Tantramar council brought its concerns about the proposed Centre Village gas plant directly to New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt on Wednesday, during a meeting that also covered highway tolls, roads and many other issues facing the municipality.
Deputy Mayor Josh Goguen said Holt told council the provincial Department of Environment would contact Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell within the next few days with an update on the environmental impact assessment for the proposed 500-megawatt gas and diesel generating station.
The gas plant was one of roughly a dozen issues council brought to the premier during the approximately 45-minute meeting. Goguen estimates it accounted for about five or six minutes of the discussion.
“We did ask them about, on the local area, the impact on the roads and the fact that the proponent has said that they’re gonna be trucking some of the effluence offsite to possibly Nova Scotia,” said Goguen.
Council questioned whether moving that wastewater across a provincial boundary would have any effect on the project’s environmental impact assessment.
According to Goguen, Holt told council it generally would not. He said the premier also told them the Department of Environment would be reaching out to the mayor with an update on the EIA.
Council brings local concerns to Holt
Councillor Kristen LeBlanc came to the meeting with two pages of questions about the proposed plant, according to Goguen. Among the concerns raised were the potential for increased industrial traffic on Route 940 and whether Tantramar has adequate emergency services and resources to respond to a serious incident at the facility.
“Route 940 is definitely not suited for industrial traffic that’s gonna be driving over there to build the plant,” said Goguen. “And the other main concern was adequate services within Tantramar.”
Goguen said Holt took notes but did not have firm answers to all of the questions raised during the limited time available. Council plans to send unanswered questions to the premier’s office for follow-up.
The questions come amid sustained local opposition to the Centre Village project. A petition presented in the New Brunswick legislature last October included the names of 317 people from the Tantramar riding calling on the province to reject the project. Roughly 120 demonstrators also gathered along the Trans-Canada Highway and Main Street in Sackville on July 9 to protest the proposed plant.
Tantramar council has also opposed the project. Last month, the newly-elected council renewed its opposition after questioning NB Power representatives about the proposal.
The Energy and Utilities Board approved NB Power’s proposed agreement for the plant in May, but the project remains subject to the provincial environmental impact assessment process. Goguen said that assessment could still affect whether the project proceeds, although he expressed doubt that it would ultimately stop it.
“If I’m gonna be truthful here, the only thing is if there is something major that happens with the EIA, but I doubt it,” he said.
Asked what council could do next, Goguen said its options are now limited.
“I think council has done pretty much everything that we can do at this point,” he said. “It’s just keep raising our voices and being advocates for the people in the municipality, and keeping it front and center and making sure that all the conditions are met.”
Tolls also raised with premier
Goguen said the province’s proposed Trans-Canada Highway toll near the Nova Scotia border was another significant issue raised during the meeting. Councillors argued that Cumberland and Westmorland counties are closely connected, and questioned how a toll could affect travel between the two provinces and Tantramar’s economy.
Goguen said Holt told council that other locations had been considered and the proposed location was determined to be the best suited for the toll. Council also questioned whether the province had accounted for the economic consequences if fewer Nova Scotians travel into Tantramar as a result.
Possible measures discussed included passes for some health-care workers and a potential friends-and-family pass.
“Is it worth the $10 million that you’re gonna bring in in revenue to upset a whole community?” Goguen recalled asking Holt.
He said Holt did not have an answer to that question.
Roads, bridge and other priorities
Peck’s Cove Bridge was another issue council brought to the premier.
Goguen said council was told plans for the bridge were about 80 per cent through the design process. The province has previously said a temporary detour bridge is planned beside the existing bridge before the end of 2026.
Council also told Holt it wants better communication from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure about provincial work happening within Tantramar.
Other topics included: property assessments, particularly their effect on seniors; traffic and safety concerns on Route 16; the province’s transition of veterinary field services to the private sector; and infrastructure around Dorchester.
Despite having about 45 minutes to work through the municipality’s priorities, Goguen described the meeting positively.
“There’s still a lot of concerns that we had, but with the timeframe, I feel like we had our priorities that we wanted to talk about and we got some answers,” he said.
“Would I have loved to have more time? Absolutely.”
Theodore Ramharack holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western University and a diploma in Broadcast Journalism. He recently completed an internship with CBC News’ The National.
Originally from Ontario, he moved to Sackville to join CHMA as a local journalist and is excited to get to know the Tantramar region and share stories from the community.
