Common Council will ask the province to investigate amalgamating the greater Saint John area into one municipality.
The motion was introduced last night by Coun. Ray Strowbridge and was passed by an 8-2 vote.
Coun. Donna Reardon voted in favour of the motion, but had some hesitations.
“I guess if I were going to be asking the province to consider this, I’d want to have my ducks in order and make sure that my house is running as well as it could be, and I think we’re on that trajectory right now,” says Reardon.
Deputy mayor Shirley McAlary and Coun. Sean Casey voted against the motion.
McAlary says while she’s not against amalgamation, the city has a long way to go before it could happen.
“First, we have to develop a relationship ourselves with the other municipalities,” says McAlary. “There has to be something in it for us that we know what’s in it for us, and we don’t at this time, and also has to be something in it for them. Everybody has to be in a win-win situation.”
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McAlary also says it makes no sense to ask the province to investigate amalgamation when the premier has already said he won’t force it on any municipalities.
She suggests the municipalities regionalize a single service first to test its success.
Coun. Gary Sullivan says it’s important to ask the question, so the topic can be formally discussed.
“If you don’t formally ask the question and at least start to talk about it and get it on the table, it will never get formally talked about and it will continue to be on Facebook and social media and at Tim Horton’s,” says Armstrong.
Mayor Don Darling says it’s important for the city to improve its fiscal situation to prepare for this sort of discussion.
