End of an era as Higgs government drops voter veto on municipal mergers

In one of New Brunswick's most scenic and tranquil municipalities, village leaders and residents are wondering what happened to the strong message they sent to Fredericton — twice in recent years — about amalgamation.

In 2015, residents of Lac Baker voted decisively against being part of the new rural community of Haut-Madawaska.

A year later, they elected a new village council with a mandate to keep the community out.

"We are very different. Here it's nature, it's ecology," says Mayor Roseline Pelletier. "We don't want to become an industrial and commercial village. We want to stay as we are." 

But Lac Baker, population 750, will become part of Haut-Madawaska in January 2023, as part of the Higgs government's sweeping local governance reforms announced this week. 

The reform plan is stuffed with major changes, but one in particular represents a watershed political moment for the province and for the Progressive Conservative Party in particular.

It's been an article of faith for four successive governments, PC and Liberal, that local government amalgamations had to have the direct approval of voters through a plebiscite.

Not anymore.

The reform plan says the government will amend the Local Governance Act to remove the requirement, created two decades ago by the PC government of Premier Bernard Lord.

"It's a denial of democracy, not being able to have a say in our future," Pelletier said.

"We are elected officials representing a population that voted us in to protect their assets and their investment in the local government they voted for. It was clear they wanted to keep what they have now."

That sentiment is shared in other communities that will be merged under the reform.

"I'm quite surprised and shocked that the government is going this route and dictating the restructuring of municipalities," said Minto Mayor Erica Barnett, whose village will be amalgamated with nearby Chipman and some neighbouring rural areas.

She said she's heard from residents expecting a plebiscite and has had to explain that the province won't allow one.