‘Full speed ahead, go, go, go!’ Frank McKenna sells AI & the digital economy

Posted on August 26, 2023 by brucewark

Frank McKenna addressing his digital innovation summit on June 13

Former Premier Frank McKenna is campaigning hard for New Brunswick’s public and private sectors to adopt and use digital technologies including artificial intelligence and the science of big data.

At the conclusion of his two-day digital innovation summit on June 13 at the posh Algonquin hotel in Saint Andrews, McKenna challenged about 50 invited business owners and executives, prominent academics and government officials to follow John F. Kennedy’s example and aim for the moon.

“I’d say to all of you here, we’ve really been set up for a big moon shot [with] the new, emerging, exciting technologies, so let’s embrace them and let’s win,” he said. “Full speed ahead, go, go, go!”

McKenna was referring to the announcement a few minutes before that the University of New Brunswick would be setting up a Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute to support interdisciplinary research on digital information technologies.

UNB President Paul Mazerolle

UNB President Paul Mazerolle said the new institute would provide shared resources for university researchers already using data analytics and artificial intelligence in such fields as biology, environmental science and computer science.

“Importantly it will allow us to better confront what I call the grand challenges that we see across our society,” Mazerolle said.

“Our university’s already fixated and focused on grand challenges, applying our skills, our knowledge, our expertise to these issues whether they’re in health, whether they’re in human cybersecurity, environmental systems, in water systems and importantly, future energy.”

Exclusive invitation

Warktimes may have been the only media outlet invited to McKenna’s digital innovation summit.

The former premier extended the invitation after I asked to cover former U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech this summer at his annual networking summit in Fox Harbour, Nova Scotia.

“The event is totally private and our guest speakers know that Chatham House Rules prevail,” McKenna responded in an e-mail.

“Many of our guests would not be comfortable being in the public spotlight.”

However, he suggested that instead, I might be interested in his invitation-only digital innovation summit in Saint Andrews sponsored by the McKenna Institute at UNB.

The Algonquin Resort in the early-morning haze of June 13, 2nd day of McKenna summit when Warktimes suddenly had two hours to kill

A few days later, I received a formal invitation from Erin Hatfield, UNB’s director of communications.

“Again, this year, the sitting rooms and conference rooms will be packed with the who’s who of the business community talking about how digital innovations will help grow the province’s economy in all sectors of the economy – from software development to food production,” Hatfield said in an e-mail.

“There will also be breakout sessions on innovation hosted by top experts and business leaders,” she wrote.

“We’re only inviting those who will understand it’s worth investing the time to make the trip.”

Closed-door meetings

Hatfield’s invitation was for the second-day only with sessions from 8 a.m. to noon.

However, shortly after my arrival on June 13, she said I would not be allowed to attend the three breakout sessions from 9 to 11 where invited guests would discuss New Brunswick’s path to digital transformation.

UNB President Mazerolle explained later that the rules guaranteed anonymity to speakers at the breakout sessions.

He said it was only the second such summit and maybe there would be room for more public engagement at future ones.

“When we started this, we wanted to get the right business leaders in the room, the right government officials and the right academicians and build a Chatham House Rule approach where there can be full and frank discussions,” he said.

Elite recruitment

Mt. A. Politics Professor Geoff Martin

Mazerolle’s reference to Chatham House reminded me of McKenna’s e-mail about his closed annual networking sessions in Nova Scotia.

Mount Allison University Politics Professor Geoff Martin, who was not invited to the Saint Andrews summit, says exclusive, closed-door gatherings like that are known in political science as tools for elite recruitment and socialization.

“You have to find new people who will come into the economic and political elite and you also have to then shape their views,” he says.

“I think particularly too in this neo-liberal era of the last 40 years, these events tend to be secret events because the views they’re expressing are often unpopular,” Martin adds.

“You’re in a long game, you’re chipping away little by little on major public policy goals, privatization, deregulation, maintaining the domination of the oil and gas sector, protecting the national banking system and the privileges of the chartered banks.

“These are the kinds of things that are not really all that popular and the popularity I think is declining over time, but that’s really what I think that event is all about.”

Martin was speaking specifically about McKenna’s networking event in Nova Scotia while the digital innovation summit in Saint Andrews seemed more narrowly focused on persuading key leaders to embrace the digital economy.

‘Play at the top of our game’

Frank McKenna interviewed after his digital summit

During an interview after the summit, I asked McKenna what he thought the big “take-away” from it was.

“It’s just the transformational power of technology,” he replied.

“In a place like New Brunswick, even though we think of ourselves as small and rural, we still have to play at the top of our game in terms of innovation and competitiveness — whether it’s the way we grow potatoes or the way we grow blueberries or whether it’s our health care offerings. It could be any one of a number of things. It could even be our tourism product. We still have to use the most advanced technology in the world if we want to be competitive.”

