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Spring update

As your advisory council for  Fundy Rural District , we are dedicated to provide  you with information on  regional services and we are working   to create  an Age Friendly community. 22% of our residents are seniors. We met on March 26th.,  2024 at the River Road Hub in Browns Flat for an information session with interested residents and  discussed the challenges ahead and  our community's recent improvements, including our fire hall upgrades, as well as plans for hosting the Canada Games  in our  region in 2029.  This will involve considerable spending by the region (you) and we will be discussing all of these developments and getting your feedback at another information session at the Parish Hall in Kingston on June 18th at 7pm.

We also recently attended a presentation on poverty and homelessness. That responsibility  will now be downloaded from the province to the regional service Commission . The end result of this will be increased property taxes. For those interested in accessing the information on the Canada Games proposal and information on the region we have posted the agenda for the Regional service commission  open meeting today ( March 28th) along with minutes and other business . All of this information was available to the public who attended the meeting.

2024 Budget for Fundy Rural District

Municipalities set their own budgets and tax rates. Not so with a Rural District. The budgets for the Rural District are dictated by the government . The budget was delivered late in December 2023.

Some highlights

 Your advisory council had no input in preparation of this budget

 All figures came directly from the provincial government

 The budget is based on geography of former LSDs and not on wards

 Copies are available on request for anyone who wishes to see the individual budget for the area you live in

 Each former LSD will be covered for highlights in following posts

 All budgets include new and increased payments to the Regional Service Commission for new mandates including new payments for 5 buildings in Saint John ( this was voted down by residents)

 All budgets require property owners to pay for a multimillion contract with a company for tourism promotion and economic development in the region

 Bottom Line is for former LSDs

1. Westfield West and East tax increase of 10%

2. Greenwich tax increase of 4.5%

3. Petersville increase 1.4%

4. Simonds Increase of 5.4%

5. Rothesay increase of 1%

6. Kingston decrease of 2%

Details to follow for each former LSD

New Documentation from the Fundy Regional Service commission to explain  new mandates and tax increases.

Regional Plan adopted

The Fundy Rural Service Commission Plan was adopted on Aug 3rd.

Highlights

  • new committees to be formed and funded

  • For the first time, Rural District will pay a company called Envision annually for tourism promotion and economic development

  • For the first time the Fundy Rural District will pay to maintain 5 facilities in Saint John plus all capital costs. More facilities ore could  be added

  • Much more................

  • more staff need to be hired and more office space rented

  • All of this will increase property taxes and assessments

  • Please read the full plan and let your council know what you think

Become informed. All members of the public are  welcome to Information sessions

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Public banned from Regular meetings

The Minister has banned any members of the public from attending any of our  regular meetings. He has ordered us to hold all regular meetings behind closed doors.

We are not allowed to call a regular meeting. The government rep will do that  and  regular meetings without him are not allowed.

The government rep will create the agenda. Not us

We all had to sign a code of conduct which denies our freedom of speech. and is unconstitutional. We are allowed to have information sessions to spread the word.

Breaking Budget News

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Your committee asked for the budget in 2022. It was prepared in late December 2022 and approved by the provincial government  on  January 12th. 2023. It was not delivered to your committee until April 20th. 2023. Your committee met on May 9th. 2023 with the local service manager to review this budget.

Some highlights:

  • Neither your  advisory committee, the service manager nor the Regional Service Commission had any input in preparation of this budget

  • All figures came directly from the provincial government

  • The budget is based on the geography of former LSDs and not on wards

  • Copies are available on request for anyone who wishes to see the individual budget for the area you live in 

  • Each former LSD will be covered for highlights in upcoming  posts 

  • All budgets include new payments to the Regional Service Commission for new mandates including new payments for 5 buildings in Saint John ( this had been voted down by residents)

  • Fundy Rural District will now pay for maintenance and capital costs of the

  • Canada Games Aquatic Centre 

  • Imperial Theatre

  • Saint John Arts Centre

  • Saint John Trade and Convention Centre  and

  • TD Harbour Station  .

  • This payment is $232,752 and expected to rise every year with capital costs estimated at $17 million dollars over ten years.

  • Fundy Rural district will pay member fees to the Fundy Rural Service Commission of $731,442 ( compare to Grand Bay- Westfield member fees of $291,360)

  • All budgets require property owners to pay for a multimillion contract with a company for tourism promotion and economic development in the region. $122,921 this year will be paid by Fundy Rural District

  • You will pay $257,170 for a land use plan. The Regional Service Commission will have five years to create a land use plan for the Fundy Rural district. No work is to be done on this until next year (maybe?) but payment is due now and every year from now on.

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About Fundy Rural District 

Local Governance Reform, announced last year by the NB government, became  effective on January 1,2023. 

This website has been created by some of your former  Local Service District (LSD) Chairs in order to provide you with information on what is changing and how these changes may (or will) affect you. 

We have also provided an email address (rayriddell@gmail.com)) where you can send any comments, concerns or questions you may have. 

This site will be updated as new information becomes available.

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 What we do know is that the Fundy Rural District will be made up of 

  • Local service district of Petersville

  • Local service district of Greenwich

  • Portion of the local service district of Westfield 

  • Portion of the local service district of Kingston 

  • Portion of the local service district of Norton

  • Portion of the local service district of Saint Martins

  • Portion of the local service district of Simonds

  • Local service district of Rothesay

What is a Rural District?

A rural district is a new structure for New Brunswick that forces  together former local service districts (LSD)— or parts of them—that are outside local government boundaries. Rural districts are unincorporated areas that are sparsely populated. With reform, all  LSDs will be dissolved  along with  elected committees and  we LSD residents will become part of a rural district. As of January 1st, 2023, there will be one rural district in each of New Brunswick’s 12 regions. We will become Fundy Rural District in region 9.

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Advocacy

Ensuring that All Voices are Heard

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Outreach

No One Should be Silenced

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Partnership

Everyone Counts

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