190,000—will go to the Southeast Regional Services Commission for five different projects including mattress recycling, glass recycling, a re-use expo, waste education, and a program to help communities clean up illegal dump sites.

Another large share will go to EOS Eco Energy, to help fund three ongoing projects: water quality monitoring in the Rockport-Dorchester area, a program to help residents with energy retrofits for their homes, and another to help people in the Chignecto area reduce their flood risk.

EOS is also involved in a fourth project in partnership with the town of Tantramar. The town will receive $35,000 in funding towards continuing its climate change coordinator position. Corporate services director Kieran Miller shared the news with council this week, and said they would see a motion come through as soon as the province sends a formal letter of offer.

“This is the Environmental Trust Fund that we’ve applied for for the past three years to fund the climate change coordinator position,” said Miller.… Continue

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