McKenna added that governments are also learning that by analyzing massive amounts of data, they can improve the quality of health care while reducing its costs.

“It’s not often you get a chance to get a two-bagger,” he said with a smile.

Note: Mark Leger, UNB’s managing editor of strategic communications and marketing, did get to attend one of the closed breakout sessions. To read his report, click here.

To listen to my CHMA radio report on McKenna’s digital innovation summit, click here.

Posted in Health care, Technology | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Takin’ care of business during summer of flood & fire

Posted on August 11, 2023 by brucewark

Councillor Allison Butcher

During a summer of steady news about lives and homes lost in torrential rains, flash floods and devastating wildfires, Tantramar Town Council has approved a $1.2 million tax break for a six-storey apartment building in Sackville’s flood-risk zone while moving to lift the ban on more greenhouse-gas emitting drive-thrus near the TransCanada highway.

“In the not so distant past, we had a request come before council to change the no drive-thru rule that did not pass,” Councillor Allison Butcher said during Tuesday’s council meeting.

She was referring to Sackville council’s decision in 2016 to reject an application for a Robins Donuts drive-thru at the Ultramar Gas Bar near TransCanada Exit 506 because of concerns about traffic congestion and the polluting effects of greenhouse gas emissions from idling cars.

“Here we are after COVID,” Butcher continued, “when we realized that there are some times when a drive-by getting their food is something that people want to do that maybe they didn’t before.”

She added she was reassured that rules would be in place requiring the developer to pay for a traffic study if the expected number of drive-thru vehicles would exceed 40 during peak periods or if the developer could not provide at least 11 queuing spaces for vehicles heading into a drive-thru and at least two for those heading out.

“This shows me there will be safety considerations,” Butcher said. “Traffic studies. Rules about the amount of vehicles in a space. Those were the things that, in the past, really worried me.”

She did not mention previous concerns about idling vehicles and no one else raised the issue before council voted unanimously to change the bylaw that has prohibited new drive-thrus for the last 23 years.

Council was responding to an application from a numbered company for a drive-thru at the former Pizza Delight property on Mallard Drive.

Unless members change their minds, the bylaw allowing more drive-thrus will likely get final approval at their next regular meeting on September 12th.

Little apparent concern

Members of council and staff seemed to be under little public pressure on the once contentious drive-thru issue after no one showed up for a public hearing last month.

Town Planner Lori Bickford suggested then that Tantramar could have more effect fighting climate change by continuing to limit greenhouse gas emissions from its own fleet of vehicles.

And issues raised seven years ago suddenly seemed less urgent such as concerns expressed in a 2016 letter from the local environmental group EOS Eco-Energy which urged council to uphold the ban on more drive-thrus.

The EOS letter referred to research conducted in 2011 showing that cars lined up in the Tim Hortons drive-thru were idling for an average of 5.7 minutes and that about 80 vehicles visited each day.

That underlined federal anti-idling messages from Natural Resources Canada: “If drivers of light-duty vehicles avoided idling by just three minutes a day, over the year Canadians would collectively save 630 million litres of fuel and 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.”

 7-2 vote on tax incentive

Unlike the unanimity on permitting more drive-thrus, the vote was seven in favour and two against on whether to approve the nearly $1.2 million tax incentive for JN Lafford Realty’s six-storey, 71-unit apartment building overlooking the Sackville Waterfowl Park.

The concern was not about the location of the building in a potential flood zone, but on the size of the 10-year tax break.

“On the one hand, I see the need to spur development in our area, but on the other hand, I feel like the proposal is too rich,” said Councillor Josh Goguen.

He added that while the government has forced municipal amalgamation, it has limited Tantramar’s ability to generate new income to pay for services in the former LSDs.

Councillor Josh Goguen

Goguen said the economic incentive program was modelled on Moncton’s, but Sackville is less able to afford such a generous tax break.

“This could mean the difference between taxes staying the same or seeing an increase,” he said.

Councillor Bruce Phinney also said the incentive was “a little too rich” and that he saw no similarities between the Sackville program and the ones in Moncton and Riverview.

Councillors Michael Tower and Allison Butcher strongly supported the tax breaks.

Tower pointed out that Tantramar will get as much money as it gives in a 50/50 split.

“We have to compete and we can’t compete with Moncton,” he added.

“If we’re going to get developers to come here, we have to have something.”

Councillor Butcher argued that the tax incentives were put in place in 2020 and the Lafford project qualifies for them.

“This development fits the criteria that we have right now,” she said.

