The town of Sackville has been shut out of changes to the province’s plan for municipal reform.
Last Thursday was the deadline for municipalities to send in feedback on the sweeping changes to New Brunswick’s municipal map, which includes the proposed amalgamation of the town of Sackville, the village of Dorchester, and surrounding local service districts from Dorchester Cape to Point de Bute. And today the province released its list of changes to the proposed new municipal boundaries.
The recommendation for Sackville to merge with its neighbours remains the same.
Other municipalities in the Southest Regional Service District will see some changes. The village of Petitcodiac, previously stated to go it alone (unlike most other villages of its size in the province) will now be combined with surrounding local service districts Elgin Centre and Elgin Parish.
A bit farther north, the town of Richibucto, which had been slated to join with a neighbouring local service district, will now be combined with the village of Saint-Louis de Kent and two other districts to form a much larger entity.
Both the village of Dorchester and the town of Sackville had registered their opposition to their proposed amalgamation into what was dubbed by the province as Entity 40. The town of Sackville also sent in a proposed alternative to the provincial government, after discussing the issue in a closed meeting on December 15. The town suggested that its borders be left as is, and instead the village of Dorchester be merged with the village of Port Elgin and all surrounding local service districts, to form an entity twice as big as those originally proposed by the province.
CHMA has reached out to the province for comment on why Sackville’s suggestion was rejected.
In a news release announced the changes on Tuesday, minister of local government Daniel Allain thanked those municipalities who gave their feedback. “This is the most significant reform in 60 years,” stated Allain, “and we feel it is the right plan for New Brunswick at the right time. But we also knew it was not perfect, and that is why we have accommodated some changes after consultation with New Brunswickers.”
Allain also announced four people will lead the transition as advisers to the minister. They are:
- Gerard Belliveau, executive director of the Southeast Regional Service Commission;
- Lise Ouellette, former executive director of the Francophone Association of Municipalities of New Brunswick;
- Jennifer Wilkins, assistant deputy minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform;
- Ryan Donaghy, deputy minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform.
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