(Photo: Moncton City Hall. Image: Inda Intiar/Huddle)
MONCTON – Despite the challenges brought about by Covid-19, the tri-community of Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview continues to see growth, with 10,000 people moving into the region in the last four years. That’s the message their mayors brought to the State of the Tri-Communities virtual event Thursday.
Those 10,000 people are New Brunswickers “coming home,” and newcomers “finding home” in the region, Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold said. Greater Moncton is the seventh fastest-growing census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada, she said. That CMA includes Dieppe, Riverview and a few nearby suburbs that are part of Albert and Westmorland Counties.
The population growth is reflected in another record-breaking year for building permits in 2020, with over $270-million of permits granted in Moncton, mostly in residential and industrial developments. Arnold says building permits matter because residential tax revenue represents 90 percent of all of Moncton’s revenue.
“If we don’t have growth and building permits, we can’t deliver the services that everyone needs in our community. We cannot help those most at risk, and invest more than $1.4-million in social inclusion,” she said.
She also highlighted the hot real estate market. With the pandemic allowing people to work from home, some people from other parts of Canada decided to make Greater Moncton their home. Immigration has “slowed down a bit” because of Covid-19 but she’s confident the city will continue to attract people and grow its population going forward.
She says in addition to parks and safety, the lower prices of homes is an attractive point, with an average home in Moncton costing $270,000, compared to $824,000 in Toronto.
Dieppe also granted $91-million in building permits, just five percent below its record in 2019. Residential projects accounted for $81-million of that, as the creation of 621 new housing units will nearly double the amount from the year prior.
Like in Moncton, industrial development is booming in Dieppe. But it’s still waiting for “a favourable response” from the province regarding the $6.-million industrial park expansion project on Aviation Ave., near the airport, said Mayor Yvon LaPierre.
Immigration is key to Dieppe’s growth, said LaPierre, noting that the city’s immigration strategy for 2020-2024 “is designed to make Dieppe a welcoming city open to the whole world.”
Implementation will continue in 2021 on the areas of intervention, planning and coordination of service delivery, communication, and public awareness, and employment and economic development, he said.
“Despite everything, I must say that Covid hasn’t had a major impact on our operations. We made financial decisions early in the year to minimize the impact of the pandemic,” he said. “So it’s no surprise that the savings on operations such as the energy use in our buildings to cancellations or reduction of events, and to the student or contract positions that were not filled exceeded the additional costs. We were frugal, and it’s paid off for us and therefore, we did not ask the province for any operational financial assistance.”
Riverview also saw “a solid year” for building permits in 2020. The Town approved $25.2-million in permits, with 11.6-million of those for multi-unit residential projects, said Mayor Ann Seamans.
It saw an increase in its population from 20,101 in 2016 to 20,538 in 2020. Though small, “it’s a sign of positive momentum,” she said, adding that the city’s hoping to attract those seeking less densely populated areas to live in after the pandemic.
The pandemic affected everyone in some way and is difficult, said Arnold.
“It is a heavy load for everyone and we are all adapting and coping in our own ways. But we have a resilient and caring community, and as your mayor, I’ve been so inspired and impressed by the people who have stepped up to buy local to invest in our community to lend a helping hand to feed our kids,” she said. “Thank you.”
Seamans said for her community, a shooting at Riverview High School earlier this month added to the community’s challenges with the pandemic. Additionally, she said once the pandemic is over, challenges like climate change, an aging population and others would still impact the economy.
The pandemic also has made clear the social inequities that exist in Moncton, Arnold said.
“Rents are rising and our most vulnerable are very visible in our somewhat unoccupied downtown since so many people continue to work from home,” she said. “Affordable housing is a big issue in our community.”
The City last year committed to investing $6-million, matched by the province, to the Rising Tides affordable housing project. Arnold says one project won’t solve homelessness, “but it’s a step in the right direction.”
She said 2020 allowed for meaningful conversations to take place on the increasing disparity in the city and could be an opportunity to “build back better.” That includes topics like safety and security, policing and role of officers in addressing addictions and mental health challenges and working towards “functional zero homelessness,” which is defined as less than three people without housing at once time within 10 days.
The City began a social impact audit in the fall, which looks at “what the total investment is in social inclusion, health, justice, nonprofits, food, security, policing, housing, so that we can ensure that the greatest return on investment is being achieved.”
“Typically when cities do this, they identify at least 20 percent of the investment that can immediately be redirected,” she said. “We need to get past band-aids and find long-term sustainable solutions.”
Moncton also opened new or upgraded recreational infrastructure last year, including the Centennial beach and the north end YMCA.
Dieppe too officially opened its new multi-purpose community and wellness centre Uniplex earlier this month. Last year, it officially opened the House of Doiron as a museum. The house was built in 1841 by Joseph Doiron, a writer, justice of the peace and prosperous Acadian farmer. It served as one of the first Acadian schools in the area, as well as a place for community gatherings.
In Riverview, plans for the Riverview Recreation Complex has moved to the fundraising phase. The 71,000 square feet space for sports, events, public meetings, as well as cultural and community activities is expected to open in late 2023. The complex will include an eight-lane 25-metre pool, a separate leisure pool, a 200-meter padded walking track, a turf field house, multi Purpose rooms, and connections to the Mill Creek Nature Park, among others.
It will be built on the new Bridgedale Boulevard, which is also constructed to ease traffic congestion when the province closes the causeway for a scheduled six months in May.
In 2021, Dieppe plans for more infrastructure investments, including $13-million allocated to enhancing streets. That includes rebuilding parts of Acadia Avenue, and a portion of Burke Rd. and Melanson Settlements Rd. It will also improve its transit system and review its active transportation plan.
Similarly in Moncton, Arnold said the City will work on a new comprehensive active transportation plan, including more walkable, livable neighbourhoods close to amenities, and a new recreation master plan.
“During this time when people can literally work from anywhere, the quality of neighborhoods becomes increasingly important,” she said.
It’s also working on achieving net-zero carbon and preparing for the impact of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, boosting access to sustainable energy and tracking its progress. The upgrade to the wastewater system last year will mean much cleaner effluent pumped back into the Petitcodiac River, she said.
Arnold also applauded the provincial government’s work on municipal government reform, which she says is overdue.
“The relationship that we have with the two other levels of government needs to be reimagined, the status quo is simply not sustainable,” she said. “We need to have a good hard look at tax fairness. We need total clarity on overlapping jurisdictions and unclear cost-sharing.”
Inda Intiar is a Reporter for Huddle Today, a content sharing partner of Acadia Broadcasting.
