Year in review: Rezonings, unsightly properties, and housing

Article content

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

July

Medical student Mercedes Stemm of Natoaganeg First Nation was among 20 recipients of the $40,000 RBC Indigenous Youth Scholarship from across Canada.

Residents expressed concerns to Miramichi city council about the former St. Andrews Elementary School becoming an eyesore in recent years. City officials said taking action is a priority, although it’s easier said than done.

The developers behind the proposed South Esk Miramichi Victory Living housing development attempted to clear the final hurdle around who’s responsible to maintain the underground infrastructure.

Newly hired Miramichi Fire Department Chief Dennis Cole outlined his priorities for the department, such as focusing on fire prevention, improving education, and boosting engagement with firefighters and the community.

An outdoor recreation hub proposed for part of the former Harkins school site was expected to cost $1.5 million to $2 million. City staff recommended building it in phases.

After winning awards for the best-tasting municipal drinking water in Atlantic Canada at three of the past five annual conferences, Miramichi was honoured for having North America’s best tap water.

City council voted to send a letter to Education Minister Bill Hogan calling for him to reverse the contentious changes to Policy 713, the province’s guidelines around gender identity in schools.

August

Moncton resident Raymond Doucet, who has family in Miramichi, received an award for rescuing a man from drowning in the Southwest Miramichi River in Quarryville in 2022.

The Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission’s regional strategy still hadn’t been finalized a month after the deadline set by the province. The plan was later finalized and its principles were adopted.

O’Donaghue’s Irish Pub was the set of a new sitcom written by former employee Arika McLean and starring local comedian Jimmy MacKinley. The show was meant to poke fun at the restaurant industry.

A rezoning application was submitted for the rectory at the old Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church to be converted to living quarters for travelling health-care workers. City council later approved the rezoning, and construction had started on the project by the end of the year.

After a rezoning application to convert the former Doran’s Recycling plant to 3 Rivers Construction’s headquarters failed on a technicality, city council reversed its decision on the project’s fate.

Local business leaders called a public meeting to discuss their pitch for an alternate route on the Miramichi River’s north side before the Centennial Bridge closes for its deck to be repaired.

City council voted to apply for more than $13 million from the federal government to support new residential development in the community in effort to address the housing shortage.

Efforts to restore a cemetery in Esgenoôpetitj First Nation that was all but destroyed by local clergy in the 1960s remained ongoing in 2023.

September

Plans were announced to expand the University of New Brunswick’s program that uses virtual reality to train up-and-coming nurses across the province.

Anglophone North School District officials set their sights $2.8 million in capital projects for the 2024-25 fiscal year, while admitting they may only get a portion of that funding from the province.

A fire destroyed the century-old St. Mary’s Academy building on Regent Street, in the former town of Newcastle. The Miramichi Police Force later deemed the blaze “suspicious.”

Anglophone North superintendent Dean Mutch said one of his top priorities for the 2023-24 school year was reducing student absenteeism.

Miramichi was left mostly unscathed by post-tropical storm Lee, which did widespread damage in other parts of the province.

The city’s 2022 audited financial statements showed a $6.36-million surplus at the end of that year.

City council voted to hire Bird Construction as the general contractor on the multiplex project.

The provincial government announced plans to bring 30 nursing home beds back to the former Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home after a four-year hiatus.

October

Board members and staff at the Caring Friends Activity Centre was hit by vandals who dismantled the building’s heating and cooling pump motor, stole copper wire from it, and drained the oil tank outside.

The Working Group on Smallmouth Bass Eradication in the Miramichi abandoned its effort to remove invasive smallmouth bass from Miramichi Lake, its outlet, and a section of the Southwest Miramichi River using a rotenone product.

Charles Ebbett of Stickney took home top honours from the Provincial Giant Pumpkin Festival in Neguac after his giant gourd weighed in at 1,381 pounds.

A teen was arrested after a selfie with a gun in his hand was posted on social media following a series of threats and ongoing violence between students at Miramichi Valley High School.

City council awarded a contract to demolish an abandoned house at 135 Pond St. in Newcastle under the dangerous and unsightly premises bylaw. The property was among several subjected to enforcement action under the bylaw in 2023.

The new Percy’s Place Hospice built by local physician and philanthropist Gerard Losier and his wife, Judy, opened its doors.

November

An architect recommended the closure and replacement of the Chatham Public Library after concerns were raised about structural issues with the building.

Deborah Lyons, a longtime diplomat from Miramichi, was named Canada’s new special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and fighting antisemitism.

Local dignitaries broke ground on the city’s multiplex project.

The Miramichi Public Transit Commission requested a $455,000 subsidy from the city for 2024.

Six months after a full closure planned for the Centennial Bridge was delayed until 2024, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure still hadn’t set a new closure timeline.

Scotiabank announced plans to close several branches in New Brunswick, including the ones in Chatham and Doaktown.

The city proposed, and council later approved, a $43-million operating budget for 2024 with no tax increases.

The Salvation Army kicked off its annual Christmas kettle campaign while facing a shortage of volunteers.

The Greater Miramichi Community Transportation service issued a call for more volunteer drivers.

December

A logging truck damaged several stones at St. Thomas United Church Cemetery in Doaktown after failing to stop at a nearby intersection.

Local businesses, the Newcastle Business District, and the Greater Miramichi Chamber of Commerce requested an injunction against Miramichi Housing Solutions and the city after 15 Jane St. was chosen as the out-of-the-cold shelter location for this winter. The legal action was later withdrawn.

The estimated cost of the city’s multiplex climbed again to $84.9 million.

Miramichi musician Robbie Tucker continued to produce music while living with Parkinson’s disease.