Saint Andrews Marks Truth and Reconciliation Day

Nearly 200 people met at the Point in Saint Andrews on Friday at dusk to take part in a silent walk to mark Truth and Reconciliation Day. Many of the participants wore orange in recognition of residential school survivors and in memory of the victims who never came home. One of the event organizers, Saint Andrews Deputy Mayor Kate Akagi who is also a member of the Peskotomuhkati Nation, held a smudging ceremony after the walk.

Senior Planner Xander Gopen of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission hosted a Housing Symposium on Thursday at Dominion Hill in Bocabec to address the housing crisis in the region. Southwest New Brunswick is in the midst of a housing crisis with communities experiencing record levels of low vacancy rates. St. Stephen has also been hit hard with an increase in homelessness and the number of people now living in tents. A recent survey found that 50 per cent of the homeless population in St. Stephen is experiencing homelessness for the first time and have only been without shelter within the last six months. The symposium was meant to bring awareness to the issues surrounding the local housing crisis and also to connect developers to government agencies, non-profits and key stake holders to accelerate and accommodate proactive housing initiatives in the area.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission was in Saint Andrews last Tuesday afternoon for a public hearing regarding the proposed new riding of Saint John-St. Croix, which would see the redrawing and renaming of the federal riding currently known as New Brunswick Southwest. One of the significant changes proposed is moving McAdam out of a federal riding which encompasses most of Charlotte County and moving into a riding known of Tobique-Mactaquac. The commission heard from New Brunswick Southwest MP John Williamson, St. Croix MLA Kathy Bockus, St. Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson, and McAdam Deputy Mayor Taylor Gallant on why McAdam should stay in the same riding as the rest of Southwest New Brunswick. A decision will be made near the end of the year and new federal ridings won't affect elections until 2024. 

Finally, October kicked off with a bang at Kingsbrae Garden on Saturday with the 7th annual Charlotte County Pumpkin Festival. Over 900 people came out to celebrate the wonders of fall with a scavenger hunt, a giant pumpkin weight guessing contest, face painting, pumpkin decorating and the highly anticipated pumpkin pie eating contest which saw kids of all ages signing up to attempt to eat as much of one of Chef Alex Haughn's gourmet pies as possible in a timed face-off. The winner was the defending champ Sadie Shaw who entered the competition while on her lunch break.