Quispamsis Mayor Applauds New Economic Development Agency

The mayor of Quispamsis says he is pleased the region has supported a proposed new regional economic development agency.

Councillors in Saint John, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Grand Bay-Westfield and Hampton have all unanimously endorsed the model.

The proposed model will see the region’s four existing economic agencies and departments — Discover Saint John, Develop Saint John, Economic Development Greater Saint John, and the city’s population growth department — combined into one single entity.

Gary Clark, the mayor of Quispamsis, said they are excited about the potential this new agency will create.

“I was pleased that council voted unanimously in support of this proposal and I’m also pleased that our colleagues in Rothesay, Grand Bay-Westfield, Hampton and Saint John have adopted the model with similar enthusiasm,” said Clark during Tuesday’s council meeting.

“This will bring Greater Saint John to the next level, allowing us to compete with larger areas. That will be important for us as we move ahead and away from the pandemic in the months and years ahead.”

Several Quispamsis councillors previously raised questions about how much money the town would have to contribute toward the new organization.

According to the proposal, the town of Quispamsis would pay $168,000 in the first year, rising to $454,000 in year five.

Saint John would contribute $1.7 million during each of the first two years, rising to $1.9 million annually through 2025.

Rothesay’s contribution would rise from $148,000 in 2021 to $283,000 in 2025. Grand Bay-Westfield would contribute $36,000 in 2021, rising to $118,000 by 2025. Hampton’s contribution would rise from $31,000 in 2021 to $102,000 by 2025.

“In the long run, Quispamsis will invest more than we currently do, but we see the value in this organization and we believe it will be money well spent,” said Clark.

Clark also thanked the numerous people involved in helping to make the regional economic development agency a reality, including David Campbell and Cathy Simpson, who prepared the proposal, advisory council chair Paulette Hicks, and town CAO Susan Deuville.

“There has been plenty of work, I might add, that has gone on behind the scenes,” he said.

A transition committee of six community leaders will recruit the new board chair and the initial board of directors. The board would then hire a recruitment firm to facilitate the process of recruiting the chief economic development officer.

A set of key performance indicators would be developed and approved by councils in December ahead of the new entity becoming fully operational in January.