Hospitals, forest industry, youth all important to Plaster Rock council candidates
Marcia Cathcart
1. The long-term survival of Tobique Valley Hospital and the need to secure the services of more physicians have been an ongoing issue in Plaster Rock. What do you feel village council can do to address this situation?
I feel that the village should keep the pressure on Region III to get physicians to come to Plaster Rock. The village should advertise themselves and promote Plaster Rock as a beautiful place to live and work.
2. The forest industry downturn and Fraser Paper's ongoing shutdown has had a negative impact on the village. What can Plaster Rock council to stimulate and diversify the economy?
I think the Plaster Rock council has to try and think up new ideas to bring other industries to town to set up.
3. Plaster Rock has finally completed the Tobiqueplex, the village's beautiful new recreational facility. How can this facility be used to maximum benefit while remaining economically feasible?
The facility can be used to maximum benefit by letting people use it for all activities.
4. Many residents feel Plaster Rock needs better police protection. What can council do to encourage the RCMP to provide more effective police coverage?
The council needs to meet with the RCMP regularly with their concerns about village policing. If this is still unsatisfactory, maybe other solutions will. have to be taken.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Plaster Rock?
I feel that Plaster Rock has to pull together to get through the lean times. Hopefully things will turn around. People have to support the town.
Carolyn Crawford
1. The long-term survival of Tobique Valley Hospital and the need to secure the services of more physicians have been an ongoing issue in Plaster Rock.
What do you feel village council can do to address this situation?
Since 1992 when the government started taking many of our services from our hospital, we have had trouble with shortage of doctors.
Working with the other councilors and mayor, hopefully we can have some incentive to recruit a new doctor to our village so we can remain a hospital and not a health center. We need our hospital because of the rural area we live in.
2. The forest industry downturn and Fraser Paper's ongoing shutdown has had a negative impact on the village. What can Plaster Rock council to stimulate and diversify the economy?
It has been a very long and hard winter for our families, not knowing what the future holds for them with the uncertain future of our main industry - the mill. This closure had a big impact on village morale. Hoping that the economy will change and we can do our utmost to keep Fraser's open and attract new industry to our area.
3. Plaster Rock has finally completed the Tobiqueplex, the village's beautiful new recreational facility. How can this facility be used to maximum benefit while remaining economically feasible?
Now that the Tobique Plex is completed we need to have fund raisers and activities on going. We are very lucky to have World Pond Hockey and our many volunteers. We have to work together to keep activities going. I would like to see a recreational area for the young people for their bikes and skateboards.
4. Many residents feel Plaster Rock needs better police protection. What can council do to encourage the RCMP to provide more effective police coverage?
Many of our residents of Plaster Rock are very discouraged with the police protection in our village. Hopefully we will be able to work more closely with the RCMP to have more coverage in our area.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Plaster Rock?
Some of our streets in the village need major work done to them. This has been a very hard winter on roads. It is everywhere and in every town.
I hope that the citizens in the village will go out and cast their votes on May 12. I am very pleased to be running in the municipal election for a seat on council in the Village of Plaster Rock. If I am elected I will be looking forward to working with the other elected councilors, mayor, employees and serving the people of Plaster Rock.
Suzanne Mullin
1. The long-term survival of Tobique Valley Hospital and the need to secure the services of more physicians have been an ongoing issue in Plaster Rock. What do you feel village council can do to address this situation?
We as council have to work to make sure, with the help of our local MLA, that we will not accept less service than we presently have and promote all the benefit of living in our rural areas to attract new doctors.
2. The forest industry downturn and Fraser Paper's ongoing shutdown has had a negative impact on the village. What can Plaster Rock council to stimulate and diversify the economy?
We as council must support Frasers in any way possible, but also look to attract new industries with incentives to build or expand their products in our area. We have many natural resources that could be used to build finished products and this is where we need to focus for the future of our village.
3. Plaster Rock has finally completed the Tobiqueplex, the village's beautiful new recreational facility. How can this facility be used to maximum benefit while remaining economically feasible?
