Rohin Minocha-McKenney is president of the Mount Allison Students’ Unionand chair of the NB Student Alliance. Photo: CHMA archives
Rohin Minocha-McKenney, president of the Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU) and chair of the NB Student Alliance, joined CHMA this month to look back on the issues that affected students in 2022.
Topics included the latest round of tuition hikes, sexual violence prevention on-campus, mandatory masking, and the Higgs government’s sudden cancellation of EI Connect, to name a few.
Of course, no conversation about student life in Sackville would be complete without a discussion of New Brunswick’s ongoing affordable housing shortage.
Former Sackville mayor and Rural Action Health Group co-chair John Higham outside his Lorne Street office. Photo: Erica Butler
For the past 18 months former Sackville Mayor John Higham has been serving as co-chair of the Rural Health Action Group. It’s been a year of ups and downs in Sackville’s ongoing struggle to maintain and recover its hospital services, and improve general health care access in the region.
Higham dropped by CHMA studios last week to reflect on the year in health care, and talk about the future of the RHAG, and of a voice for rural health issues.
Green Party MLA Megan Mitton speaks in the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly on Nov. 18, 2020. Photo: Screenshot/greencaucusvert.ca.
There was no shortage of drama in provincial politics this year.
Major events included the resignation of then-Minister of Education Dominic Cardy, whose explosive open letter in October shone an unflattering light on Premier Blaine Higgs.
Health care policy was also a big source of controversy.
During the summer, the death of a patient in an ER waiting room prompted Higgs to fire the CEO of the Horizon Health Network and to dissolve the boards of both health authorities, replacing them with trustees.
The political scene was also marked by intense debates over issues such as affordable housing, labour relations, inflation, systemic racism and more.
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton spoke to CHMA on Wednesday, December 21, to share her thoughts on the issues that shaped New Brunswick this year.
New Tantramar mayor Andrew Black (centre), flanked by his father John and son Roman at a swearing in ceremony on December 20, 2022. Photo: Erica Butler
Newly sworn in mayor of Tantramar Andrew Black has had quite a year, starting out as Sackville deputy mayor during the final year of the town’s legal existence, and then being elected to head up a brand new amalgamated town of Tantramar.
CHMA called him up in mid-December to take a look back at 2022:
Black says for him, 2022 was marked by the growing crisis in housing, and he sees that issue as something that the new town of Tantramar will be more actively involved with in 2023. He also noted Sackville council’s year-long process dealing with local government reform in 2022, and stood by his decision to participate in that process and then step back from a hiring process he felt was unfair.
Black says there’s some good people on the new Tantramar council, and is excited to get started governing the new municipality.… Continue
Sackville mayor Shawn Mesheau in his office, with some Lego projects, the Chain of Office, and a signed Mounties football helmet on display. December 14, 2022. Photo: Erica Butler
Sackville Mayor Shawn Mesheau started off in local politics as a town councillor in the mid 90’s, and served off and on until elected mayor in May 2021. Just six months into his tenure, the province announced the amalgamation of Sackville and surrounding communities, and another round of elections in late 2022. Mesheau ran for mayor of Tantramar in those municipal elections, and came second of three candidates, garnering 922 votes, or about 36% of ballots cast.
CHMA called up Mesheau in mid-December to reflect on his time in office, and the tumultuous year in local politics:
The emergency department at the Sackville Memorial Hospital will be closed for three days over the holidays.
Horizon announced on Tuesday that due to a shortage of physician coverage the emergency department would remain closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, this Saturday and Sunday, and also on New Years Day, Sunday January 1, 2023.
The Sackville ER has already been operating on limited hours, only opening to new patients for eight hours per day, from 8am to 4pm, seven days a week.
The Horizon Health Network says all patients requiring emergency medical care during the closure will need to be treated at another hospital, and all ambulances will be diverted to other hospitals.
Anyone experiencing a medical emergency can still call 911, or visit the next closest emergency department in Moncton or Amherst. … Continue
June Hicks and the enormous can of beans she discovered at the Ralph Pickard Bell Library. Photo: Erica Butler
Back in early November, while library worker June Hicks was busy organizing the stacks in the aquaculture section of the Ralph Pickard Bell library, she happened on something unusual: an enormous can of beans.
“It’s not unusual for students to leave stuff around,” says Hicks. “But this is kind of unusual, a big can of beans.”
CHMA couldn’t resist dropping by the Ralph Pickard Bell Library back in November to hear the story of the giant can of beans:
Hicks says she was doing routine work in the agriculture and aquaculture section over the course of a few days, and one day happened upon the giant can, “on the bottom shelf, just as cozy as it can be.”
