5 years after Montana fire dept. investigation, several key reforms haven’t been implemented

Posted on April 6, 2026 by brucewark

Tantramar CAO Jennifer Borne

Tantramar CAO Jennifer Borne issued a news release last week revealing that while a number of recommendations from the Montana Consulting Group workplace assessment of Sackville Fire & Rescue have been implemented, several key ones have not.

Although the Montana recommendations themselves have never been made public, a Warktimes analysis indicates that roughly one-third of them focused on workplace culture and management accountability inside the department — the same issues firefighters say remain unresolved five years later.

Those issues include a lack of leadership accountability involving both the CAO and the fire chief, unresolved concerns about favouritism within the department, the absence of regular performance reviews for members based on reliable operational statistics and other management oversight measures that the consultants recommended to ensure transparency and restore confidence inside the department.

Borne issued her report after town council passed a motion on March 16 authorizing her “to release the implemented actions” from Montana’s workplace assessment.

Sackville Town Council authorized Montana to conduct the $31,500 workplace assessment in April 2021 after firefighters’ complaints of persistent harassment, bullying and favouritism led to the resignations of about 17 firefighters over a five-year period.

Former Sackville firefighter Kevin Scott—who attended a two-and-a-half hour oral briefing on the Montana recommendations along with about 30 other firefighters—posted a series of commentaries on social media in February and March examining each of the 20 recommendations.

He concluded that while some had been implemented, several key ones had not, confirming Warktimes’ own analysis based on extensive interviewing and research.

No CAO meetings re: fire chief

Sackville Fire Chief Craig Bowser

One key Montana recommendation called on the CAO to get feedback on the fire chief’s performance at least every three years from firefighters, fire department officers and other town employees.

It appears that recommendation was not followed.

The CAO’s news release refers to the recommendation this way:

“10. Ongoing opportunities and schedule for objective insight into Fire Department leadership via colleagues and firefighters.“

In his commentary, Kevin Scott wrote that the CAO’s meetings with firefighters simply haven’t taken place.

“Many firefighters first met the CAO, who’s been in that position for over three years, after the 12 dropped their pagers off at town hall,” Scott observed, referring to what happened in January when a dozen volunteers took themselves off the active duty roster list. Their withdrawal brought the number of on-call firefighters to 18, less than half the department’s full complement of 43.

No action on favouritism, accountability

Scott also referred to a Montana recommendation that called for changes to the fire department bylaw to address favoritism by establishing formal rules that apply to all firefighters equally. The consultants recommended holding meetings to discuss individual complaints and to determine whether an investigation would be needed to resolve them.

Although the CAO’s report refers to several changes that were made to the bylaw, no procedures were added to deal with complaints about favouritism.

Kevin Scott noted that the consultants recommended steps to provide accountability to members who raised issues either through the fire department’s chain of command or directly to the chief or CAO.

“Quite often we would bring up issues that would never get resolved or followed through [on] and this recommendation was to prevent that from happening,” Scott wrote in his February 16th Facebook post. “Problem is, it hasn’t been implemented yet, which means the accountability is not there.”

Here is the CAO’s only apparent or possible reference to this recommendation:

“19. HR Personnel Meeting(s) — confidential, undertaken by former Town of Sackville Administration.“

Performance reviews

Former Sackville firefighter Kevin Scott currently is a volunteer with the fire department in Point de Bute

In her report, the CAO refers to requirements that firefighters attend 60% of all training practices and 40% of all emergency calls. “Any member failing to meet these attendance requirements will have their status reviewed by the Fire Chief,” she writes, without mentioning the Montana recommendation that the chief keep statistics on attendance and conduct performance reviews at regular intervals agreed to by the CAO.

Warktimes has learned that several firefighters complained to the consultants about the lack of regular performance reviews.

Who can drive a fire truck?

The Montana consultants also dealt with the contentious issues of who is allowed to drive a fire truck and who can sit in the passenger seat of the first responding vehicle. Female firefighters complained to Warktimes that they faced persistent discrimination over these issues despite their training and qualifications.

In his Facebook post on February 19th, Kevin Scott wrote that this had been an ongoing issue for many years.

“It has caused a lot of discussion and many arguments because there were no guidelines set up on who could drive the truck,” he added.

 He noted that Montana recommended that the chief and the town develop written criteria in collaboration with the firefighters for the qualifications required to drive a truck.

It appears from the CAO’s report that this recommendation may not have been fully implemented yet:

“13. Ongoing progress for Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) specifically related to the operation of fire department apparatus.“

Montana also recommended developing written criteria for the qualifications needed to occupy the passenger seat in the first responding vehicle.

The CAO’s report indicates this reform is also ongoing.

Workplace harassment training?

While the Montana consultants recommended training for firefighters and supervisors on the workplace harassment and violence policy under regulations in the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, it’s not clear from the wording in the CAO’s report whether the training has actually taken place:

“5. External 3rd party training completed under OHSA General Regulations 91-191, policy created. Current corporate version Municipality of Tantramar Workplace Harassment and Violence Policy No. 2024-10.

Process for handling grievances

In 2021, several firefighters complained to Warktimes that the grievance committee to deal with workplace complaints had never been set up, leaving members with no choice but to file their complaints to the chief, even if those complaints were about him.

Warktimes reported then that: “Multiple firefighters say attempts to lodge complaints with CAO Jamie Burke have been rejected, with Burke advising members to go through the fire department’s chain of command.”

Several firefighters said they raised this issue during their interviews with the Montana consultants, but there is no direct reference in the CAO’s report to any “implemented actions” about grievance procedures or any reference to such procedures in the town’s new fire department bylaw.

The fire department policy adopted on August 9, 2022 says members must first discuss their complaints with the chief.Implemented actions

CAO Borne’s report lists several actions flowing out of the Montana recommendations that do appear to be more fully implemented.

