Public hearings for proposed Saint John industrial park expansion to continue next week

A public meeting on a proposed expansion of a Saint John, N.B., industrial park was held on Monday night.

Public hearings on a proposed expansion of Saint John’s Spruce Lake Industrial Park will continue next week following a five-hour public hearing inside city council chambers Monday night.

In all, 29 people spoke at the hearing before it was adjourned.

Those who didn’t get an opportunity to speak will get another chance inside council chambers on May 20.

Speakers against the industrial park’s proposed expansion criticized the city’s consultations thus far, saying residents are being portrayed as “not in my backyard” opponents.

“This isn’t NIMBYism, this isn’t. This is one world,” Ashley Anthony of Climate Action SJ told councillors. “This is people and planet over profit.

“Open up your hearts. This is heart-led work, this is community led work, and you guys are representatives of constituents who are here begging and pleading for you to just listen to them.”

During her presentation, Anthony and Saint John Councillor Brent Harris had a heated back-and-forth exchange which ended with Anthony saying, “This is what democracy looks like, and if this is a waste of time for you, maybe you shouldn’t be a democratic representative.”

Lorneville resident Sherry Callwell-McCavour took issue with a city staff report which reported locals were concerned about wetlands and forests in their area, but less so elsewhere.

“I’m sorry, but this is one of the most insulting, belittling and disingenuous pieces of city-spun rhetoric in the entire document and it’s completely and utterly false,” said Callwell-McCavour.

Tuesday night’s public hearing began with a presentation from Spruce Lake Industrial Park general manager Ian MacKinnon, who said the request for turning 1,500 acres of land into use for heavy industry was critical to the area’s economy.

“This is a once-in-a-generation industrial growth opportunity,” said MacKinnon, saying there was the potential for over $2 billion in investment. “Time is of the essence; we have serious interest now.”

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