Saint Andrews has change of heart, welcomes back visitors in hopes of driving summer traffic
Resort town asked tourists to stay away at earlier stage of pandemic
Gary Moore · CBC News · Posted: Jun 04, 2020 7:00 AM AT
The Town of Saint Andrews is making traffic one-way in part of its
downtown to allow businesses to use the sidewalk and create more space
for physical distancing this summer. (Gary Moore/CBC)
The Town of Saint-Andrews has had a change of heart and is now welcoming tourists.
In
April, the town issued a statement asking visitors to stay away from
the seaside resort town to curb the spread of coronavirus.
But with
the province starting to reopen its economy, deputy mayor Brad
Henderson says the community is ready to receive tourists.
"All
of the businesses in the community are now allowed to be open, and the
town itself is now prepared — it has the public washrooms open, there's
sanitization teams in place that are wiping benches, they're wiping
rails," said Henderson.
Henderson said the message for tourists
to stay away may have sounded harsh, but it was intended to save people
time from visiting a community that was mostly closed. He said the
messaging was in step with the province's request for people to stay
home at the time.
Saint Andrews deputy mayor Brad Henderson said the town is ready for visitors again. (Gary Moore/CBC)
"We certainly did not want to offend anyone, it was within the
best interest of the visitor themselves — to come to a community that's
completely shutdown, no washrooms," he said, adding that it wouldn't
have been the most hospitable of destinations for a town who normally
embraces visitors.
The Town of Saint Andrews is making changes
to its downtown later this month to hopefully help entice people to
visit — and to boost local business during what will likely be a
difficult summer.
Henderson said the town is making part of the
downtown one-way to make more room on the sidewalks for businesses to
use either as a cafe-style arrangement outside or for retail businesses
to place product outdoors.
"It's going to give a lot more outdoor, vibrant, feel — and most importantly, a safer environment."
Kevin
Simmonds owns a couple of businesses in the town, including the Red
Herring Pub, and he said he's hoping people will visit the town this
summer despite April's message to stay away.
"I'm hoping they weren't offended, we were worried about people's public safety," Simmonds said.
Business owner Kevin Simmonds said he hopes New Brunswickers explore their province this summer. (Gary Moore/CBC)
Simmonds said it's
a slower start to the tourism season because of COVID-19, which
resulted in the cancellation of last month's Paddlefest, a popular
annual festival to kick off the tourism season, but he said things are
starting to pick up again.
He's hopeful New Brunswickers will
use this summer to explore their home province, and he thinks the
town's outdoor market vibe will help business.
"We're kinda lucky 'cause a lot of people already want to day-trip here on Friday, Saturday and Sunday anyways."
Chuck
Cole of Fredericton was one of those day-trippers. He and his family
were in Saint Andrews to celebrate his friend's son's birthday. The
bubble group went to the recently reopened aquarium before stopping for
lunch at the Red Herring.
45 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos Methinks Brad Henderson and several other folks in St Andrews must recall our conversations a few months ago N'esy Pas?
Tim Scammell I'm looking forward to revisiting your fine town in the near future. Our family loves getting down there in the summer months.
David Amos
Reply to @Tim Scammell: Yea Right
janice small I
as well found it odd that Mayor told everybody to stay home and don't
come to St Andrews..I wonder if all the business and the Whale Watching
boats felt that way !!
David Amos
Reply to @janice small: Me Too
George
Matthews You told us you don't want us there, I'll go everywhere else this summer.
Tony Mcalbey
Reply to @George
Matthews: me too. Not much to do other than drive through town there
anyways. I’ll spend a week in cap pele before I’d spend a day in St.
Andrews
Dan Lee
Reply to @George Matthews:
ive gone a few times either by bike or car....mehh not much there.....
David Amos
Reply to @George Matthews: Me Too
Ben Haroldson Another politico trying to save face.
Tristin Time
Reply to @Ben
Haroldson: the town was in compliance with emergency protocols enacted
by the government. How is that saving face?
Ben Haroldson
Reply to @Tristin Time: You obviously didn't go there during......
Tim Biddiscombe
Reply to @Ben Haroldson: Yeah, he's a big time politico..mayor of a town of 1500
Ben Haroldson
Reply to @Tim Biddiscombe: It's called grovelling .
N.B. launches tourism campaign aimed at promoting staycations
Turns to province's own coat of arms for inspiration
Gary Moore · CBC News · Posted: May 03, 2020 8:00 AM AT
The province is asking people to consider spending tourism dollars in New Brunswick this summer. (Tourism New Brunswick)
The province of New Brunswick is turning to its provincial
motto to help power a new campaign that get people to plan to vacation
at home this summer.
"Hope Restored" is the name of the
marketing campaign launched Thursday, which aims to reassure the
public that there's a 'light at the end of the tunnel,' according to
Bruce Fitch, the province's minister of tourism, heritage and culture.
It's the first of a three-phased approach to re-open the tourism industry, which includes a website and a 30-second video highlighting summer scenes in New Brunswick.
"We'll
eventually have that opportunity to get out to explore New Brunswick
and as the public restrictions are relaxed we have to start
thinking, 'Where am I going to go first and what am I going to do?'"
said Fitch.
Bruce Fitch said there's concern in the tourism industry about how COVID-19 restrictions will affect tourism this summer. (CBC)
The name of the campaign is a translation of the province's motto, Spem Reduxit, which is part of the provincial coat of arms.
"I think it's appropriate for the moment," Fitch said.
On
Friday New Brunswick announced no new cases of COVID-19 for the
thirteenth day in a row, and Fitch said as long as there are no
outbreaks, the province will unveil the next stage of the campaign
within two weeks.
"The hope is that we'll be able to re-open all
the parks and the campgrounds and other venues as soon as the situation
is resolved and it feels safe for the users," he said.
In the past week, New Brunswick has opened recreational fishing and golf courses and driving ranges, with some restrictions.
Staycation
Fitch
said it's unclear how long New Brunswick's borders will remain closed,
and says people should start thinking about a staycation instead.
"If [borders
are] the last thing that opens up, people have to consider spending
those tourism dollars, if they have them, here in the province of New
Brunswick as opposed to going into the sister provinces."
Fitch
said staff in his department are in touch with tourism operators weekly
and there is a lot of concern about the number of tourists they'll be
able to attract this summer.
"They're
concerned because a lot of them have a huge percentage of their
industry coming from away — from Quebec and Ontario," he said.
"This
is why we want to promote New Brunswick for New Brunswickers…that may
not take [tourism operators] right back to where they were in the last
number of years, but it would certainly try and fill some of the gap if
they choose to open this summer."
29 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
Methinks Brucy should talk Higgy into letting us go to our camps N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Go Figure where to go when all the parks and most of the tourist towns are closed to visitors
Saint Andrews asks visitors to stay away during COVID-19 pandemic
Increasing vehicle traffic prompts resort town to ask tourists to stay home
Jordan Gill · CBC News · Posted: Apr 08, 2020 7:18 PM AT
"Saint Andrews Mayor Doug Naish is used to welcoming visitors to the
seaside resort town, but now he's urging them to stay away.
The town issued a statement reminding people looking to ease their
boredom that traveling to the community isn't the best option at this
time.
"We don't want to send anybody away, but at this point in time it just
seems that the additional risk of having people of unknown backgrounds
coming here at a time when we've managed to convince our vulnerable
population to take care of themselves just somehow doesn't seem fair,"
said Naish."
N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Province expands testing protocols after 10th day of no new cases
Dr. Jennifer Russell adds a few more symptoms to the list that determines need for testing
Elizabeth Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Apr 28, 2020 1:11 PM AT
"The mayor of Alma is asking visitors and road trippers to stay away
from the village by the Bay of Fundy, even as restrictions are slowly
beginning to lift.
"We want to keep everybody safe," said Mayor Kirstin Shortt.
"We want to avoid spreading the disease, so we're taking proactive action here by telling visitors to stay home."
Terry Tibbs
Only in NB.
Throwing money promoting staycations while maintaining our borders are closed.
David Webb NB
Reply to @Terry
Tibbs: That's kind of the point, isn't it? Many New Brunswickers have
never seen their back door yard, and seem to think you have to travel
for hours on end to vacation. Keeping the borders closed is a must.
You are free to go to QC, NS or Maine if you wish but don't ask to be
readmitted to NB any time soon without a monitored 14 day isolation..
