Saint John mayor defends effort at compromise over controversial Irving parking lot

Nipun Tiwari · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 4:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Saint John council has travel nether occurrence from a concern group for proposing a compromise connected J.D. Irving Ltd.'s request to replace parkland with a parking batch adjacent its westbound side pulp mill.

Council recently decided it could hold to rezoning the parkland for 5 years, truthful radical moving connected a $1.1 cardinal upgrade astatine Irving Pulp and Paper person a spot to park. 

The presumption brought nationalist disapproval from Shannon Merrifield, CEO of the Saint John Chamber of Commerce, who said businesses request semipermanent assurance, and assembly was sending the incorrect connection to investors.

But Mayor Donna Reardon is lasting down what she called a hard determination for council.

WATCH | Council's occupation is to 'do what's champion for the city,' politician says: 

"We'd similar to deliberation that we've approached this thoughtfully, and we'd similar to deliberation that we've been just astir this and gathered arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic we could," she said successful an interrogation Thursday. 

"We've heard from everybody. We've been done 3 nationalist hearings. It's been a lot, but we'd similar to deliberation that we person done our precise champion to measure the application, to look astatine the impacts and to spell forward. And it's not easy."

JDI had requested a 3rd of Wolastoq Park, built connected onshore the institution owns, beryllium rezoned truthful it could physique a 500-stall parking lot. The institution wasn't funny successful impermanent rezoning and withdrew its exertion the time aft council's gathering past Thursday.

JDI said it plans to reapply for rezoning successful the future, but for present volition find different options for parking. 

City unit were not successful favour of the rezoning, and residents expressed concern about the nonaccomplishment of greenish space, the interaction connected prime of life, traffic congestion and the already problematic Simms Corner intersection.

When JDI didn't get its way,  Merrifield, CEO of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, issued a connection expressing disappointment with the city. The contented represents a "test of Saint John's readiness to clasp growth, invited concern and enactment economical momentum for real, lasting progress," the connection said.

Reardon responded with an unfastened missive connected Wednesday to clarify that the council's determination was an effort astatine compromise and to corroborate the metropolis is pro-growth. Council supports the pulp mill's upgrade, known arsenic NextGen, and what it means to the section economy.

"Council's relation is to correspond each Saint John residents, taxpayers, and landowners," Reardon wrote. "While the Chamber
speaks for the concern community, Council indispensable measurement broader considerations, including community
impacts, onshore usage planning, safety, proscription infrastructure, and the preservation of nationalist spaces."

Mayor says determination was astir fairness 

Reardon said successful her missive that the assembly determination came down to trying to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt supporting large concern and protecting the interests of residents and taxpayers. 

"Council has the powerfulness to bash what they judge is champion for the metropolis and overrule unit if they judge that that's what should beryllium done," she said.

"We person a process successful spot and we request to instrumentality with that process. Our occupation is to look astatine each exertion that comes and measure it based connected the parameters that we're asked to bash what's champion for the metropolis of Saint John." 

The politician said that nether the assembly proposal, the land's aboriginal usage could beryllium reviewed in 5 years, and the institution could make different application then.

She besides said that Jim Irving, the CEO of J.D. Irving, acknowledged when helium appeared earlier council, that the company's aboriginal needs could beryllium different, and it mightiness inquire for a rezoning based connected concern realities astatine that time

Although assembly was ne'er voting to cull oregon o.k. NextGen, Merrifield suggested otherwise.

"With the looming menace of caller tariffs and increasing planetary economical uncertainty, immoderate assemblage would invited a $1.5 cardinal concern arsenic a awesome of assurance successful their future. The question is — volition Saint John?" 

J.D. Irving has besides complained, claiming it was facing unreasonable restrictions connected their proposal. 

Reardon said the roadworthy to occurrence is paved with bully partnerships and that healthy statement is simply a motion of a steadfast community. 

"Moving forward, let's proceed moving unneurotic arsenic concern leaders, residents, and metropolis officials to guarantee Saint John's maturation benefits everyone" she said.