The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[sailor734]

Let's not forget that there is a municipal election next spring. The pressure on mayor and council concerning this issue will be steadily rising.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by paperplane

A dynamic as old as time: City run/controlled/hamstrung by people that live in the peripheral affluent towns; will never amalgamate, but will never function properly.

Imagine if GBW-SJ-R-Q were to amalgamate, it would allow for a lot more possibilities to address some issues.

I'd say never say never... as it's not up to them, it's up to the province.

Holt's government could force amalgamation tomorrow, and there's nothing the SJ bedroom communities could do about it. Though, if she or another premier was to do so in the future, I think it would be good to go with a name other than Saint John for the new, overarching municipality. Like I said before, almost 50% of the CMA lives outside the city limits, and a lot of them wouldn't want to be part of a municipality named, Saint John. However, I could see far less opposition to being part of a municipality named Fundy, Wolastoq, or something else.

At some point, I think we have to say enough is enough, and call for the province to do the right thing. I think it's fair to say that the bedroom communities and their residents of the bedroom communities are micromanaging and influencing a lot of what happens within the city of Saint John. I think it's highly unfair that the outlying communities, which make up nearly 50% of the Saint John CMA, do not contribute their fair share towards a regional budget.

Amalgamation seems to be the most obvious way to fix this unfair situation between the city of Saint John and its outlying communities.

I think we can all agree that homelessness is a regional issue. Yet, it seems the vast majority of the solutions to deal with this regional issue are confined to the city limits of Saint John. Simply put, I think there should be more regional solutions for dealing with this very important issue.

[CharlotteCountyLogan]

If and it's an big if Saint John and the suburbs were to be amalgamated i think they would stick with the name. It would cost many millions to change the name and im not sure if it's worth it to change. If they were to change it I would be curious to see what it would be changed to.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by CharlotteCountyLogan

If and it's an big if Saint John and the suburbs were to be amalgamated i think they would stick with the name. It would cost many millions to change the name and im not sure if it's worth it to change. If they were to change it I would be curious to see what it would be changed to.

Saint John would remain Saint John... Rothesay would remain Rothesay, Quispamsis would remain Quispamsis... etc.

I really don't think it would cost millions extra to go with a different name than Saint John... for a Regional Municipality that does not even exist yet.

For instance, Look at the Regional Municipality of Peel in the GTA. It's not named the Mississauga or Brampton Regional Municipality, as naming it either would have caused a lot of upset in the communities not represented in the name. Such would be the same case here, since almost 50% of the CMA reside outside the Saint John city limits... and many of those residents have quite negative opinions about Saint John.

I think going with Saint John Regional Municipality for the name name would be starting things off on the wrong foot with the bedroom communities. Moreover, I think it would be a huge missed opportunity to lessen the confusion between Saint John, NB and St. John's, NL... without entirely wiping Saint John off the map. Some people like to pretend that the "SJ/SJ's confusion" isn't even an issue for our city, but it totally is.

A new name would be part of a fresh start.

It would be interesting to see what the most popular new name would be... but Saint John Regional Municipality shouldn't be one of the options.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by CharlotteCountyLogan

If and it's an big if Saint John and the suburbs were to be amalgamated i think they would stick with the name. It would cost many millions to change the name and im not sure if it's worth it to change. If they were to change it I would be curious to see what it would be changed to.

I really think this is still pretty unlikely for both Saint John and Moncton. Both cities have long established bedroom communities that would be fervently opposed and who are not without significant political influence (both in terms of electing MLA's and in the backrooms of both parties). Maybe some forced regionalization of services but a "new" city? Very unlikely.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by sailor734

I really think this is still pretty unlikely for both Saint John and Moncton. Both cities have long established bedroom communities that would be fervently opposed and who are not without significant political influence (both in terms of electing MLA's and in the backrooms of both parties). Maybe some forced regionalization of services but a "new" city? Very unlikely.

Especially for greater Moncton with it's ethnolinguistic, cultural and political hodgepodge.

If Dieppe were absorbed. then the more politically and culturally sensitive portion of the Acadian community would decry that they were no longer "maitre chez nous", and, they would have a point.