David Amos
Reply to @Terry Tibbs:
Methinks Brucy should hold a contest and suggest we take day trips to
see who can find the biggest and greatest numbers of potholes.The
Privacy Dude Chucky Murray can monitor our progress on our cell phones
to see we stay away from each other and keep the tally on the photos and
locations we submit. We likely hold a world record in regards to
potholes. So all we need to is prove it and report it to Guinness World
Records Perhaps someday foreigners will come to see them all and wonder
what is wrong with Higgy et al N'esy Pas?
Terry Tibbs Reply to @David Webb NB:
The point is: why waste money on promoting the only existing option?
David Amos
Reply to @David Amos:
Actually, or somewhat strangely, provincial road maintenance folks up my
way are keeping themselves busy throwing cold patch in potholes once a
week. Certainly it is a make work project, as you might as well fill
potholes with parrot droppings, it being a toss up as to which filler
material is less effective.
Michael G.
L. Geraldson
Given the current unemployment rates I think it's optimistic to think people have money for vacations or staycations.
David Amos
Reply to @Michael G.
L. Geraldson: I concur Furthermore where are the rich folks gonna stay
with most of the tourist traps and hotels closed?
Saint Andrews asks visitors to stay away during COVID-19 pandemic
Increasing vehicle traffic prompts resort town to ask tourists to stay home
Jordan Gill · CBC News · Posted: Apr 08, 2020 7:18 PM AT
Mayor Doug Naish is asking tourists to stay away from Saint Andrews during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Shane Fowler/CBC)
Saint Andrews Mayor Doug Naish is used to welcoming visitors to the seaside resort town, but now he's urging them to stay away.
The
town issued a statement reminding people looking to ease their boredom
that traveling to the community isn't the best option at this time.
"We
don't want to send anybody away, but at this point in time it just
seems that the additional risk of having people of unknown backgrounds
coming here at a time when we've managed to convince our vulnerable
population to take care of themselves just somehow doesn't seem fair,"
said Naish.
"Frankly,
we don't know whether someone who's coming here to walk on our beach is
supposed to be quarantined where they live. You know, we have no idea
of knowing that or controlling it."
Naish
said during warmer days earlier in the spring town officials noticed a
lot of vehicle traffic in the community from visitors.
It was this that prompted the request.
The
town of St. Andrews continues to get out-of-towners during the pandemic
despite the rules, and they're looking to the province for additional
law enforcement. 1:58
"It just got us thinking that perhaps as the weather gets better this may get worse," said Naish.
"There actually may be some people who are just not thinking that there's any problem with [visiting]."
Attractions shuttered
Naish said because of the COVID-19 pandemic there isn't a lot to do in the town at the moment anyway.
Most businesses are closed, except for those deemed essential.
Local beaches and parks, including the St. Andrews Blockhouse, are also closed.
The town has closed local parks to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Shane Fowler/CBC)
"We've got
barricades up because again that was one of those places where two weeks
ago on a sunny Saturday there were a dozen or 18 cars there and they
weren't local cars," said Naish.
In the province's daily
COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, Premier Blaine Higgs said there have been
talks about how to regulate travel between some tourist communities and
the idea of checkpoints has been raised.
"Do we have the ability
and is it a necessity to put that same kind of connection around
communities, because that will be very difficult," said Higgs.
Tourist season concerns
The ongoing pandemic has business owners in the town anxious, said Naish.
The local economy is largely based on tourism, an industry that has already taken a hit in the community.
"We have a big music and outdoor festival called Paddlefest … that takes place in the middle of May," said Naish.
"That's already been cancelled and that's really the kickoff of our tourist season."
Visit, 'but not right now'
The town is also home to many summer properties.
Naish
said these property owners can still come into the town, but he asks
they also think about staying away during the pandemic.
And if these part-time residents do choose to go to their summer homes, Naish asks they inform the town first.
"Not
just because we want to control what you're doing, but because if
you're going to be there in residence, if we know about it, we've
developed a good volunteer system here in the crisis and we're checking
on people who are vulnerable ... in our community," said Naish.
The mayor said he hopes people will continue to visit the picturesque community, when appropriate, after the pandemic is over.
"We appreciate their business and we want them to come, but not right now," said Naish.
"There is, we believe, a significant risk ... particularly when we don't know where people are coming from."
44 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
Danny Devo Seems a lot of folks here do not understand the rules. Let me help.
2 meters = 6 feet (the distance you may find yourself under ground of you don't heed the rules)
Do not engage in non essential travel. Translation: seek help for your
hopeless addiction to timmies; make a list before you go shopping for
once in your life; do not pleasure cruise; do not go to your cottage to
have an awesome adventure unless you enjoy paying heavy fines. Does that
help?
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo: Methinks you should "Premier Higgs Butter Tarts" then review the rules again N'esy Pas?
James
Jones aka Ray Oliver Reply to @Danny Devo: I'll pleasure cruise alone all I want come and get me
David Amos
Reply to @James
Jones: Methinks if you told the cops you were fetching Butter Tarts for
Higgy et al they would likely assist you on your emergency mission N'esy
Pas?
Danny Devo
Reply
to @David Amos: He needs some energy. Currently looking totally
exhausted, sleepy and cranky. When this is allver he'll get his butter
tarts and all the health care cuts he ever wanted. That's what
conservatives do. Give massive tax breaks to the corporate buddies and
scrap services for citizens. Still the same ol Higgy.
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo: Higgy still has a "Stay" on my Medicare Card as well
Danny Devo Reply to @David Amos: Maybe you should have voted for the Green Party. Guess you learn the hard way N'est pas?
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo:
Methinks I should ask how many times should I run against your beloved
Green Party before the people who support them listen to what I have
been saying instead of merely jerking my chain to hear me bark N'esy
Pas?
James
Jones aka Ray Oliver Reply
to @Danny Devo: Not sure the fear mongering you've been saying about
the "COVID death sentence" and comparing it to drunk driving thru
playgrounds is something they'd be spreading if in power either. This is
any politicians first run thru something of this magnitude. Leave the
party platform out of it. Youd hate Higgs even if he was the guy who
found the cure for COVID
Danny Devo
Reply to @David Amos: So who would you recommend then?
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo:
There are no elections being held right now but i may run in the by
election in St Andrews if Higgy get around to having the writ dropped.If
so then you could pick the vegetable in mean old me. In the "Mean"
time methinks the Green Meanies have the governments they deserve since
laughing at me since 2004 N'esy Pas?
Danny Devo Reply
to @James Jones: I don;t hate anyone. I do not appreciate what his
party stands for. They are a disgrace. The libs are almost as bad. Both
are corporate parties that leech from the public.
Ben Haroldson Reply to @David Amos: I wish I was in that riding. You'd get mine.
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @James Jones: Methinks its and interesting day for you to pick a fight with me N'esy Pas?
Danny Devo Good
idea. Keep the reckless zombies out. Higgy says this pandemic may last a
long time in this province. Is he talking about his government or covid
19?
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo: Methinks you must be a retired cop who truly enjoys Higgy's Police State N'esy Pas?
Danny Devo
Reply to @David Amos:
Have not had any bad experiences with the police personally. All I know
is that conservatives are the enemy of the people.
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo:
Methinks Vicky and his old RCMP pals, the FBI, the Fat Fred City
Finest and many other PDs on both sides of the 49th cannot deny that I
have many bones to pick with them but I must confess that I am very
surprised that you are not a fan of Higgy N'esy Pas?
Danny Devo Reply to @David Amos: The only rational choice are Greens
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo: Now thats truly funny
Danny Devo Reply to @David Amos: Since when is rational funny?
David Amos
Reply to @Danny Devo:
Methinks you should ask the mindless lawyer who was the federal leader
of your beloved party why I hung up on her 3 times in 2007 and sent her
hard copy byway of tracked Canada Post after she did a hostile takeover
of the aforementioned party N'esy Pas?
Johnny Jakobs Stay
Home. That's what the whole world is advocating for. Why give St.
Andrews flack when many other communities have already done so? Getting
in a car, going for a drive and setting up lawn chairs to talk in the
greenspace is not staying at home.
This confuses me too.... if you dont like St Andrews and what is has to
offer(when open for business), what's it matter to you? Other than
spreading negativity.
Johnny Jakobs
Reply to @James
Jones: I've lived in the bubble for many decades. Born in the Steve and
love what Charlotte County has to offer.
David Amos
Reply to @Johnny Jakobs: It appears that Mr Jones went "Poof" Was he nasty with you too?
Ben Haroldson Only in st a. eh.....
Johnny Jakobs
Leaders lead.
David Amos
Reply to @Johnny Jakobs: Yea Right
Gerry
Ferguson I'm
pretty sure the police have better things to do than stop all cars
going for a drive to St Andrews and tell the occupants to stay away
please.
