Mayor hopes the letdowns of 2024 become highlights of 2025
As he reflects on 2024, District of Carleton North Mayor Andrew Harvey can list several highlights, including “lots of significant projects.”
As he reviews the past year, the mayor also recalls significant lowlights, but he says that’s the reality of running a municipality.
“Disappointments,” Harvey said. “There’s always disappointments.”
One major disappointment stands out in the form of a landmark bridge across the St. John River.
“The Higgs government’s failure to begin restoration of the Old Florenceville Bridge,” Harvey said as he identified one of the year’s greatest disappointments. “It was disappointing we couldn’t get anything done.”
In October 2023, the provincial government announced to great fanfare its plans to begin restoring the historic bridge in the heart of downtown Florenceville-Bristol in 2024. By June, however, the government had pulled its plan, citing the high costs of its requests for proposals (RFPs).
After the bad news of 2024, Harvey hopes the new government and new Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chaisson can deliver good news about the bridge in 2025.
The mayor said he met with the new minister and plans to sit down with him and department officials early this year.
“We want a participant in the solution,” Harvey said, although he acknowledged the district doesn’t have the funds to be part of the financial solution.
While one of Carleton North’s infrastructure landmarks delivered a significant disappointment, another was one of the highlights of 2024.
Harvey cited the opening of the R.G. ‘Bun’ Veysey Active Living Centre as a special moment in 2024.
The project to undertake a massive expansion of the former Northern Carleton Civic Centre began under the former Florenceville-Bristol council in 2020. COVID and supply chain issues significantly delayed construction.
The District of Carleton North finally celebrated the grand opening of the modern recreation complex on June 8, 2024.
The centre was at the heart of another of Harvey’s 2024 district highlights — the visit and speech from Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield as part of the solar eclipse celebrations on April 8.
Clear skies over Western New Brunswick, including Carleton North, made the region one of the best locations in the world to witness the total eclipse.
Harvey said Hadfield’s visit enhanced the already once-in-a-lifetime experience. He said more than 11,000 people enjoyed Hadfield’s presentations, not including the astronaut’s visits to local schools.
Another area of infrastructure growth in 2024 which pleased Harvey involved housing. He said the district worked with developers to deliver more housing, adding he and the council expect to continue the growth in 2025.
After struggling to meet the increased demands and staff requirements accompanying municipal reform on Jan. 1, 2023, Harvey said the new district solidified its administrative operations over the past year.
He said the recent hiring of the district’s public safety manager, who will work with the six fire departments, EMO and police, filled the last available position.
Heading into 2025, Harvey acknowledged the district faces several challenges but also appears on the cusp of several new highlights.
After the province tabled a comprehensive plan submitted in 2024 by Carleton North and Hartland to create a municipal force to replace the RCMP’s coverage of the communities, Harvey said the future of policing in the area will remain a hot topic in 2025.
The mayor noted that the Department of Public Safety didn’t reject the policing plan outright but explained that it required more study.
Harvey hopes that in 2025, Carleton North will be part of a comprehensive provincewide plan to address New Brunswick’s policing issues.
The Carleton North mayor said several provincial-municipal partnerships will be at the forefront this and the following years.
Harvey called it “puzzling” that plans for a new K-to-8 school didn’t appear in this year’s provincial capital budget. He added that education officials assured him that the already announced school is expected in the near future.
Harvey said the community had already identified a site along Route 130 for the school.
The mayor also wants to work with the province to pursue a collaborative health centre.
“We need movement on that, too,” he said.
With the retirement of two prominent doctors in 2024, the community is searching for new health officials to work with the remaining family physicians.
“We’re working on trying to get a new doctor here,” Harvey said.
Harvey said the new provincial government, which took office late in 2024, will need to work closely with municipal governments to address several issues, including health care, policing and municipal financing.
He said municipal governments cannot afford to deliver required services to their residents under the current system.
Harvey hopes the new year means new ideas and new partnerships.
