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Andy Fillmore

Halifax mayor heads to Ottawa to talk defence, housing

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The mayor of Halifax is heading to Ottawa this week to talk about defence, housing and infrastructure with federal and municipal officials from across Canada.

The city says Mayor Andy Fillmore will focus on preparing Halifax for the economic and population growth expected from federal investments into national defence.

These include the submarine contract that will see a German company build a new fleet of 12. The mayor called the July announcement in Halifax one of Canada’s most “consequential defence procurements in a generation.”

In addition to that, in March the federal government announced more than $2 billion into upgrading the dockyard and Stadacona in Halifax as well as two new hangars in Greenwood.

Fillmore says we have an enormous opportunity in front of us.

“Major defence investments will create jobs, grow businesses, and bring more workers and families to our region,” says the mayor in a statement. “We need to make sure the housing, infrastructure, and services that support that growth keep pace.”

He will also participate in a summit on housing and the economy.

“Housing is economic infrastructure,” says Fillmore. “People need somewhere they can afford to live.”

The mayor adds, City Hall needs to use the tools within their control to make it easier to build while working with other governments to deliver the infrastructure.

Liz Shine - supplied

Veteran councillor running for mayor of Atikokan in upcoming municipal election

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The election for mayor in Atikokan is a two-way race between incumbent Rob Ferguson and Councillor Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Shine.

Shine enters the race after serving the last 12 years as councillor.

She says her decision to seek the position is based on her plans to retire at the end of November.

“I feel this is a commitment that needs to be full time, and now I’ll be available to commit to it full time every day of the week,” says Shine.

Shine has worked at Atikokan General Hospital for 43 years as a lab technician and more recently as an emergency ward clerk.

She is also the president of the Atikokan Native Friendship Centre, a member of the Lions Club, and a volunteer at the local legion.

She says her involvement at the Centre has provided her with some experience at the leadership level.

“I think it’s given me a whole new perspective on what you would have to do as the mayor and working with the council and working with the staff as well,” says Shine.

Shine is interested in helping several projects come to a conclusion, including a proposed bike park and spray park.

She also wants to support efforts that attract new people to the community.

“There’s lots of mining exploration going on within the region,” says Shine.

“We don’t want them to just say, I’m going to move my family to Thunder Bay. Atikokan is a beautiful place to raise a family. So if we have things that we can offer to the young community members, as well as keeping in mind what our seniors still need because they’re the ones who built this home.”

If elected, one of Shine’s first duties will be to sit down with other elected members to discuss the strengths and qualities they bring to council.

Shine says it is important to have a team approach.

“I have a strong belief in what this community is looking for,” says Shine.

“I believe in working hard. I believe in commitment. I have learned not to bring your personal perspective of what you want to accomplish. You need to think about what your community wants. I shouldn’t be going on council or mayor if I’m going in there for my own purposes. That’s not what a council should be doing.”

Voters in Atikokan will cast their ballots on October 26th.

John McTaggart

Two term councillor enters mayoral race in Fort Frances

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The race for mayor of Fort Frances is now a two-person race.

John McTaggart is seeking the position after serving two terms as a councillor, joining Brett Calder who filed his nomination papers earlier in June.

“Recently my father passed away, and his last words of advice were be kind and don’t have any regrets,” says McTaggart.

“And if I don’t do this, I will have a regret.”

McTaggart feels his experience on council, along with his previous business experience and volunteer connections throughout the community, are assets that he can bring to the position.

He sees the need to foster economic development as a key priority area.

“We need to find jobs, we need to find industry and business that will come and locate in Fort Francis and start to build up our economic base in the community,” says McTaggart.

He says the community is fortunate to have Coeur Mining and West Fraser in Barwick creating employment, but would like to help build up the industrial tax base in Fort Frances.

Community safety and infrastructure are other priorities on his agenda.

“Particularly roads. We’re doing the thoroughfares, but I think that we need to be finding ways to build our infrastructure.”

McTaggart is also promoting the need for a Team Fort Frances approach to governing.

“The mayor is the head of council, but he’s one person. There are six other dedicated and interested individuals on council that I think if we build that team approach and then bring in management and administration into a team approach, we can accomplish some really, really good things in the next four years,” says McTaggart.