David Amos
Reply to @Gerry
Ferguson: Methinks you should not bet the farm on that opinion The
RCMP's buddy Higgy needs to have a win in the upcoming by election in
that neighbourhood N'esy Pas?
Murray Brown Went to St. Andrews once... Have stayed away ever since. Glorified tourist trap.
David Amos
Reply to @Murray Brown: Methinks you are not alone in that regard N'esy Pas?
James
Jones aka Ray Oliver There
are lots of home owners down there with summer places and the mayor
states hes only "suggesting" they stay put during the pandemic. How do
you know they just landed and haven't been around for a while? Primary
residence is a suggestion not a law
Ben
Haroldson
Reply to @James Jones: More like a loophole, because it is a law.
Bruce Sanders
Reply to @James
Jones: Knowing someone there, this full time resident said that there
"if there are any "summer place" residents here, which primarily from
Ontario, I have not seen them". And since at the NB border they are
turning away people coming to stay in NB, just because they have a
vacation home, I'd think there are very few.
And just landed? well, the St John airport has no commercial traffic, and hasn't for a week now.
James Jones
aka Ray Oliver Reply to @Ben
Haroldson: St. Andrews is always one of these places that's got it's own
set of rules. Their parks are no different than any other ones nor
should they be. People going for drives to get out a little if they're
practicing the social distancing set in place then what's the
difference?
James Jones
aka Ray Oliver Reply to @Bruce
Sanders: Landed in town I meant. And if they drove recently they'd be
subject to mandatory self isolation. So maybe they've been there and
just out for the first time now. People see other plates alot in this
Province especially Alberta ones from time to time. Practice the
distancing and give people space and use common sense. NB is doing great
so far but some people are taking this to the total extreme
Johnny Jakobs
Reply to @James Jones: Saint John has closed all their parks et al like many other places.
Bruce Sanders
Reply to @James Jones: "some people are taking this to the total extreme" no argument there!
David Amos
Reply to @Bruce Sanders: FYI Mr Jones just took it to the extreme with me today
Johnny Almar Yet I saw 2 vehicles from Ontario pull into town today. Go figure.
Arish Moogadoo
Reply to @Johnny
Almar: I've seen a few licence plates from away. It's been a good 2-3
weeks now that people have had to get home and get where they're going,
it's really time to stop letting people through. The fact is our
province needs to be closed to passing through at this point because we
can't trust that those people are strictly passing through. Time for
transport trucks and medical workers only.
Last fall, the province announced a new pilot program that would allow
nuisance deer hunters in Saint Andrews to harvest deer meat for
low-income families in the area. (Ian Prince/Instagram)
A pilot project to allow hunters in Saint Andrews to harvest
nuisance deer meat and feed dozens of low-income families in the area
was cancelled just before it was supposed to launch.
This past
fall, the Department of of Natural Resources and Energy
Development announced that deer meat would be donated to the Volunteer
Centre of Charlotte County Inc.
But the initiative was quietly
cancelled to allow the New Brunswick's Department of Health time to
assess whether there are any risks to food safety.
"If
you don't have something and you didn't get it, it's not as bad as
having it taken away from you," said Donna Linton, a co-ordinator for
the non-profit organization.
Linton said about 30 families in
Charlotte County expressed interest in the deer meat to eat over the
winter. This would've fed at least 56 children in the area.
Food insecurity 'an issue'
The
Town of Saint Andrews, which is trying to cope with a growing deer
population, said it would pay to have the meat processed in the St.
Stephen area, and it would eventually be donated through the volunteer
centre to families in need.
Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's
chief medical officer of health, said her office started looking into
operational and food licence requirements that could support the
project. But it will need more time.
"We will be conducting a
cross-jurisdictional scan to see if other provinces have food safety
programs in place for similar initiatives and if there are ways to
implement control measures to help reduce risks and allow this kind of
donation," Russell said in an emailed statement to CBC News.
Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer,
says her office will investigate whether other provinces have ways to
reduce risks to food safety when it comes to projects like this. (CBC)
Instead of the 40 pounds of deer meat per family, they're being offered hot dogs and hamburger meat through the local food bank.
"They
have a food insecurity issue and specifically protein,"
Linton said. "They were just hoping they could secure some food to get
them through the winter."
While most of the families told Linton they had never hunted, they do have experience with deer meat.
"All
of the families have had experience cooking it and were aware of the
different seasoning flavours that you can do," she said.
"It's just kind of sad."
Saint Andrews Deputy Mayor Brad Henderson says he was
disappointed when the pilot project was called off. Thirty families had
expressed interest. (Philip Drost/CBC)
The poverty line in that area of Charlotte County is about $24,000 a year, but many people try to get by on half that amount.
Many families who would've benefited from the pilot project either lost a job or are living on disability
"When there's grandchildren living in the home, often they're living on the grandparents' pension."
But Linton is hopeful the project will be able to go ahead next year.
"We're not letting it go."
Deer population a big problem
Brad Henderson, deputy mayor of Saint Andrews, said the project would also decrease the town's deer population.
Reply to @Johnny Jakobs: Welcome back to the circus
Kyle Woodman I
wonder how many more of Hollands ideas will turn out to be pipe dreams.
We were supposed to have a Turkey hunt last fall. It will be
interesting to see Rod Cumberland preaching about deer numbers in a
place that is lousy with deer.
David Amos
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: Methinks you enjoy the circus as much as I do N'esy Pas?
Liberal win in Saint Croix byelection would trigger provincial election, Higgs says
Premier cautions Saint Croix against splitting vote between PCs and Alliance, ending in possible Liberal win
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Dec 31, 2019 8:07 PM AT
Premier Blaine Higgs said losing the Saint Croix and Shediac Bay-Dieppe
ridings to the Liberals could lead to a full provincial election. (CBC)
Premier Blaine Higgs says a byelection win for the Opposition
Liberals in the riding of Saint Croix would lead to an early provincial
election and a risk of the Liberals returning to power by the end of
2020.
Higgs says he will warn voters in the riding against
splitting their votes between his Progressive Conservatives and the
People's Alliance, a split that could help the Liberals win the seat.
While
he wants to avoid going to the polls in 2020, a Liberal win in
Saint Croix "would probably put me there. I wouldn't have a choice.
"That is obviously in the back of my mind."
Liberal victories there and in another expected byelection in Shediac Bay-Dieppe would shift the standings in the legislature.
The Liberals and Greens would have a combined 25 seats to 24 for the PCs and the Alliance.
That
would make it unlikely the PC minority government could win confidence
votes and pass legislation even with the support of the Alliance.
"The
decision [for voters in Saint Croix] is probably not so much 'Do I
support the Alliance over the PCs' or vice versa," Higgs said in a
year-end interview. "It's 'Do I really want to take a chance of the
Liberals getting back in government?'"
Higgs's comments raise the stakes for the Saint Croix byelection, which he hasn't called yet.
The riding stretches from the village of McAdam to the Bay of Fundy, including the towns of St. Stephen and Saint Andrews.
It has been vacant since the death of PC MLA and cabinet minister Greg Thompson last September.
Will set date by March
Higgs has until March to set a date for the vote. He plans to schedule the byelection for Shediac Bay-Dieppe at the same time.
He
said his choice of a date will be based in part on the possibility that
losing both ridings would lead to a full provincial campaign.
The
Saint Croix byelection will be the first time PC and Alliance
candidates campaign against each other while the parties are
co-operating in the legislature.
Normally a candidate for the
governing party argues during a byelection campaign that he or she will
be in the best position to influence government decisions.
But
with the Alliance propping up the Tories in exchange for a role in
decision-making, the Alliance candidate will be able to make the same
case in Saint Croix.
While
you can go chasing what might be the possibility of a majority, what we
do know right now is we have the possibility to influence the outcome
of the province for the better.- Blaine Higgs, premier
Asked how the PCs will counter that argument, Higgs invoked the risk of a vote split between the two parties.
"What
we're going to both have to face is the risk of a Liberal candidate or a
Green candidate winning, particularly a Liberal candidate," he said.
This
isn't the first time Higgs has threatened an early election. In
December he said he'd consider a bill on essential services in nursing
homes to be a confidence matter. The bill passed with the support of the
Alliance.
But this warning is different because it is aimed at voters, not a handful of MLAs in the legislature.
Despite
the high stakes, the premier says he doesn't plan to back away from
tough decisions because of the by-election, including planned health
reforms to be announced early in the year.
"We're not going to
shy away from them. I hope to be able to communicate in a way that
people understand the rationale behind everything we do. I would never
suggest that means everyone will like it. It's just that they'll
understand why."
The premier insisted that he doesn't want an early election, even if some of his advisers believe he'd likely win a majority.
