No decision on Lorneville industrial park expansion as public hearing continues

A second public hearing over controversial plans to expand an industrial park on the outskirts of Saint John was adjourned without any conclusion on Tuesday evening. 

Five opponents of the project from an overflow crowd at Saint John City Council were waiting to speak when the session ended. This follows an emotional public hearing last week that also ended without resolution. 

City council is expected to hold another public hearing that will include more opponents, along with supporters of the controversial expansion. 

The proposal would redesignate more than 400 hectares of land for industrial use, including some heavy industry, allowing for the expansion of the Spruce Lake Industrial Park. 

Residents express dismay

Thirteen residents addressed councillors on Tuesday, many expressing concerns about the environmental impact of the project, echoing concerns from last week’s meeting. They were joined by members of the wider Saint John community, who also brought up concerns about Indigenous rights. 

“So far, at least in council and community conversations, this collaboration [between Indigenous people and the city] appears to be non-existent,” one Saint John resident said.

A Lorneville resident cited fears about the possible contamination of vital well water and about the viability of the tree buffer zone.

“I urge you to please consider our wells, our health, and our well-being, and what you are destroying as you are making your decisions here today,” she stated.

Her daughter said that Lorneville residents were not against development. 

“Let’s develop, but let’s develop responsibly,” she said. She argued that the development clashed with Saint John’s larger municipal plan and that its pillars of “smart growth,” the environment, and livable neighbourhoods” were being disregarded. 

“It’s not smart growth to push into green space when there is existing underutilized industrial land,” she said. “It’s not environmental leadership to bulldoze near wetlands, water courses, and residential homes. It’s not livability when people fear for their health, their peace, and their property.”

Another resident of Lorneville expressed concern that industrial waste may seep from the expanded Spruce Lake Industrial Park into Lorneville Harbour, potentially affecting the nearby Irving Nature Park and Saints Rest Beach. “We are fighting for the whole of Westside and for Saint John,” she said.

Several residents said they didn’t envy the councillors’ positions, acknowledging that incentives exist for the project. However, they insisted that rejecting the proposal was the right choice.

The City of Saint John has said the project will create jobs in a city highly vulnerable to American tariffs, and that it’s focussing on “green and clean economic” sectors. 

Following extensive consultations with a committee of Lorneville residents, the city introduced changes to the plan in a bid to satisfy opponents, including larger setbacks from homes. 

Councillors disagree over adjournment

While last week’s marathon public hearing spanned five hours and continued until 11 p.m., this session ended after three-and-a-half hours. 

At 9:59 p.m., Mayor Donna Reardon expressed interest in a motion that would have extended Tuesday night’s hearing, saying she wished to finish up opposition comments.

Ward 1 Councillor Greg Norton opposed the motion, saying he didn’t want to extend the session past 10 p.m. without assurances that speakers would be limited to five people.

Ward 4 Councillor Paula Radwan expressed concern over the second adjournment, stressing that potential speakers may not be able to attend a third time.

The motion was passed on the conditions that only the interrupted speaker would be allowed to finish. It is unclear whether city council will render a decision at the next meeting, scheduled for June 3.

With files from David Gordon Koch.

Lucas Reynolds is a student at Mount Allison University and a summer intern at the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).