For Riverview, they truly appreciate being a disconnected bedroom community, and have their own cultural and linguistic character. They are socially and politically conservative and (mostly) unilingual anglophone, and, if they got absorbed, they would truly be upset that many municipal positions currently open to everyone to apply to, would suddenly become bilingual positions. Some people decry this position as bigoted and racist, but, for the Riverview residents, it is more a matter of fairness (as they perceive it), and a loss of community autonomy and character. They have a point too.

Amalgamation ain't ever gonna happen - EVER!!!!

Provincial politicians realize what a powder keg this is in Dieppe and Riverview They aren't going to touch it.

FWIW, there is already a great deal of regional municipal cooperation anyway, including Codiac RCMP, Codiac Transpo, regional solid waste collection, regional waste water management and the regional municipal water supply. It works pretty well.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Especially for greater Moncton with it's ethnolinguistic, cultural and political hodgepodge.

If Dieppe were absorbed. then the more politically and culturally sensitive portion of the Acadian community would decry that they were no longer "maitre chez nous", and, they would have a point.

For Riverview, they truly appreciate being a disconnected bedroom community, and have their own cultural and linguistic character. They are socially and politically conservative and (mostly) unilingual anglophone, and, if they got absorbed, they would truly be upset that many municipal positions currently open to everyone to apply to, would suddenly become bilingual positions. Some people decry this position as bigoted and racist, but, for the Riverview residents, it is more a matter of fairness (as they perceive it), and a loss of community autonomy and character. They have a point too.

Amalgamation ain't ever gonna happen - EVER!!!!

Provincial politicians realize what a powder keg this is in Dieppe and Riverview They aren't going to touch it.

FWIW, there is already a great deal of regional municipal cooperation anyway, including Codiac RCMP, Codiac Transpo, regional solid waste collection, regional waste water management and the regional municipal water supply. It works pretty well.

Yes, I assumed the language issue would be an additional, strong consideration in Greater Moncton as well.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Especially for greater Moncton with it's ethnolinguistic, cultural and political hodgepodge.

If Dieppe were absorbed. then the more politically and culturally sensitive portion of the Acadian community would decry that they were no longer "maitre chez nous", and, they would have a point.

For Riverview, they truly appreciate being a disconnected bedroom community, and have their own cultural and linguistic character. They are socially and politically conservative and (mostly) unilingual anglophone, and, if they got absorbed, they would truly be upset that many municipal positions currently open to everyone to apply to, would suddenly become bilingual positions. Some people decry this position as bigoted and racist, but, for the Riverview residents, it is more a matter of fairness (as they perceive it), and a loss of community autonomy and character. They have a point too.

Amalgamation ain't ever gonna happen - EVER!!!!

Provincial politicians realize what a powder keg this is in Dieppe and Riverview They aren't going to touch it.

FWIW, there is already a great deal of regional municipal cooperation anyway, including Codiac RCMP, Codiac Transpo, regional solid waste collection, regional waste water management and the regional municipal water supply. It works pretty well.

To borrow Puglsey's term... I think it's some some straight up NBism to perpetuate this overly cynical, defeatist attitude that "amalgamation will never happen".

It seems the boomer generations in both the cities and bedroom communities of NB's three CMAs are FAR more opposed or cynical about regional amalgamation, than the younger generations.

It's important to remember that amalgamation shouldn't always have to mean merger into a single city, as Sailor framed it on the previous page. We don't have to follow exactly what Halifax did in 1996. There's more than one way to amalgamate. There's many other models that leave individual cities and towns as the constitute communities of a single, regional municipality. So even Moncton with its special linguistic situation could find a model for amalgamation where Dieppe, Riverview, and even Shediac could remain their own distinct cities and towns, but within a broader, regional municipality called Moncton.

Below is the Regional Municipality of Peel, which includes both the cities of Brampton and Mississauga. I think this sort model could absolutely work for the Moncton region, and allow places like Riverview to remain "towns" with the municipality. There would still be unilingual English jobs at the local, town level for the residents of Riverview.




Personally, I'd much rather see a Halifax style amalgamation here in the Saint John Region, since we don't have the same linguistic dynamics and divisions as the Moncton Region. Still, I'd remind Sailor and others that regional amalgamation doesn't necessarily mean turning the region into a "single city" called Saint John. Rothesay, Quispamsis and Grand Bay could all remain their own distinct towns, while also being part of the same regional municipality as Saint John. However, considering the negative opinions about the City of Saint John held by many residents in the bedroom communities, I think it would be starting things off on the wrong foot, and huge mistake, to amalgamate the entire region under the name "Saint John Regional Municipality". The much better option would be to go with a new, regional name for the amalgamated municipality. I think a new name would be a new start for the city and region, and help lessen the negative stereotypes about Saint John. I think we all know that negative stereotypes and caricatures about Saint John can often be quite pervasive within NB, and within the Saint John Region, and imo, a lot of these stereotypes are blown out of proportion... especially by the residents of the bedroom communities.