He
said so far he's been able to get most of his agenda passed by the
legislature, and given how polls can change during a campaign, that
would be at risk if he called an election.
"I'm kind of a
believer that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, that old
adage," Higgs said.
"While you can go chasing what might be the
possibility of a majority, what we do know right now is we have the
possibility to influence the outcome of the province for the better.
"If it becomes unworkable, it's a different story."
Vote split warning is 'old argument'
One
such unworkable outcome would be a defeat in Saint Croix. The PCs won
the riding easily in 2018 but four years earlier, the Liberals won the
riding, despite a larger combined PC-Alliance vote.
The Alliance plans to run high-profile former wildlife biologist Rod Cumberland in the byelection.
Alliance
Leader Kris Austin brushed off Higgs's talk of a vote split, saying
that argument "has been used, it's been done, it's an old argument."
He
said his party doesn't only draw support from unhappy PCs, and its
success in the last election has forced the Higgs government to be more
accountable.
"I've always said you should vote for the best candidate and the best policies that line up with your views."
Another
variable in the Saint Croix byelection is the Canadian Union of Public
Employees, which has vowed to get involved in the campaign and work
against the PCs as a response to Higgs's rejection of large wage
increases for nursing-home workers.
Yet another factor could be
complaints by some members of the PC riding association that a potential
nomination candidate was rejected by a party vetting committee without
explanation. The association president resigned earlier this week.
'Environment prompted the resignation'
Association
president Vernon Card resigned this week, telling fellow PC members in
an email that he was questioning the "positive characteristics" of the
party.
He said in an email Wednesday that while the rejection of
candidate Lorraine Gilmore Peters was "concerning, it was small
compared to the overall environment. This environment prompted the
resignation."
He would not do an interview and said he would elaborate in a blog post in late January or early February.
The
next provincial budget will be introduced March 10, the same month
Higgs plans to call the by-elections--though he is free to pick a date
months later.
The PCs have scheduled their convention to
nominate a candidate for Jan. 18. The Liberals have not set a date for
their convention.
The other riding where a byelection must be
called, Shediac Bay-Dieppe, became vacant when former premier Brian
Gallant resigned last October. It's expected to stay Liberal.
170 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David
Raymond Amos Welcome back to the Circus folks
Methinks it is obvious that Higgy is worried about the "Tempest in
Teapot" no matter what a lawyer who was a wannabe leader long ago may
claim N'esy Pas?
David
Raymond Amos Methinks everybody loves this circus N'esy Pas?
Anne Berube Who, but who could be insane enough to ever consider voting liberal!
Claude DeRoche
The Irving government is on it's way out!
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Claude DeRoche: Dream on
Fred Brewer
Reply to @Claude DeRoche: Only to be replaced by the Liberal Irving Government.
Same old same old. Time for Green or Purple.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
Greens have done nothing but give themselves raises. Same ole typical
politicians. They won’t be any different than the cons or libs.
Mac Isaac The
Liberals would never, in a million years, do this, but wouldn't you
love to see what "might" happen if the Liberals made the promise to hold
off on any confidence motion...unless forced to do so by a policy that
is anathema to their Liberal policies. As a Liberal of long-standing I
admit there hasn't been many policies of this P.C. government to which I
strongly disagree and, as a New Brunswicker of equally long-standing, I
would seriously love seeing these two parties actually work together
for the betterment of this province's people. As I said: "...never, in a
million years..." Too bad because, like most New Brunswickers, I'm
tired of political decisions being settled like a playground spat..
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Mac Isaac: Yea Right Tell us another one
Murray
Brown I
wouldn't hold Higgs to that statement... He'll likely change his mind
after the Tories lose and decide to grasp onto power for as long as he
can.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Murray Brown:
The libs don’t stand a chance in charlotte county,. Anybody thinking they do, is just out to lunch,
Lewis Taylor
Reply to @Johnny Horton:
the libs had it recently and if PC and PANB split vote then it could
very well happen again. It would be fun if it happened just to see you
lose it.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Lewis Taylor:
I’m not sure why you think I want the cons to win. I’ve never stated
such. In fact, I want anyone running as an independent to win.
Otherwise, as all the parties are about the same, I don’t really care
who gets in, they’ll just be there for themselves anyway,
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Murray Brown:
You mean like the libs just did in the last prov election? Hang on for
dear life. But sure let’s flog Higgs for it when he hasn’t even done it
eat.
God, I’m not s higgs fan, but this hypocrisy is killing me.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Murray
Brown: Methinks everybody knows Higgy wants an election ASAP He just
wants somebody else to make it happen so he can blame them for it N'esy
Pas?
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David
Raymond Amos: Methinks the last person the Irving shill would want to
win is an Independent or he would not have attacked me so viciously
during the past two elections N'esy Pas?
John Smith i
dunno im thinkin green is almost main stream now they just play for the
home team thats the ledge itself we need polyspeakers to speak for
unipeople
Johnny Horton
Reply to @john smith:
David c is just as much s typical politician as any blue or red or orange or now purple as well I guess.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @john smith: Methinks you should relax and enjoy the circus you are paying for N'esy Pas?
Mike
Connors I
never thought I would see the day when the Premier of this Province
would threaten people to vote for him or else. Let's waste more millions
on an unnecessary election because his fan club told him he would win a
majority. Not from this voter, Blaine., Not from this voter.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Mike Connors:
So who you gonna vote for instead? The libs and their ATCONs? The PA and
their divisive policies? Or maybe the greens who claim they are
different, yet coon has done an awesome job of being s politican and
giving himself more money.
Higgs might well not be a choice, but not like there is a thing better out there.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Mike
Connors: Methinks everybody knows desperate political people often say
desperate things and the ones in power always do desperate things with
taxpayer funds in order to maintain their mandate N'esy Pas?
Johnny Horton
Reply to @David Raymond Amos:
Methinks citizens doing endless frivolous lawsuits have wasted far more taxpayer money...
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Methinks many folks should agree that an Irving shill just proved my point on spades N'esy Pas?
Lewis Taylor Reply to @Johnny Horton:
People can vote for whoever they want. it is still a democracy.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Lewis Taylor:
Sure they can snd will. Right now there’s still s lot of resentment in
Charlotte county against the libs and their antics. They won’t get many
votes.
Robin Chase
Yikes, what a mess in
New Brunswick. I think that most people want the Liberals back in power,
but are just giving them a timeout in order for them to get their house
in order and be ready for a provincial election with a new leader. It
seems like Higgs won by default. People there didn't seem to want him
bad enough to give him very much power, and when they get the chance
they'll vote Liberal again. I think the next Liberal leader will be
premier. Anyway, that's my view from Toronto. Is it accurate?
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Robin Chase:
Isn’t vickers already anointed emperor?
Fred Brewer
Reply to @Robin Chase:
With respect, I think you are dead wrong when you say most people want
the Liberals back in power. The people I talk to have not forgotten
(nor will they forget) the $70 million of taxpayer's money lost by the
Atcon 6, nor will we forget the Francophonie Games debacle and Gallant's
poor memory of exactly when he "recused" himself from the Games. The
list goes on and on. But the conservatives are just as bad, only in
different ways in my opinion. What we desperately need in NB is a breath
of fresh air from either the Greens or the Alliance.
Norman Albert
Reply to @Fred Brewer: There are no good guys in government. Ying and Yang!!!!
Mike Connors
Reply to @Fred
Brewer: Higgs wants to waste MILLIONS because his groupies told him he
will win a majority. I see a pattern here, every time Blaine doesn't get
his own way, he threatens the electorate with an election. Bring it on.
Bring it on.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Mike Connors:
Why shouldn’t he? If s politician can’t deliver the government they
want, why should they stick around, so call an election and see if you
do have the support of the people.
That’s democracy.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Mike Connors: I concur
Johnny Horton Reply to @David Raymond Amos:
And we all know what Thst is worth... about what 80 supporters,
Fred Brewer
Reply to @Norman
Albert: With respect, I think that is a jaded view of politics
particularly since the Greens and Alliance have never been given a
chance to form government and thus we should not judge them until they
have been given that chance!
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
Without adding: how could they possibly be worse?
Terry Tibbs
Mr Higgs: no one believes you, go ahead call an election, let's see what you have.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Terry Tibbs: I second that emotion
Terry TibbsReply to @David Raymond Amos:
The BEST thing that could happen would be the government fragment
further. More Green and PNAB MLA's, fewer Liberals and CONServatives.
We've seen the shallow pool of talent the CONServatives have for MLA's,
and none would be missed, specifically good old Dominic Cardy.