“I, for one, wouldn’t feel comfortable picking and choosing,” she added.

“Once they fit the criteria that’s set in place, why should we go, ‘Oh well, this one yes, but that one no?'”

In the end, only Goguen and Phinney voted against approving the economic incentive.

For previous coverage, click here.

Posted in Environment, Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Phinney votes no as Tantramar council approves $200K to fix flood control glitch

Posted on August 9, 2023 by brucewark

Councillor Bruce Phinney

Tantramar Councillor Bruce Phinney says he’d like to know who’s responsible for an an apparent error that will cost municipal taxpayers an extra $206,050.

“I have to be honest right up front, I’m very upset about this,” Phinney said during last night’s council meeting.

“I’d like to find out who is responsible for this oversight if it’s possible.”

He explained that he could not in good conscience vote to allocate the more than $200,000 in extra funds needed before the final phase of the Lorne Street flood control project can be completed.

Town Engineer Jon Eppell had recommended that council allocate the money over the next couple of years.

It will be used to pay Ducks Unlimited Canada for the costs of restoring, enhancing or creating 6.34 hectares (15.66 acres) of wetlands to compensate for losses when contractors dig a big stormwater retention pond behind the community gardens on Charles Street later this year.

Project could ‘grind to a halt‘

“Just so council is clear. If we don’t come up with a wetland compensation plan that we can present to environment, the project is going to grind to a halt,” Eppell said in response to Phinney’s comments.

He was referring to wetland compensation rules or ratios imposed by the provincial department of the environment.

“I’ve been told verbally, I have not seen it in writing, that the new ratios of [wetland] compensation came into effect in 2020,” Eppell said.

However, Sackville applied for about $4 million in federal and provincial money for the final phase of the Lorne Street project the year before — in 2019. The town resubmitted its application in January 2021 and the money finally came through in March 2022.

The next month, in April 2022, Sackville Town Council authorized the mayor to sign a $485,000 contract with the engineering firm Englobe (formerly Crandall engineering) to design the project. It’s the same firm that oversaw Phases I and II of the project.

When Sackville received the cost-shared money for Phase III, it seems no one realized that the province had changed the rules on wetland conservation two years before.

No additional money

Town Engineer Jon Eppell

Eppell, who did not become town engineer until August 2022, says in a perfect world, Englobe would have noticed the change, but even if it had, there were no additional funds available from the other levels of government and so, Tantramar will have to shoulder the additional cost on its own.

At last night’s meeting, Councillor Michael Tower said the extra bill for flood control left “a bad taste” in his mouth.

“But I also agree with Mr. Eppell that we want this project finished. The Isthmus is 10-years away,” he added referring to plans to reinforce dykes on the strip of land between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

“If we’re going to try to delay things,” he said, “we could pay for it with all this rain we’ve been getting, but missing.”

When the vote was called on allocating the extra money for wetland compensation, only Councillor Phinney voted against it.

For more information from the Nature Trust of New Brunswick on wetlands and the provincial rules that govern them, click here.

Posted in Environment, Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged | 4 Comments

Sackville flood control project hits $200K snag

Posted on August 4, 2023 by brucewark

Land behind Sackville community gardens where a flood control pond is to be dug later this year

Tantramar Town Council will be asked to approve allocating an extra $206,050 next week to replace wetlands that will be lost or disturbed in completing the final phase of Sackville’s Lorne Street flood control project.

The money would likely come out of next year’s municipal budget. It would be used to enlist the professional services of Ducks Unlimited Canada in restoring, enhancing or creating 6.34 hectares (15.66 acres) of wetlands to compensate for losses when contractors dig a large stormwater retention pond behind the community gardens on Charles Street later this year.

In background documents prepared for the next council meeting on August 8th, Town Engineer Jon Eppell writes that the provincial environment department will not issue a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration (WAWA) permit for the flood control work until it receives a plan to compensate for wetland losses.

He adds that Ducks Unlimited is willing to undertake the ownership and responsibility for 6.34 hectares of wetland compensation at the standard cost of $32,500 per hectare. That would include the provision of needed lands, development of the project, construction, monitoring and reporting to New Brunswick’s environment department.

The council background documents include a letter from Englobe, the Moncton engineering firm that is overseeing completion of the flood control project.

The letter, signed by project manager Andy Caldwell, says that engaging the professional services of Ducks Unlimited would be much cheaper than if the municipality undertook wetland compensation on its own.

Caldwell also writes that municipal wetland compensation would significantly delay completion of the Lorne Street project while plans were designed and studies conducted.

Meantime, Sackville resident Percy Best, who has been a persistent critic of the flood control project, wonders why engineers at Englobe did not anticipate the costs of wetland compensation.

