Campobello Island Mayoral Candidate: Harvey Matthews
1. What is your vision for the municipality over the next four years, and how will you be successful?
Campobello Island’s future depends on smart, integrated investments that strengthen our community and economy. A key priority is developing a multi-purpose community center that houses municipal services, provides emergency shelter, and offers space for events, businesses, and organizations. This shared facility would serve both daily needs and critical situations. We will work with Horizon Health to expand the local medical clinic within this space, improving access to reliable healthcare close to home.
Reliable and safe transportation is essential to support economic growth, tourism, and population stability.
Addressing housing is also critical. We will partner with for-profit and non-profit organizations to create affordable, attainable housing options for residents.
Our fisheries sector remains vital. Improving wharf infrastructure will be a priority, working and advocating alongside the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association and federal partners.
Collaboration will guide all this work, as we continue building strong relationships with local, regional, and government partners.
2. How will you balance fiscal responsibility with maintaining and improving municipal services?
Investing in projects that service the needs of our Island to help grow our tax base, to keep taxes low, steady and competitive.
3. What is your strategy for long-term infrastructure planning and funding?
Building the community centre will be critical to having a space that is accessible and available for all Campobello Island residents. Investing in housing projects that give residents a place to live and provide opportunities for employment growth.
4. Many communities in the region are experiencing population changes, including ageing population, affordability issues, homelessness. How will your leadership address workforce retention and attract new residents?
Growing and sustaining Campobello Island means focusing on people, services, and opportunity. We need to expand housing options for seniors while making it easier for young families to build and remain in our community.
Strong partnerships with provincial and federal governments are essential to improving access to health care, child care, and advancing a much-needed community centre—key supports that help attract and retain workers.
We are also building our workforce by partnering with post-secondary institutions and focusing on business attraction to strengthen our local talent pipeline. For example, Council partnered with UNB Fredericton to bring a nurse practitioner student to complete a practicum at the Campobello Island Health Centre, helping address local health care needs.
In addition, we’ve engaged Synergi, a local economic development group, to identify opportunities, advocate for community priorities, and support economic growth.
These efforts will help build a stronger, more resilient Campobello Island
5. Describe a difficult decision you’ve made in a leadership role. How will that experience inform your approach as Mayor?
When the federal government imposed tariff levies on U.S. goods, it affected Campobello Island tremendously. Councilworked closely with provincial and federal partners to advocate for their removal on goods essential to our residents, as we are heavily reliant on the U.S. This was a challenging issue that required persistence, collaboration, and clear communication to ensure our community’s concerns were clearly understood.
That experience reinforced the importance of strong, respectful relationships across all levels of government. As Mayor, I will continue to work collaboratively with my provincial and federal counterparts to ensure the voices of Campobello Island residents are heard loud and clear!
6. Why should voters trust you to lead the municipality at this time?
Voters can trust me to lead the municipality because I believe strongly in teamwork and collaboration. There is no ‘I’ in team, and it will take a united effort to improve and grow Campobello Island. As Mayor, I will work closely with my fellow councillors and the community to strengthen our local economy, enhance quality of life, and support sustainable growth. I am committed to listening, being transparent, and making decisions that reflect the best interests of our community.
Each candidate was provided with the same six questions and equal limits on response length and time. Candidates who did not have publicly available contact information through Elections New Brunswick were required to contact The Courier in accordance with its Municipal Election Coverage Fairness Policy. Candidates who did not respond or declined to participate are noted. Failure to participate will not result in additional coverage elsewhere in the newspaper.