Town council adopted a new bylaw governing the fire department; firefighters became part-time, municipal employees; the town adopted a hiring process with formal recruitment and qualifications criteria as well as clear physical fitness standards and testing plus a formal process for firefighters returning after leave.

In her point #3, Borne states:

“Finalize and formally document the Fire Chief’s role, responsibilities, and authority in clear governance leading to clear, shared understanding of the Fire Chief’s authority, duties and accountability.” These are set out in the new fire department bylaw.

“6. Update Confidentiality Agreement and ensuring Firefighters understand obligations.” These are set out in the new policy governing the fire department:

Power & control

Many of the implemented recommendations increase the authority of the fire chief and CAO, while recommendations to make them more accountable have not been implemented.

Kevin Scott repeatedly emphasized this theme in his Facebook posts pointing, for example, to one recommendation that calls for all personnel issues to come under the sole jurisdiction of the fire chief or the CAO.

“Who does a firefighter go to when the issue is with both the CAO and the chief?” Scott asked in his Facebook post of February 15.

“When the two have each other’s backs, it makes for frustrating situations!” he added.

Scott says he still stands by his post on March 27 calling on both the chief and the CAO to resign.

“It’s time to start thinking about the fire department and more importantly, the citizens of Tantramar. People want to feel safe and right now, not everyone feels that way.”

To read CAO Borne’s report on “implemented actions,” click here.

NOTE: The CAO’s  list of 20 “implemented actions” does not correspond one-for-one with the Montana report’s 20 recommendations. Several actions refer to the same recommendation—particularly the change recognizing firefighters as municipal employees—while others describe ongoing policy initiatives rather than completed reforms.

Posted in Sackville Fire & Rescue, Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | Leave a comment

NB Power defends 100-MW expansion of Isthmus gas/diesel plant as critics warn of long-term risks

Posted on April 1, 2026 by brucewark

NB Power lawyer John Furey

New Brunswick’s Energy & Utilities Board heard final arguments today on whether it should approve a proposed 100-MW expansion of NB Power’s controversial Chignecto Isthmus gas-fired generating project.

The expansion would increase the proposed RIGS (Renewable Integration and Grid Security) project near Centre Village from 400 megawatts to 500 megawatts. Under the proposal, the additional 100 MW of capacity would be sold to Nova Scotia’s Independent Energy System Operator for 10 years.

During closing arguments Wednesday, NB Power lawyer John Furey urged regulators to approve the expansion, arguing that it meets the regulatory test of prudence and would generate financial benefits for New Brunswick ratepayers.

“A decision is prudent if it’s in the range of decisions reasonable persons might have made,” Furey told the board, citing established regulatory standards.

He said evidence before the board showed the expansion would produce positive cash flow during the first 10 years of the agreement while allowing the province to secure additional generating capacity that could be needed later as older plants retire.

He also argued that fast-responding combustion turbines would play an important role in stabilizing a grid that increasingly relies on intermittent renewable energy including wind and solar.

“If you are going to move toward intermittent resources, you need fast-acting generating capacity,” Furey said.

Alternatives not considered

Public intervener Alain Chiasson

New Brunswick’s Public Intervener urged the EUB to reject the proposed 100-megawatt expansion, arguing that NB Power had failed to demonstrate the project’s long-term prudence.

Alain Chiasson, who said his job is to protect the public interest, acknowledged that the utility had shown some short-term financial benefit, noting evidence that selling the additional capacity to Nova Scotia could produce positive cash flow during the first decade of the agreement.

But he warned that those benefits apply only to the first 10 years of  NB Power’s 25-year contract with the U.S. firm PROENERGY, leaving significant uncertainty after that.

“The only certainty is that there is a risk that in 2038 the additional 100 megawatts of combustion turbines will be cold steel in the ground,” Chiasson told the EUB.

He also said the utility failed to fully evaluate alternative ways to meet future demand, including refurbishing existing generation, expanding renewable energy, or deploying battery storage technologies that are expected to become significantly cheaper over time.

No business case

St. Thomas University Economics Professor Andrew Secord argued that NB Power failed to justify the expansion in economic terms.

“NB Power did not provide a credible economic evaluation of the project and did not analyze alternatives to the project,” Secord said in his closing argument.

He told regulators that the utility had not demonstrated that revenues from selling power to Nova Scotia would adequately cover the financial obligations created by the project’s leasing structure.

“Simply put, NB Power officials have not made an adequate case before this economic regulator, and their application should be denied,” Secord said.

Environmental groups made similar arguments.

CCNB lawyer Konstantina Northrup

Lawyer Konstantina Northrup, representing the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, told the board the 100-MW expansion cannot be separated from the larger 400-MW project that forms the foundation of the RIGS proposal.

“The expansion opportunity cannot stand alone,” she said, arguing that the board must evaluate the full 500-MW project when deciding whether the proposal is prudent.

Northrup said the expansion would simply magnify what her organization views as serious flaws in the underlying project.

“It is not prudent for NB Power to exacerbate the problems that we see in the 400-megawatt proposal by making the project even bigger and more complex,” she told the EUB regulators.

NB residents bear impact

The Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition also urged the board to reject the expansion.

PCIC economist Gregor MacAskill

Coalition spokesman Gregor MacAskill argued regulators are being asked to approve a major infrastructure project without seeing the final version of key commercial agreements.

“The board is being asked to render a prudence determination on an incomplete record while key commercial, legal and financial risks remain undefined,” MacAskill said.

He warned that approving the project without finalized contracts could leave critical details to future negotiations outside regulatory oversight.

MacAskill also spoke briefly about the project’s environmental effects.