“The assigned money for the federal-provincial-municipal cost-shared project has presumably all been designated now, so it is like ‘BOING’, guess what, here is an additional bill that Pierre Plourde at Englobe definitely should have informed the town of before the job went to tender,” Best writes in an e-mail to Warktimes.

“If the Ducks Unlimited cost was known before tendering, then the contract to Beale & Inch should have been for a lesser amount so that there would be enough cost-shared funds to cover ALL the bills,” he adds.

“Without it being included, I think 100% of the cost will come directly from the Town’s future budget.”

Update on flood project

Ditch stops just short of dyke where plans call for a new provincially funded aboiteau to drain stormwater into the Tantramar River at low tide

Meantime, Beale & Inch construction workers have completed the section of ditch that will drain storm water through a new aboiteau into the Tantramar River.

Earlier, they installed culverts under Crescent Street and are now working on finishing installation of the ones under Sloan Drive.

According to the latest update from the town, tentative plans call for Sloan to re-open sometime next week while the repaving of both Crescent and Sloan will begin on August 14th, the same day that Charles Street will close for installation of culverts to conduct stormwater from the first retention pond south of St. James Street to the one to be dug behind the community gardens.

For an overview of the flood control project, click on the Englobe diagram below to enlarge it.

New water retention pond, ditches and culvert crossings

Posted in Environment, Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | 9 Comments

What if they held a public hearing & nobody came?

Posted on July 29, 2023 by brucewark

Mayor Black getting set to conclude public hearing

Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black seemed uncertain about how to proceed Tuesday when no one showed up for a public hearing on the once highly contentious issue of allowing more drive-thru restaurants near Sackville’s two highway exits.

Town Planner Lori Bickford gave a seven minute presentation outlining design standards to alleviate any increased traffic congestion more drive-thrus might bring.

Then Black noted that no members of the public had shown up to speak for or against the proposal to lift the ban on more drive-thrus that has been in effect for 22 years.

“I guess, I guess that’s it. I think that concludes the public hearing,” he said as he looked out at about 50 empty chairs in the audience section of the council chamber.

Design standards

However, Black then asked Lori Bickford to explain how she came up with design standards that would require at least 11 spaces for vehicles heading into a new drive-thru and two for ones heading out of it.

The new standards would require a traffic study, paid for by the developer, if fewer queuing spaces were provided or if the expected number of drive-thru trips would be more than 40 vehicles-per-hour during peak periods.

Town Planner Lori Bickford speaks about new design standards for drive-thrus near the hwy

Bickford explained that she had consulted town staff including the CAO and town engineer and had also looked at drive-thru rules in other municipalities.

The new standards would also require a general traffic study for any new fast food restaurants or coffee shops, retail stores or gas stations/convenience marts that would generate what Bickford described in her background paper as “more than 100 additional peak hour trips” near the highway exits.

After Bickford’s answer, Black announced “that concludes the public hearing,” before noticing that Councillor Michael Tower had something to say.

‘Sustainability plan’

“Just for clarity, we do have two that we classify as public when it comes to questions,” Tower said referring to the Warktimes and CHMA reporters in the room.

He wondered if the reporters might be permitted to ask clarifying questions and after Black agreed, I asked about the reference to Sackville’s “sustainability plan” in Bickford’s background paper:

“Does that make it OK or more OK to have idling in a drive-thru because the town has taken steps to offset it?” I asked.

Mayor Black replied that while the town does have the power to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions, it has no way of doing that for drive-thrus.

“We don’t really have anything other than limiting drive-thrus from town. We don’t have any anti-idling bylaws. We can’t force people to not idle in town,” he explained before referring the question to Bickford.

“That’s correct,” she answered.

“In the past,” she said, “the town had explored the potential to incorporate an anti-idling bylaw that would apply throughout the town. However, provincial legislation did not allow for that to happen.”

Latest drive-thru proposal

Pizza Delight on Mallard Dr.

The proposed bylaw changes were drafted after the numbered company that owns the Pizza Delight building on Mallard Drive applied for a drive-thru there.

In a submission supporting the zoning change, 734163 NB Inc., notes that the Pizza Delight building has been vacant for a while.

“We have been trying to partner with national/international franchise brands that have indicated [they would] be more interested in a drive-thru facility,” the submission adds.

“Based on the history of inquiries made on the property, there have been a number of famous brands that lost their interest for not having an essential facility of Drive-thru.”

One public comment

During her presentation to council on Tuesday, Lori Bickford noted that the town had not received any written comments in response to its notices about the public hearing.

However yesterday, former Sackville councillor Sabine Dietz sent this e-mail to both Mayor Black and Lori Bickford after reading a CHMA report on the public hearing:

It is with dismay that I read CHMA’s story about the “public consultation” around a proposed by-law change regarding drive-thrus in Sackville.

