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SPCA concerned about cuts to N.B. veterinary services

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Backlash to the Holt government’s decision to phase out provincial veterinary field services and laboratory services continues.

The New Brunswick SPCA issued a statement expressing concern about the plan.

“We have questions about how this change will affect the cost and availability of these critical services for New Brunswickers,” said NBSPCA board of directors president Scott Elliott.

Elliott said the NBSPCA is responsible for investigating and enforcing agricultural codes of practice under the province’s SPCA Act.

“We rely on the specialized expertise of provincial veterinarians and on the support of provincial veterinary laboratory services to fulfil these legal responsibilities on behalf of the provincial government.”

Elliott said the NBSPCA depends on the provincial services to support animal protection investigations, provide care for animals in need, perform necropsies and offer expert testimony in court cases.

“In 2025 alone, our animal protection officers seized 50 agricultural animals from unsafe situations, up from 28 the previous year,” Elliott said.

He said that highlights the increasing need for specialized veterinary support.

There are currently five ongoing court cases stemming from NBSPCA investigations related to agricultural animals.

The NBSPCA also relies on the provincial lab services, which conduct necropsies to determine cause of death in all their cases.

That includes cases involving agricultural animals.

Elliott said without the service, they would face significant delays with the nearest alternative facilities in Truro and P.E.I.

New Brunswick is one of only two provinces – the other being B.C. – where the SPCA is responsible for protection of agricultural animals, and already operates in a unique system.

“Access to specialized expertise could become increasingly difficult due to the absence of a local veterinary or agricultural college and the limited number of private providers trained to treat agricultural animals,” Elliott said.

The organization encouraged the provincial government to further engage with stakeholders to ensure a complete understanding of the system-wide considerations related to the decision, including any potential impact on the welfare of agricultural animals. “The NBSPCA is concerned that these changes could affect our ability to effectively fulfil animal protection responsibilities on behalf of the provincial government and respond to cases in a timely manner, particularly as operational costs continue to rise.” Elliot

cows at farm

National farming organization denounces veterinary cuts

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The National Farmers Union in New Brunswick is not happy with the Holt government’s announcement that it would phase out provincial veterinary and laboratory services.

In a release, the NFU said the decision without consulting farmers, veterinarians or other relevant stakeholders.

According to the release, farmers in northern New Brunswick already know what happens when services are reduced and new farmers can’t access them.

“We aren’t being given any options, and the deadline is extremely tight,” Guillaume Légère, a cattle producer with PMG Farm in Caraquet, said in a statement.

“Most of our farms (in northern New Brunswick) are in isolated areas or are very far apart from one another. We don’t have the agricultural density of our neighbouring provinces to attract private sector interest in providing these services.”

Légère said agriculture is not a luxury, and there are small farms that will just disappear as services are cut.

The NFU-NB is also concerned these cuts will harm the industry in the event of emergency situations such as animal disease outbreak or climate-related incidents.

The organization said access to local vet and lab services is critical to managing health emergencies like Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has no labs in New Brunswick. The CFIA is tasked with managing emergencies and relies on private and provincial vets for support.

Another concern the NFU expressed is a lack of vets in the province who are able or willing to provide services to large animals and livestock.

Of course, the money aspect is also a concern.

“The elimination of this essential service places an additional financial burden on our producers, who are already struggling to turn a profit,” said NFU-NB president Alexis Légère. “This could be the last straw for some producers, who will likely be forced to close their doors due to the lack of service or because the service has become too expensive.”

NFU-NB accused the government of acting contrary to its own plan to increase self-sufficiency and land in production with the cuts, arguing it’s not possible if farms disappear.

The organization demanded the Department of Agriculture and provincial government re-evaluate the decision and how cuts are made to government services.

“Budgetary decisions should be made that have the least impact on our economy, farmers’ health and our self-sufficiency,” the statement said.

Woman with brown long hair and hazel eyes

Chambers raise alarms over deficit, missing growth plan in N.B. budget

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New Brunswick chambers of commerce are raising concerns about the lack of long-term economic strategy in the province’s latest budget.

The government presented the 2026–2027 provincial budget on Tuesday, revealing a deficit of nearly $1.4 billion. This is the second year in a row the budget has projected a shortfall of more than $1 billion.

Before the budget was tabled, Premier Susan Holt had warned of “difficult decisions.”

The government made cuts primarily to the civil service, promising to eliminate 1,400 positions over the next three years, phase out the provincially run veterinary field service, and review underutilized assets.

At the same time, the government announced major investments in health care, with plans to spend $4.8 billion.

However, some chambers of commerce in the province say the budget lacks long‑term economic measures to address the deficit and growing debt.

Related: New Brunswick government project $1.39B budget deficit

Shannon Merrifield, CEO of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, said that with a significant deficit and rising debt, the government needs a clear strategy to drive revenue growth.

“We haven’t seen a clear strategy where we recognize that we need to invest to grow, but spending alone isn’t the strategy,” she said.

Merrifield said that for Saint John, she would have liked to see more investment in infrastructure and immigration, arguing that filling workforce gaps and setting out a clearer infrastructure plan could help the city become “a corridor” to the rest of Canada.

She added that even though the budget makes important investments, the chamber is concerned about the timeline of the cuts.

“It’s something that needs to be addressed now and not four years down the road,” she said.

Like Merrifield, Kim Wilson, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton, said her chamber is concerned about the level of spending and the lack of cuts.

“We feel it is unsustainable for New Brunswick to continue to add to the net debt over the mandate of this government,” she said.

Wilson said the chamber is “disappointed” by the lack of focus on an economic strategy. She agreed that investments in health care and education are essential, but said the government also needs to build an economy capable of generating wealth and tax revenue to fund the services it is investing in.

Kim Wilson is the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton; she says the province recent budget lacked investments in businesses. PHOTO: KIM WILSON/CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR GREATER MONCTON WITH PERMISSION.

Wilson said she would have liked to see population‑growth strategies — such as immigration — and property tax reforms to support businesses in southeast New Brunswick.

With an aging population and Moncton’s rapid growth, she said securing the future workforce and supporting business investment are key to the province’s economic development.

“Investments in the private sector are imperative,” Wilson said. “Investments in businesses mean you create more tax base for the province, for the communities in which we operate.”

“Investing in businesses is investing in the communities and in their growth.”

The 2026–2027 budget includes measures the government says can generate revenue, such as the introduction of tolls on non‑New Brunswick vehicles, investments to reduce contraband tobacco, and measures to crack down on illegal lobster sales.

According to the budget, the province expects to receive $10.4 million in annual revenue from the tolls, a $3‑million increase in annual revenue from a reduction in contraband tobacco purchases, and $5 million to $8 million in previously uncollected tax revenue from unreported lobster sales.

However, with the province yet to release its economic development strategy, Wilson said many questions remain for businesses.

Camila Baquerizo Bayona

Grant freeze leaves some N.B. universities bracing for tough decisions

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The government’s freeze on operating grants could force universities to make tough decisions.

In Tuesday’s budget, the government announced it was freezing universities’ operating grants at 2025–26 levels, citing that post-secondary enrollment peaked in 2004 and has been in steady decline since.

This means post-secondary institutions in New Brunswick won’t face budget cuts; however, they also won’t receive additional funding for the 2026–27 period.

Camila Baquerizo Bayona is vice-president education for the St. Thomas University Students’ Union.

She says the lack of additional funding will strain an already “underfunded system.”

“We are already seeing some of the loopholes happening within our student services, and we understand this is a bigger problem than our university administrations,” she said. “This is mostly a matter of understanding that education right now is clearly underfunded.”

Baquerizo Bayona said that since the beginning of the school year, the student union at STU has been advocating for the university to reinstate services cut due to budget constraints.

In September, STUSU launched a campaign to save the international student coordinator position — a role Baquerizo Bayona said was pivotal, as it assisted international students who had just arrived at the university and were learning to adapt to a new country.

At the same time, Baquerizo Bayona said the union discovered through its student reports and statistics that mental health services for STU students were being overwhelmed because the school didn’t have enough counsellors.

She said that with the international student cap, STU, like many other post-secondary institutions, has experienced substantial revenue losses the university is still trying to compensate for.

With the freeze in operating grants, Baquerizo Bayona said she is concerned that other student services — such as the experiential learning program, which connects students to the workforce through internships — might face further cuts.

“How do we expect to keep increasing our enrollment, keep producing students and helping them, if [the government] is constantly cutting funds?” she said. “Cutting the chances for people to access education.”

Acadia Broadcasting reached out to STU, which declined to comment, saying it will be a few weeks before the university has a full picture of the ramifications of the freeze on grants.

Université de Moncton changing its operating model

In a press release Tuesday, the Université de Moncton announced it was accelerating its “operational transformation process” because of the province’s grant freeze.

The university said that although the government hasn’t formally imposed budget cuts, inflation and commitments made to its community mean the freeze represents “a real revenue loss” for the institution.

The university was already exploring operational transformation, but said the announcement gave it the opportunity to accelerate the process, which will examine whether shared services can be combined across the three campuses to run more efficiently.

However, as the freeze on grants was announced in the spirit of a “more in-depth discussion,” the university said it is willing to seize the opportunity to weigh in on these conversations.

Louis-Philippe Gauthier

Small businesses push for tax cut ahead of New Brunswick budget

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New Brunswick small‑business owners would like to see a tax reduction in the upcoming provincial budget.

With the budget set to be released next Tuesday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says that if the government wants to attract more private investment, reducing the small‑business tax rate by one percentage point is the way to do it.

“There has been a widespread productivity issue across Canada for years, and for business to grow you need capital — and to become more productive you need capital,” said CFIB Atlantic vice‑president Louis‑Philippe Gauthier.

The government is currently facing a record $1.3‑billion deficit and has warned of “difficult decisions” in the upcoming budget.

Gauthier said lowering the business tax would free up revenue small businesses could reinvest in their operations, helping them grow and contributing to the province’s economic development.

Along with a lower tax rate, the organization is also calling for the province to increase the income threshold from $500,000 to $700,000 and index the threshold to inflation annually.

Citing data compiled by the CFIB, Gauthier said that instead of targeted incentive programs businesses must qualify for, members prefer “broad‑based tax approaches.”

“From an entrepreneurship perspective, we are developing new businesses,” he said.

In 2025, Nova Scotia lowered its small‑business corporate tax rate from 2.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent. Prince Edward Island also reduced its rate, from 16 per cent to 15 per cent.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the current Progressive Conservative government has pledged to cut the small‑business tax rate from 2.5 per cent to 1 per cent as part of its campaign commitments.

Gauthier said it would be a “shame” if New Brunswick became the province with the highest small‑business tax rate in Atlantic Canada.

Beyond tax changes, Gauthier said the CFIB would also like to see a construction‑mitigation fund in the next two budgets to support businesses affected by disruptions caused by work on the Miramichi Centennial Bridge.

He said that with the bridge closing this summer and traffic being diverted to King George Highway, congestion will make it harder for customers to access nearby businesses.

The CFIB has been advocating for compensation to reflect potential customer losses, but the province has already declined the request.

Despite the rejection, Gauthier said the organization will continue its advocacy efforts.

Janet Clouston headshot

Heritage advocates tout economic impact ahead of potential budget cuts

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With heritage and arts facing possible cuts in the upcoming provincial budget, advocates are highlighting the sector’s economic value.

They argue the sector shouldn’t be viewed as a cost, but as part of the solution.

Facing a record $1.3‑billion deficit, Premier Susan Holt has warned of “difficult decisions” in next Tuesday’s provincial budget

Janet Clouston is the vice-president for the Association of Heritage New Brunswick and one of the proponents of the campaign Save Our Museums, a campaign started in February by the association to make sure heritage is protected in the province.  

Clouston, along with other advocates, have been trying to remind the province how the arts are a key economic driver for communities.

“We actually take a dollar and turn it into $10 easily,” she said.

Clouston explained that through fundraising, guest admissions, cultural performances, tourism, gift shops, and museums, arts and heritage not only have cultural and social significance but are part of the economic picture of why people come to the province.

Clouston added that in a meeting with Finance Minister René Legacy on Wednesday, the organization mentioned marketing campaigns and initiatives they plan to implement to get people visiting museums across New Brunswick.

“We are looking at this from a businesslike perspective,” she said. “We all have to operate our facilities fiscally responsibly, and we do that.”

Clouston said that in their bid to the province, the organization is not looking to receive more funding but maintain what they’ve already been working with.

“We are just [asking] to be taken seriously, that our sector matters, that heritage is an important cultural fiber of who we are as a province,” she said.

Expert warns cuts in the sector can cause significant economic implications

Alberta-based cultural curator, consultant, and researcher Erin McDonald said funding cuts in the arts and heritage would mean losing far more than cultural, educational, and historic value.

They explained that capacity for storytelling, tourism, destination marketing, and to create self-generated revenue for the community is erased when funding is taken away.

“We are basically cutting the economic engine of communities,” they said.

McDonald said that once operational capacity at heritage sites and museums is diminished by funding cuts, it can’t simply be restored in the next budget cycle.


They noted that because so much of the work relies on volunteers, it’s unlikely those same volunteers will return after being lost during one round of cuts.

According to a report done by Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab, Canada’s arts and culture sector contributed $65-billion to the country’s GDP in 2024.

For McDonald, the economic contribution of the sector is clear.

However, they believe the language used around the sector makes it more challenging for governments to not see the arts and heritage as just “something nice to have,” but as a sector able to create revenue.

“My hope is we change the way we talk about this sector, [and] we start talking about it as a $65 billion a year sector, just like the oil and gas sector does,” they said.

What’s Next

In their meeting with Minister Legacy, Clouston said the organization felt like their voices were heard.

However, until the budget is released, the future for the arts and heritage in the province remains uncertain, she said.