Several members of the community in Blacks and Beaver Harbour are demanding the council freeze water rates amid ongoing water quality issues.
The community has been plagued by water quality issues for several years. The municipal water supply is owned by a private company – Connors Bros – a fish packing and processing facility.
To date, the water supply has not been taken over by the municipality, neither the prior Blacks Harbour or now Eastern Charlotte.
Water samples were brought to the council in previous meetings, showing it to be discoloured when filtered and filled with sediment without filtration.
“It’s obviously something that we’re not going to ever be able to handle as a municipality.”
Coun. Adam Hatt has been vocal about his concerns – and also lives in the community. During the meeting, he questioned the money which has already been spent trying to locate a new water source.
The council has hired Englobe to start that process, but questioned the company several times during the meeting on things he alleged were not done – including an environmental impact assessment.
Englobe said in a statement it understands the importance of the project and is committed to identifying a sustainable water supply and a long-term strategy to address the water quality.
“We will continue to work closely with the municipal staff, councillors, the mayor, and residents to address their concerns while ensuring the work is completed in a timely manner,” it said in an email statement.
“I’ve lived in the municipality since 2007, I have lived this … I’ve done all that I can,” he said. “It’s obviously something that we’re not going to ever be able to handle as a municipality.”
Hatt said he’s pleaded with the local MLA Ian Lee to ask the provincial government to step in and get this project done for the residents and business in the community.
“The council we have here are the people to get this done, but the Englobe engineering company is not the one,” he said.
However, in New Brunswick, municipal sewer and water budgets must be balanced. Rates could be frozen at a certain level, but it cannot stop collecting rates entirely because it could result in a deficit.
The municipality could be required if a deficit is established, pull from a reserve fund, cut services or hike the rates once reestablish as options to recover the costs.
According to staff with the municipality, the residential rate is $248 for water and $248 for sewer per year. There are 919 users of the municipal water system. Commercial rates were not available.
What the public brought forward
John Paul Blanchard, who also lives in Blacks Harbour, said he’s been trying to remain calm throughout the process and conversations being had about the water supply.
He brought with him two filters to the meeting, saying he’s required to change his filters once a month in order to maintain water pressure.
“The mud just plugs it up,” he said. “If you drink it, you have to go to the bathroom within five minutes. That’s reality.”
He said he is fortunate to have filters to keep his water clean, but many others do not.
Several people, including Hatt, showed filters filled with sediment and dirt from the water supply in Blacks Harbour. (Aidan Raynor/The Courier)
“It’s disgusting guys and how we haven’t dealt with this yet blows my mind,” Blanchard said, accusing the council of hiding something from the public. “We’re getting misinformation from people around us. We’re trying to make up our own solutions to what’s going on.”
Blanchard said he has refused to pay the last four water bills he’s received.
Donna P. Moses also presented to the council and described a situation 30 years ago when she was preparing baby formula for an infant.
“I was trying to sterilize his bottles and all I got was brown scum on top of the boiling water,” she said.
She said the conditions are worse now than they were three decades prior.
“No improvements have ever been made in 30 years,” she said. “That’s a little bit unforgivable.”
Another resident Patricia Vera asked when the last time the Blacks Harbour water tower was cleaned and sanitized, pressing on when it was done last.
“It is due,” said Gaudet. “We have it scheduled for the end of this month.”
Gaudet said it is supposed to be done every four years.
She asked for the maintenance schedule of the pipes and flushing post boil water advisory, which happened last week.
Returning resident Madison Hutchinson said she wasn’t aware of how bad the water quality was in Blacks Harbour when purchasing her home roughly two years ago.
She said with one child and another one the way, sterilizing bottles is not possible, neither is preparing food. She said her family is on a well-water system so they travel once a week to get jugs filled up.
“It is brown, there is dirt, when you take a glass of water out of the tap, you can see the dirt,” she said. “I’m not willing to give that to my son, I’m not willing to consume it myself while I’m pregnant with my next child. I’m sure why we’re expected to use that for our children or ourselves, it’s not healthy.”
She said when she and her husband are able to, they intend to move out of the community.
Another resident and owner of The Kitchen in Blacks Harbour, Becky McNally, also spoke,
She held up a filter after one week of filtering the water in the community, which was grey in colour. She brought out a second filter – adding it goes through two filters before being served to customers.