I think the last public consultation on a by-law change a few weeks ago likely had something to do with the absolute lack of input from residents: it felt rather chilling to see the lack of discussion, and the way presenters were discouraged. No wonder we don’t feel it’s worth our time to provide any comment, since there are no real consultations happening.

As for the drive-thrus: there remain to be tons of arguments for and against them. And in this case, as with other zoning and by-law changes, it is not just “we will manage traffic”, that council should base their decision on. Council should be encouraged and indeed required to take a more holistic approach and consider all the interconnected issues around such a change. I am going to list just a few:

– people not getting out of the car, not moving = increased health issues such as obesity
– idling = greenhouse gas emissions (one could manage that)
– use of space (one could argue asphalt parking is as bad)
– what do we want our community to look and feel like: a community known for its highway fast-food places?
– increased traffic (e.g., on 540) = active transportation becomes harder to implement broadly

There are more, I am sure, but it takes a conversation and engagement to get them all out in the open and to weigh them. And they all form part of what council should consider, not just the narrow framing of managing traffic, and supporting businesses.

I think both a zoning by-law which was changed to permit building in a flood zone (as any risk manager would identify it, especially after seeing the 300+ mm of rainfall in certain locations in NS), as well as allowing more drive-thrus, are significant changes to how we, as residents, see our community develop; what kinds of risks we are willing to take; and what kinds of priorities we see for the future. These conversations should not happen under pressure from developers. They should be part of a comprehensive engagement around a new municipal plan, which needs to give residents an opportunity to reflect on what we want to see happen in the community.

And just to go on record, so you have at least one response to the proposed by-law change: without a comprehensive engagement around a new strategy for our community through a municipal planning process, I oppose making this significant by-law change.

Town Council is expected to discuss the proposed bylaw changes at its next meeting on August 8th.

To read Lori Bickford’s backgrounder on drive-thrus, click here.

Posted in Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | 10 Comments

NB Health dept. info shows growing shortage of family doctors

Posted on July 27, 2023 by brucewark

Health Minister Bruce Fitch signed the e-mail releasing the info on doctor vacancies. Photo: Stephen MacGillivray

A series of numerical tables obtained today from the New Brunswick Department of Health shows that the shortage of family doctors in the province appears to have grown steadily over the last two years.

The figures show that as of June 1, 2023 there were 131 vacant positions in the category General Practice/Family Medicine compared with 76 on October 1, 2021.

A note accompanying the tables says the count represents the number of positions available for recruitment in the province including vacancies, new available positions and positions that are not yet vacant, but where doctors have notified their health authorities they plan to retire or close their practices.

At the same time, the health department says that as of June 9, 2023, it knows of 73,942 New Brunswickers who do not have a primary care provider.

Warktimes received the figures today after requesting them last month under New Brunswick’s Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Charts show GP vacancies

GP-FM: Family Medicine – Community 
GP+ : Hospitalist, GP-Oncology support, GP-Geriatrics etc…
ER: Family doctors who work in emergency rooms.
The figures are broken down in the left column by health authority (Vitalité & Horizon) and health zone. Zone 1SE, for example, refers to Moncton and Southeastern N.B., which includes the Tantramar area.

The provincial health department provided 22 tables that chart monthly family physician vacancies. While the totals rise and fall, the overall trend shows a fairly steady increase:

January 1, 2022: 78 vacancies
June 1, 2022: 91.5
December 1, 2022: 94
January 1, 2023: 104
April 1, 2023: 112
June 1, 2023: 131

Warktimes also requested the total number of nurse practitioner vacancies in the province. As of April 30, 2023, Vitalité reported seven vacancies. The number listed for Horizon is 21, but it is undated. There was also one nurse practitioner vacancy in New Brunswick’s extra-mural program (EMP).

Doctor shortage in Sackville

As reported by CHMA, Dr. Catherine Johnston retired from her medical practice in June while Dr. Andrea Wall is taking another position in Moncton on August 4 leaving hundreds of their patients in the Sackville area without a family doctor.

During a public meeting last week, Dr. Richard Lemay, Horizon’s director of primary care in the Moncton region, outlined plans for a clinic at the Tantramar Community Health Centre near the hospital to care for some of their patients who need help most.

He said the clinic would start by offering medical care three days a week in September with plans to extend its services later.

For more details from CHMA’s Erica Butler, click here.

To view the charts and information Warktimes obtained from the health department, click here.

Posted in Health care | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Lafford in line for $1.1 million tax break on new Sackville bldg.

