Mayor's candidates address Perth-Andover issues
Rick Beaulieu
1. Perth-Andover area businesses are suffering from the forestry industry downturn, cross border shopping and the high Canadian dollar. What can council do to stimulate the economy?
Stimulating the economy must be done through an aggressive and active approach to economic development. This approach can be attained through the multi-pronged approach that follows;
- A working group must be established with the mandate of bringing jobs to Perth-Andover. This group should have input from local business, citizens, our neighbors from Aroostook and Tobique First Nation, our MLA, and our MP. There are businesses that are looking to establish themselves or to expand in New Brunswick. An agenda must be developed that will allow us to actively pursue these new jobs. This agenda must include a package which identifies the benefits of Perth-Andover as a place to do business. A networking system must also be established through this working group that will allow us to identify and target potential business development or expansions.
- The downturn in the forestry industry has created a situation where people are leaving the area to seek employment. This combined with cross border shopping and the high Canadian dollar has created a difficult time for local business to keep customers in their establishments. In order to deal with the out migration we must put the working group looking for jobs together as soon as possible. An extensive shop local program would help deal with cross border shopping and the high Canadian dollar. This program should focus on educating the consumer on the affects of shopping local for the consumer and the community. A shop local incentive program would help encourage consumers to shop in Perth-Andover. Reduction in operating cost for businesses must be a priority. Programs that are available such as the Energy Audits must be identified for businesses. Establishing a line of communication and a spirit of co-operation between businesses could help them see operating cost savings in the area of travel, freight cost and staff time. In order to facilitate this, a group link such as a Chamber of Commerce could prove beneficial.
- Local tourism must be promoted in order to attract people to the municipality. Perth-Andover has one of the most spectacular treasures being the St. John River, and more focus is needed to bring people to the river and our business community. Another tactic which could be beneficial is to have Tourist Bureau staff visit local camp grounds, bed and breakfasts, motels, restaurants and other tourist sites, they would be able to better promote the businesses when tourists stopped. A continued co-operation between local groups such as the Gathering of The Scots is essential as their activities showcase Perth-Andover.
2. The Perth-Andover Electric Light Commission recently signed a new power supply contracts which will see significant electrical rate increases for village residents and businesses. What steps can council take to keep electrical price hikes to minimum?
Electrical rate hikes are not unique to Perth-Andover. As the cost of fossil fuels increase on the global market so does the cost of electricity. The fact that the Perth-Andover Electrical Light Commission is still able to offer electrical power cheaper than NB Power speaks volumes as to its value to the residents of Perth-Andover. A continued partnership with Efficiency New Brunswick will help our customers reduce their power consumption. We must also strive to make our distribution system as efficient as possible. Identifying in-efficiencies in our distribution system and exploring areas of revenue generation through our staff and equipment would help reduce the operating cost of the utility. Technology is changing rapidly in the field of green energy. The cost of wind, solar and other forms green energy is reducing as these technologies advance. Exploring possible partnerships in these fields may be an avenue to keep costs down as fossil fuels continue to increase.
3. The village will host public meetings this spring to discuss future uses of vacant flood properties on both sides of the river. What do you think these lots should be used for?
Recent water levels in the St. John River have highlighted these areas. The use of these areas should be to enhance recreation, educational opportunities and green areas that are esthetically attractive and would be minimally impacted by water levels. Depending on the facilities located in this area, these areas could also be useful as tourist attractions.
Items such as a Splash Pad Water Park or beach volleyball courts are an example of these types of attractions.
4. The new Trans-Canada Highway is completed and businesses are expanding or relocating to be near the village exits. What can council do to make Perth-Andover a destination for tourist and highway traffic?
At the awards presentation of the bass tournament that was held in Perth-Andover in 2006, one of the presenters made the comment that, "Perth-Andover is one of the best kept secrets in New Brunswick…". Our resources, our facilities and our people are second to none. Promotion of Perth-Andover is a must. Continued involvement in the Saint John River Valley Tourism Association will give us an avenue to promote our community. This would be beneficial not only to attract tourists, but also to attract business. The new highway sign that has been approved will help direct highway travelers into our municipality.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Perth-Andover?
Fiscal responsibility is important to Perth-Andover. Balanced books and zero municipal debts are very important, but will be difficult to maintain if we continue to see the people moving out of the area which has become a trend in recent years. Bringing people back to the community to shop, work, and use our facilities becomes more and more important.
With the councilors that have been acclaimed for the next four years there is enough tools, experience and fresh ideas to maintain fiscal responsibility and move forward in economical development. With my leadership growth for Perth-Andover can be attained.
Susan Murchison
1. Perth-Andover area businesses are suffering from the forestry industry downturn, cross border shopping and the high Canadian dollar. What can council do to stimulate the economy?
A recommendation from the recent business survey done by the municipality was to develop a marketing strategy for the area businesses to address these challenges. This will happen immediately. Recently council, with the help of the provincial government, saw a call centre and 100 jobs come to P-A. If we are going to look at replacing jobs lost due to cross border issues and the downturn in the forestry we
will require help from both the federal and provincial governments; just as has been done on the North Shore.
2. The Perth-Andover Electric Light Commission recently signed a new power supply contracts which will see significant electrical rate increases for village residents and businesses. What steps can council take to keep electrical price hikes to minimum?
We have a four year contract ending in Dec. 2012 that increased the cost to purchase power by 24 per cent over the term. Council must now look on the expense side
to determine the cost savings relating to administration, transmission and maintenance of the utility. Businesses and residents can also help decrease their costs by participating in the Energy Audit program. The municipality has applied
for grants to initiate the recommendations from the audit of all municipal buildings which will result in cost reductions of over $25,000 per year. The municipality has also received a grant to purchase insulated hot water heater blankets for all homes and businesses customers of the utility.
3. The village will host public meetings this spring to discuss future uses of vacant flood properties on both sides of the river. What do you think these lots should be used for?
The flooded lots are designated either floodway or floodway fringe. The floodway lots allow only recreational use while building up the lots to a higher level in the floodway fringe allows for development in certain areas. The public meeting May 7 will result in recommendations for the recreational areas. It is also important that council attempted to ease the restriction by the province on certain of the fringe lots; especially those that are located in developed areas.
4. The new Trans-Canada Highway is completed and businesses are expanding or relocating to be near the village exits. What can council do to make Perth-Andover a destination for tourist and highway traffic?
The municipality has for some years funded and operated the Tourist Information Centre just off the Perth-Andover exit. We advertise in the NB Welcome Guide and
are part of a committee promoting the Saint John River Valley and all its communities as a tourist attraction. I feel it is also important to focus our efforts on those people who do the most traveling and have the most money to spend. These are the over 60 retirees whose interests are ecological, leisure and cultural adventures. If the cost of gas continues to rise we may have to look more to promoting travel and day adventures within the province. New Brunswicker's
discovering New Brunswick.
5. What other issues do you feel are important to Perth-Andover?
The province will soon be releasing a report assessing all municipalities on how well they are managing their assets, their fiscal capacity, the level of services offered and at what cost. Council has been making bench mark comparisons of Perth-Andover with nine other municipalities for many years.
What has been consistent in these comparisons is the fact that P-A with a much lower tax base than say Florenceville offers comparable or in some cases better and more services at a lower cost. It is imperative that council continue to provide the leadership and financial
management to offer affordable services and maintain our low tax rate.
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