“I was just working away,” says Hicks, “when I got down off my stepstool one time, there were these beans staring at me, just like that. And I thought, what is this?”
Hicks didn’t just happen upon any old can of beans. This was a 2.84 litre (100 ounce) monster can of beans. “I don’t know who’d want to carry it around because it’s so heavy,” says Hicks.
Mount Allison’s dean of libraries and archives, Rachel Rubin; assistant head at Access Services, June Hicks; and Teaching & Research Librarian Laura Landon. Photo: Erica Butler
Not surprisingly, none of Hicks co-workers were able to guess what she found before she revealed the hefty can on her library cart.… Continue
Reverend Ellie Hummel (left) and Emily Ahmadvand, pictured on Nov. 29, 2022, work on paper cut-outs of pomegranates to mark the Persian solstice festival of Yalda, at the Mount Allison University chapel. Photo: David Gordon Koch
Light amidst darkness is a theme among diverse faiths around the world at this time of year, something to keep in mind as people deal with the heavy realities of our time, such as war and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To bring people together and to share who we truly are, and to reflect on what gives us hope, I think it’s a beautiful thing,” said Reverend Ellie Hummel, multi-faith chaplain and spiritual care coordinator at Mount Allison University
She made the comments as members of the university community gathered for a weekly craft-making session in the chapel on-campus.
“Today’s gathering is different, because it’s an opportunity to make holiday decorations, but we’re not just talking about Christmas, we’re talking about all the beautiful holidays that are happening this time of year.”
She spoke to CHMA about diversity, faith and hope for a better world:
Tantramar council as sworn in December 20, 2022. From left to right: Debbie Wiggins-Colwell, Barry Hicks, Matt Estabrooks, Josh Goguen, Andrew Black, Mike Tower, Greg Martin, Bruce Phinney, and CAO Jennifer Borne. Absent: Allison Butcher. Photo: Erica Butler
The mood was optimistic last night in Dorchester as about 75 people gathered to witness the swearing in of the first ever Mayor and Council for the new municipality of Tantramar.
“Welcome to such a historic evening,” said new Tantramar CAO Jennifer Borne as she began her first public address of the new council.
“It is both an honour and a privilege to stand before you as the first CAO of Tantramar and lead such an exceptional team of dedicated and talented employees,” Borne told the crowd. “While we gather on such a historic evening, we must acknowledge the history that came before us. We must commit to preserving local identities of individual areas that are coming together and continue to promote local interests as we move forward with a one community mindset.”
Hear CAO Jennifer Borne’s full remarks here:
Sackville and newly-appointed Tantramar town clerk Donna Beal led the new mayor and councillors in a swearing in ceremony where one by one, they each pledged to “diligently, faithfully and impartially discharge to the best of [their] ability, the duties of office as may be imposed on [them] by law.”
Councillor Matt Estabrooks reading his pledge as Clerk Donna Beal looks on. December 20, 2022 Photo: Erica Butler
First the mayor Andrew Black, then councillors Matt Estabrooks, Josh Goguen, Barry Hicks, Greg Martin, Bruce Phinney, Mike Tower and Debbie Wiggins Colwell were all sworn in.… Continue
The final meeting of Sackville town council on December 14, 2022. Photo: Erica Butler
The new town of Tantramar will look different than either of its predecessors, with staff from both Sackville and Dorchester filling in a new organizational structure, along with at least four new positions to be hired in the New Year.
Tantramar CAO Jennifer Borne announced the new structure on Monday. Sackville and Dorchester staff were informed of the changes late last week.
The new town will have six main departments, overseen by an office of the CAO, which includes the town clerk and one new position, a manager of human resources.
Another new position, corporate communications officer, will fall under the department of Community and Corporate Services, to be headed up by Sackville’s current special projects manager, Kieran Miller.
The town will also be hiring new directors for a department of Financial Services and a department of Protective Services. The other three new departments will be headed up by current Sackville managers: A department of Corporate Compliance will be headed up by current Sackville treasurer Michael Beal; Active Living and Culture will be headed up by current Sackville recreation director Matt Pryde; and Engineering and Public Works will be managed by current Sackville town engineer, Jon Eppell.
The new departments break down like so:
Office of the CAO: Legislative services (clerk) and human resources, overall management
Corporate Compliance: risk management, asset management and planning, contracts and agreements, process improvement, procurement, information technology, health and safety, reporting of key performance indicators.
