Amalgamation is unrealistic, equalization is unfair, and regional collaboration is great if all residents pay a fair share: those are some of the key messages in a letter from Sackville mayor Shawn Mesheau to Minister of Local Government Daniel Allain, unanimously approved by town council on Tuesday evening.
The letter breaks down Sackville’s input on local governance reform into four areas first outlined in the province’s green paper on the topic: structure, land use planning, regional collaboration, and finance.
STRUCTURE: LEAVE THE TOWN, INCORPORATE THE LSDs
Structure is typically the first thing people think of when talking municipal reform.
Currently about 30% of New Brunswickers, like those living in the Sackville Parish local service district (LSD) just outside of town limits, don’t have local level representation. Instead they are governed directly by the province, with no political power over municipal issues.
Daniel Allain has expressed interest in ending that lack of representation, and the town of Sackville supports the idea. The letter suggests “some form of regional government” for unincorporated areas such as local service districts, so that the town will have someone to negotiate with when it comes to collaboration “on projects or other investments that serve a regional benefit.” Currently, the town deals with the province for regional collaborations, and the power balance there means there’s not much negotiation.
Although the town supports the idea of regional government, it draws the line at the idea of amalgamating LSD along with currently incorporated bodies, like the town itself.
“Sackville does not feel amalgamation is a realistic solution and would object to any forced amalgamation,” reads the letter.
While the town says it will oppose forced amalgamation, it’s worth noting that local service districts have historically opposed incorporation, and so it is very likely that any form of regional government for LSDs will be forced. Councillor Sabine Dietz pointed out this reality on Tuesday. “I support this, but we also need to go into this with our eyes open,” said Dietz.
REGIONAL COLLABORATION: YES ON REC, NO ON FIRE
The town’s support for regional collaboration is selective: while it favours regional efforts in recreation, tourism, and economic development, it is considerably less enthusiastic about regional collaboration in terms of fire, police and public works.
The town’s letter points out that the current regional policing model, “seems to work well from an operational perspective but causes issues with the administration our Municipal Police Service Agreement at other times.” In fact, recently council heard a complaint from a local resident citing poor response times despite the hefty price that is paid to the RCMP by the town.
In terms of public works, the letter points out that a regional water and sewer system would be cost prohibitive, and that there are already a substantial number of unserviced residences within town limits.
In terms of fire services, the letter does not outright reject the idea of a regional fire service, but rather points out that the current assets of the Sackville Fire Department, in the neighbourhood of $8.7 million worth of equipment, have been paid for by the residents of the town. The implied point was explained Tuesday night by councillor Bill Evans, using an unfortunate analogy, which later garnered negative reactions on social media.
Evans said regional collaboration between the town and the LSDs was akin to a bachelor participating in a wife swap. Though he didn’t want to comment on the negative reaction to his use of “wife swap”, he later explained his point to CHMA.
“The notion is it’s absurd to say ‘let’s each contribute’ when one person has nothing to contribute,” says Evans. “We have millions of dollars worth of equipment, and the bulk of the LSD has none.”
“We already have mutual aid agreements with other fire departments,” says Evans. “But in terms of providing service to people who have nothing, it doesn’t make sense to call that collaboration.”
The town of Sackville letter also points out that fire services in LSDs are currently underfunded by the province by approximately 30%.
On the flip side of that, Sackville also currently owns considerable assets in terms of regional recreation, such as the Tantramar Memorial Civic Centre and Beech Hill Park. But while the town’s considerable fire assets presented a reason against regional fire services, the town expresses support for regional collaboration in recreation, citing the example of a $300,000 annual operations loss with the Civic Centre, currently covered solely by Sackville residents.
Ultimately, the position of the town seems to be reflected in this sentence from the letter: “Regional collaboration could be beneficial if there is a fair financial model in place where all users contribute equally.”
LAND USE PLANNING: NAMING CLIMATE CHANGE AS KEY
Sabine Dietz was the first councillor to suggest a change to the town’s letter as composed by staff.
Dietz honed in on the land use planning section, and asked that the request for provincial planning rules be editing to further highlight and prioritize climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Dietz had to defend the move slightly, as both mayor Mesheau and CAO Jamie Burke questioned the need for the change.