A good, old fashioned, coalition government would work best for the people of NB, though most don't know it.
Mo Bennett hold yer nose and mark an X. doesn't matter witch one ya pick, they're all the same evil.
Ben Haroldson
Reply to @mo bennett: That's for sure.
Fred Brewer
Reply to @mo bennett:
I would agree that Red or Blue are the same evil but Purple and Green
have never had the chance to prove themselves. Since doing the same
thing over and over again for the past century has not worked, why not
give Purple or Green a chance?
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Fred Brewer:
Greens have been in for two terms here now. They havent shown thst they
do anything different. They still give themselves money and buy cotes
by only caring about their riding.
And panb despite the balance of power got nothing done.
Larry Larson
Reply to @Johnny Horton: Johnny, explain how you expect the Green Party with 3 seats to do anything.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Larry Larson:
I expect them to act differently, start by not voting themselves more
money. Follow thst uo by showing concern for ridings they aren’t in
office in.
That’s be s good start to show they really will do things differently, be said so fed, it’s the same ole.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @mo bennett:
YO MO Everybody knows that is true Methinks that is why so many
ordinary folks run as Independents N"esy Pas?
David
Raymond Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Fred
Brewer: As per your MO you and Mo were the first to post your
opinions.Methinks even you must find it strange that this comment
section did not open until the wee hours of Jan 2nd but say nothing
N'esy Pas?
Norman Albert Reply
to @mo bennett: If you can't vote with confidence for one vote for
none. Spoiled ballots send a message. You are a concerned citizen but
not so gulible as to put any of tghese self serving individuals into a
position of limited power.
St. Stephen woman wants to know why PC party quashed Saint Croix candidacy
Lorraine Gilmore Peters says she was 'stunned' after abrupt phone call saying she was rejected
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Jan 02, 2020 5:47 PM AT
Lorraine Gilmore Peters is not happy about 'insinuations' made by the
Progressive Conservative Party, which has not told her why her can't run
for the Saint Croix seat. (Facebook/Lorraine Gilmore Peters)
A St. Stephen business owner who was prevented from running for
the Progressive Conservative nomination in an upcoming byelection says
she hasn't been given a reason for the decision.
Lorraine
Gilmore Peters tells CBC News that her vetting process was going
"great" until a Dec. 20 phone call from the party's executive director
telling her that she could not run for the party in the upcoming Saint
Croix byelection.
"I was so stunned, I didn't even have a reply," she said.
The
personal trainer and wellness coach now says she believes the
controversy will hurt the PC party in the byelection, which could be
crucial to the survival of the Higgs government.
"This riding has been left without representation," she said. "The executive locally is falling apart.
"People
keep forgetting that this is not about [the party], this is about the
voters, this is about the constituents who deserve to have great
candidates put forward for them to vote for. They deserve to have
representation and they've had none of that."
PC
riding association president Vernon Card resigned from his position on
Monday. He said in an email that the disqualification was "concerning,"
but it was "the overall environment" created by the party head office
that led him to quit. He would not elaborate.
The Saint
Croix riding has been without a member in the legislature since the
death of Progressive Conservative Greg Thompson last September. The PCs
are set to nominate a candidate Jan. 18 for a byelection that Premier
Blaine Higgs says he will schedule in March.
Saint Croix was held for the PCs by Greg Thompson, minister
of intergovernmental affairs, until he died in September at the age of
72. (Submitted by Government of New Brunswick)
So far only one candidate, Kathy Bockus, has publicly announced her candidacy.
The race could be decisive for the PC minority government because of the close standings in the legislature.
The
PCs are being propped up by the People's Alliance during confidence
votes, but that adds up to a narrow 24-22 margin. If the Liberals won
Saint Croix and the Speaker of the legislature, a Liberal, resigned, the
Tories would have a hard time passing budgets and bills.
Higgs said in a year-end interview that in that circumstance, he'd call an early provincial election.
Vetting process
Gilmore
Peters went through a party process that included a criminal background
check, the signing up of 25 party members to support her, and what
party officials called a "social media scrub" to check for controversial
posts in her past.
No red flags were raised during any of those steps, she said, and she has never posted any offensive material.
"I've been in business a long time. So has my husband. We don't have any radical extreme views about anything."
As a newcomer to the party, she said, many of her 25 signatures were people who joined the PCs to support her.
The
final step was a panel interview with party officials on Dec. 19 that
seemed to go well, to the point that the Tories let her in on how they
plan to campaign against the People's Alliance candidate in the riding,
she said.
But the next day PC executive director Rick Lafrance
told her during "a very stern, authoritative, short call" by telephone
that she couldn't run.
'He needs to tell me or he needs to shut up'
Lafrance
said in an email statement earlier this week that the vetting process
is standard for all candidates. He didn't respond to a request for
further comment Thursday.
In an interview earlier this week, PC
regional vice-president Cleveland Allaby said Gilmore Peters "obviously
would know why" she was rejected.
But Gilmore Peters said she
was not told, and she criticized Allaby for identifying anti-gay or
anti-French social media posts as examples of the kind of material that
can disqualify a candidate.
"If he knows why I was disqualified,
then he needs to tell me or he needs to shut up before he gets himself
in trouble, because I'm not going to stand by and allow the insinuations
to continue," she said, adding she has counselled LGBTQ youth in a
personal development program she runs.
She
added that "odd things" have happened recently "that seem to point to
the fact that somebody doesn't want me to make it to that nominating
convention, but it's nothing that I can substantiate with fact."
Gilmore
Peters said she hadn't thought ahead to whom she'll support when the
byelection takes place or whether she'd consider running for another
party.
"I'm going to choose to see this as an opportunity to
help in some way, even if it's not necessarily myself at this point. I
am going to use this as a benefit to somebody."
But "PCNB's time has expired," she said. "They don't get to say anything now.
"Through
this process, I've realized that they don't meet my criteria. … They
absolutely have demonstrated that they're not for women's equality. The
lack of transparency and accountability is a major problem for me."
86 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Peters CBC
could be running profiles of the all the candidates...in the nominating
process too...in fact, isn't that what taxpayer's are paying them for?
Would be nice to know a little background of the ppl running and what
their views are/what they hope to accomplish if elected.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David Peters: Nobody cares except Higgy
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David
Raymond Amos: Methinks a certain Irving shill supporting Higgy obviously
has his knickers in quite a knot as well N'esy Pas?
Toby Tolly Reply to @David Peters:
that wouldnt be part of Jacques agenda
Johnny Horton Reply to @David Peters:
Why the F should anyone care of who wants to run if they are not The one picked. BY the party. Waste of bloody time and money,
Yeah let’s run articles on people who think they might like to run some day and represent some party, brilliant,
Bob McGaw She
went through the vetting process and was good to go. Next day she got a
phone call with the thumbs down. She asked why and they said they
WON'T tell her. They can but they won't. The riding president resigns
with not being comfortable with *** the party is conducting itself and
the only candidate left standing is a former employee of the late MLA
Greg Thompson and as of a couple of weeks ago, former employee of a
current MLA. They should just be honest and tell her why. She
subjected herself to scrutiny and they simply refuse to tell her. It's
like a teacher giving a test and failing you but not telling you the
answers you got wrong. Where do you go from there?
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Bob McGaw: Methinks many political pundits must recall the opinions generated by this article N'esy Pas?
Johnny Horton Reply to @Bob McGaw:
It’s A but hypocritical you blindly accept her story, and reject other
sides. Of course she is trying to make herself look good and an angel.
Lewis Taylor
Reply to @Johnny Horton:
If you know something then say it. if not stop trying to tarnish this person.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Lewis Taylor:
A good ‘net searcher will answer all your concerns.
Kyle Woodman
Reply to @Johnny Horton: stop gaslighting this woman.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @Kyle Woodman:
Just as soon as she confirms what she did in the past,
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: Dream on
Crystal
Cook
Bingo..at least one reader has figured it out..An MLA got involved (one with cloat) and that was it...
Johnny Horton Reply to @Crystal Cook:
Yet if she hadn’t gone off in social media in the last, they
wouldn’thsve had a reason to ditch her, not like her hands are ckean
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Crystal
Cook: Methinks it not rocket science figuring out what motivates lawyers
no matter their gender or political stripe N'esy Pas?
JJ Carrier
Reply to @Crystal Cook: Clout...
Roy Kirk:
A decision without articulated reasons based on facts speaks of incompetence at best.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Roy Kirk: Surely you jest
Justin
Time
Let
someone from the decision making process face Lorraine Gilmore Peters
in person and tell her why she was rejected. Anything else is less than
acceptable.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Justin
Time: Methinks the lady doth protest too much. She should just laugh and
run as Independent as I always do while often quoting Groucho Marx as
my reason for doing so As someone who picked a comical name for an ID I
am sure that you agree that one would go crazy if one could not find
some fun in this madness called politicking N'esy Pas?
