It’s still not clear why two large tracts of forest land were removed from the future Entity 40 about two and a half months after the province said its new municipal boundaries were finalized.
Most of the land that has been removed belongs to JD Irving Ltd, but a spokesperson for the company says that they did not have a direct hand in the decision. In an email, JDI Director of Communications Brendan Langille said he could, “confirm we have not spoken to the Province about these properties.”
Provincial spokesperson Alysha Elliot says that rural areas province-wide were “reviewed to determine whether they should be added to the rural districts.” Elliot has yet to respond to follow up questions about that review process, such as who was involved and what sparked it.
Elliot did say that other entities also saw border changes, but has not yet shared further details.
Rural districts are a key part of the province’s municipal reform plan. There are just 12 of them defined in the province, but they make up the majority of the land area. Similar to the local service districts they replace, they have no formal local government, but may elect an advisory committee to work with provincial government managers when it comes to local issues.
