Lakeland Ridges Mayor pleased with turn of events, but confused by province not responding to municipal proposal
In a news release issued on Tuesday, July 7, the provincial government announced that an agreement has been reached with Wotstak (Woodstock) First Nation to manage beach operations at North Lake Provincial Park for the summer.
The release noted that the First Nation was the first to submit an official proposal and was selected under a temporary arrangement following a review process.
“We look forward to working with Wotstak First Nation this summer,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Isabelle Thériault. “They are well positioned to run this short-term lease as they have previous experience managing outdoor attractions, such as the Maliseet Trail.”
“When I heard the news about North Lake, I quickly expressed interest to the tourism minister, as community members use the beach for family outings and enjoyment,” said Wotstak First Nation Chief Tim Paul. “We have a team of summer students who are eager to be a part of this opportunity.”
The beach will be open to the public, free of charge, from July 13 to Sept. 7. Operating hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Monday. The beach will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
“We’re excited about this partnership with Wotstak First Nation, who have been stewards of the land since time immemorial,” said Indigenous Affairs Minister Keith Chiasson. “The hope is that everyone will be pleased to see the beach open again and work respectfully with the community and the students who will be working hard for everyone in the region to enjoy the upcoming beach season.”
The Municipality of Lakeland Ridges had been trying to obtain information from the province regarding its proposal, submitted shortly after the recent municipal election in May. The council recently expressed their dismay that they had not heard back from the province for several weeks, noting that their summer student hiring was on hold pending the province’s decision.
Mayor Greg Grant, who spoke of wanting to open the park during his election campaign, expressed his congratulations to Wotstak First Nations.
“I fully congratulate the Wotstak First Nation for being able to run the park, getting it open for the people of New Brunswick and for Lakeland Ridges. I’m glad somebody got it open. I was scared for a while that it would not open this summer,” said Grant.
He also shared his confusion as to why Lakeland Ridges was not chosen.
“When the government announced that someone outside of Lakeland Ridges was going to get to run the park this year, first off, it was like, why not us? Why weren’t we picked?” said Grant.
Grant says the announcement was surprising, as the government hadn’t contacted the council for five weeks after the council submitted its statement of interest and was waiting to be asked for its business plans, but received no response.
As mayor, Grant was hoping to have the opprotunity to grow interest in young entrepreneurs to take over the park to build the municipality’s economic base.
“I’m just disappointed that the Minister of Tourism didn’t think that Lakeland Ridges was a worthy enough place to start our own business or work with them with our own business,” said Grant.
– with files from Paige Morgan
*Story was updated on July 10 to include Mayor Greg Grant’s comments