“First and foremost it is local residents in New Brunswick that directly bear the impacts of air, land and water emissions from the 100-megawatt addition that is serving the needs of Nova Scotia for at least 10 years,” he said.

EUB Chair Christopher Stewart said the board would make its decision on both parts of the RIGS project “as quickly as possible.”

For coverage of the closing arguments in the previous EUB hearing on the proposed 400-MW project, click here.

Posted in NB Power, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Don’t expect a rate reprieve, say experts who reviewed NB Power

Posted on March 30, 2026 by brucewark

By: John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. Source: Telegraph-Journal March 30, 2026

The expert trio who looked at NB Power says the troubled public utility should not be sold to private interests, at least not in the short term.

Instead, they say performance bonuses should be put in place to encourage people who work at NB Power to do the best possible job.

These are just a handful of the 50 recommendations the comprehensive review panel put in its final report released on Monday, many of them sure to be controversial.

In a technical briefing for reporters and a news conference for the public, they warned that electricity rates would not go down any time soon, and there were no quick fixes to NB Power’s many problems, several of which have built up over decades.

“This didn’t happen overnight,” nuclear expert and former Bruce Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne said of NB Power’s troubles, which include rapidly rising rates, a ballooning $6-billion debt and poor performance at its generating stations, particularly the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant.

“Equally, it’s not reasonable to expect that waving a magic wand will make it better tomorrow.”

The Holt Liberal government commissioned the study last year just as rates were skyrocketing. The trio spent 10 months consulting with the public, NB Power executives, union officials and interested groups. They also did a review of important documents.

A big concern was the fast-rising prices.

Over the last three years, the utility has raised rates by 24% for its 430,000 residential and business customers, and it plans to keep boosting them for the next three years, much higher than the inflation rate.

Public uproar

In a poorer province where most people heat with electricity, the price hikes have cost households hundreds of extra dollars a year.

The rate shock has caused a public uproar and businesses to cry foul.

But the experts said there was no getting around the service’s cost, and that consumers would have to pay more over the short term.

Review panel member Anne Bertrand. Photo: Government of New Brunswick

They pointed to many factors: poor performance at NB Power, aging facilities that need to be fixed or replaced, increasing electrical demand, more stringent environmental requirements and past decisions of the provincial government and the regulator to freeze rates or keep them unrealistically low.

“The vacation on rates in the past is over,” said Anne Bertrand, the retired information and privacy commissioner who used to serve on NB Power’s board of directors.

“Rates are going to go up.”

Should the provincial government follow all their recommendations, Hawthorne noted, NB Power’s performance should improve over the long term, leading to more stable, predictable and affordable rate hikes.

No new nuclear for now

Although Ottawa and the province have invested substantially in the development of small modular reactors in New Brunswick, the experts say there shouldn’t be any new nuclear added until the existing Point Lepreau plant near Saint John is running better. In terms of public funding, just shy of $130 million has already been spent, according to researchers at the Cedar Project.

“NB Power shouldn’t be a first of its kind utility,” Hawthorne said, pointing out the problems with Point Lepreau’s refurbishment in 2012 that cost $1.3 billion, plus another $1 billion in replacement power.

It was the first Candu 6 reactor to undergo such an extensive overhaul, but little was done to the non-nuclear side of the plant, causing it to break down frequently.

Point Lepreau now has one of the worst performance records of any plant of its kind in the world. While most Candu reactors run at above 90% capacity, Point Lepreau has been far below that in recent years.

To right the ship, the trio says NB Power should run the nuclear plant separately from the rest of its stations and calls for the creation of an entity called Point Lepreau Nuclear, perhaps as its own Crown corporation, that would be set up to have its own governance arrangement specifically focused on nuclear performance.

They recommend NB Power then sign power purchase deals with Point Lepreau Nuclear, which would be responsible for paying off a large portion of the debt the parent company has accumulated.

Review panel member Michael Bernstein. Photo: Government of New Brunswick

Michael Bernstein, one of the trio and a utility expert and investor, believes such a structure would encourage the plant to perform better and offer a more commercially attractive rate for the electricity it generates, with excess power sold to Nova Scotia or Quebec.

The three experts see the eventual need for another big nuclear plant next to the Point Lepreau station.

“We have to remember the existing Point Lepreau plant has itself a shelf life which currently looks between 2040 and 2042,” Hawthorne told reporters.

“So there is a strong argument to say, even if we didn’t want more nuclear, I can’t imagine a world where you have less nuclear and so for that reason, we should be putting conscious and serious steps towards engaging on the possibility of a replacement plant, if not an additional plant,” he said.

Province should assume some debt

Bernstein, Bertrand and Hawthorne agreed with the Liberal government’s decision to do away with a requirement of the previous Progressive Conservative administration that NB Power quickly pay off a large chunk of debt – about $1 billion – by 2029, calling it an arbitrary date that would have raised rates extremely high over the near term.

Instead, they recommend that NB Power’s finances be restructured, and the utility corporatized. By this, they mean part of its debt could be swallowed by the provincial government – $1.5 billion worth, which is the amount legislated rate freezes in the past have cost NB Power.

NB Power would then have enough financial strength to pay down its debts and make enough money on the side to pay dividends to the sole shareholder, the provincial government, cash that in turn could be used to pay for social programs, such as ones that could help poor people who struggle to pay their electrical bills, the report states.

Variance accounts NB Power set up to recover cost overruns at Point Lepreau – in the order of $300 million that’s being paid back by customers over an eight-year period – should also be swallowed by the provincial government, the experts say, adding that once NB Power’s plants are running better, the provincial government could then consider selling some of them to private industry.

Performance bonuses

Many critics of NB Power have complained that its executives are overpaid because they are among the highest compensated public servants in the province. And there is a perception among some citizens, borne out by the experts’ surveys, that NB Power leaders have been getting bonuses.