Posted on July 26, 2023 by brucewark

Kieran Miller

At its next meeting on August 8th, Tantramar Town Council will be asked to approve a 50% reduction in property taxes on the six storey, 71-unit apartment building that JN Lafford Realty is planning to build at 131 Main Street.

Council approved zoning changes to make the building possible at a special meeting on July 19th. John Lafford had applied for a tax rebate under Sackville’s Economic Development Incentive Program on July 13th.

Town staff calculate that the tax rebate would be worth $1,185,920.10 over 10 years based on the estimated $16.5 million cost of the new building.

Over the same 10-year period, the town would receive an equal amount ($1,185,920.10) in property tax revenues.

Kieran Miller, the town’s manager of corporate services, told council the incentive program, adopted by Sackville Town Council in March 2020, is meant to encourage developers to build locally.

“These types of incentives are intended to act as a catalyst for increased development activities in the community, which will in turn help attract further businesses, residents and employment,” she said.

Incentive program working

“I love this,” said Michael Tower the only councillor to speak about the proposed tax rebate.

“It shows that the incentive program is working like it’s supposed to,” he added.

“We want development and this is definitely an encouragement to have a really beautiful building built.”

Tower acknowledged the 10-year delay in taxing the property at its full assessed value, but said the town would receive revenue from various permits as well as water and sewage payments.

“It helps us with residential and increases our overall development and may encourage others to come in,” he said.

How are incentives justified?

Mayor Black

Later during the public question period, Mayor Black was asked how the nearly $1.2 million tax subsidy could be justified given that the developer has been given approval to build on a prime location overlooking the Sackville Waterfowl Park at a time when rental vacancy rates are low and there are long waiting lists for apartments.

“How can you justify that kind of expenditure that may be totally unnecessary as an incentive when that money could go to non-profit housing or some other kind of scheme to help out with your rental problems in this town,” I asked.

“The incentive program is there and he (John Lafford) has applied for it,” Black replied.

When pressed further on how he would justify such a large expenditure, Black answered that council hasn’t approved it yet.

“So we haven’t justified it yet,” he said.

“That decision will come when it comes to a motion in council. Maybe there’ll be discussion then. Maybe people will have their own thoughts about whether they want to pass it or not.”

Previous misgivings

When Sackville Town Council was considering the incentive program on March 2, 2020, then-Councillor Bill Evans expressed his misgivings about it.

“The risk that we are exposing ourselves to is that a developer who would normally build a multi-million dollar project, [who] would do it anyway, is now going to pay less tax,” he said, adding, “What we’re hoping is that we’re going to get a developer [to] do something he or she wouldn’t otherwise do.”

Evans, who eventually voted in favour of the program, also noted that although the tax rebates would need council approval, he wondered if it would be legally possible to say no if a developer qualified for them under the new program.

Generous incentives

According to research conducted by Sackville residents Sharon Hicks and Percy Best, it appears that the Sackville economic incentive program is more generous than similar ones in nearby municipalities.

In Shediac, for example, the tax incentive is 1.5% of the full value of the property assessment, which would mean a residential property assessed at $16.5 million would receive a one-time tax rebate of $247,500.

Hicks and Best sent their findings in an open letter to Tantramar councillors on July 22nd basing their calculations on a building valued at $14 million.

To read their main findings, click here.

To read Kieran Miller’s report to council, which includes the Lafford application for the incentive program, click here.

Posted in Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged | 20 Comments

Mayor Black calls Chignecto delays frustrating; defends speedy Lafford approval

Posted on July 19, 2023 by brucewark

Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black

Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black says he’s relieved the federal and provincial governments have finally agreed to share the costs of protecting the Chignecto Isthmus from flooding, but he still sounds far from happy.

“It has been utterly frustrating to get to the point where the feds have offered to pay for something and the provincial governments are just sort of bickering back and forth about who is going to pay for the whole thing, ” Black said today in an interview.

He was referring to news that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will apply for federal money to pay half the cost of raising Chignecto dykes, but still plan to ask for a court ruling on whether Ottawa should pay 100% of the cost.

Funding delay

A government-funded engineering study recommended three options for protecting the Isthmus more than a year ago, but Black complains that nothing has happened since.

“Every year that passes by just makes it a little more scary,” he says. “We had a near miss with Fiona.”

He points out that the post-tropical storm veered to the east last September pounding northern Nova Scotia, PEI and Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.

“These places got absolutely pummelled,” Black says. “If that had come straight up the Bay of Fundy, the conversation right now would be much, much different.”

He adds that it’s “somewhat alarming” that the two provinces are now estimating that strengthening the dykes could cost up to $650 million, more than double the projected maximum cost of $300 million, but he’s not surprised that costs have risen as governments dithered.

