With a provincial election coming, Saint John has a few priority areas for political parties.
The city has released a position paper outlining six areas it wants the next government to focus on.
It was released ahead of presentations to council by leaders of the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals and Green Party on Monday.
Mayor Donna Reardon said fiscal reform is one of the big areas of focus for Saint John council.
“It’s looking at how are assessments done, the structure of taxes and how taxes. We’re looking to keep all of the heavy industry tax that’s generated in the city,” Reardon told our newsroom.
Reallocating heavy industry property tax revenues to the municipalities where they are generated is supported by the Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick.
Saint John is also seeking a provincial commitment to fund a new multipurpose recreation facility proposed on the city’s east side.
The facility, which would be built next to the Irving Oil Field House, is expected to cost nearly $50 million.
Reardon said they also want to see action on affordable housing, including a commitment to eliminate the provincial sales tax on new builds.
“We need to make sure that with the housing that we do gain for citizens that we also have the wraparound services that would go with that, so it’s a complete picture of moving people out of poverty and homelessness and along that trajectory of becoming self-sufficient,” she said.
Other focuses include support for the corporatization of Saint John Energy and for the expansion of the city’s industrial parks.
The city is also seeking provincial support to install a roundabout at Loch Lomond Road and the Airport Arterial (Route 111) and to improve the Simms Corner intersection.
Reardon said she was glad to hear from the leaders and where they stand on the city’s specific priorities.
“No big transitional moves can really happen without the support of the province. So if you’re not aligned with the province, you can’t move an initiative forward,” she added.
A link to the position paper can be found on our website. You can view the presentations from the political leaders below.