They don’t.

Review panel member Duncan Hawthorne. Photo: Government of New Brunswick

Hawthorne said it was time to introduce performance bonuses for NB Power workers that would reward them for hitting goals.

“I can tell you from my own experience when I took over Bruce Power in Ontario, that was one of the first things we introduced,” he said.

“Not because we didn’t feel people weren’t paid enough, but because we wanted better performance.”

Hawthorne said people were sadly mistaken if they thought NB Power executives were paid well relative to other utility officials across Canada. NB Power’s senior leadership is among the lowest paid, he said, and one of the few in utility executive ranks that doesn’t get performance pay.

When Brunswick News asked the trio if they had confidence in NB Power’s senior leadership, given all the utility’s problems, Hawthorne didn’t hesitate to defend them, including CEO Lori Clark, who took over the top job in 2022.

“Lori is drinking from a firehose,” he said. “She is the one everyone calls to do this, that and the other.

“She needs to have the ability to control her own organization without continual diversions.”

To that end, the report recommended that NB Power become more independent from government and for politicians to stop meddling in its affairs. They want directives and mandate letters from the energy minister to stop – there have been seven in the last 10 years alone – and for a comprehensive modernization of the Electricity Act.

Rebuild trust

Energy Minister René Legacy. Photo: Stephen MacGillivray for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

René Legacy, the energy minister, released a short statement Monday afternoon stating his Liberal government would create an action plan.

“This action plan will address the report’s 50 recommendations and deliver results for the future stability of NB Power and help rebuild trust in New Brunswick’s public utility,” Legacy said in a news release, adding that the government would release the next steps by the end of May.

“New Brunswickers can trust that we will act on these recommendations in a timely and transparent way. That work has already begun, and we look forward to sharing more.”

The NB Power CEO also released a short statement acknowledging that New Brunswickers were anxious about the utility’s future.

“As the report acknowledges, the challenges faced by NB Power have been decades in the making, and we need to be deliberate about planning for the future,” Clark said. “As a utility, we’re committed to making the changes needed while continuing to provide safe, reliable electricity, move toward cleaner energy, keep rates as low as possible, and strengthen our overall financial position.”

To read the comprehensive review report, click here.

Note: The report does not refer specifically to the proposed PROENERGY gas/diesel plant on the Chignecto Isthmus, but does say this on page 40: “We do however believe that partnerships and alliances, many of them being currently pursued by NB Power, are positive steps in achieving a number of objectives. Procurement from the private sector of new wind, solar, batteries, and gas plants is a good way to bring additional resources, expertise, and capital while transferring risk to the benefit of New Brunswickers.”

This story from Brunswick News was written by Local Journalism Initiative Reporter John Chilibeck with additional files from Bruce Wark.

Posted in LJI stories, NB Power, New Brunswick government | 1 Comment

‘Right smack dab’: Wildlife advocates warn gas plant threatens Isthmus migration route

Posted on March 27, 2026 by brucewark

CCAC Chair Doug Bliss

Tantramar’s Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) is suggesting the town take steps to protect sensitive wildlife corridors on the Chignecto Isthmus when it adopts a new municipal plan in the next few years.

“There has been a lot of controversy in the last six months as you know about a gas turbine plant,” CCAC Chair Doug Bliss told town council during a presentation this week.

“We want to talk to you about why wildlife corridors are important and why the two, development and wildlife protection, can happen at the same time,” he said.

“It’s all a matter of where you put things.”

During the presentation by Bliss, Adam Cheeseman of Nature NB and Melanie Jellett of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, members of council looked at a map showing wavy blue bands marking the corridors where moose, other animals, amphibians and insects move across the Isthmus between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Canadian Geographic map showing Chignecto Isthmus that the magazine describes as “a pinch point of wetlands, forests and shoreline areas interwoven with transportation corridors, industry and communities. And as the human footprint here grows, the integrity of natural spaces and the connections between them are being whittled away.” Illustration: Canadian Geographic, August 2025

When Councillor Allison Butcher asked where the proposed gas plant would be in relation to the wildlife corridors, Melanie Jellett replied: “Right smack dab in the nice blue band where the wildlife are moving.”

“Where it says ‘New Brunswick,’ look at the bottom of the I or around where the I is,” Doug Bliss added.

He reminded council that the Nature Conservancy of Canada has acquired land on the Isthmus (2,200 hectares or more than 5,400 acres) to protect migration corridors and that residents of Tantramar are very familiar with the annual sandpiper migration at Johnson’s Mills as well as Shep, the giant sandpiper statue in Dorchester.

“Which just goes to show you that in our municipality, there is already a lot of attention to wildlife habitat protection,” Bliss said.

Adam Cheeseman also reminded council that well over 20 groups are working to protect wildlife on the Isthmus.

Melanie Jellett of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Jellett pointed out that in 2008, the Town of Amherst worked with the Nova Scotia government to protect its drinking water supply by designating watershed lands as a provincial wilderness area.

“This past February the town purchased an additional 120 acre parcel of forest land,” she said, “so they’re really building on their conservation lands within their municipality.”

She also pointed out that in 2018, Cumberland County introduced bylaws in their Municipal Planning Strategy to protect the wildlife corridor.

Closer to home, she said, the Southeast Regional Service Commission is developing a regional land use plan and is also working to identify the best location for a wildlife crossing underpass or overpass on Rte. 15 between Moncton and Shediac.

She suggested that Tantramar could include conservation zones in its municipal plan to protect sensitive wildlife areas from development.

After the presentation, Councillor Michael Tower thanked the CCAC.

“I always love to get this information that helps build our battle up to protect this area from things that should not be planted around here,” he said.

“Meaning the gas plant.”