Black says it’s crucial to start the five years of further study that will be needed followed by another five years of construction.

“In all of that time, another storm could come through and could separate Nova Scotia from the rest of the country which would be hugely detrimental to Tantramar and its residents, not to mention our agricultural supportive land in our community,” Black says.

“So, it doesn’t matter, the bickering or if there’s partisan politics, just somebody needs to pay for it and someone needs to get it started.”

Lafford building

Black’s comments came after a noon-hour town council meeting that lasted less than three minutes.

The special meeting was convened so that council could give final approval to the six-storey, 71-unit Lafford apartment building at 131 Main Street in Sackville.

Black says he called the meeting after John Lafford requested it. Otherwise, the developer would have had to wait for final approval until council’s next regular meeting on August 8th.

Once again, only Councillor Bruce Phinney voted against approving the zoning amendments needed for the building.

When asked if speeding up the process showed favouritism, especially since previous councils had twice rejected building proposals for that site from another developer, Black said every development application is different.

“Have we opened a door to this kind of appeal by a developer to rush something through?” Black asked.

“Maybe,” he answered. “Would we do it for one person and not for someone else? Possibly. But again, each development is different,” he said.

“Is it favouritism? Hard to say. He’s a developer who’s developed a lot in Sackville,” Black said, adding that the town doesn’t get many permit applications or zoning requests, but that the ones from Lafford show he’s investing here.

“So I would say, it’s not really favouritism, it’s just that he seems to have a sizeable market share in development in the town.”

Posted in Environment, New Brunswick government, Town of Tantramar | Tagged | 15 Comments

Confidential report recommends solutions to health-care issues such as doctor shortage, ambulance delays

Posted on July 16, 2023 by brucewark

Sackville Memorial Hospital

A detailed, 40-page report on primary health care in the Tantramar region identifies 13 major problems and recommends specific steps to solve them by the target date of April 1, 2024.

The report, dated October 2022, was compiled by a 15-member committee that included local volunteers such as former Sackville Mayors John Higham and Pat Estabrooks, several others with extensive health care experience as well as representatives from Mount Allison University and Horizon Health. For a list of members, click here.

Among other things, the report points to a shortage of family doctors and nurse practitioners because of recent and anticipated retirements.

It recommends recruiting and hiring more of them while expanding the community health clinic in Port Elgin and establishing medical clinics in the Sackville area with additional staff such as physiotherapists, social workers and mental health counsellors.

The Horizon Health Network released the report to Warktimes last week in response to my request for it in April under New Brunswick’s Right to Information and Protection of Privacy law.

Professionals interviewed

According to the report, its recommendations are based on interviews with 12 professionals who work in the following fields in Sackville, Dorchester, Memramcook, Fort Folly and Port Elgin:

(1) Fire/First Responders (2) Ambulance NB (3) Drug & Addictions Counselling (4) Nurse Practitioner (5) General Practitioner (medical doctor) (6) Mental Health Social Worker (7) Extramural Program — Tantramar (8) Pharmacist (9) Mount Allison Wellness Care Provider (10) Physiotherapy provider (11) Long-Term Care Manager (12) Nursing Homes Without Walls.

The professionals were asked about the barriers patients face, gaps in the health-care system, what’s working well and what needs improvement.

Although the five pages that give their responses have been redacted (left blank), it’s possible to glean information from summaries in the report that list the 13 major issues or problems and the recommended solutions.

For example, ambulance delays are listed as a top priority in issue #3:

    • Patients are experiencing Ambulance New Brunswick (ANB) offload delays
    • The patient population has increased resulting in an increase in ANB calls
    • There is a failure to utilize resources: Some Fire Departments (Dorchester, Port Elgin, Memramcook) have trained First Responders but do not consistently receive medical-assistance First Responder calls

The report then describes the consequences of these problems:

  • Ambulances are not available to attend to medical emergencies or transport patients to other facilities from Sackville
  • Reduced accessibility to ambulance services
  • Increased response time

It goes on to recommend corrective or remedial measures to be implemented by April 1, 2024:

  • Improved hospital acute-care bed availability (prevents patient stacking in ER and ambulances)
  • Placement of long-term care patients occupying acute-care beds in community long-term care facilities
  • Utilization of non-ANB First Responders

Other issues

The report also recommends ways to restore 24/7 emergency room service at the Sackville hospital; how to reduce hospital clinic waitlists for diabetic and mental health patients as well as implementation of an electronic medical record system “accessible by all care providers” to improve the delivery of patient services.

To view all 13 issues/problems and the recommended solutions, click here.

To read the entire report, click here.

