Saint Andrews residents voice feedback on municipal plan

About 50 people attended public consultations for the draft municipal plan in Saint Andrews providing feedback for the council to consider before moving ahead. 

It was an hour presentation by Alex Henderson. He is the planning director for the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission (SNBSC). 

The province required municipalities to redo the plans because of the new geographical area and population it took in as part of the amalgamation process. 

“There’s so many people here, which was a great turnout,” said Acting Mayor Kate Akagi in an interview with The Courier.

A municipal plan is a 10-year guiding document on the development of land, but also can influence budgetary and other policy. 

“We want to know what they expect of us, but [we] also want to hear what their concerns are,” Akagi said. 

Feedback was widespread

Some residents spoke about including the Indigenous history in the preservation of Saint Andrews’ heritage, others spoke about accessibility for those who need it, and about development in general. 

Residents also asked questions about the Chamcook Lake drinking watershed – and recent wells put in place by the province. One of the plan’s potential priorities is the protection of that water source. 

Stan Choptiany, the former mayor of the municipality, said he felt this was an opportunity to bring the document more up-to-date with Indigenous culture and history. 

“We do have a history that is not just United Empire Loyalist history, but it’s a complex and fascinating history that we could take the opportunity to expand on,” he said, speaking with The Courier. 

He said he wishes to see inclusion in the plan. 

Choptiany also said he wanted to see more information about the municipality’s plans for wildland fires. 

In 2023, the region experienced the Stein Lake fire, which burned more than 500 hectares and threatened some property and people. 

“There’s nothing really in this plan that says we need to take a fresh look at how we view the threat of fire and really climate change induced fire threats,” he said. 

The province has invested $40 million in FireSmart – a program geared toward preparing both governments and property-owners with the tools needed to combat wildland fires. 

Choptiany said his questions centred around whether there are any needed changes to infrastructure, if there is sufficient water supply for the heritage area, and working with downtown businesses to install sprinkler systems. 

The wharf also came up. Market wharf and the adjacent Market Square have been the subject of controversy in the recent months due to a design that involves significant infill and armour stone. 

Liz Irwin-Kenyon asked about how the new wharf design could be inconsistent with the priorities of maintaining access to the shoreline, but also preserving the historical character of the community. 

“We are a heritage designated town,” she said. “So, that was really important for me to wonder why the draft emphasizes shoreline protection, climate adaptation, and conservation but the proposed Market Wharf infill directly contradicts these principles.” 

Irwin-Kenyon played on the seabed floor as a kid and feels, this design, would ruin what people from all over the world come to Saint Andrews for. 

The next consultations

Two more consultation meetings are planned for Chamcook and Bayside, the two areas brought into the municipality through amalgamation. 

These areas have unique geography and needs the plan hopes to deal with. Both areas have had rural plans in the past. 

In Bayside, it looks to deal with the industrial presence but also the important agricultural needs. Over in Chamcook, it looks at the Chamcook Lake drinking watershed and how to preserve it.

• Sept. 10, 2025 – Bayside Community Hall, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Sept. 11, 2025 – Atlantic Salmon Federation: Nature Center, 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sept. 17, 2025 – Virtual, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Register at www.townofstandrews.ca.