It appears that PROENERGY Canada President John MacIsaac ran into stiff opposition on Wednesday as he attempted to give a presentation on the proposed gas plant to residents of Elsipogtog First Nation. To read the report from the NB Media Co-op, click here.

Posted in Amherst, NB Power, Southeast Regional Service Commission, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

‘I’m not ducking the thing’: LeBlanc faces questions on proposed Isthmus gas plant

Posted on March 24, 2026 by brucewark

Federal MP Dominic LeBlanc (L) listening to Peter Higham in the lobby of Convocation Hall

Groups opposed to the proposed 500 MW gas/diesel plant near Centre Village presented information to Beauséjour MP Dominic LeBlanc today explaining why they’re so strongly opposed to the project.

During a brief exchange on the Mount Allison University campus, Peter Higham of Seniors for Climate — Tantramar suggested that as minister of international trade, LeBlanc should be concerned that NB Power has awarded the gas plant contract to an American company at a time when the U.S. is threatening Canada economically.

Higham also seemed to question why LeBlanc hasn’t said anything so far about a project that was announced more than eight months ago.

“I’m not ducking the thing,” LeBlanc said as he suggested that the federal government is not about to tell NB Power what it can and cannot do.

Penny Mott, also of Seniors for Climate, presented LeBlanc with a letter outlining a number of reasons why she believes the project should be of concern to a federal minister including international recognition that the fragile ecosystem on the Chignecto Isthmus needs protection; that burning fossil fuels in a gas/diesel plant hastens catastrophic climate change and that in the spirit of truth and reconciliation, Indigenous people should have been asked first for their consent.

Mt. A. Religious Studies Professor Barb Clayton from the Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition presented LeBlanc with a petition signed by 130 scientists and academics opposing the gas plant and suggesting alternatives such as renewable energy sources combined with battery energy storage.

In each case, LeBlanc promised to read the materials, but declined to answer questions from Warktimes.

Anti-gas plant demonstrators

Demonstrators at Mt. A. Photo: Juliette Bulmer

Earlier, demonstrators gathered at various locations on York Street where they knew LeBlanc would see them on his way into Convocation Hall.

The federal minister was guest speaker at the installation ceremony for Moncton lawyer George Cooper who is the university’s new chancellor.

One of the demonstrators, Logan Atkinson, said in spite of repeated attempts, groups against the proposed plant have not been able to talk directly with LeBlanc.

“He hasn’t talked with us since the beginning of our protest. We haven’t heard a word from his office in months,” he said.

“We’ve tried several times by e-mail, by phone calls, his office has either not responded or responded weakly or put us off, so it’s not good enough. We did have a meeting in Shediac  with his assistant early on in the fall, that’s it, nothing since.

“So, it’s not good enough for our MP to be ignoring us like this. We need his help. We need the help of every politician we can get and it’s just not coming from him.”

Posted in climate change, Mount Allison University, NB Power, Town of Tantramar | Tagged | 7 Comments

‘Remember Us’: New book brings Upper Sackville’s past & people to life

Posted on March 22, 2026 by brucewark

Upper Sackville Methodist Church around 1895 with nearby Upper Sackville School on the right.. Photo: “A History of Upper Sackville, N.B. Vol. 1”

About 140 people attended a book launch Saturday for a two-volume set outlining the centuries-long history of Upper Sackville, the village whose beauty the book says “stems from both the lake at its heart and the Tantramar Marsh on its east flank.”

“I was born here and lived most of my first 17 years here, but it was only by writing this book that I learned what the village truly was,” author Kathryn (Kathy) Fawcett Lewis told the crowd gathered in the Upper Sackville United Church on Pond Shore Road.

“We produce everything from world-class hay to senators and beauty queens with a few thieves and murderers thrown in,” she added.

“This history of our village will tell you those tales, how the people came and struggled to gain a foothold, struggled through hard times with the tough land, struggled through epidemics, depressions, and even two wars on their doorstep.”

‘Vagaries of time’

Book launch audience in the Upper Sackville United Church [click to enlarge]

Lewis’s book outlines the history of the area from the first Mi’kmaq inhabitants through successive waves of European settlement including Acadians, New England Planters, Yorkshire immigrants and the American Loyalists.

“Those of us who come from Upper Sackville enjoy a common bond,” Lewis said.

“We come from enduring stock. Our ancestors didn’t just come here. They took root in the earth, sprang forth, and multiplied,” she said as she mentioned the many family names in her book including Estabrooks, George, Hicks, Fawcett, Sears and Wheaton.

She also spoke about how Upper Sackville “was born of the Baptist faith and born of Methodism” in close proximity to the first Baptist and Methodist churches in Canada.

“Old John Fawcett, who came from Yorkshire in 1774 as a seven-year-old boy, who gave his life to Methodism and who lived next door to this church, died an unhappy man,” she said, adding he felt betrayed in 1818 when some town Methodists chose to build a new church in Sackville without consulting the parishioners in his village.

“I wonder what he would have said if he had known that 200 years later, the beautiful Sackville Church would be razed to the ground and the little Upper Sackville Church would be left standing,” she said as the audience laughed.

“Ah, the vagaries of time.”

‘I could not resist’

Kathy Lewis (L) with artist Sharon Hicks who provided illustrations for the book

“I grew up not too far up the road from here,” said artist Sharon Hicks, “and my Hicks ancestors first arrived in 1765.”

Hicks, who provided illustrations for the book, added that after returning to Upper Sackville 15 years ago, she spent many hours researching, then drawing and painting barns that once dotted the Tantramar Marsh as well as “our beloved covered bridge,” and in more recent years, began recreating local historic buildings.

“Kathy mentions in the book that when she asked if I’d be interested in this project, that I ‘didn’t hesitate to say yes,'” Hicks said, adding that kind of downplayed her actual reaction.

