Council split 4-4 on whether to advance strategy toward approval
Tantramar council has delayed adoption of its proposed Recreation Master Plan after councillors raised concerns about rural representation and accessibility during Monday’s committee of the whole meeting.
The plan, developed by Alberta-based consulting firm RC Strategies, is intended to guide recreation, parks and cultural services across Tantramar over the next decade. The Recreation Master Plan contains 17 recommendations organized around five goals: active living, equity, collaboration, communication and sustainability.
Among the recommendations are the creation of separate parks and recreation and arts and culture working groups, improvements to accessibility and inclusion programming, and further investigation into a centrally-located, multi-purpose community hub.
Hear the story below:
Council was asked to send the plan to the July 14 regular council meeting through the consent agenda process. But a motion to do so ended in a 4-4 tie, preventing it from moving forward.
Councillors later agreed to bring the plan back as an administrative report in September, allowing for further discussion and questions.
Deputy Mayor Josh Goguen said the need for flexible community space has been discussed for years.
“I’m a Scout leader and when covid hit, we got kicked out of the schools and we haven’t been able to return. So thankfully we have a spot that we can go to. But if that goes away, we have no place.”
Accessibility and rural concerns raised
Much of the debate focused on whether the plan adequately reflects the municipality’s rural communities.
Councillor Alyssa Greene said she felt the document was too heavily focused on Sackville and did not sufficiently reflect recreational activities common in rural areas, including ATV use, snowmobiling, hunting and fishing.
“When I was reading this, this was a plan for Sackville. And that’s just to be you know transparent about how I felt when I read it. I don’t really feel that the rural communities were represented in this plan in an effective and equitable manner.”
Greene also questioned the plan’s treatment of accessibility, arguing that accessibility should receive greater care rather than being included under the larger general concept of equity.
“Oftentimes when you read literature about accessibility, there is the opportunity and the trend to miss the opportunities for providing accessibility when it is lumped together in that whole framework in that umbrella . . . without accessibility there is no inclusion.”
Meaghan Carey is one of the consultants with RC Strategies. Carey said the firm made efforts to engage residents throughout the municipality, including in rural communities, as well as the Sackville Gun and Rod club.
“We spent significant time in Dorchester, spent significant time in the other communities, going out to the different rural spaces to get a feel.”
Next steps
Matt Pryde is Tantramar’s director of active living and culture. Pryde added that the plan is intended to provide long-term direction while leaving room for council and staff to determine how specific recommendations are implemented.
Carey confirmed to council the firm would revisit concerns raised about community representation and accessibility language in the document.
The plan has not been outright rejected. Instead, council will revisit the document in September after receiving additional information and responses to councillors questions.
Residents can view the proposed plan in its current state here (pgs. 11-60)
About the reporter
Clinton Davis is a PT journalist/producer with CHMA News covering Tantramar (including Sackville, Dorchester, Port Elgin, Midgic and surrounding communities). He reports on municipal government, public safety, community events, local business, regional issues and ideas across Tantramar.
