A Sackville resident is calling for a peaceful protest outside of Sackville town hall on Tuesday and Wednesday at noon, to call for more public participation in the process of local government reform in the region. Carol Cooke says she’s concerned about the decisions being made without input from Sackville citizens.
“I just feel that we are being underrepresented as this new process, this advisory-so-called process, as Entity 40 unfolds,” says Cooke. “My understanding is that the government in Fredericton is pretty much able to make this a fait accompli without really any input from the public.”
Cooke says that since the town’s residents make up 68% of the population of the new Entity 40, that should translate to at least 5 representatives on an 8-person council. But she’s also concerned about representation for residents outside of the town, especially in local service districts that have had no local government since the late 60’s.
“I’m trying to figure out how to represent those people outside the town limits,” such as the residents of the Point de Bute local service district, Dorchester Village and district, and the Sackville local service district. “They don’t have the population, but I do understand that they’ve been underrepresented, and maybe not represented at all for a long time. So they do need a representative.”
An advisory committee made up of eight appointed representatives including Sackville mayor Shawn Mesheau and Deputy Mayor Andrew Black has met twice now to discuss the size of a new Entity 40 council, as well as the distribution of representatives and ward boundaries.
So far, the committee has agreed unanimously that Entity 40 would have 8 representatives, with four wards largely outside of the current town limits. The committee will meet again in private on Thursday, March 3 to agree on the exact boundaries of all wards, as well as whether Sackville will have a single ward with 4 at-large representatives similar to its current system, or if it will move back to a ward system.
Carol Cooke says she’s not sure who else will be out on Tuesday and Wednesday at noon, but she’s hoping other residents will join her in sending a message to Fredericton.
“I might be there by myself with a couple of signs, but it would be great if there’s just a few of us,” she says.
“I have to just say what everybody knows, but I think it bears repeating,” says Cooke. “Margaret Mead said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ And in these crazy times when Ukraine is meeting the big bully, I think we need to protect our democracy and advocate peacefully for what we believe in.”
The Entity 40 advisory committee, which meets Thursday in private, is made up of the following elected and appointed representatives:
- Mayor Shawn Mesheau, Town of Sackville
- Deputy Mayor Andrew Black, Town of Sackville
- Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell, Village of Dorchester
- Deputy Mayor Robert Corkerton, Village of Dorchester
- Mary Ellen Trueman, Pointe de Bute LSD
- Greg Martin, Pointe de Bute LSD
- Chris Milner, Sackville LSD
- Matt Beal, Dorchester LSD (40%)
Check out CHMA’s coverage of local governance reform and amalgamation here:
