![Tens of thousands of new N.B. voters are the X factor in fall election](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7301274.1724273828!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/tom-sosnoski.jpg)
Tens of thousands of new N.B. voters are the X factor in fall election
CBC
The clutter and chaos of renovations at Tom Sosnoski's house in the centre of Moncton is just one indicator of the long process of settling into a new home in a new community.
Another is the ballot Sosnoski will cast in this fall's provincial election — his first as a New Brunswicker.
"You show up somewhere and a part of you thinks, 'Well, I haven't lived here for so long. … Do I know enough to really make much of an informed choice?" he said.
"It seems a bit quick, a bit sudden."
Sosnoski is one of tens of thousands of people who have made New Brunswick their home since the last provincial election.
The largest-ever population increase in the province's history will likely yield the largest-ever number of new voters as well — a spike that, in some key ridings in fast-growing cities, may determine the winners.
"I think that could very easily result in some surprises," said Kristin Cavoukian, a member of the Anglophone East district education council, who moved to the province in 2021.
Sosnoski and his family also arrived in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were seeking fresher air, an affordable home and a good internet connection that would allow them to work remotely in their jobs in the technology consulting field.
"It's really a wonderful place to live for remote work," he said.
"We were living in a very small apartment in the middle of Toronto and we were looking for maximum change, I guess you would say. And so this was a very logical move for that."
They found a fixer-upper in one of Moncton's oldest neighbourhoods, near a school, in the riding of Moncton South — an area that often flips between Progressive Conservatives and Liberals.
Akash Rabari is another example of the population boom: an immigrant who came to Canada for university and was able to stay.
He became a citizen Aug. 12, two days before his interview with CBC News.
![](/newspic/picid-6251999-20240912102351.jpg)
The devastating Jasper wildfire has taken a toll on its 'sister community,' Hinton, Alta. Here's how
The signs are everywhere in Hinton, Alta., from hotel parking lots packed with restoration crew trucks to letter boards welcoming evacuees.