"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member" Groucho Marx
Mike Connors
Lorraine, they did you a favour. Nuff said.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Mike Connors: Methinks Higgy and the media must agree that the fat lady has not sung on this issue yet N'esy Pas?
Fred Dee
me thinks she knows why!!! She is just angry... A good reason to NOT let her run!!
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Fred Dee:
Methinks whereas you emulate my expression you should also agree that
Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned N'esy Pas?
Robin Chase
If
Higgs calls a general election, he will probably lose. That's because
it seems like the people of New Brunswick have had enough elections for
now and just want someone to govern already. If he is forced to call an
election, that's one thing, but if he decides to do it because he wants a
majority that's something else. I think Lorraine Gilmore Peters is
probably too strong a woman for the Conservatives to handle, which is
probably the real reason she was rejected as a candidate. She might want
to join the Liberals or another party where she has a chance of winning
the riding regardless of the fact she's not a PC candidate anymore.
That's probably the only way the New Brunswick PC's will get the message
that women make good candidates too. Otherwise, it will just be
business as usual.
Richard Riel
Reply to @Robin Chase: Take the long road vote NDP for a change.It will keep corporate lobbyist a bay for a while.
Marguerite
Deschamps
Reply to @Richard Riel: ... just for a while... until they get comfortable in their seat.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Marguerite
Deschamps: Methinks even you must agree it would make for an interesting
circus if the NDP/CUPE enlisted Sharon Teare to run against whomever
Higgy finally picks N'esy Pas?
Reply to @Robin Chase: Lorraine is furocious. No quit in her.
Johnny Horton
Reply to @David Raymond Amos:
In Charlotte county rodlike tears would get eaten alive,
. Those country folk don’t tolerate union garbage.
Murray Brown
The
Irving's rejected her application.... After all... They are now running
the current government and the Conservative party. The odd part...
They've always been Liberal supporters, because they can rely on the
Liberals to raise taxes on everybody except the Irving's, so their
ability to infiltrate and take over the Conservative party is quite the
coup.
Ray Bungay
Reply to @Murray Brown: That is soooo out of fashion.
Clive Gibbons
Reply to @Murray Brown: Thé Irving's haven't lost an election since Louis Robichaud.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Clive Gibbons: Oh So True
Kyle Woodman Did
Greg Thompson ever get DTI to take over his private road? Isn't that
the only reason he ran the last time. The PC's should be more concerned
with Rod Cumberland than Lorraine Gilmore Peters. What a gong show. The
PC party has been divided ever since Higgs won the leadership. Lots of
loose cannons ready to go off.
Ray Bungay
Reply to @Kyle
Woodman: It appears some of those loose canons have already gone off.
Time for a new general election to clear the old boys bad air out! Grin
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: As I said to you several times Welcome to the Circus
Bob McGaw
Reply to @Kyle
Woodman: I know Lorraine and Rod both. Lorraine should have been given a
reason for decline but watch out. Rod Cumberland has an axe to grind,
he's well-known and respected by Charlotte County and area voters. This
is going to be real interesting.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Bob McGaw: Say Hey to Rod for me will ya?
DJ Redfern First thing to learn about politics.......It's a game and a dirty one at that........
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @DJ Redfern: Methinks that why the PCO exists N'esy Pas?
PC riding president resigns after party bars potential St. Croix candidate
Head office's unexplained decision upsets some PCs in a riding facing key byelection
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Dec 31, 2019 4:31 PM AT
Lorraine Gilmore Peters had planned to seek the nomination at the
convention scheduled for Jan. 18, until the Progressive Conservative
Party declared she couldn't run. (Facebook/Lorraine Gilmore Peters)
The president of the Progressive Conservative riding
association in St. Croix has resigned less than three weeks before party
members there are scheduled to pick a candidate for a key byelection.
Vern
Card quit on Monday, citing unspecified actions by the party's
Fredericton head office that "exceeded my personal and professional
comfort levels," according to an email obtained by CBC News.
His
resignation happened at the same time some members of the riding
executive have been complaining about the party head office rejecting a
potential byelection candidate.
Card
wrote in his email that in the last two weeks he experienced
"situations" that made him question "the positive characteristics" of
the party.
Party stopped candidacy
He said he didn't
anticipate the party's behaviour to change and "these environments makes
it impossible for me to continue" as riding president.
Lorraine
Gilmore Peters had planned to seek the nomination at the convention
scheduled for Jan. 18, but the party declared she couldn't run.
She
wrote in a public Facebook post last Friday that the Women For 50
initiative to recruit more female candidates "is suddenly taking on a
whole new meaning for me. We must not tolerate barriers that lack
credibility and prohibit women from entering politics."
Gilmore Peters couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday, and Card refused an interview request.
Cleveland
Allaby, the party's regional vice-president who chaired the search
committee for potential candidates, confirmed in an interview that some
members of the riding executive were upset they weren't given reasons
for the rejection of Gilmore Peters.
"We
don't share that with the riding association," he said. "If someone is
precluded, we respect their privacy rights. … That's a personal thing
between the party and the potential nominee."
Thwarted candidate knows reason
He said a majority of the riding association board in St. Croix accepted the decision and agreed to move on.
He said Gilmore Peters herself "obviously would know why."
But
in a public Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, Gilmore Peters asked, "if a
Person is not permitted by a political party to run in an open race,
but they meet the criteria, should they be told why?"
Premier
Blaine Higgs hasn't set a date for the St. Croix byelection. The riding
became vacant last September when PC MLA and cabinet minister Greg
Thompson died.
Last
question of 2019, please answer with yes or no; if a Person is not
permitted by a political party to run in an open race,but they meet the
criteria ,should they be told why? Or should a party be able to tell a
prospective candidate they are not permitted to run and they do not have
the right to know why?
It will be a critical test for Higgs's minority government. If
the Liberals win the byelection and another one in their stronghold of
Shediac Bay-Dieppe, the PCs and the People's Alliance will no longer
have the votes to pass legislation.
Allaby said he doesn't think the "kerfuffle," as he called it, will hurt PC chances in the byelection.
"It's
a tempest in a teapot in some regards," he said. "For other people,
it's a major issue. … I think the voters in St. Croix want us to get the
best local candidate we can get our hands on."
Only one
candidate for the PC nomination has announced publicly: Kathy Bockus, a
well-known former reporter for the St. Croix Courier newspaper who had
been working as a riding assistant to Thompson when he died.
The St. Croix seat was held for the PCs by Greg Thompson,
minister of intergovernmental affairs, until he died in September at the
age of 72. (Submitted by Government of New Brunswick)
Allaby said at least two other
potential candidates have filled out their paperwork and gone through
vetting and will make a final decision about declaring before Saturday's
deadline.
Provincial PC executive director Rick Lafrance said
in an emailed statement that every candidate goes through the same
process, including a lengthy application form and a face-to-face
interview with a vetting committee.
"The committee looks into a candidate's background, using social media and a variety of other methods," he said.
Allaby
said they check for any social media posts that are at odds with party
policy or that make negative comments about particular communities.
9 rejected provincewide
He
said examples include anti-LGBTQ or anti-French comments, though he
wouldn't say if that is what led to Gilmore Peters being disqualified.
He
called the process routine and said nine potential PC candidates were
rejected in the last provincial election in 2018. "It's not an unusual
thing for people to be declined," he said.
The Liberals haven't
set a date for their nomination convention in the riding. The People's
Alliance plans to nominate retired provincial biologist Rod Cumberland.
The Greens have not said when they will choose a candidate.
54 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David
Raymond Amos
Content disabled
Methinks Higgy must
be nursing quite a headache after trying to herd cats at the circus for
over a year while Cardy begs for more butter tarts N'esy Pas?
David
Raymond Amos "Allaby said he doesn't think the "kerfuffle," as he called it, will hurt PC chances in the byelection."
Yea Right
David
Davies
Reply to @David
Raymond Amos: it won't,, people already know what sort of rw club the
Cons. are. Here's hoping they go down big time and scrap this outdated
political party.
David
Raymond Amos Methinks
the lawyer/former wannabe PC leader Cleveland Allaby and his blogging
buddy Chucky Leblanc know why Rod Cumberland is not running for his
Green Meanie pals and that the PANB and the liberals are no doubt
enjoying the tempest in the teapot as much as I am N'esy Pas?