“It was more like: ‘Are you kidding me? You must have read my mind, I’ve been thinking about this for years!'”

She ended her book launch talk with a poem that included the lines:

An artist is what I’ve always been,
Depicting many things I’ve seen…
This project brought a different twist ~
A challenge I could not resist!

‘The land sighed’

Cover design by Kathryn Lewis & Sharon Hicks

Volume I gives a comprehensive history that includes the Mi’kmaq, the settlers and their religion, their education and their way of life.

Volume II gives a detailed, alphabetical listing and history of 51 prominent families.

Here is an excerpt from the opening of Volume I:

The land sighed,
the buildings creaked,
and the olde folk whispered,

“Remember us”

The wind sighs over the land from Cumberland Bay to the Mount View Ridge, waving the grasses on the vast Tantramar marsh and cooling the land between. Long known as ‘Windy Sackville,’ the epithet comes with both a blessing and a curse, depending on the season. If the land could talk, it too could sigh, as it carries memories of both pleasure and despair…

To read a transcript of Kathy Lewis’s book launch remarks, click here.

To read Sharon Hicks’s complete poem, click here.

Note: The first print run of 150 has already sold out. To order a copy of the two volumes for $40, e-mail author Kathy Lewis at: nanny.goat1943@gmail.com.

Posted in Town of Sackville | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Tantramar Town Council votes against releasing Montana recommendations

Posted on March 18, 2026 by brucewark

Tantramar Town Council reversed itself Monday voting against releasing the 20 recommendations in the 2021 Montana workplace assessment of Sackville Fire & Rescue.

The 6-2 vote came after a closed session in which council discussed a legal opinion from the town’s law firm that said releasing the recommendations could violate New Brunswick’s Right to Information and Privacy Act (RTIPPA).

Councillors Bruce Phinney and Barry Hicks voted against the motion not to release the recommendations while Mayor Black, Deputy Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell and Councillors Allison Butcher, Josh Goguen, Matt Estabrooks and Michael Tower voted in favour. It appears that Councillor Greg Martin was absent.

The reversal came less than a week after council voted unanimously to release the recommendations “pending legal advice.”

It appears from the wording of Monday’s motion the lawyers warned that the penalty for violating RTIPPA could result in fines ranging from a minimum of $420 to a maximum of $10,200 for each member of council.

Instead of making the recommendations public, council instead authorized CAO Jennifer Borne “to release the implemented actions from the workplace assessment.”

In an e-mail to Warktimes today, Borne said that because the motion was discussed in a closed session, she wasn’t able to give further background information, but will be issuing a news release on “the actions that were implemented from the Workplace Assessment” either late this week or early next week.

In 2024 when Councillor Bruce Phinney went to court seeking release of the Montana recommendations, Mr. Justice Jean-Paul Ouellette ruled that under RTIPPA, the town could not release the them.

The motion passed on Monday, which was numbered #26-048, reads:

Moved by Councillor Matt Estabrooks and seconded by Councillor Michael Tower that following receipt of the legal opinion from motion #26-045 and review of Section 82(2) of RTIPPA, council authorizes the CAO to release the implemented actions from the workplace assessment of Sackville Fire & Rescue.

Aye votes recorded by Mayor Andrew Black, Deputy Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell and Councillors Allison Butcher, Matt Estabrooks, Josh Goguen and Michael Tower. Nay votes recorded by Councillors Barry Hicks and Bruce Phinney. Motion carried.

To read my report on the dismal state of New Brunswick’s right to information law, click here.

Posted in Sackville Fire & Rescue, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Tantramar wins $50K Hockeyville award — amid concerns over Civic Centre accessibility gaps

Posted on March 15, 2026 by brucewark

Graeson Hicks was an avid hockey player at the Civic Centre arena until he suffered paralysis in an ATV accident

Meghan Hicks says it was exciting to hear last night that the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre had won the $50,000 Kraft Hockeyville award for New Brunswick.

“It’s amazing,” she says. “The $50,000 will really help.”

Hicks was one of eight people who nominated the Civic Centre for the award and in her essay, she says she mentioned how her two sons “basically grew up at the rink” where they skated and learned to play hockey.

She also wrote that her 17-year-old son Graeson suffers from paralysis as a result of an ATV accident last year and that the Civic Centre needs money to upgrade its accessibility standards, a point she made forcefully during two presentations to town council in February and March.

This year’s Kraft Hockeyville award went to communities in all 13 provinces and territories. In a second round, the top two chosen as finalists will be announced on March 21st and Canadians will vote on which of the communities will claim the top prize of $250,000 for rink upgrades.

The runner-up will receive $100,000.

“I’m really hoping we come ahead with either second place or the first-place prize,” Hicks says.

No elevator

Meghan Hicks

During her most recent presentation to town council last week, Hicks said Graeson received recognition recently for his achievements in Titans high-school hockey. The ceremony was held on the ice.

“It should have been a moment of pride. Instead, after the ceremony, he had to leave the building and struggle up a steep hill, which was icy and full of slush and snow to reach the viewing level,” she said.

“That is not accessible, it’s not safe and it’s certainly not inclusion.”

She pointed out the town commissioned an independent report on accessibility in 2023 that called for an elevator, but three years later, people who badly need it are still waiting. The report also called for railings in the rink stands, but although Hicks says three sets have been installed, another three or four are still needed.

In her Kraft Hockeyville essay, Hicks says she mentioned how grandparents find it hard to attend games at the arena.

She says Graeson can’t use the washrooms on the viewing level.

“They have accessible washrooms, but they don’t meet the standards. They’re not large enough and the doors don’t swing the correct way.”

‘Community hub’

“Tantramar has had a roadmap since 2023 and the Accessibility Act sets a deadline for 2030,” Hicks told council, referring to the province’s first five-year strategic plan on accessibility.