Here's a population density of New Brunswick municipalities:



I think it's pretty easy to spot the different between the Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton CMA's. 😅

The Saint John Region is the only CMA in New Brunswick where the bedroom communities are actually more dense than the city proper, and imo, it is the region that would benefit the most from regional amalgamation in New Brunswick.

If people in NB spent half as much time discussing how amalgamation could actually work, or how it could improve the situations in our 3 CMAs, as they spend discussing why it will never happen, I think the conversation would eventually change and people would be much less cynical about the boogeyman that is regional amalgamation. Clearly, Moncton would not be the first CMA to start with, but I think Saint John would be! Not just because the Saint John is the biggest mess and has the most room for improvement in terms of cooperation between the city and its suburbs... it's the oldest municipality in New Brunswick and should be first in line for amalgamation.

Just for once, it would be nice to see people actually discuss how amalgamation could be a good thing for the region as a whole, or how it would help get at the root of longstanding tensions and disparity between the city. Browsing through the Saint John amalgamation thread from a while back, along with previous discussions in this thread, I think it's disappointing to see how negative the issue has been framed by some posters. It seems a large part of the argument against amalgamation had to do with Saint John having lower income levels than the bedroom communities. Which I find to be a pretty strange, and frustrating line of argument, considering that most of those incomes are derived from jobs within the Saint John city limits.

It just seems like New Brunswickers (and Saint John Regioners especially) like to focus on why things won't or shouldn't change, instead of focussing on how and why things should change for the better.

Moncton's "tri-cities" might have worked a cooperative, equitable situation in Great Moncton, and Fredericton is the capital so it's not surprising its situation isn't a mess like the one in Saint John. Saint John's situationship with its bedroom communities is not good, and of the three CMA's, the Saint John region needs big help and big solutions to right the situation between the city and have a more stable future for the future generations that call this region home.

As I said in previous posts... it's pretty abundantly clear that the residents of Saint John's bedroom communities have embedded themselves into key leadership positions both in Saint John's public and private sectors. The residents of the bedroom communities are essentially micromanaging and influencing what happens in the City of Saint John.

All city's have suburbs... but here in the Saint John Region... the suburbs have a city. 🏙🛣🏘️

[Taeolas]

It feels like Moncton's tricities have worked out a sharing arrangement such that while they are not amalgamated into the "Greater Codiac Municipality", they basically already act like they are a single municipality, so the pressure to combine them doesn't feel as urgent.

In Freddy's case, other than Oromocto, none of its bedroom communities really have any weight. We do have some regional issues in getting New Maryland and Hanwell and such to chip in on our services, but overall, it just doesn't feel like there's much pressure to combine. I do think we'd do well if we would start setting up some Capital Region services, like transit, so we can get Freddy Transit service into Oromocto and maybe a loop through Hanwell and New Maryland and such. It would be good to start setting this idea up early, before we get full scale towns outside the capital city.

Saint John.... yeah, SJ needs a lot of help as has been pointed out. I think everyone can see that something needs to be done, but it would be political suicide for anyone advocating it. We would probably need a politician from those SJ Suburbs to bring up and push for the Greater Wolastoq Municipality for it to have any sort of chance of happening.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

It feels like Moncton's tricities have worked out a sharing arrangement such that while they are not amalgamated into the "Greater Codiac Municipality", they basically already act like they are a single municipality, so the pressure to combine them doesn't feel as urgent.

In Freddy's case, other than Oromocto, none of its bedroom communities really have any weight. We do have some regional issues in getting New Maryland and Hanwell and such to chip in on our services, but overall, it just doesn't feel like there's much pressure to combine. I do think we'd do well if we would start setting up some Capital Region services, like transit, so we can get Freddy Transit service into Oromocto and maybe a loop through Hanwell and New Maryland and such. It would be good to start setting this idea up early, before we get full scale towns outside the capital city.