David
Raymond Amos Methinks
Vern Card must be clever enough to know if the PANB wins the St. Croix
seat then then the goose could be cooked for the liberal and the
conservative parties in New Brunswick. If not at least he was smart
enough to quit the conservative good old boys club when things started
smelling bad in his neck of the woods N'esy Pas?
John Smith
Reply to @David
Raymond Amos: overpowered by fredericton the very reason the on the
ground workers stayed home in many ridings and why the tories have lost
so much rural ground then add in their desire to claim jurisdiction over
ones body leaves them almost unpalatible
David
Raymond Amos Reply
to @john smith: Methinks it should be a small wonder to you why I
always run as an Independent Perhaps you and many others should try it
sometime N'esy Pas?
Crystal
Cook Smells
of interference by someone in power. Just like my story, secret
meetings to destroy me and my credibility. Bet the Same person got her
nose stuck in this ! The truth will come out !
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Crystal
Cook: Methinks you and Higgy may understand why the motto of my Clan is
"Veritas Vincit" just like it was for my Forefathers N'esy Pas?
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Crystal Cook: Methinks you should review the comments last month N'esy Pas?
Reply to @Crystal Cook: BTW I liked talking to your hubby
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Crystal
Cook: Methinks he now understands my hint about butter tarts while Higgy
and Cardy are busy herding cats N'esy Pas?
David Stairs just
another prime example as to why we need to rid the province of party
politics and vote in a party that represents the people that voted these
candidates in ….enough of the good ole boys club and the language
elitists who think it is up to government to save their culture and
language...get over yourselves and wake up...
Howard
Smith
Reply to @David Stairs:
How would you do that?
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Howard
Smith: Methinks he makes it fairly obvious that he is tired of the good
ole boys club believes that folks should only vote for the PANB However I
favour Independents for even more obvious reasons N'esy Pas?
Grant V Bablit In
Alberta where the neo-con mafia is so busy doling out favors that they
can't even come up with a logo for their clubhouse. I am suggesting that
the homeless people living in the woods all around the city should set
up their camps on the legislature and we could have a people's
democratic assembly on the outside in the gardens. While corporate reps
do their over paid squabbling and bickering inside the palace.
Howard Smith
Reply to @Grant V Bablitz:
"the neo-con mafia" using phrases like this gets your opinion dismissed off the bat.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Howard Smith: Obviously not
Edward
St-pierre I
am surprised more people are not talking about the people's party of
Canada like they be. Because the Liberals, Conservatives and the NDP are
now all parties that have no future vision for the country and it's
people. It seems like the parties only care about the party they belong
to. I don't hear about what's good for us the people of Canada. But I do
hear a lot more about the minority groups taking the spot lite .is that
where we are going, small groups only out for themselves.an I'm tired
of people saying but they are this and they are that. I will never vote
for someone because of what they are.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Edward
St-pierre: Methinks you must be bitter about something to keep talking
about the lawyer Maxime whats his name and his strange club of good old
boys N'esy Pas?
Maxim Waddington Pity, but the cons in New Brunswick resemble a bunch of CLOWNS.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Maxim Waddington: Welcome to the Circus
David
Davies Another
Con job.why are we not surprised by this. It seems that this entire RW
organization is out of tune with reality. These Cons. are no longer a
political party for the people.They are no more than another arm of that
orange unit in the u.s.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David
Davies: Trust that Trump thinks New Brunswick is a town in New Jersey
Methinks many left wingnuts in Canada would agree that the orange Yankee
has no clue who Higgy is N'esy Pas?
David Peters
People's Alliance has the best platform by far, imo.
Marguerite Deschamps
Reply to @David Peters: and they are the worst, imp. So?
David Peters
Reply to @Marguerite Deschamps:
From your past posts, you seem to support ending corporate welfare and
the destructive forestry practices clear-cutting and spraying. Those
are PA cornerstones.
Why do you say they're the worst?
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Marguerite
Deschamps: Sow buttons or better yet methinks you should ask CBC to
repeat your local hero Marshall Button aka Lucien's recap of politics in
NB in 2019 N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell
Appears Liberal / SANB doesn't have the same vetting process.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Lou Bell: Yes they do
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Lou Bell:
Methinks you should ask your buddy Bruce Northrup why McKenna caused him
to be a turncoat and get elected as a PC N'esy Pas?
Grant Lyon
What happened to the
grass roots of the party deciding whom they want and not the party
elite? Democracy is taking a hit these days.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Grant Lyon: Democracy is a myth
Mac Isaac
There
are skeletons in most everybody's cupboard and with the pervasiveness
of social media a tiny little slip can, and most likely will, be
exploded and embellished into a massive scandal. I don't know this woman
and I don't vote in this riding so it doesn't really affect me other
than as a fellow human being. As a fellow human being I think it's only
fair that the woman be told candidly and in person why she's not
acceptable. Maybe there's some remediation she can do to make herself
acceptable...maybe not, but she should be given the reason or reasons.
Peter Adamson
Reply to @Mac Isaac: I agree and maybe she was told and she is just denying it to avoid explaining to the media.
Mac Isaac
Reply to @peter
Adamson: It's possible what you suggest but I'm one of those who detests
"maybes" and/or "what ifs". They're most often wrong.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @peter Adamson: Methinks the lady doth protest too much N'esy Pas?
Peter Adamson
Not my party. Not my
decision. All parties aim to maximize their chance to win. They must
believe that she is not a viable asset for some reason. To make the
reason public might be unfair to her. It would seem reasonable to tell
her though.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @peter Adamson: I concur
Kyle Woodman
Bunch of jokers.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Kyle Woodman: As I said Welcome to the Circus
Justin Time Could
it be because of one of her twitter posts where she was disappointed
because she attended a Celine Dion concert only to find out it was all
sung in French only, which she was not aware of beforehand. Are the PC's
that sensitive?? It won't win them any votes in Charlotte county.
Marguerite Deschamps
Reply to @Justin Time: Tell me it ain't so!
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Marguerite Deschamps: Surely you jest
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Methinks I will Tweet that one for obvious reasons N'esy Pas?
Jim Cyr This
is how the media wins elections for the Libs. The party jettisoned the
best candidate. Why?? Guaranteed that this was in response to something
she said or did in the past......the CPC was terrified of how the media
would “spin” it if they found out. (The media is always looking to take
out non-leftists, while they downplay the sins of people like
Blackface Justin). But Trump has showed that you don’t have to cower in
fear of what the media will try to do to you.....you can attack the
media and destroy THEM before they destroy YOU. Remember, you don’t
have to cower in fear of the biased media! The best defense is a good
offense.
Jim Johnston
Reply to @Jim Cyr: How do you know she was the best candidate? Because you said so?
David Peters
Reply to @Jim Johnston:
How would we know? The media could be running profiles on the candidates, but they don't, for the most part.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @David Peters: What have you ever read of me in the media during 7 elections?
JJ Carrier Unless there is going to be a parachute....
David Raymond Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @JJ Carrier: I doubt you would get through the vetting process
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Oh My My
Matt Steele Maybe
the prov. PCs are taking a look at what happened in Saint John recently
during the federal election , and have learned a lesson about candidate
selection . For whatever reason , it was decided that Rodney Weston
would be the Federal CPC candidate after Weston had already been
defeated previously in both prov. and federal elections . As an end
result , a Saint John riding that should have easily been won by the CPC
was won by Liberal candidate Wayne Long instead . Weston really had no
chance of winning after being defeated in two previous elections , but
the CPC decided to back a losing candidate anyway , and ended up losing
the riding . Maybe the prov. PCs want to avoid the same mistake in a
very important byelection
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Matt Steele: Methinks many would agree that you give them more credit than they are due N'esy Pas?
JJ Carrier
Reply to @Matt
Steele: My sources tell me they might be trying to get a big former PC
to run...And load him up for the new cabinet...
Kathy Bockus was acclaimed on Saturday as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the upcoming byelection in St. Croix.
The riding is one of a pair of vacant seats in the legislature awaiting yet-to-be-scheduled byelections.
At
the PC nomination convention in St. Stephen on Saturday, Premier Blaine
Higgs stressed just how important these two races are to the future of
his government.
“This is a critical by-election,” Higgs said.
“This is whether we continue or whether we don’t. So if anybody has any
confusion about the sincerity, severity, the reality of what’s needed
here — we need to win here.”
The other free seat is in the Liberal stronghold of Shediac Bay-Dieppe, making St. Croix all the more important.
Should the PCs fail to secure at least one of the two seats, they
would no longer hold the most seats in the Legislature, which would make
it extremely difficult to pass confidence motions like budgets.
