2 proposed 'super communities' woo potential residents stuck in middle

Two groups in rural New Brunswick are proposing the creation of two new "super communities" directly next to each other and that is leaving those caught in the middle with a choice to make.

The York Rural Community Proposal and the Nashwaak Rural CommunityProposal are both advocating the amalgamation of several localservicedistrictsto give residents better government representation, potential taxation benefits with minimum increases to property taxes.

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But if such proposals move forward, residents in communities caught in the middle, such as Napadogan, Lower Douglas, North Cardigan andCarlisleRoad,would potentially have achoiceas to which new community they would like to join.

But some at a meeting hosted by advocates of the York Rural Community Project in North Cardigan were not convinced by either option.

"To be lumped in with Douglas and the St. John River Valley, we're not really part of that community," said Jonathan Dickinson, a resident living in Currieburg.

Dickinson said the option to avoid joining either of the new communities should be still be on the table.

"I think there should be three options," he said.

But that's not an optiongovernmentwants, said Shawn Robichaud to the crowd of 30 at an information session held at the North Cardigan United Church on Wednesday evening.

"They don't want holes, or doughnuts, left in between," saidRobichaud.

"So communities that are left directly inbetween will most likely have to go one way or the other."

Large potential communities

The community proposals are not small ones.

The York Project would be made up of Douglas, Keswick Ridge, Bright, Kingsclear, and Queensbury local service districts.

If created the area would be made up of more than 10,000 residents, with a tax base of more than $805 million, according to advocates of the plan.

"It would be just a bit smaller than Bathurst," said Debby Peck, with the York Rural Community Project.

"That's a big voice to have."

The NashwaakProject would be made up ofEstey'sBridge, St. Mary'sandStanley local service districts, as well as the Village of Stanley.

"We've been working at this in a very concentrated way with a group of LSD advisory committees for over a year," said Peck.

"While the NashwaakProject has an advisory committee and a mayor in council."

Wooing border communities with denserpopulationswould bebeneficial toeitherproject, ashigherpopulationcould meanmore funding from government based on per capita distributions.

But many in Wednesday night's meeting were unconvinced.

Statements such as "nothing will change,""government just wants more money"and "it's not going to fix our roads"rang out from crowd members during the presentation's question period.

The York's committee response to those repeated concerns was the resulting mayor from the communities creation would give it a stronger voice than an LSD committeewhenpetitioningprovincialgovernmentfor changes.

Proposals must still go through assessments, afeasibilitystudyand gain approval from the minister of environment and local government before the creation of such a ruralcommunitywould go to aplebiscite.