Saint John.... yeah, SJ needs a lot of help as has been pointed out. I think everyone can see that something needs to be done, but it would be political suicide for anyone advocating it. We would probably need a politician from those SJ Suburbs to bring up and push for the Greater Wolastoq Municipality for it to have any sort of chance of happening.

I'm not sure amalgamation would be political suicide for Susan Holt, actually, especially if she assured voters in Moncton and Fredericton that Saint John needs amalgamation because it's the oldest municipality with the most problems. She's not going to retain Hampton in the next election, and will have a very hard time keeping both of Rothesay and Quispamsis in the next election. However, in the long run, I think the Liberals amalgamating the Saint John Region would actually help them them more than not doing it. The residents in the city of of Saint John won't forget which government did the most to make the funding situation more fair between Saint John and its bedroom communities.



It would probably be prudent to hold off amalgamation until after getting re-elected, but I think she would keep one of Quispamsis and Rothesay, as those communities are very pragmatic, and don't vote against their own self interest almost ever. Unlike Saint John-- which leaned Conservative for quite a while at the provincial level, and even elected Higgs twice in a row, despite him being the MLA for Quispamsis, and one of the most anti Saint John premiers in the modern history of the province, despite himself residing within the region.

Higgs was the epitome of why the Saint John Region needs amalgamation... and I'm keeping hope alive that Holt really still is the anti Higgs.

As for the mythical politician from the SJ suburbs that becomes a champion for amalgamation, it could certainly help, and I think among the younger generations of KVers, they are far less anti Saint John than their parents (who ironically are mostly Saint Johners themselves), but I still wouldn't hold my breath on that one. We need a real strategy to bring about real fairness and a more strategized growth in the region, not hopes and dreams. Whether it's a full on Halifax style amalgamation, Regional Municipality of Peel situation, or like the CRD in Victoria, the Saint John Region needs a new deal, and yes, it also needs a new name!

I think it's important that people will realize that a regional municipality with a new name woulnd't have to mean wiping the the City of Saint John, or the towns of Rothesay, Quispamsis, and Grand Bay off the map. They could even keep their own mayors and councils if they really wanted to, just like they do in the Peel region, while they also have a regional council, which is composed of the city and town councillors, along with their mayors. I think the mayors in the Peel region even get to vote when it comes to the regional council, while our current mayors don't get to vote on diddly squat unless there's a tie breaker.

Personally, I'd rather follow the Halifax model in everything but naming convention, but I could definitely see how the Regional Municipality of Peel model would be preferable to many in the bedroom communities, especially since the name of the region would be something different than Saint John.

I think the politics and economics of the Saint John Region would be a lot more fair and a lot more interesting if the councils and mayors of the region participated in a parallel, regional council with a regional budget. If the province actually delivers on property tax reform, and followed it up with any sort of meaningful regional amalgamation model, I think oldest CMA in New Brunswick will be set up for a future with far more robust, sustained, and strategic growth. Starting with fixing the systemic rot that exists within the city of Saint John, NB, Canada's oldest municipality.

[adamuptownsj]

Any attempt to eat KV to solve our problems would result in a reactively-formed City of Kennebecasis (of 30,000 people, including Hampton), and absolutely no chance of shared services.

Why would the Kings County suburbs want to pay for our poor police force, overstretched fire department, miles of underused roads, and other issues? They'd just accept a higher Danegeld for the few things they actually want to make use of.

There's not going to be substantial municipal reform again. Maybe some of the rural districts get municipalized, or Sussex annexes some unincorporated land, or Fredericton Junction and Tracy merge, etc. But no one's opening this can of worms so Saint John can dig into KV's pockets.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

Any attempt to eat KV to solve our problems would result in a reactively-formed City of Kennebecasis (of 30,000 people, including Hampton), and absolutely no chance of shared services.

Why would the Kings County suburbs want to pay for our poor police force, overstretched fire department, miles of underused roads, and other issues? They'd just accept a higher Danegeld for the few things they actually want to make use of.

There's not going to be substantial municipal reform again. Maybe some of the rural districts get municipalized, or Sussex annexes some unincorporated land, or Fredericton Junction and Tracy merge, etc. But no one's opening this can of worms so Saint John can dig into KV's pockets.

What a hyperbolic, sensationalistic way to frame it, Adam.

For someone who loves to say how much they love Saint John, you sure love make our city sound like a mess with no solutions in sight.