“Every year of delay is another year of exclusion,” she said.

“This building is our EMO site. It is supposed to be a community hub, yet it remains functionally inaccessible to many of the very people it claims to serve.”

Alyssa Greene

Both Hicks and her sister Alyssa Greene praised Councillor Barry Hicks for introducing a motion on February 10th calling on the town to issue tenders seeking bids on an elevator by March 31st.

The motion passed unanimously.

Earlier, the town received an estimate from an engineering firm that said an elevator would cost $750,000, but in her presentation to council last week, Greene said she called three Maritime elevator companies who estimated it would cost in the range of $40,000 to $100,000.

“Councillor Hicks made a respectable start at the last meeting for the installation of an elevator,” Greene said.

“Tonight I’m asking for each member of council to make a commitment to the very attainable and financially responsible goal of having an elevator fully installed and operational within the next six months,” she added.

Mayor Black acknowledged that council had not acted quickly enough on the independent accessibility report.

“The elevator will be built,” he promised. “We’ll find the money.”

To read the Kraft Hockeyville news release, click here.

To read the nominations submitted on behalf of the Civic Centre, click here.

Posted in Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Tantramar council hears sharply divided views on proposed Isthmus gas plant

Posted on March 13, 2026 by brucewark

Tantramar management services consultant Steve Cullen

Tantramar Town Council heard one presentation that tilted heavily in favour of the proposed 500 MW Chignecto Isthmus gas plant on Tuesday and two others strongly against it.

Steve Cullen, a local management services consultant who has worked for various energy companies including Avangrid Networks, suggested Tantramar residents should not worry about the proposed 500 MW gas plant near Centre Village that NB Power has hired the U.S. company PROENERGY to build, own and operate.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in helping build oil and gas facilities, Cullen told town council that strong, international quality control standards, strict environmental regulations as well as the environmental standards and policies of the project proponents ensure that the construction and operation of gas plants do no harm.

“Perhaps the greatest concern expressed in media of late is the regulatory and compliance as it relates to wildlife, environment, and things of that nature,” he said.

He added that based on the various projects he worked on, environmental effects are taken very seriously.

“I would assume that following the same standard that would be in place here at this facility, water, wastewater, chemicals, biocide, whatever you want to call it, those are not allowed to be discharged into the environment, period,” Cullen said.

“They have to be either stored on site for containment, taken away later for treatment or treated by a wastewater facility on site.”

Cullen emphasized that he has no affiliation with the proponents of the Tantramar gas plant and no inside knowledge of their plans, but suggested they will have to abide by the strict environmental standards that are in place everywhere else.

Comprehensive EIA

Councillor Michael Tower referred to a slide Cullen presented showing a natural gas compressor station north of Peace River, Alberta.

“Did they do a comprehensive environmental study?” Tower asked.

“Yes,” Cullen answered.

“Members of the public here, council itself, have pushed for this project early on to have a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) from the start,” Mayor Black said.

“We have been denied that opportunity every step of the way,” he added, pointing to the much less rigorous “deterministic” assessment that the province is currently conducting.

Cullen replied that comprehensive assessments are mandatory in western Canada and in the U.S. where the Environmental Protection Agency has very strong standards.

“So of course, those things had to be done before we even broke ground,” he said. “I would think that this would be the same thing here…I would hope that they would do that.”

Respect for neighbours

Centre Village resident Terry Jones

In her five minute presentation, Centre Village resident Terry Jones said the proposed gas plant raises serious questions about public safety, yet the town has no bylaws to protect residents in the former LSDs.

“It is the role of this Council to start the process of drafting bylaws that protect the health and well-being of people, wildlife, livestock, the environment, and limit excessive water draw, provide buffer zones around industrial projects and utility sites for all future development,” she said.

She pointed out that the proposed gas plant would be right next to her home.

“There’s no fence between me and them,” she said. “There’s definitely no sound barrier. I keep being told that it’s going to be very, very quiet, but I’m thinking it’s not going to be,” Jones said.

“I was going to bring a vacuum today and just plug it in over in the corner so we could listen to it for the whole meeting and just see how many people enjoyed a quiet vacuum in their background 24-7.”

She added that construction is underway again at the gas plant site with big trucks tearing up Rte. 940.

“So, it’s destroying the shoulder of the road. The potholes are unbelievable. This is the worst I’ve seen since 1992 when I moved to Brooklyn Road first and then to Centre Village.”

She added she’s not against responsible development that takes neighbours and the environment into consideration.

“I’m just saying responsible use of the land and respect for your neighbours,” Jones said.

“They don’t have either at PROENERGY, nor at NB Power.”

BESS in Tantramar?

Peter Higham of Seniors for Climate — Tantramar

Peter Higham of Seniors for Climate — Tantramar told council that his group is part of the Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition that is resolved to keep fighting the proposed gas plant until the government finally stops it.

“To repeat, we are fixed in purpose until the gas plant is completely cancelled,” he said.

“It’s not that we don’t want that plant here in Tantramar. We don’t want it anywhere in New Brunswick.”

Higham referred to a document from the Conservation Council of New Brunswick that promotes grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) as an alternative to burning fossil fuels.

First, it enhances the reliability and stability of the electrical grid, ensuring a consistent supply of electricity even during peak demand or unforeseen disruptions,” he said as he read from the CCNB document.

“Second, it facilitates the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar by storing excess energy during times of low demand and releasing it during high demand periods. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels and promotes a cleaner, more sustainable energy mix.”

Higham noted that town council had received a letter from the Canadian company NRStor that builds, owns and operates energy storage projects and he urged council to organize a public information session so that the company could demonstrate what it has to offer.

Jeff Taylor, Tantramar’s director of community and corporate services, said he had met with NRStor twice.

