Robert Corkerton
Sackville, Dorchester and surrounding LSDs will be known as Tantramar if the province approves the name chosen by a committee of elected and appointed local officials.
In today’s announcement, Robert Corkerton, deputy mayor of Dorchester, said the name Tantramar “has been submitted to the provincial government and will become official once regulations are adopted over the summer.”
CHMA also quotes him as saying that the choice was based on what the committee heard about the proposed names Beauséjour Township and Tantramar Township with an overwhelming majority favouring Tantramar.
The committee decided to drop the word township.
Cost of regional services
Meantime, Sackville Councillor Sabine Dietz has expressed concern over the financial implications of municipal amalgamation.
During Monday’s town council meeting, she referred to a provincial draft document circulated to councillors outlining more details about the expanded role of the Southeast Regional Service Commission (SERSC) which now provides land use planning and waste disposal services to municipalities in southeastern New Brunswick including Sackville.
Councillor Sabine Dietz
Starting next year, SERSC will provide a wide range of additional services such as regional economic development, tourism promotion, community development and regional transportation while co-ordinating the cost sharing of what the document calls “regional sport, recreational and cultural infrastructure.”
Dietz pointed out that the document indicates that the costs of these SERSC services to municipalities will be based on a proportionate share of the tax base and population without giving more details.
She said having to pay for more regional services would have implications for local budget priorities and so, more details are needed.
“There’s not a whole lot of additional information to add right now,” said CAO Jamie Burke.
He added that he would be attending a SERSC meeting in Moncton this week to discuss local government reform and hoped to have more information for next month’s council meeting.
Treasurer Michael Beal reported that Sackville is paying $338,000 this year to SERSC mainly for land use planning and garbage disposal.
Here are some practical questions to ask: For how long will Canada Post honour existing community names, so long as your postal code is accurate? (E.g. Downsview, Ontario existed for decades after it was absorbed into the City of North York, Ontario, long before the creation of the current City of Toronto. Second, will there be renaming of any streets where there is duplication (partly for 9/11- civic addressing reasons)? Finally, will there be any provincial grants to pay for start-up costs, such as road signage changes, to name one thing?
I do wonder how the name Beausejour ever got to be one half of our approved selections. (Sorry this is not a French keyboard so I spelled it incorrectly without the acute accent over the e) I have yet to hear anyone say that they think that this 1750-1755 French Fort name would have been appropriate for this area. Perhaps it was Daniel Allain himself that actually suggested it? Will anyone ever know with all the secrecy attached to those meetings? It is already the name of our Federal Liberal Riding so why on earth would any consideration be given to name a town within it the same?
Percy, I think Beausejour would have relevance as this is the site where the Brits and Frenchies squared off.. much as they are today in a very real sense… the monarchy loving vs. the not so monarchy loving… if ya feel me?
“the monarchy loving vs. the not so monarchy loving”
That makes no sense at all. Both sides in the battle over Fort Beausejour were monarchies. Both had revolutions within a few decades (American and French revolutions). Monarchy has nothing to do with the name, or with any current linguistic divisions in NB.
Monarchy is the discussion Jon.
UK Monarchy … the elephant in the room.