Saint John resident doubts fairness of city's approach to Irving plan for parking lot

Nipun Tiwari · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 8:40 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

After an industry proposal to crook portion of Saint John's Wolastoq Park into a parking batch deed 2 ballot delays astatine Saint John city council, a nonmigratory is questioning the fairness of the process. 

Irving Pulp and Paper is asking the metropolis for a rezoning to person 30 per cent of the westbound broadside parkland into about 500-parking spaces for the workers needed for a $1.1-billion upgrade project.

Both residents and metropolis unit members person pushed backmost against the connection due to the fact that concerns astir postulation and a diminished prime of life.

On Feb 24, councillors delayed a determination connected the plan, saying they privation to spot metropolis unit and the company, portion of J.D. Irving Ltd., travel to an statement connected the "community benefit" earlier a vote. 

• Saint John pulp mill and metropolis unit successful struggle implicit 550-spot parking batch connected parkland
• Pulp mill parking batch connection referred to Saint John advisory committee pursuing opposition

Resident Sara Stashick sent a missive to assembly which was included successful Monday night's agenda, saying that adding a community-benefit offering to the connection would alteration Irving's application, and if it is modified substantially the nationalist should get to measurement successful again. 

Stashick said adding presently chartless "community benefits" to the agreement should marque it a caller application, and the process — oregon "some mentation of it" — beryllium restarted.

"Even if it means that radical who were successful absorption to the archetypal connection privation to talk again and accidental that they're opposed to immoderate the caller connection is oregon possibly a clump of america would beryllium supportive of it," she said.

"We person nary thought what JDI volition offer. How tin we perchance authorities for the grounds whether we're for oregon against a happening that we don't person immoderate accusation on?"

The nationalist proceeding connected the connection was dispersed implicit 2 meetings opening connected Feb 10 featuring speakers predominantly opposing the plan. The proceeding was chopped abbreviated due to the fact that the contented didn't get resolved earlier the meeting's scheduled end. 

It continued with supporters of the project, including Irving representatives, speaking connected Feb 24, erstwhile the 2nd hold occurred.

Stashick said the suspension of the gathering for deficiency of time offered institution representatives an unfair advantage. 

"They had the accidental to customize their remaining presumption based connected the absorption that was expressed successful the archetypal meeting," she said.

"Which is simply a astute strategy but possibly not the astir just fixed that the absorption wouldn't person the accidental to refute their claims." 

Reducing nationalist proceeding talker times

Coun. Barry Ogden besides has concerns astir fairness of the nationalist proceeding process and wants to springiness much radical the accidental to speak. He would bash this by reducing the clip allowed for idiosyncratic speakers.

Currently, speakers are allowed 10 minutes, but Ogden submitted a proposal Monday nighttime that would lower the bounds to 5 minutes.

Ogden said assemblage members approached him aft recent, lengthy meetings, including the Wolastoq Park session, and told him they weren't fixed the accidental to speak. 

"Some radical told maine they were enactment disconnected a spot that the country was truthful ful,l and determination were radical speaking for 10 minutes, saying the aforesaid happening that the erstwhile idiosyncratic said," helium said. "Some radical didn't get a accidental to talk astatine all.

"Then of people we had different session. But past immoderate had to enactment that night. I ne'er thought astir it from that constituent of view."

Ogden said reducing speaking clip could let for a wider scope of perspectives.

While Ogden was spurred by the caller delays with Irving's Wolastoq Park proposal, helium noted determination person been aggregate zoning applications that attracted a high nonmigratory effect successful caller months, resulting successful meetings lasting several hours. 

• Pulp mill's parking-lot program a root of interest successful leadup to Saint John assembly vote 

This year, 3 retired of 5 assembly meetings truthful acold person run between 3½ to 5 hours due to the fact that of nationalist hearings. Only the Irving parking batch connection has resulted successful a gathering suspension and a hold successful the assembly vote.

Stashick was chill to Ogden's idea. Ten minutes is simply a abbreviated clip to talk arsenic it is, she said and a proceeding suspension, arsenic happened with Wolastoq Park, a uncommon occurrence.

"I don't deliberation that limiting speech, particularly nationalist input, is needfully an due solution for that," she said. 

Stashick's missive was received and filed with the city. 

Ogden's submission asks unit for a proposal astir a procedural bylaw change.