Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon delivered her first State of the City address on Tuesday.
In delivering her remarks at an uptown hotel, Reardon mentioned that the city is positioned for growth.
“We are a city rich in natural assets, and the strategic decisions made in the past are paving the way for our future.”
One of those assets to accelerate growth within the city is Port Saint John.
“Port Saint John is one of the biggest growth opportunities of our lifetime. A booming port will translate into a strong, vibrant, and prosperous region, and will have an impact on generations to come,” mentioned Reardon.
Reardon continued and mentioned several investments and projects for the city’s future, including the Saint John Theatre Company.
“From a courthouse to a playhouse the transformation that the Saint John Theatre Company is facilitating through this restoration project is not only filling in critical gaps in cultural infrastructure in our region but also providing our communities with world-class performances,” said Reardon.
Once complete, the courthouse is expected to host more than 100,000 visitors per year, which will help businesses across uptown Saint John.
The Burchill Wind Project was also part of the State of the City address.
“When complete the project will have 10 wind turbines and this will provide 15 per cent of Saint John’s total electricity from a local renewable source,” Reardon said.
After a few challenging years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reardon mentioned, “tourism is back.”
“Tourism is a serious economic driver, pre-pandemic the Saint John region produced visitor spending about $282 million pre-year welcoming 1.7 million visitors, including nearly 200,000 cruise guests.”
For 2022, Reardon mentioned that hotel occupancy is now up 65 per cent with the region in a strong position to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Investing in tourism infrastructure is crucial for growth in Saint John and the region, she said.
“At last month’s State of the Province, the premier committed to defining a path forward for the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. With many of our visitors interested in heritage and geological tourism, the value of the museum cannot be overstated,” mentioned Reardon.
Continuing with tourism, Reardon mentioned the infrastructure at Reversing Falls.
“The visitor experience at the Reversing Falls Rapids is getting some needed attention as we work with private partners to determine the future of that amazing location, and we recognize this unique phenomenon has geological and historical significance that we should be leveraging.”
Finally, Reardon discussed the Common Council’s five priorities for 2021 to 2026, which include grow, green, belong, move, and perform.
“I’m sure it comes as no surprise that growth comes as our number one priority. We value smart growth and innovation. We enable population and business growth to focus on key infrastructure investments, strategic communication, service delivery, and partnerships to achieve growth initiatives that align with the principles of smart growth and PlanSJ,” added Reardon.
Reardon also mentioned eight key priorities for accelerating growth across the city.
Those priorities are divided into four infrastructure projects and four advocacy efforts.
The infrastructure projects include:
- Innovative Central Peninsula Learning Commons
- Redevelopment of Fundy Quay
- A new multi-purpose recreational facility
- Expanding lands and investment in the City’s industrial parks
The four catalytic advocacy efforts include:
- Comprehensive tax reform
- Matching dollars for bilateral projects
- Affordable housing
- Post-secondary education
The Memorial Cup is on display for the State of the City. It begins in a little over 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/TZfAZ6V4Rc
— Tim Herd (@timherdradio) May 24, 2022