McNally said she installed a hot-water on demand system which is now obsolete because of the amount of sediment that builds up in it – despite cleaning it once a year.
“We lost $20,000 in sales in just those couple weeks,” speaking to a closure due to water issues in the winter.
McNally said when boil water orders are issued, the restaurant closes, adding that costs $1,000 per day without considering staff who rely on the restaurant for employment.
Betty Stewart, who lives on Main Street, asked the council how some of the pipes were. She asked whether some were repurposed from the airport when it closed.
Gaudet said some of them were brought in from the airport and it likely would have impacted the water quality.
“They would need to be replaced, definitely,” Gaudet said.
Ian McLatchie spoke to how the water quality has progressively gotten worse, having lived in the community since 1989.
“The plan, you don’t have it, people are asking when you’re going to have it,” he said. “You can’t live without water … you can’t get by without water and you need it.”
He said the council should stop and regroup for a new plan and bring that forward to the community.
“Why is there a reluctance to talk to the people? We’re not going to eat you. We just want to know because it’s frustrating,” he said.
‘We’re trying our best’
Deputy Mayor David Hatt said the council has hired experts and the council is “trying our best.”
“Coun. Hatt may be the most vocal, but we’re all on your side,” he said.
He apologized to the residents who’d gathered at the meeting, saying they’ve spent countless hours looking for a solution but remain uncertain of how to move forward.
“You guys deserve water,” said Coun. Mike Thompson during the meeting. “There is no reason why we can’t get you that water.”
Coun. Adam Hatt took aim at the mayor for not allowing him to leave the council table to speak as a taxpayer.
“I’m pretty sure I could call a vote on ruling by the chair and let council decide whether as a taxpayer I was allowed to speak or not, but we’ll leave that for another day John, if you want to play politics,” he said. “I’m going to stand your worship, or I’m not allowed to do that? OK. Thank you for the permission to stand.”
He reiterated some of the comments made by the public.
Three samples of water from Blacks Harbour brought to the council in Eastern Charlotte in October 2024. (Florence Mitchell/The Courier)
“At the end of the day, I think there are some major things that we have to do and we have to be in control of,” he said.
Hatt asked whether during peak production periods the municipality could shut the water off for flushing – to which staff said no.
“So, we’re not really in control of anything,” he said.
Hatt said he intended to submit three motions including pausing the fees, for a minimum of 30 days, for water in Blacks Harbour pending a plan being presented to the community, removing Englobe as the engineering firm if no plan is brought forward within 30 days, and that a letter be sent to the province asking them to step in an help the municipality find the solution.
A fourth motion was made to ask the industry, who Hatt did not name, to come to the table and discuss cooperation when issues arise in the water system.
All four motions were passed unanimously by the council.
He also asked that residents be advised as soon as the municipality is aware of infrastructure issues within the community.
That motion was also passed unanimously.
“Residents, I do want to say, you do have a good council,” he said. “Sorry it took this long, I want to thank the council for supporting the residents of Blacks Harbour.”
Coun. Alexa Detroakis thanked the residents for coming to the meeting.
“We’re going to be working together to find a solution,” she said.
She said Hutchinson’s story broke her heart and she said believes this will take time and money.
“We need to do much more,” she said.
Coun. Wayne McQuarrie said before coming on the council he wasn’t aware of the issues in Blacks Harbour, but expressed support for Hatt.
Coun. Terry Lee expressed that everyone on the council cares about the impacts being felt by those in Blacks and Beaver Harbour.
“It is frustrating, we have felt your frustrations for the three and half years we’ve been on council because it comes up every council meeting,” he said.
He said the council does have a plan, but agreed we need to do something different.
Coun. Darrell Tidd was a part of the old Blacks Harbour council – and said he feels like the communication has been lacking between industry and the councils.
“Let’s face it, the source that we have … is a good source, there is no doubt about it, but the lines coming in, not so good,” he said.
Coun. Lisa McKay said she was moved by the stories shared by the community.
“I see your frustration,” she said. “I would not ever want to live that way. We live in 2025 and is a human privilege and right to water … in an area like this you should have access to safe, clean water,” she said.
Mayor John Craig reiterated that all of the council is committed to working to find a solution.
“What is good for Blacks Harbour is good for Eastern Charlotte,” he said.
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