We need to find a way to hold some sporting events such as wrestling, boxing as well as other events not offered at our sports complex. Another event could be a special gospel music weekend with the help of all of our local churches. This could become another annual event that would bring people to our beautiful village. We need to think of new events, not copy other places.
4. Many residents feel Plaster Rock needs better police protection. What can council do to encourage the RCMP to provide more effective police coverage?
We must continue to voice our concern to the RCMP and offer our help to find a workable solution that will improve policing services in our village.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Plaster Rock?
The improvement of our village streets and sidewalks. Also, more work has to be done to attract more tourists to our village.
Janet Sharkey
1. The long-term survival of Tobique Valley Hospital and the need to secure the services of more physicians have been an ongoing issue in Plaster Rock. What do you feel village council can do to address this situation?
We have to show that our village is an attractive, safe environment to raise a family, and how badly we need our hospital, not only for our well-being but also for the security of badly needed jobs provided by the hospital. Hopefully, recreation facilities such as the new Tobique-plex will be a positive attraction with the fitness center and the walking track and other special events to take place within the facility.
2. The forest industry downturn and Fraser Paper's ongoing shutdown has had a negative impact on the village. What can Plaster Rock council to stimulate and diversify the economy?
The Fraser's ongoing shut down has a major effect on all of Plaster Rock including the whole general population as well as businesses in town. In my opinion it is going to take more than a few council members to stimulate the economy in our village. We need to come together as a community and fight to keep what we have now, whether that means protests, rallies, whatever it takes, and everyone has to become involved. Maybe we can look at different industries such as tourism. We have the assets, let's utilize them. Council and government must work hard to secure new employment if we want our young people to stay here.
3. Plaster Rock has finally completed the Tobique-plex, the village's beautiful new recreational facility. How can this facility be used to maximum benefit while remaining economically feasible?
The Tobique-plex cannot survive on winter sporting events alone. We must find other sources to make it prosper. I think a special events committee might be a good idea. Find out what ideas other people may have and get more people involved within and outside the community. Look what happened when two or three people had an idea for a winter fund raiser to generate money for a new facility, World Pond Hockey came to life.When people work together ideas can become realities.
4. Many residents feel Plaster Rock needs better police protection. What can council do to encourage the RCMP to provide more effective police coverage?
I think it should go back to a local detachment. Have the local RCMP stay in the local areas and work with the general public more, make themselves more available to the public, and get more involved with the people in the community, especially the youth. I am sure they would prefer this as well. From the past, any RCMP member who has been involved positively with the youth is still remembered. Visibility and camaraderie makes a difference.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Plaster Rock?
Our youth are very important to me. I would like to see more activities for our young people, such as an after school program at the Tobique-plex, where maybe they could get some help with homework or play a sport. A biking track would benefit everyone by keeping our kids off the streets and out of the public parking lots, making it safer for all. We have a very successful seniors group, why not a youth group? There are different programs through the government to create a small business through Youth Entrepreneurship. Lets make this information available to our youth.
Gary G. Sullivan
1. The long-term survival of Tobique Valley Hospital and the need to secure the services of more physicians have been an ongoing issue in Plaster Rock. What do you feel village council can do to address this situation?
The Tobique Valley Hospital - as council we should keep every avenue open to secure physicians for our village.
2. The forest industry downturn and Fraser Paper's ongoing shutdown has had a negative impact on the village. What can Plaster Rock council to stimulate and diversify the economy?
As everyone can see the lumber situation is now at an all time low. We have a lot of tradesmen in our community; we could try value added products such as manufacturing stoves or other products such as wood pellets or flakeboard.
3. Plaster Rock has finally completed the Tobiqueplex, the village's beautiful new recreational facility. How can this facility be used to maximum benefit while remaining economically feasible?
The Tobiqueplex could be used for trade shows auctions, antique car shows, warehouse sales or concerts during the off-season.
4. Many residents feel Plaster Rock needs better police protection. What can council do to encourage the RCMP to provide more effective police coverage?
We need more and better communication among policing avenues.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Plaster Rock?
We need other avenues for youth besides sports because some youth are not into sports. (To try and fail is understandable but to fail to try is inexcusable.)
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