Year in review: Multiplex, care homes, and infrastructure

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Editor’s Note: The following is Part 1 of a two-part series looking back on the stories that made headlines on Page A1 of the Miramichi Leader this year.

January

The Miramichi region’s three MLAs said they had more questions than answers about the changes proposed to the area’s provincial ridings by the Electoral Boundaries and Representation Commission.

Miramichi city council agreed to provide a letter of support for local physician Dr. Gerard Losier’s efforts to open Percy’s Place, a new state-of-the-art hospice on Water Street. The eight-bed facility got up and running in October.

After a short-lived trial run in 2022, the Miramichi Community Wellness and Recreation Department opened an outdoor skating trail near the French Fort Cove nature park.

Newly elected councils in Doaktown and the Miramichi River Valley rural community expressed concerns about the rollout of a deal requiring the City of Miramichi to provide regional economic development and tourism promotion services on behalf of the Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission.

Former Miramichi Fire Department chief Tony Lloyd announced his retirement after more than four decades in the local fire service.

A combined 60 Miramichi-area residents were presented with Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medals by Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy and MLAs Michelle Conroy, Réjean Savoie, and Mike Dawson.

The provincial Department of Social Development revoked operating licenses for the Villa Neguac and Foyer St. Bernard special care homes in Neguac following concerns about neglect and unpaid bills on the owner’s part. Villa Neguac was later sold to a new owner, and Foyer St. Bernard closed its doors.

February

Naomi Wallace, who graduated from James M. Hill Memorial High School in June, launched The Bridge Project as a school assignment that turned into an ongoing outreach effort for local newcomers.

City council authorized $85,000 in emergency spending on repairs to storm damage at the Golden Hawk Recreation Centre caused by heavy wind before Christmas 2022.

Caraquet sculptor Jean-Pascal Brideau built a 16-foot purple elephant outside Neguac’s visitor information centre after being inspired by a song released in 2022 by singer-songwriter Marc LeBlanc.

Three Miramichi housing projects totalling 49 units received an infusion of cash from the provincial and federal governments.

Former politician John McKay called on the city to explore options for repurposing the old Morrissy Bridge as a link for off-road vehicles and snowmobiles to cross the Miramichi River.

Miramichi-Grand Lake MP Jake Stewart and New Brunswick Senator David Adams Richards pushed back against the federal government’s proposed legislation aimed at policing online streaming giants.

Stewart presented five people from across his federal riding with Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medals at a ceremony in Doaktown.

Miramichi council voted to adopt a compressed work week for non-unionized municipal staff on a six-month trial basis, which was later extended.

March

Dawson spoke out after a GPS mistakenly sent Ambulance New Brunswick to the Renous River No. 2 Bridge in Pineville, which was closed for upgrades until later in the year.

City officials told council about the potential impacts of the pending Centennial Bridge closure on traffic across northern New Brunswick. The closure scheduled to begin in May was delayed until 2024.

City council approved a new lease with the Miramichi Curling Club that was expected to keep the club as the French Fort Cove Eco-Centre’s anchor tenant for the foreseeable future.

Horizon Health Network touted an increase in patients getting MRI appointments at the Miramichi Regional Hospital since 2021 thanks to “process improvement projects to optimize MRI services.”

The Anglophone North School District education council raised questions about the hiring process for a new superintendent. Acting superintendent Dean Mutch eventually landed the role on a full-time basis.

After two years of discussion and a year of legal limbo, the city bought part of the former Harkins school property in Newcastle.

April

Comedian James Mullinger and the cast of Brit Out of Water celebrated the premiere of the sitcom filmed in Miramichi in 2022.

The Upper Miramichi rural community’s auditor lauded council and staff’s management of taxpayers’ money after the municipality finished 2022 with a $2.75-million surplus.

Upper Miramichi council turned down a proposed municipal compost program, citing concerns about its cost and limited potential uptake from residents.

The city, province, and feds announced a combined $67 million for the city’s long-awaited multiplex after Dawson launched an association to protect several arenas in his riding due to fears that the multiplex would lead to their closure.

May

The Miramichi Eye NB Centre of Excellence, opened by local ophthalmologist Nir Shoham-Hazon, celebrated its grand opening.

Members of the union representing Miramichi’s career firefighters say they hope the city’s latest staffing study will bring “transparency” and address concerns the union has been raising for several years.

Barry MacKenzie, a monarchist from Miramichi, recalled the time his late father received a handwritten greeting from King Charles III for his 60th birthday after informing the future monarch they were born just hours apart.

Students at Miramichi Valley High School organized a prom event for local Special Olympics athletes.

City council passed a resolution calling for the revival and construction of the long-abandoned northern bypass project.

June

The city purchased the former UPM-Kymmene groundwood mill site in Nelson from Provincial Holdings for $200,000.

Planning began to promote the city as the place to be in New Brunswick when a total solar eclipse passes over the province on April 8, 2024.

The RSC board of directors approved a new regional housing action plan.

The provincial government gave Doaktown a one-time grant to balance its budget after receiving pushback from residents for raising taxes by too much, too quickly in newly annexed areas.

Melanie Ross, a renowned musician and educator who hails from Miramichi, received an honorary degree from St. Thomas University in Fredericton.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation’s 2022 State of Wild Atlantic Salmon report suggested the species was trending in the right direction in New Brunswick and across the continent.

A concerned citizen’s presentation at a city council standing committee meeting ended in a war of words with a councillor, who told the citizen to consider returning to Ontario.

Environmental health and multiculturalism have been identified as top priorities for several of Miramichi’s up-and-coming leaders of the future.

The cost of the city’s multiplex increased by $2.6 million after council tweaked several components of the project.

City council voted to hire Dennis Cole as the new Miramichi Fire Department’s chief after a search that spanned nearly six months.