Fearing forced amalgamation, Pointe-du-Chne considers becoming a village

Pointe-du-Chneresidents are being asked whether their local service district should become a village to avoid forced amalgamation with surrounding communitiesthrough the province's pendinglocal governance reform.

The Pointe-du-Chne local service district includes the area south and west ofParlee Beach. Itis surrounded by the town ofShediacand the rural community ofBeaubassin East.

Odette Babineau, chair of thePointe-du-ChneLSD advisory committee, said they wantto be able to decide theirown future instead of being a smallpart of a larger community.

"The benefits of becoming a village is that we can kind of map out our future and budget for things that are essential to our community to protect us from erosion, storm surges and the reality of living in a coastal area, which right now are not being addressed," Babineausaidin an interview Friday.

The New Brunswick government appears poised to upend thelocal service district system, in placesince the 1960s,whichsees local decisions made by a provincial minister instead of a locally elected council.

Province to slashlocal governance entities

A white paper laying out the government's plan is expected to be released next Thursday followed by legislation to enact the changes in December.

"Restructuring will be coming," Daniel Allain, the province's minister of local governance reform,told reporters Friday.

Allainsaid the government will cut the number of local governance entities from340 to fewer than 100.

Those entities currently include 236 local service districts, eight cities, 26 towns, 61 villages, a regional municipality and eight rural communities.

The reduction to fewerthan 100 suggestssome degree of amalgamation will take place.

Allain spoke to municipal leaders during an Oct. 28 meeting. TheUnion of Municipalities of New Brunswick tweeted comments attributed to Allain that said the number of entities following reforms would bebetween 50 and 100. The tweet was later deleted.

Babineau said they've requested the province hold a vote to gauge the community's interest in becoming a village, but that was denied.

Fearing forced amalgamation, apublic notice was recently distributed to Pointe-du-Chneresidents. It asks themto weigh in on becoming a village or rural community instead of joining Shediac orBeaubassin East.

Babineau said about 200 peoplehave responded in some form over the last six days, with 98 per cent supporting becoming a village.

Babineau said thenotice was paid for by a group of peopleopposed to amalgamation. However, feedback is being collected by the LSD committee. Babineausaid she personally supports becoming a village.

However, the LSD doesn't meet the province's threshold to incorporate. A Sept. 16 letter from Allain to the LSDsaysa tax base of $200 million or more or a population of 4,000 is needed, though there can be exceptions.

Pointe-du-Chnehas aregular population of about 800 and a tax base closer to $173 million,Babineausaid. She hopes developments occurring in the area will push it over the $200 million tax base mark.

"We feel that we have the financial capacity to administer an incorporated village," she said.

The feedback gathered from residents is expected to be given to Allainon Monday, thoughBabineaufears decisions have already been made.

"We all have a sense that our destiny is already the ink is already dry and there's not much we can do about whatever they're going to design,"Babineausaid.

Babineausaid one concern with being forced to merge with Shediac, for example, would be that the town doesn't have a ward system.That meansPointe-du-Chnewouldn't be guaranteed a council seat.

"We would not be assured a vote," she said. "And 800 votes among7,000would probably not become one person sitting at a council. We would become a forgotten entity."