Posted in Health care | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Final approval for controversial Lafford bldg. in Sackville now seems certain

Posted on July 12, 2023 by brucewark

Artist’s rendition of six storey, 71-unit apartment building

Tantramar Town Council has voted 8-1 to give Sackville developer John Lafford the rezoning he needs for a six-storey, 71-unit apartment building at 131 Main Street.

The zoning changes to allow a large, multi-unit building that is 19.8 metres (65 feet) high passed first and second readings Tuesday with final approval at a later meeting almost certain.

Four of the five members of council, who spoke in favour, cited the urgent need for housing as one of the main reasons for their support.

“Being a younger member of the council, I can’t help but look at my 13-year-old child and consider the very real possibility that if things continue on their current path, he will not be able to find [an] affordable, well-maintained place to live in town,” said Councillor Josh Goguen, who spoke first.

Councillor Allison Butcher

“Our community needs housing,” said Councillor Allison Butcher. “I think that with the housing crisis the way it is now and our downtown core the way it is now, we’re in a crisis situation and we need to move forward with the possibility of having any new housing in our area that we can.”

“I know of at least two people in Moncton who are looking forward to move back to Sackville when this thing gets built,” said Councillor Michael Tower. “You take into consideration that we could have a nursing school here. They’re going to need accommodations.”

“There is an absolute shortage of housing all across this nation,” said Mayor Andrew Black, “and if we have an opportunity to build it in town safely, securely with a wonderful build that is supportive of the community, I think that we need to take advantage of that.”

Deputy Mayor Greg Martin, who also voted in favour, acknowledged that the proposed building has generated plenty of controversy.

“I, like all of the members of council I’m sure, have been swamped by differences of opinions, e-mails, sometimes as many as a dozen a day,” Martin said.

“I’ve had time to talk to a lot of people and some of my favourite friends at Tim Hortons have given me opinions on both sides,” he added, “but I think we have to move forward.”

To read a transcript of their remarks, click here.

Councillor Bruce Phinney voted against the zoning changes, but did not speak during the council discussion.

He told reporters later that he feels the building’s location would cause severe traffic congestion and its apartments would not be affordable.

“I don’t think it’s going to resolve our housing problem,” he said. “Most rents, the way I’ve looked at it over the years are based on two salaries and if it’s about a thousand dollars, that’s five hundred bucks a piece, that’s fine, but for the ordinary person not making very much money, that’s really steep.”

To read a transcript of Phinney’s remarks, click here.

Third reading (final approval) of the zoning changes is expected at the next regular council meeting on August 8th.

To read earlier coverage, click here.

Posted in Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Black peaty stuff hinders flood control work, but Lorne St. project still on track says town engineer

Posted on July 10, 2023 by brucewark

Arrow shows where softer material pushed in the sides of the new ditch and caused the service road at left to sink a few inches

Town Engineer Jon Eppell says construction crews working on the third and final phase of the Lorne Street flood control project are dealing with the unexpected discovery of black, peat-like material between Crescent Street and the dyke that holds back the Tantramar River.

“We hit some soft spots,” Eppell said today in a telephone interview. “So, we’re putting larger rocks in to stabilize it.”

The softer material, which is being trucked away, pushed in the sides of the new ditch the Beale & Inch crews are digging and caused the service road they’re building to sink slightly, but Eppell says the project is still on track.

He explains that crews will soon begin extending the ditch to the site where a new aboiteau will be installed to discharge storm water through the dyke and into the river at low tide.

“We had to wait for the province to issue the WAWA permit,” he says referring to the Watercourse and Wetland Alteration Permit that is required before work can proceed in environmentally sensitive areas.

Photo, taken from the dyke, shows the existing ditch on the left with the new, wider ditch that will soon be extended to a new aboiteau to be installed at provincial expense in the dyke. The fencing on the left surrounds Sackville’s main sewage lagoons

Eppell says that the town will need other WAWA permits including one for the digging of a large water retention pond behind the community gardens on Charles Street.

“We probably won’t get that for another month, but it doesn’t matter because we don’t plan to start digging that pond until September to avoid interfering with the nesting of migratory birds,” he explains.

He expects the Crescent Street work to be finished “probably within a week” before crews start installing pipes under Sloan Street.

Meantime, Eppell says all of the work has been completed “except for a couple of minor things” at Sackville’s old Pickard Quarry. A control structure, designed to slow the flow of water down to Lorne Street during heavy storms, is now in place.

He explains that the quarry itself will serve as a water retention pond, smaller than the one that was dug during Phase II of the project south of St. James Street and the one that crews will dig this fall east of Charles.

For earlier coverage, click here.

Photo shows top of the Pickard Quarry water control structure with retention pond at rear

Posted in Environment, Town of Sackville, Town of Tantramar | Tagged | 3 Comments