I get it, you're conservative, you're born and raised here, and you think it's just never going to happen, but that's not how politics works, man. There's still a lot of people are moving to Saint John and the bedroom communities from elsewhere in Canada, where amalgamation isn't such a boogeyman. Sometimes good ideas trump what people want or don't want... and regional amalgamation is a very good idea.

You don't even want to discuss the different options that could be explored for amalgamation, you just play up the same, cynical tropes about why it will never happen. There's many different ways regional amalgamation could be pursued. Nova Scotia got rid of this provincial way of thinking, and I think regional amalgamation played a large role in getting rid of those provincial attitudes that were holding their city and region back.

For a guy who's called UptownAdam, you sure go out of your way to stick up for the bedroom communities that have been played a key role in Saint John's demographic decline over the past 50+ years.

Before you were saying the bedroom communities need to be protected from "Brent Harris types", and now you're making it about Saint John trying to "dig into KV's pockets". (As if KV doesn't already reach into SJ's pockets )

If we had a regional council (composed of the current city and town councillors and mayor) and voted on a regional budget, the result would be a more stable, and much more fair future for the region. I think you know this too, but you'd rather just be a cynical naysayer... and I expect nothing less from you!

[CharlotteCountyLogan]

The province went through a big amalgamation phase a few years back so I don’t see more amalgamation happening anytime soon. FYI, i live in a community that got amalgamated and it was not well received so I could only imagine the backlash would be from a place like Rothesay that has the resources to oppose amalgamation.

[DyAm00394]

Retail Drive construction on target to be done by end of October
https://tj.news/saint-john-south/retail-drive-construction-on-target-to-be-done-by-end-of-october

"A city official says the Retail Drive Alignment Project is still on track for completion at the end of October.

Municipal engineer Kevin O’Brien said currently the Ashburn Lake Road portion of the intersection is closed temporarily and the traffic lights are operating on limited programming, meaning the lights are timed and not traffic-activated.

He told Brunswick News that the city-owned property where crews demolished the existing buildings last year to make room for the project would be considered abandoned and would eventually be sold for future development".

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by CharlotteCountyLogan

The province went through a big amalgamation phase a few years back [that left the Saint John Region unchanged] so I don’t see more amalgamation happening anytime soon. FYI, i live in a community that got amalgamated and it was not well received so I could only imagine the backlash would be from a place like Rothesay that has the resources to oppose amalgamation.

ftfy Because I really do think it's important to note that Saint John was completely left out of the last round of regional amalgamations. Also, it's truly hilarious to call any of those amalgamation "big". The Higgs government did the absolute bare minimum to reduce the number of municipalities, and they completely skipped over the bedroom communities of Saint John, where the Higgs lives.

Some ideas are so good, that not even money can stop them. The only thing stopping amalgamation from happening is electoral politics, and moral corruption, but eventually the Liberals might actually have voters in Saint John to gain, if polling for the Liberals in KV eventually sours (which it very well could) as the whole region is quite historically blue.

Have a look at the only MLA in the province that actually stuck up for Saint John during the last round of amalgamations, an Acadian MLA from Northern NB.



Higgs's little comment about recognizing the hands that feed us in Saint John region was beyond the pale. It's more like working hands in Saint John are keeping the outlying communities well fed, while Saint John remains an underfunded dumping ground for the externalities of not just the region, but to some extent, the entire provincial economy. The externalities dumped on Saint John go beyond issues like homelessness and into much broader economic issues and realties of taxation and fair, regional funding.

Amalgamation might not have been well received by your community, but you didn't have a choice in it, did you? Moreover, look at the map above of NB's municipalities by population density. I doubt the situation where you live is similar to the situation in the Saint John region, the bedroom communities that would be amalgamated are actually more dense than the city at the centre of the region.

Saint John has a distinct need for amalgamation and better funded regional solutions... more than any other region in the province. The Higgs government was willing to force amalgamation on communities that didn't need it nearly as bad as Saint John, and that should not be an excuse for the Holt government to do the same...

If the Liberals keep their majority after the next election, but lose 2 of the 3 KV suburb seats, I think they would consider amalgamation for Saint John a lot more seriously... as that could be the key to winning all four Saint John seats in elections to follow. The suburbs would eventually get over it, especially if the name of the new municipality wasn't Saint John, and it wasn't a one size fits all model for amalgamation like happened in Halifax.

