Municipal groups merge to form united front amid municipal reform

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Two of New Brunswick’s municipal associations are merging to form a united front in their advocacy efforts to the province.

Facing pressures of municipal reform, the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick (UMNB) and the Cities of New Brunswick Association, as advocates on behalf of member municipalities, believe joining forces is the practical way forward, according to their leadership.

The two associations will be working on a transition plan in the coming weeks, said UMNB president Andrew Black, who is also the mayor of Tantramar.

New Brunswick stands out in Canada as the only province to have three municipal associations while being one of the smallest provinces, said Cities of New Brunswick Association president and Miramichi Mayor Adam Lordon.

Besides the UMNB and the cities association, there’s the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick, representing francophone municipalities.

“It makes sense to reduce the number of associations so that there’s a stronger collective voice for everyone,” Lordon said. “Most of the issues that we’re advocating on are common issues for municipalities of all sizes.”

(T)he provincial government, various departments within the government, would often find the cracks that existed between the three associations if we couldn’t come together on a common front.

Andrew Black

This year marks the 30th anniversary for UMNB, an association comprising about 55 municipalities, including six of the eight cities, said Black. The cities association, meanwhile, has been around for at least three decades, according to its Facebook page. It’s made up of Bathurst, Campbellton, Dieppe, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, Moncton and Saint John.

The desire to amalgamate grew out of concerns municipalities are facing due to the provincial government’s mandated municipal reform process, Black said.

“And to be quite frank, the realization that the provincial government, various departments within the government, would often find the cracks that existed between the three associations if we couldn’t come together on a common front,” he added.

“If we had a united association, then we would have a stronger voice.”

Lordon said conversations surrounding a potential merger picked up steam over fall 2023, with UMNB eventually presenting a formal proposal to the cities association. The proposal went to each of the city councils for a vote, he added.

Lordon said the association will maintain its model as a working group under the UMNB umbrella, forming an “urban municipal caucus.”

“We still will have a unique and dedicated table for city voices and city issues.”

Both associations place fiscal reform as their top issue for 2024.

“The province has proceeded with the municipal reform on the structural side. But the fiscal reform has been stalled,” Lordon said. “And many municipalities, including my own in Miramichi, currently have less funding than we did when reform started.

“We’re really anxious to see, ultimately, that municipal reform will yield more permanent revenue sources for municipalities and a transfer of tax room from the province to municipalities,” he continued.

Housing and homelessness will continue to be a priority, Lordon said.

The City of Saint John is not currently a member of the UMNB. On Dec. 18, city council voted to accept the merger proposal.

“I feel like there would be a lot more horsepower behind one instead of the three (associations),” said Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon.

Reardon noted the merger could result in both the cities and rural communities learning from each other and the unique challenges both types of municipalities may face.

“We don’t want to work in isolation,” she said. “We have so many similar concerns.”