On
Friday, Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers told Global News that he would not
look to immediately bring down the government should the Liberals sweep
both byelections, comments that Higgs is taking with a grain of salt.
“Well, that would only be because the legislature isn’t sitting,” he said.
“We
have seen opportunities this past year where we could work together on
files, even files where they had the same position before as we do now. …
I appreciate the words but I’ve never seen it in action.”
Higgs is hoping Bockus will give the party a good shot to hang
on to the riding, previously held by former federal cabinet minister
Greg Thompson up until his death last summer. Bockus is a former
journalist who served as Thompson’s assistant after he won St. Croix in
2018.
She says her experience makes her uniquely qualified to represent the area.
“I’ve
been here for so many years, I know the issues, I know the people, I
know the area, and Greg trusted me to work for him. Before that, I was
an advocate for this area,” she said.
Bockus now joins Rod Cumberland as the second candidate to be
confirmed for St. Croix.
Cumberland is running for the People’s
Alliance, a decision he says is based on the party’s opposition to
glyphosate spraying and their commitment to free votes. Cumberland
alleges that his position on glyphosate spraying got him fired from the
Maritime College of Forest Technology.
Former New Brunswick
Southwest MP Karen Ludwig says she will be looking to win the Liberal
nomination for the riding. She said concerns over recent reports that
the medical testing lab in the St. Stephen hospital could be shuttered
as the province looks at centralizing laboratory services pushed her to
run.
Higgs said Ludwig’s comments are an attempt to use fear-mongering to
gain support and said the St. Stephen lab will not be closed.
Karen Ludwig represented New Brunswick
Southwest in the House of Commons for four years but lost her seat last
fall to Conservative John Williamson.
Global News
The New Brunswick Liberal Party is once again looking for a candidate to carry their banner in the pending St. Croix byelection.
Late
on Thursday, Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers released a statement saying
that he had been informed by Karen Ludwig, the Liberal candidate for the
seat, that she would be stepping down.
Ludwig will instead be accepting a position with Yorkville University in Fredericton.
“While
we are disappointed to be losing Karen as our candidate, we understand
that this decision was not an easy one and was borne of Karen’s passion
as an educator,” said Vickers in a statement.
Ludwig served as the MP for New Brunswick Southwest for four years until she was defeated in the 2019 federal election.
The St. Croix byelection was scheduled to be held this spring but has been put on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is hard to ask someone to put their life on hold indefinitely
and so Karen’s decision to accept this exciting career opportunity is
understandable,” said Vickers.
Vickers said the party will begin the process to select another
candidate to represent the party and urged Premier Blaine Higgs to call
the St. Croix byelection, as well as the byelection for Shediac
Bay-Dieppe, before the fall sitting while taking into account the advice
from New Brunswick health officials.
“St. Croix has been too long without representation in the legislative assembly,” Vickers said.
The two vacant seats are critical to the survival of Higgs’ Conservative government.
Should the PCs fail to secure at least one of the two seats, they
would no longer hold the most seats in the legislature, which would make
it extremely difficult to pass confidence motions like budgets. With files from Silas Brown
Canadian Taxpayers Federation director John Williamson holds news conference in Ottawa on May 2, 2005. TOM HANSON/The Canadian Press
Jennifer Ditchburn
Ottawa Globe and Mail
A
departing Conservative MP used publicly funded House of Commons
resources to back his political successor - a candidate who once headed
the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and was a senior aide to the Prime
Minister.
"As we prepare for the
next federal election, the following few months are extremely important.
The prime minister wants the party to present the best slate of
candidates possible in all 308 ridings," MP Greg Thompson wrote on
Commons letterhead of the contest to replace him in New Brunswick
Southwest.
"I also believe it is
important that you know exactly why I'm supporting John Williamson as
our next Conservative candidate and MP."
The
letter, sent using parliamentary mailing privileges, is one of a list
of grievances cited by local Tories over how the nomination contest
unfolded in one of Canada's largest ridings.
Mr.
Williamson, who resigned as Stephen Harper's director of communications
to run, won handily on nomination voting day Oct. 23, with nearly 60
per cent of the ballots.
"It
certainly doesn't give people confidence that they're part of a
democratic process," said Lloyd Wilson, one of the unsuccessful
candidates.
"He's entitled to an
opinion as anyone else is, but as a sitting member of Parliament I think
there's an expectation that you provide a separation from your opinions
and the party, or are you speaking on behalf of the party when you say
those things?"
Commons bylaws state
that parliamentary resources should not be used for electoral
campaigning. Mr. Thompson, former Veterans Affairs minister, said he
believed his letter fell within the rules and that party members are
ultimately constituents.
"The other
thing that I pointed out to those who did complain, if you will, that if
they do have a concern with that, make sure that they pass that concern
on to the Speaker of the House because I clearly was within the rules
of engagement," Mr. Thompson said in an interview.
Several
party members who spoke to The Canadian Press said they were frustrated
with the Conservative party's response to their concerns about the race
leading up to that date.
"The
membership was hurt, it was the membership that wasn't given its due
consideration, and no matter what happens, Mr. Williamson certainly has
some healing to do in the riding," said Scott Sparks, another
unsuccessful contender.
One of the
main complaints brought up by members is the fact no polling stations
were located in the northern corners of the riding, which spans 10,000
square kilometres. Some voters faced a three-hour drive to vote, and the
main polling station's location favoured southern-based candidates such
as Mr. Williamson.
Riding
association president Fraser Ingraham, a dairy farmer, acknowledges
local executives missed a deadline for applying for those satellite
stations, but he said the party could have set them up if they wanted.
"I
think the party should take a look at that and work closely with the
riding associations because we're the people on the ground and we're all
volunteers - we do this because we believe in the party," said Mr.
Ingraham, of Dumfries, N.B.
"Most of
the people who make these decisions grow up in cities and don't know
what really happens in rural parts of the country or New Brunswick."
Mr.
Williamson says he too felt some frustration with the process, having
backed the local executive's call for another polling station on Deer
Island, only to have it rejected by Ottawa. But he says such decisions
are par for the course.
"It
was frustrating, but I think that's the name of the game in nomination
contests, that all the candidates are thrown various curve balls and you
win some, you lose some," Mr. Williamson said.
Another
frustration that came up repeatedly was the fact there was no real
convention held on voting day, despite the rental of a large high-school
gym. The four candidates were not permitted to address members, making
the station even less of a draw for Tories who lived further away.
"In
Atlantic Canada, we've never heard tell of having a nomination and
candidates not having a chance to talk to the membership," Mr. Ingraham
said.
Conservative Party spokesman
Fred Delorey said a series of town hall meetings with candidates in the
lead-up to voting day were designed to connect members with the
contenders. He said the preferential ballot system used by the party
precludes conventions, although people in the province might not be used
to it.
"We're doing this across the country, this type of setup," Mr. Delorey said.
Mr. Delorey also said it was up to the riding association board to ask for the northern polling stations in a timely fashion.
"They
recommended, and we approved it, and then we moved forward from that.
They had their opportunity to set the locations and we accepted it," he
said.
On the subject of Mr.
Thompson's use of his parliamentary resources, Mr. Delorey had no
comment. Mr. Williamson, who was the former national director of the
Canadian Taxpayers Federation, would only say he was honoured to have
Thompson's endorsement.
"I was
appreciative of his support and I know that other candidates wanted it,
they were climbing all over themselves for it, but ultimately Greg did
what Greg thought was best," Mr. Williamson said.
Mr. Thompson said Williamson worked hard for his victory. But he acknowledges his influence, after winning the riding six times.
"People
do respect what I say and do, so in terms of an impact on the outcome,
sure it would be, but I don't think it was a determining factor," the
outgoing MP said.
Complaints about
the Conservative party's nomination policies and procedures have
surfaced in other parts of the country this year.
Local
executives in Ontario's Simcoe-Grey riding complained to the party
after they felt a candidate was parachuted in to replace ousted Tory MP
Helena Guergis, who was later exonerated of any alleged criminal
activity.
Last week, former Manitoba
MP Inky Mark suggested the party's race to replace him in Dauphin-Swan
River-Marquette was run undemocratically. The local executive there
appealed to the party on how the nomination unfolded, but was overruled.
And
earlier this year, more than half the Conservative board in Calgary
West quit after their efforts to have a nomination race to challenge
sitting MP Rob Anders were quashed.
/arc-anglerfish-tgam-prod-tgam.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AWRFKKETINA2FF66P2PZBUCLC4)
Canadian Taxpayers Federation director John Williamson holds news conference in Ottawa on May 2, 2005. TOM HANSON/The Canadian Press
ive gone a few times either by bike or car....mehh not much there.....