There's ways to make it fair and beneficial for both city and suburbs... especially if both sides were at least willing to sit down and discuss what that might look like. I don't think the differences are nearly as big as people here in the region try to make them out to be.

[sailor734]

I can't see any provincial government wanting to spend the political capital and suffer the hits that would result from amalgamating greater SJ.

I just don't see the political upside for any provincial government.

Regional Police and Fire maybe but then again, why would the KV want to take on the SJPD (25-30% of the rank and file out on disability or stress leave and a toxic relationship with management where the chief is generally loathed)

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by sailor734

I can't see any provincial government wanting to spend the political capital and suffer the hits that would result from amalgamating greater SJ.

I just don't see the political upside for any provincial government.

Regional Police and Fire maybe but then again, why would the KV want to take on the SJPD (25-30% of the rank and file out on disability or stress leave and a toxic relationship with management where the chief is generally loathed)

What are the hits exactly going to be in terms of the electoral outcome? I think it's unlikely the Liberals keep even 2 of the 3 KV seats in the next election.

I think there's an upside for the Liberals to do it, because it could help them win all four Saint John seats.

As for everything else you've mentioned, the question shouldn't be why would KV want, but rather, what's better for the whole region, and what's better for the province.

Ultimately, it's a provincial decision to amalgamate, not a municipal one. What KV and Saint John want doesn't matter, it's what best for the region as a whole that should matter, and the government can act on that, regardless of what the KV suburbs might want or not. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the provincial government funded multiple studies on municipal governance in the Saint John Region, that all recommended amalgamation as a solution?

Sounds the biggest problem was the Frank McKenna government chickening out on following through with the recommendations of their own studies. People would have long moved on by now, and I bet the CMA population would be bigger than it is today.

Still, there remains a huge opportunity with amalgamation, and it should be pursued by a government with the courage to do the right thing for provinces oldest city with the least cooperate and contributive suburbs.

Not sure why the issue has to always be framed as such a big boogeyman, instead of a sensible policy prescription for sustained growth and development.

Politics is the art of the possible. Many people on this forum, including Uptown Adam, were talking about the new federal Conservative government as a certainty not even a year ago... but look at the reality today. Unexpected things can happen in politics, and Susan Holt might be the premier that finally whips up better solutions for NB's big three cities.

I think we can at least all agree that Saint John has a greater need for government funded solutions than both Fredericton and Moncton. Even fully comprehensive tax reform won't right 50+ years of terrible tax policy, and the city needs far more funding from the province than it has gotten in the recent past. Saint John's demographic decline coincided with the explosion of the KV suburbs, who still overwhelming work in Saint John.

Should the province not work towards solutions to make the situation here in the region more fait and equitable?

[sailor734]

Well, I don't see this as a burning issue for many people in Saint John and I don't think the province is being actively and widely lobbied to take it on. Given the that I'd be very surprised if the idea was even on this government's radar. Given the recent polling data (only 1 in 3 thinks the province is moving in the right direction and a majority give the Holt Gov. a failing grade in education, healthcare, cost of living, housing and crime) Suesan Holt has other fish to fry.

https://tj.news/new-brunswick/one-in-thr...rack-poll-suggests?itm_source=the-issues

overwhelming majority of 259 respondents giving the Liberals failing grades on five major issues.

For example, on the health system, just 15 per cent think the province is doing a good job, while 78 per cent think Holt’s administration is doing a poor job. The remainder were unsure.

Similar results were found on inflation and the cost of living: 17 per cent think Holt’s government is doing a good job, 68 per cent disagreed, and 15 per cent were unsure. The Holt Liberals also fared poorly on housing affordability (16 per cent approval, 72 per cent disapproval), street crime/public safety (23 per cent approval, 62 per cent disapproval), and jobs and the economy (23 per cent approval, 57 per cent disapproval).

[JakeNB]

The Holt government - and our local ministers like David Hickey, John Dornan et al - is a complete disaster. They are only looking good in comparison to our local council and incompetent Mayor.

[bingun]

But guys, they've created a task force!

https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/new-brun...rial-task-force-to-address-homelessness/

At the end of the day, people won't be happy, regardless of who is in charge, until they can get a family doctor, go to the emergency room without waiting 8 hours, and see the homeless issue resolved.

Will they make any inroads before the next election? We will see.