Saint John council set for final vote on Spruce Lake Industrial Park future

CTV News

5 days ago

After passing the first and second readings of a proposed industrial park expansion on the city's western outskirts, Saint John City Council will have its third and final vote on the plan Monday night.
In mid-June, councillors unanimously passed the first two readings that would see 1,500 acres of land in the community of Lorneville rezoned for heavy industry.
The proposed expansion has been a highly debated topic since Lorneville residents were first given a letter about the plans in July 2024. The idea has been met with heavy resistance from much of the community.
'It's been, first and foremost, on our minds for over a year,' says Lorneville resident Chris Watson. 'The industrial park was basically thrust upon us out of the blue.'
City staff held several meetings with the community, but Lorneville residents who attended those meetings have previously said they did not feel heard and the meetings felt more like a formality.
Major concerns include the idea of heavy industry located in close proximity to people's properties, and the destruction of provincially significant wetlands.
Watson also recently discovered a red spruce tree in an area of the forest under threat that is believed to be more than 400 years old, making it one of the oldest trees in all of New Brunswick.
Acadian Forest Dendrochronology Lab lead at Mount Allison University Ben Phillips said the forest is the third-oldest age forest in the province based on the 20 oldest trees in the area.
'We're resoundingly against this,' Watson says. 'We will continue to fight and stand up for our community, and we're not we're not backing down.'
The community still has many questions they say council has not yet answered regarding the proposed park expansion. The 71 total questions include what the business plan is, what will happen to the area's clean drinking water, and what is the plan for compensating any wetlands destroyed by the project.
In late June, the Caribou Club – a land-based treaty education and recreation facility located about a half hour outside Fredericton – walked through the old growth forest. An invitation for the walk was extended to the mayor and members of city council but a letter directed to members of council states no one attended.
The letter goes on to say the land is already developed with an old growth forest, and urged council to rethink the expansion idea on the property.
'You have considered the economic value but not the cultural or spiritual value of this forest,' the letter reads. 'Decisions about land use cannot be made in isolation; they must be based in a shared understand of the historical and contemporary significance of the land to all of us.'
Watson says the land up for expansion is Crown land, and indigenous partners should be consulted as much as anyone.
When asked about her decision to not attend the walk led by the indigenous group, Mayor Donna Reardon told CTV News Atlantic she had toured the forest ahead of the public hearings beginning in May.
When asked for comment ahead of the final vote, the mayor said the 'appropriate approach would be to all the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) to be completed and formulate any required plans once there is a definitive report available.'
Lorneville residents are hopeful the EIA will back their argument and save the old growth forest. Watson says residents have asked to speak with both the province's Environment Department and Natural Resources Minister John Herron on the file but have not heard back.
There is no clear timeline for when the EIA will be completed.
Lorneville
A wetland in Lorneville, N.B., is pictured. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic)
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