Uncertainty over provincial park delays hiring of summer students
In a July 3 news release, when record-breaking heat blanketed the region, Carleton-York MLA Richard Ames called the continued closure of the North Lake Provincial Park in Lakeland Ridges “another example of abandoning rural New Brunswick while playing the worst kind of politics with people’s lives and livelihoods.”
Ames said the provincial park is more than a campground.
“It supports local businesses, tourism, seasonal jobs, and provides one of the few public beaches in our region. Taxpayers invested to restore this park, yet today that investment sits unused.”
In March, the province announced it would close the Lakeland Ridges tourist attraction as a cost-saving measure.
Bruce MacFarlane, spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, said at the time that the Holt government had completed a review of parks and tourism sites with fewer than 5,000 visitors each year and had decided to divest 10 properties, including North Lake.
“North Lake opened in 2022 as a rustic park with roughly 45 sites and receives on average 3,000 visitors per year,” said MacFarlane. “We are exploring options for the site, including the potential transfer of ownership to local rights holders, communities or organizations.”
The park’s reopening came after a $1 million refurbishment by the former government of Blaine Higgs in 2021 and 2022. At that time, the province terminated a long-term lease with Partners for Youth, a non-profit group that was using the campground. The organization signed a new lease and moved its camp farther down the shoreline, where a new youth facility was constructed, and a large road was built by the province to provide access. The province also covered the cost of restoring the beach, spreading new sand, and upgrading the park’s infrastructure.
North Lake Park first closed 16 years ago after the Local Service District (LSD) voted to shut it down due to community concerns about beach safety and noise. Following public consultation, the provincial government followed through with the closure. At one time, the park employed summer staff and drew large weekend crowds to the beach. It was known as the jewel of the lake country for decades.
Ames and members of the Lakeland Ridges Council have been asking the Holt government to allow Lakeland Ridges to operate the beach area for the summer.
At the June 29 council meeting, Mayor Greg Grant noted that they have yet to get a response from the provincial government on their proposal, but haven’t given up.
“It’s still ongoing. We are still trying to get it,” he said.
Councillor Hans Stevens suggested sending a letter to the media expressing their disappointment in how the province is handling their request.
Councillor Tanya Cloutier said she would also like to see that happen, noting that a CBC story quoted a government official as saying they were working “closely with the municipality” on the issue, even though councillors say this is not the case.
“I would take a cautious approach,” said Councillor Judy Cole, noting she doesn’t want the municipality to create more distance between the two levels of government.
“It [the letter] doesn’t have to be disrespectful,” said Councillor Cloutier.
“I believe it’s disrespectful for the province to ignore us,” said Councillor Stevens.
Councillor Barb Glanville noted that she has spoken with the owners of a local roadside stand, who have felt the economic impact of the park’s closure.
Council passed a motion to issue a public letter to the media expressing their disappointment in the province’s inaction on the file.
“Despite publicly claiming they want municipalities to take on a greater role, the Holt government have ignored every request,” said Ames in his news release.
At the last council session, it was discovered that the municipality’s attempts to take over the park are undermining the hopes of some rural students seeking summer jobs.
Lakeland Ridges recently received permission to delay hiring two students through the Canada Summer Jobs program and two through the provincial SEED program until they figure out what is happening with the park. Each student is expected to work eight weeks.
Councillor Rhonda Alward expressed concerns about the delay, worried about students’ ability to earn money this summer.
“Have they [students] been identified?” Alward asked CAO Susie Patterson.
“No,” responded Patterson, “because we don’t know what to interview them for. We don’t know what the job is going to be. We don’t want to interview them for helping seniors and then get them to work at the park.”
Alward suggested the municipality could hire students and change their jobs if they warned them in advance that the duties of the position could change, noting it would be better than rural students losing the opportunity.