“They’re looking at somewhere to site battery energy storage, and they wanted to work with local partners,” he said.

Taylor added he had put the company in touch with the Southeast Regional Service Commission’s planning department as well as the town’s Climate Change Advisory Committee to help identify sites that might be suitable locations for battery storage.

“That type of project is mushrooming everywhere and usually in connection with wind and solar power,” Higham said.

“So that is just another example of where the fossil fuel technology is old-dated and we’re in a new era now and we better get there like everybody else is doing.”

Posted in NB Power, New Brunswick government, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | 23 Comments

Tantramar council votes to release Montana fire dept. recommendations

Posted on March 11, 2026 by brucewark

Councillor Barry Hicks

Tantramar Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize the public release of the recommendations in the Montana report on the Sackville fire department.

Councillor Barry Hicks moved the motion, seconded by Deputy Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell, to authorize release of the 20 recommendations “pending legal advice.”

Hicks’s motion also requires CAO Jennifer Borne to provide an update on the actions the town has taken to implement each of the recommendations.

The vote came after council met in closed session for about 15 minutes at the end of its regular meeting.

The town of Sackville commissioned the Montana Consulting Group to conduct a workplace assessment of Sackville Fire & Rescue in April 2021 after Warktimes published articles about allegations of persistent bullying, harassment and favouritism that had led to the resignations of at least 17 volunteer firefighters over a five year period.

After the town had received the $31,500 Montana Report in September 2021, the consultants gave oral briefings on the recommendations behind closed doors to volunteer firefighters and to members of town council.

When Warktimes attempted to get a copy of the report, the town refused to release it under provisions of the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RTIPPA).

Section 20 of the Act states that the town clerk “shall refuse to disclose information that would reveal…the substance of records made by an investigator providing advice or recommendations of the investigator in relation to a harassment investigation or a personnel investigation.”

Warktimes appealed the decision to the New Brunswick Ombud arguing that:

I feel the town is violating the spirit of RTIPPA, which is that information should be public with specific exceptions. In this case, the town is refusing to release any part of the Workplace Assessment including any of its 20 recommendations. This is a matter of considerable public interest since local taxpayers pay almost a million dollars per year for the fire protection provided by volunteers. Aside from the complaints from the firefighters themselves, there are safety implications for the town, especially when firefighters are quitting the department. The town CAO has said all of the recommendations will be implemented, but it won’t be possible to judge that if they are kept confidential. The CAO is also in a potential conflict of interest since several current and former firefighters complained that neither he nor his predecessor responded to their concerns.

Timeline

  • April 2022: Ombud Marie-France Pelletier sides with the town’s refusal to release the Montana report and its recommendations. To read her letter, click here.
  • August 2023: The town denies Councillor Bruce Phinney’s request for a copy of the report and its recommendations.
  • October 2023: Town council votes against Phinney’s motion calling for release of the Montana report.
  • March 2024: Phinney takes his case for release of the 20 recommendations to the Court of King’s Bench arguing that: “Sackville Town Council did not authorize the hiring of Montana Consulting to conduct a harassment or personnel investigation, but to investigate complaints about how the town’s fire department was being managed, especially to understand the environment and circumstances that had led to the resignations of so many of its volunteer members.”
  • April 2024: Mr. Justice Jean-Paul Ouellette rules against Phinney saying the town could not release the recommendations because they were part of a personnel and harassment investigation.
  • January 2026: 12 firefighters turn in their pagers at town hall.
  • January 2026: The town announces it has hired a Saint John law firm to investigate the fire department workplace:

For a report on what we know about the Montana recommendations, click here.

Posted in Sackville Fire & Rescue, Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged | 2 Comments

Proposed Tantramar gas/diesel plant derails NB Power’s request for 4.75% rate increase on April 1st

Posted on March 9, 2026 by brucewark

by John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. Source: Telegraph-Journal
March 9, 2026

EUB Chair Christopher Stewart

NB Power won’t be allowed to impose a steep interim rate hike to electricity prices on April 1 in spite of its warning that the money is needed to avoid long-term financial risks.

The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) rejected the stopgap request for a 4.75%  increase Monday morning as the first order of business at a hearing in Fredericton to decide if the rate should rise sometime later this year.

“The motion is denied,” EUB Chair Christopher Stewart said. “The board has held that it should exercise its discretion to grant such relief requests only in exceptional circumstances.”

The board also dismissed NB Power’s plea to impose a special charge, or rate rider, on the bills of more than 400,000 customers, both residential and commercial, dating back to April 1 if it eventually gets the green light to raise prices later in 2026.

The decision does not mean prices won’t go up. With the timing of the hearing, it’s more likely now that any changes to bills for all customer classes won’t happen till June or July, giving them a temporary reprieve.

Stewart said that while it was true his three-member panel wouldn’t decide on rates for several months, the Crown corporation had only itself to blame for the big delay.

After NB Power failed to persuade the EUB last fall that it did not require its approval for the gas/diesel plant, it asked for the hearings on the project to be held in February. That delayed the hearings on its application to raise rates.

NB Power gave priority to the gas plant hearings because it said it had signed a contract with the U.S. company PROENERGY to build and run the new facility with specific deadlines.

Its contract for the project originally stated that regulatory approval was needed by April 1 and if that didn’t happen the American company could walk away from the deal.

NB Power’s lawyer Leanne Murray said last week in a special hearing that it was like making a choice “between your children.” But the board chair said that wasn’t enough to convince the panel that the proposed gas plant was a bigger priority than the general rate application.

Stewart pointed out that NB Power had made a business decision to sign a contract with an April 1 cutoff. He suggested the public utility had only itself to blame for running out of time and asking to switch the hearing dates.

This story was written by Local Journalism Initiative Reporter John Chilibeck of Brunswick News with files from Bruce Wark.

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