He says he is very encouraged by the support he is getting since making his intentions known.

“People seem to be very happy that I’m putting my name in. So I’m motivated by that, and I hope that encouragement will play out throughout the campaign and on Election Day.”

Municipal elections take place on October 26th.

mayor pam mood

Yarmouth mayor to block Facebook users after comments on social media

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The mayor of Yarmouth says she is not going to put up with any more abuse.

Pam Mood made the comment to our newsroom after a lengthy Facebook post, Saturday, when she addressed community members who started attacking what she shared on her page.

“I just said you know what, it’s time to set some boundaries,” said Mood. “If you’re going to be abusive or use foul language or be mean in any way, I’m going to hit the block button.”

She said she posts every time she goes away in order to be transparent. Some, she said, have commented on how much she travels.

“When I travel, I go get us money to get us developers to do something,” said Mood. “Some folks think I just need to stay within Town, and everything comes to us. That’s not the way it works.”

Other times, Mood said, it depends on the day.

“I say things that affect people. They don’t understand why I would say it. We want honest politicians and you get them and this is what happens,” explained Mood. “You can’t have both.”

Since she made the post warning residents, she has had to block six people.

“It makes me sad for them. Instead of asking me a question or saying I have a different view on this, what happens is just a full-on assault,” explained Mood.

Despite all this, she says she won’t let it affect her.

“I had to go to court for a peace bond. For death threats. I’m used to this. How I made my decisions…threats don’t work, bad language doesn’t work… but I also don’t have to put up with it,” added Mood.

“I’m a human being and I’m just not doing it anymore.”

person standing near table

Student vote program sees 50K ballots cast across N.B.

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The results are in! Students across New Brunswick got a real feel for politics through a hands-on experiential learning program that brings the voting process into the classroom.

On May 11, students from elementary, middle, and high school cast more than 50,000 mock ballots for official candidates in a parallel election.

In the end, 112 schools across 51 municipalities submitted their Student Vote results. Ballots were cast for mayors, councillors, advisory committee members, and district council members.

Fredericton led the way, with 3,370 students participating across 13 schools in the city.

All municipality results are available online, broken down into by each individual school.

Matt Alexander headshot

Rothesay’s mayor‑elect looks to build on legacy, keep taxes steady

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Rothesay mayor‑elect Matt Alexander says he wants to continue major projects in the town while keeping the tax rate stable.

Provincewide municipal elections are being decided Monday.

Several acclaimed mayors are preparing to take office this week.

Matt Alexander is the mayor‑elect for Rothesay. He said his focus during his term will be continuing the intergenerational community center, the Millennium Drive development and the new wastewater facility, maintaining the tax rate, and bringing new housing options to the town.

Alexander explained that in recent years, the town has seen several apartment developments, but he believes developments such as townhouses could better serve the community.

“I really think that townhomes are a feature people are looking for in the valley,” he said. “I’m hoping that some developers will come forward with that type of development.”

Before being elected mayor, Alexander served as Rothesay’s deputy mayor under Mayor Nancy Grant for 10 years. In total, he has 14 years of experience on Rothesay council.

Alexander said the work done under Grant was “exceptional,” adding that his time on council and the lessons learned under her leadership will serve him well in the future.

He said the biggest lesson he learned from Grant was to really listen to what the community has to say.

“It may not always work out that council will approve something that somebody likes, but we try to do our best for the greater good of the community,” he said.

Alexander said he wants to follow in Grant’s footsteps and continue to “responsible grow” Rothesay while maintaining its “small town character.”

He added he has always wanted to be mayor but decided to run in this election after feeling he had enough experience to make the jump.

All previous councillors reoffered in this election, and a total of 10 candidates are running for seven councillor positions.

The candidates include incumbent councillors Helen Boyle, Dave Brown, Peter John Lewis, Tiffany Mackay French, Bill McGuire and Donald Shea. New candidates include Mike Black, Tyler Davis and David Reevey.

As of 9:00 p.m. all of the incumbent candidates have been reelected. But a new face joins the team. Tyler Davis is now Rothesay’s seventh councillor, winning the race with 1221 votes.

Davis was a former realtor who moved with his family to Rothesay in 2022. He is currently a stay-at-home dad to his four-year old son and one-year old daughter and community volunteer, according to his candidate campaign platform.

