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Department of Transportation and Infrastructure

an empty classroom with wooden desks and windows

Funding granted for upgrades to Rexton school

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Bonar Law Memorial School in Five Rivers, New Brunswick, is set to receive extensive mid-life upgrades including a large addition to its pre-existing campus.

The school, with 515 students, has seen enrolment growth of more than eight per cent annually over the last five years.

The project is expected to take seven years to complete at $31 million. The blueprint proposes an additional 33,314 square feet with three classrooms, a multi-purpose room, a workshop, a shared classroom, and a laboratory or study space. Other plans for resource rooms and offices are woven into the project.

Construction is expected to begin in 2027 or 2028, with completion by 2033. $1.3 million of the 2026-27 capital budget will be put towards the design process.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Department of Transportation (DTI) and Infrastructure say that more people moving to the area has led to the investment in the nearly 50-year-old school.

“[Students] need facilities and resources to allow them to explore their options and develop their skills and competencies. Modernizing the school and creating more space for the growing number of students at Bonar Law will help students thrive and succeed,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson in a release.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson says he and the department are proud to help modernize facilities like Bonar Law.

“I look forward to working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to ensure Bonar Law Memorial is a school that continues to meet the community’s needs for decades to come,” said Chiasson.

Dean Mutch, superintendent of Anglophone North School District, says the upgrade ensures the building remains a safe and inspiring place for students and staff.

“We truly believe that our rural and small community schools are critical, and they are worth investing in,” said Mutch.

truck

N.B. announces spring weight restrictions

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It hasn’t felt like it in recent days, but spring is right around the corner in New Brunswick.

And with that comes weight restrictions for truck traffic across the province.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure announced the starting dates for restrictions this week.

In the south, they’ll take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 9.

Northern New Brunswick’s restrictions will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 16.

“These weight limits are put in place each spring to protect our road infrastructure from damage during the annual frost-and-thaw cycle,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson in a press release.

“We provide this notice to the trucking community, so they may prepare to reduce their loads or plan for alternate routes during this period.”

The end of the restrictions is currently set for mid-May, but that’s dependent on weather conditions and is subject to change.

For the purposes of the restrictions, northern New Brunswick includes:

  • All areas within the counties of Northumberland, Gloucester, Restigouche, Madawaska and Victoria.
  • The portion of Route 108 within York County.
  • The portion of Gordon Vale Road and Holtville Road within York County.
  • The portion of Route 123 within Sunbury County and Queens County.
  • The portion of Bloomfield Ridge Road between Holtville Road and Route 625.
  • The portion of Route 625 between Gordon Vale Road and Route 8.

macro photography of school bus

New Brunswick still needs school bus mechanics

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The union representing school bus mechanics is happy the provincial government has acknowledged a staffing shortage.

School bus repairs have been an ongoing issue in New Brunswick, but CUPE Local 1190 president Jonathan Guimond said he’s thankful Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson recognized the challenges the union has faced.

“Recruitment and retention in the trades are essential for Local 1190,” Guimond said in a statement. “We need qualified workers available to deliver these important and essential services.

The local met recently with representatives of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and other CUPE locals to review resource allocations within the collective agreement aimed at improving efficiency in bus breakdown response and repair operations.

Repair services have been fully restored, but the staffing shortages remain a barrier to restoring the services to 100 per cent.

A press release from the union said a recent five per cent retention and recruitment wage adjustment for mechanics has helped generate interest in recruiting automotive service technicians on the condition they get a truck and transport certification.

But CUPE said it’s still not enough to attract and retain fully certified truck and transport mechanics. The release they’re needed to resolve the shortage of staff qualified to perform safety inspections on buses.

Those workers are also required to support apprentices during the four- to five-year certification process and maintaining daily operations.

“We need the Vehicle Management Agency’s directors to consider additional wage adjustments if we want to restore services to 100 per cent,” Guimond said. “That level of reliability is owed to the families who put their kids on the buses every day.”