'Trying our best': Dalhousie's mayor says work to improve, grow town continues
Newly elected councillor will be sworn in to role in January
Normand Pelletier says while it's not easy being an elected official, the mayor of Dalhousie is proud of the work he and his fellow town councillors are doing and plan to continue efforts to revitalize the town in 2019.
"We're trying to improve things to the best of our abilities," Pelletier said in a year-end interview. "We're not there with a negative approach, we're there with a positive approach."
That includes working on improvements to make the town more attractive for people looking to settle there, start a new business and to increase tourism.
"We did a lot of work in the municipality, cleaning up," he said. "It's too bad that we still had to demolish quite a few homes in our town that [were] abandoned once the mills and all those big industries had closed in our hometown. But slowly but surely we're cleaning up our town to make it more attractive."
Dalhousie lost the Abitibi-Bowater paper mill and chemical plant in 2008 and the loss of the NB Power generating station in 2011. As a result, the town saw tradesmen who used to work in those industries begin to leave.
The town had been experiencing population decline, and it continued in the years after the closures. According to the 2016 census, the population dropped to 3,126 — an 11 per cent decrease from the 2011 census. Two thirds of the population, according to Statistics Canada, is 50 years and over.
Free land to attract business
Pelletier said they've had a few takers on the free land offer the town started to give away two years ago as a way to attract new business and encourage population growth. He added he's keeping his fingers crossed a new business will set up operations in one location in the new year.
"We had a storage unit set up shop on one piece of land. We still have one facility that we tried to get the transfer station to move to Dalhousie, but we have another company that's interested in setting up shop," he said.
Pelletier said other businesses interested in some of the other available properties have approached the town.
"We can't say too much but we're being optimistic and we're going to promote our town as best as we possibly can."
Upgrades and new look
Work will continue on a mini-turbine to convert excess water from the town's water supply into power that the town will sell.
"It will generate a little bit of revenue," the mayor said.
Work to make provincially and federally mandated changes to the water treatment plant are also in the works for the next year.
The town is even giving its website a new updated look. "The old one was a little hard to navigate so this one will be more user friendly."
Pelletier said while it's a slow process to get things done, council is doing their best to help the town move forward.
Even with some council infighting and the ousting of former councillor Mickey Maloney, Pelletier said the remaining councillors continue to work for the residents of the town. A new councillor elected in early December, Leigh Walsh will be sworn in in January.
Work together
"We're all trying to do our best," Pelletier said of his neighbouring communities. "Northern New Brunswick has been hit hard over the years and we all have to work together to promote our area."
Pelletier suggesed the mayors on the Restigouche Regional Service Commission should meet with Premier Blaine Higgs about the needs of the region.
"Financial help is good but we need companies, industries to set up shop in northern New Brunswick, not only in the southern part."