New Mayor Leonard Foster begins the new year still down one council member and facing community concerns
“It’s going good,” said Lakeland Ridges Mayor Leonard Foster as he described the state of affairs within the long-troubled council overseeing the sprawling rural community.
Foster said the biggest problem he and the council face in the new year is “getting four years of work done in a single year.”
He said the council “has to get on the same page.”
Unfortunately, since taking office on Jan. 1, 2023, the Lakeland Ridges council has failed to work together or gain residents’ confidence.
The community elected Foster in May 2024 as mayor following the resignation of Lakeland Ridges’ first mayor, Tanya Cloutier, in January 2024, a year after taking office.
Cloutier and Ward 4 councillors Mike Furrow and Mark Grant—all from Canterbury, one of four wards forming Lakeland Ridges—resigned. The council is suspended, and the municipal government is under the control of a provincially appointed superintendent.
Foster and Dusty Buckingham, who was acclaimed to one of the empty Ward 4 seats, took office just as the province lifted the council’s suspension. Gary Grant filled the final vacant Ward 4 seat in November.
The full council lasted only one month, as Buckingham resigned at the end of 2024, citing continuing dysfunction within the Lakeland Ridges council.
Buckingham said a group of council members, often referred to as “the quorum,” continue to ignore the superintendents’ recommendations and training requirements.
Foster expressed disappointment with Buckingham’s decision, noting that Elections N.B. will set a date in 2025 to fill the vacant seat.
In the meantime, Foster wants council members to focus on Lakeland Ridges’ “basic” needs and away from the divisions.
He said the community’s parks, infrastructure, and equipment require upgrades. He noted that the divergent rural communities that form Lakeland Ridges face challenges that differ substantially from those of more populated New Brunswick municipalities.
Foster acknowledged Lakeland Ridges still must pass its 2025 budget, but it needs a complete audit to provide the numbers to form the budget’s foundation.
“We tried to get it (the audit) done, but the province was late in responding,” he said.
Foster said many smaller communities across the province face similar audit concerns.
While the council’s goal is to keep the taxes the same or hold them to a minimal increase, he can’t ensure any tax increases until they have the full figures.
Foster said tax rates vary significantly across the five wards, even within wards, as Lakeland Ridges’ taxes are broken down into eight subunits.
He said he only learned after taking office that Lakeland Ridges, not the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, is responsible for maintaining some of its roads.
Foster cited several infrastructure projects on the horizon for Lakeland Ridges in 2025, including moving the municipal offices from Canterbury to Meductic.
He expects the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to construct a new government garage in Canterbury this spring. They said they will also push the province to keep the garage open all year round.
Foster said Canterbury has lost a lot over the recent decades and needs a boost.
“Canterbury used to be a bustling little centre,” he said. “We would love to have (the garage) open year round.”
Foster said the Canterbury Fire Department also requires an upgrade as soon as possible.
“We need to demonstrate to the people of Canterbury that we’re doing things,” he said.
He added that all areas of Lakeland Ridges require attention, noting the council must focus on common goals, not division.
As a small rural community, Lakeland Ridges’ staffing levels are limited to a CAO and a clerk. Foster said it remains the same heading into 2025 but added that the council must establish human resource policies for its staff.
Foster added that the council wants to add a part-time public works person, preferably a handyman contracted by the job rather than a staff member.
One issue hanging over Lakeland Ridges’ pending budget is the expected hefty bill to cover the
The cost of the superintendents who managed the community during the council’s suspension.
“We will more than likely have to pay for that,” Foster said, “but we’re hoping they will reduce the cost.”
