Your  Team.

My name is Ray Riddell and I am a resident of Woodmans Point, NB

• On Thursday May 28th 2026,   I was sworn in  for a  position of council member for the Fundy Rural District Advisory Committee in Ward 3 (the former LSD of Westfield West and East) and elected Chair 

• Major challenges lie ahead in this region and we need a strong voice to represent the residents of the new Fundy Rural District

Why did I step forward?

• I believe your interests and concerns need to be heard

• I believe I have the background and experience to represent  our community effectively

• I have been advocating for our rural lifestyle throughout the amalgamation process

• I believe in transparency, accountability and in getting timely information to you on the impact of these significant changes 

What is my background?

• I am a veteran with 16 years of service as a Navy pilot.

• I graduated from RMC with a civil engineering degree.

• I am a King's Counsel having spent decades practicing law  dealing with legislation and regulations

Previous Positions:

• President of Westfield & District Recreation Association Inc.

• President of Saint John Naturalists Club Inc.

• Member of Grand Bay-Westfield Heritage and Tourism committees

• Director of River Valley Community Centre Inc.( chair of  governance committee)

• Member of the Wildlife Trust Fund Council

• Member of committee dealing with recycling and curbside pickup

I currently serve as:

• Elected director of Fundy Regional Service Commission

• Vice President of River Valley coins

• Founder and administrator of local Facebook sites dealing with important local information

• Assistant coach of HVHS soccer teams

Why do we need a strong voice?

• The reformed Fundy Regional Service Commission came  into effect on January 1, 2023.

• Our representation on the Commission will be reduced from 4 rural representatives to 1.

• New mandates (along with our existing responsibilities) are being offloaded  onto the new commission at significant additional  cost to our rural district

These additional services include:

• Land use planning (by laws and zoning)

• Tourism promotion

• Economic development

• Homelessness

• Regional  policing and fire protection and

• Regional transportation

• Costs of all these additional services will be shared by communities in the region based on the size of the tax base

I have worked  hard at the regional service commission to reduce the impact on property taxes for   homeowners. I have now been elected a second time to sit with 6 mayors on the new Commission to speak for the community and pass on important news to you. The future presents some real challenges. The FRSC  has developed a very costly  budget for our region annually  to cover the expense of existing and newly mandated regional services despite opposition from me and other RSC members.  We are the only commission  in the province that contributes to 5 regional facilities in Saint John. We have bid on and been awarded the Canada Games which will increase property tax over the entire region for 3-10 years. Funding for the  budgets will ultimately drive up property tax in the region. Together with a hefty increase in property assessments, the next few years will be a challenge for all and critical for those on fixed incomes.

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