Davis currently serves on Rothesay’s works and utilities committee and formerly served on the town’s planning advisory committee.

Elections-NB_5-300x158

Doucett proud to be Hampton mayor for second term

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Robert Doucett says he’s proud to be mayor for Hampton, New Brunswick, again as he heads into his second term.

Doucett was first elected in 2021 and going into this municipal election, he was acclaimed. He tells Acadia News; it was kind of nice to have no one run against him.

“Some people say nobody challenged you because you’re doing a good job. Some people say nobody wants the job,” says Doucett. “I usually go with the latter.”

Doucett served on council since 2008, then deputy mayor for about eight years before taking over his current role. He says they’ve done a lot in that time including navigating local governance reform in 2023.

In 2025, Doucett says, there was a lot of growth, and a standout was the Summit Centre.

“It’s a rink and walk track and all that stuff. We’ve got things going on in the town which are great,” explains Doucett.

Goals for the term ahead include William Bell Drive, a bigger grocery store and establishing a hotel in the area.

Moving forward he says he will do all he can for the town until he backs off.

“I’ll do one more term and probably hit the road,” says Doucett.

Councillors at large:

Incumbents Jeremy Salgado and Todd Beach are reelected to be Councillors at large.

Ward 1:

Newcomer Brian Fowler has been elected for Ward 1. Sheree Trecartin was elected in 2022 but did not reoffer.

Ward 2:

Incumbent Kim Tompkins has been reelected along with Rob Barrett.

Ken Chorley did not reoffer, ending a 34-year career, including 13 years as mayor from 2008 to 2021.

Ward 3:

Newcomer Dave Gougher has claimed the spot over Karin Boye.

Marc Thorne

Marc Thorne says ‘feels great’ to land 4th term as Sussex mayor

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Marc Thorne says it feels great to have landed his fourth term as mayor of Sussex.

He landed the top spot, Monday night, in a three-way race against Tim Hutchinson and Sonja Davis Carhart.

In an interview with Acadia News, he says it was a bit of a “tough election” with a number of things going on creating pressure.

“With trying to resolve significant flooding and the closure of a very important bridge within the heart of our community,” explains Thorne.

“So, when you’re in a position like mine, you never really know how the public feels.”

The 66-year-old has held the role since 2012 after he was elected in by acclamation halfway through the 2022 election.

Thorne says there are mixed feelings when it comes to holding the title for so long.

“Sometimes you feel weary, but most of the time it’s a very satisfying experience to take your community and to make it a better place for people to live, grow and raise their families,” shares Thorne.

He thanks his constituents for their trust.

“I never take it for granted,” says Thorne.

Councillors at Large:

Tim Wilson will serve another term as Councillor and Deputy Mayor. He will be joined by incumbents Graham Milner and Fred Brennan.

Ward 1:

Anne-Marie Snyder and Gisele McKnight will be the Councillors for Ward 1.

Ward 2:

Incumbents Doug Bobbit and Catherine MacLeod will be the Councillors for Ward 2.

Mayor Yvon Lapierre2

Dieppe to host sendoff for long-time Mayor

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The City of Dieppe is hosting a retirement reception for Mr. Yvon Lapierre, who has served as Mayor of Dieppe for 21 years.

It will be hosted at Dieppe City Hall, located at 333 Acadie Ave, on Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Families are encouraged to stop by and send off Lapierre to retirement.

“After 27 years of dedicated service to our community, Mr. Yvon Lapierre is retiring,” the City of Dieppe said in the reception announcement. “Under his leadership, Dieppe has been transformed: from Dieppe Boulevard to Place 1604, the true civic and cultural heart of our city, he carried an ambitious vision: to make Dieppe a place where people love to live, work, and raise a family.”

Lapierre has served four terms as Mayor, his first was from 1998 to 2005. He returned to the position in 2012 and has been re-elected twice more since then. He will retire at the end of April.

His other notable contributions include serving as a Ward 2 Councillor in 1986 and 1989, as well as membership to various committees such as Expansion Dieppe, Council Standing Committee on Public Policies and Strategies, Cities of New Brunswick Association executive committee, and Grievance Committee of the City Council – CUPE – Local 3515 – Fire Department.

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