“I think we’re okay,” said Burke regarding the original draft of the letter. “This will certainly put us on record indicating that climate change needs to be deemed a provincial interest.”
Mesheau pointed out that climate change was first in a list of concerns listed in the letter as issues that should be of provincial interest:
“New Brunswick needs a provincial planning framework that addresses issues such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, urban sprawl, coastal development, floodplains, health and built environment, infrastructure investments and transportation planning, resource developments and agriculture.”
“Climate change is not an issue ‘such as’,” responded Dietz. “ Climate change will be the driving force behind what we do and cannot do moving forward… It’s not an issue among others. It is the key issue that will determine how we manage our land around us and our cities and our towns and our communities etc.”
Dietz says that one of the problems with land use planning in New Brunswick is that only incorporated areas have controls, and outside those areas, there’s little in the way of a provincial planning framework to set ground rules.
“Yes, we have some control over what happens within Sackville,” Dietz told me over the phone Wednesday. “But you know, when we go into our municipal plan review, we will probably realize that there are certain things we just can’t do because the framework that we get from the province isn’t quite right yet for us to be able to do things such as manage on a watershed basis.”
“We can manage what happens down in our end of the watershed,” says Dietz, by for example reducing the amount of impermeable asphalt surfaces, or replanting trees. But there are factors outside town boundaries, activities like clearcuts and quarries can wreak havoc, but remain outside of the town’s control.
And that’s why climate change needs to figure prominently in a provincial planning framework, says Dietz. Council did end up approving Dietz’s suggested change to the letter, along with one other change first proposed by Andrew Black.
INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE MISSING FROM PROCESS
Black brought up the idea of including some of the relevant Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report delivered over five years ago. Black quoted several calls (numbers 43, 47, and 57) he felt were relevant to multiple levels of government, and suggested including them.
“This is a massive reform,” said Black. “You’re talking about finance and regional collaboration… There’s a lot of stuff in here that’s being completely changed. And so this might be an opportunity to get something in there that would be directly related to Truth and Reconciliation.”
Black’s proposal didn’t garner much discussion and appeared forgotten until councillor Allison Butcher brought it up again later in the meeting. At that time, Councillor Ken Hicks wondered if the input on First Nations affairs shouldn’t come directly from First Nations communities, saying that he assumed the province would also be consulting First Nations directly.
Mayor Mesheau chimed in to say that the regional mayors had talked about inviting Fort Folly First Nation to join their meetings. But the mayor also wondered if the issue was a sideline to what the local governance process was looking at.
“With all due respect, I disagree that this is a sideline,” said Dietz. “And actually, it’s an oversight on our behalf, not to have included that originally with the letter.”
Dietz pointed out that although council acknowledges unceded Mi’qmaq territory at the beginning of their meetings, there was no acknowledgment in the letter. Dietz had
“Our provincial government for many, many years back—and it doesn’t matter which colour—has an abysmal record of collaborating, cooperating or consulting in any kind of form with Indigenous communities,” said Dietz, noting she felt it was the role of the town to encourage collaboration with Indigenous communities, “in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation.”
In addition to acknowledge the unceded territory where Sackville sits, Dietz called for a stronger statement from the town, “that we expect—not even recommend, we expect—the provincial government to consult with Indigenous communities around us on any reform process and financial reform.”
“I think that’s very appropriate,” said Dietz. “That’s our role.”
In the end, council passed a motion approving the letter with both suggested changes.
FINANCE: EQUALIZATION COMPLICATED AND UNFAIR
Issues under the ‘finance’ pillar came up briefly in discussion, with Councillor Bruce Phinney enquiring whether the province has indicated they will be changing the way they calculate equalizations payments across the province.
The town of Sackville has long maintained that it is unfairly left out of equalization payments, in part due to the fact that student populations are not counted in provincial formulas, even though tax assessments on university properties are.
The town’s letter states unequivocally that “equalization grants are complicated and unfairly applied.” The town also comes out against the so-called double tax, which is an additional provincial property tax levied on non-owner occupied residential properties. The letter says the current taxation system “inequitable and creates a financial hardship for municipalities.”
CAO Jamie Burke told council the finalized letter would be posted on the town’s website, after changes were made and it had been signed by the mayor.
Daniel Allain has promised further in person consultations will happen this fall, after the province releases a “What We Heard” document about their consultations so far.
