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Quispamsis looks at rezoning former Brunswick Nurseries property

Brunswick Nurseries closed its doors for good in 2025.

Now, the Town of Quispamsis is considering rezoning the properties that made up the garden centre.

The site, on Model Farm Road in the eastern part of the town, had previously been zoned Neighbourhood Commercial in recognition of the commercial use of the land.

But according to a report from municipal staff, that designation does not list a nursery as “a permitted or secondary use under Neighbourhood Commercial Zones.”

The rezoning process, started by the Town, would rezone the area to Rural.

That process was started before the new owner of the land registered an approved subdivision to create three lots.

The new owner wants the rezoning to Rural to support residential development.

But there are some concerns from neighbours in the area.

Kathryn Jankowski lives across the road with her husband.

She came to council to express concerns about water runoff, an issue she said already causes some problems on her property.

“In the last year we’ve noticed a lot more water coming down our driveway instead of in the intended waterways on either side of the property,” she said.

“We’ve also noticed that water not only seeps over the driveway but under the driveway and it’s causing some erosion in our asphalt. Our driveway is really long and steep, so I can’t imagine it’s going to cost us to fix that.”

She also expressed some concerns about well water in the area, particularly after the dry summer in 2025, and whether existing wells on the property may be tapped for any development.

Jankowski said she wanted to be sure council was aware of these issues before any development proceeds.

Planning and Development Services Manager Dwight Colbourne said the town’s engineering department is looking into the concerns.

He said the overall development plan for these properties is simply residential development.

“So single-family residential development that would require obviously submissions of building permits to the municipality,” he said.

“At this stage in terms of when those developments will happen, basically it comes to a point of when they’re purchased and then obviously the timeline for development. So at this stage there have been no formal applications come forward in terms of specific developments of these properties.”

Colbourne said the concerns Jankowski raised would be considered in any development.

Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department Ladder Truck

One person hospitalized after bedroom fire in Quispamsis

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A structural fire in Quispamsis resulted in one person being taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

According to Karen Trecartin, Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department division chief of fire prevention, crews were dispatched before 8 a.m. this morning after a report of a bedroom fire in a residence at Walnut Lane.

Trecartin said the crews were able to “knock down” the fire quickly, to minimize structural damage in the home.

According to Trecartin, there was only one occupant inside of the residence at the time of the incident, who was sent to the hospital due to smoke inhalation.

Trecartin added that the crews were able to contain the fire in the bedroom, however the rest of the house sustained smoke damage.

snow covers cars parked on road side

Storm closures and cancellations for Greater Saint John

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Snowstorms hitting New Brunswick have caused cancellations and closures in the area.

The City of Saint John has announced that tonight’s Saint John’s Common Council meeting will be held virtually due to weather. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.

NBCC Saint John Campus is closing at 3:30 p.m. due to inclement weather.

Quispamsis Town Hall, Quispamsis Memorial Arena and the Q-plex will all be closing at 3:30 p.m. due to extreme weather conditions. Essential operations, including snow removal, will remain active. All facilities are expected to reopen at their regularly scheduled times on Feb. 24.

Saint John Transit will be suspending buses at 6 p.m. for the remainder of the day.

The ferry out of Wallace Cove running to Grand Manan has been suspended due to weather.

The New Brunswick RCMP have put out a traffic advisory for Route 1 from St. Stephen to Petitcodiac. Travel is not recommended.

Due to inclement weather, McAllister Place will be closing at 5 p.m.

Due to weather conditions, the Rothesay Common will close early at 5 p.m.

More to come.

Deputy Mayor Mary Schryer

Mary Schryer announces run for Quispamsis mayor

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The first candidate to be the next mayor of Quispamsis has stepped forward.

Deputy Mayor Mary Schryer announced Tuesday night she will be running for the top job during the municipal elections on May 11.

Incumbent Mayor Libby O’Hara announced last week she would not seek another term.

Schryer is in her second stint as a member of Quispamsis council, having served from 1999 to 2006.

She followed that with a brief foray into provincial politics, serving as MLA for Quispamsis from 2006 to 2010. She held several roles in Shawn Graham’s cabinet during that time.

Schryer has also served as an elected director on the Horizon Health Network board.

“I returned to municipal government, my true calling, and have served as deputy mayor for the past five years working closely with council and staff to help advance key planning initiatives during a period of significant growth for our community,” she said in an emailed statement.

Schryer said the next term of Quispamsis council will be about moving from planning to action.

“It’s about turning the work we’ve done into real outcomes,” she said, referring to supporting housing needs, investing in infrastructure and recreation and continuing to build the community.

Brian Rignanesi

KV Food Basket gets provincial investment for growth

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The Kennebecasis Valley Food Basket has been expanded and upgraded to meet demand in the region.

And the organization got a big boost Monday as the provincial government announced a major investment in the project.

Local Government Minister and Quispamsis MLA Aaron Kennedy announced the province would invest up to $370,000 for the modernization.

“By investing in this expansion, we are helping ensure people in the Kennebecasis Valley have access to safe, reliable and respectful food services and that this organization can continue meeting growing community needs,” Kennedy said.

Food Basket board chair Brian Rignanesi said the expansion project was a big step for the organization.

“We went from about a 300-square-foot building to about an 800-square-foot building and we’re still full,” he said.

Rignanesi said usage numbers have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were previously dealing with about 20 to 25 families a week,” he said. “Now we’re most weeks (dealing with) 40 families, some weeks 50 families.”

But no matter the numbers and even before expansion, Rignanesi said space limitations haven’t kept the Food Basket from doing good work.

“Never,” he stressed. “Anybody that’s hungry gets to eat.”

Quispamsis Town Hall

Mayor wants Quispamsis to continue growing in 2026

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Looking back at 2025, cutting the tax rate was one of the biggest accomplishments for Quispamsis Mayor Libby O’Hara.

“That’s huge,” she said. “Being able to reduce your tax rate by two cents is fairly significant.”

Infrastructure was another big part of 2025 for Quispamsis.

O’Hara said upgrades to a lift station on Gondola Point Road and the starts of repairs and work along Millennium Drive.

She said as far as lift stations, many needed to be replaced due to their age, as well as mitigating any problems they could cause along the Kennebecasis River.

Millennium Drive, according to the mayor, was a project many residents had been requesting for several years.

“We are responding now to the request of the residents to maintain the road in a way that provides for walking along the road and people can get from some of the businesses along Millennium Drive or from the apartments to the local businesses,” O’Hara said.

Work was also completed on new water mains through the Cedar Ridge area of the town.

O’Hara said that project will tie into new projects in 2026.

“This is going to be a game-changer for people up in Cedar Ridge and it’s also going to allow us to bring the water down towards the Hampton Road,” she said.

O’Hara said having municipal water along Hampton Road is a necessity for the town, even more so as the town prepares for a reimagining of the road in 2026.

“We’ve had developers who have come to us who are ready to put shovels in the ground,” she said.

It’s part of keeping Quispamsis growing, O’Hara said.

We’ve got one of the fastest growing communities in in Atlantic Canada for many years in a row,” she said. “We have never been stalled, we have never been at a negative, and this is going to allow us to continue to grow.”

Of course, one other major event in 2026 will be municipal elections in May.

O’Hara said she’s giving serious thought to the idea of running for re-election, but has not made a decision yet.

“When I ran in 2021, I had decided kind of at the last minute that I would run for mayor and I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made,” she said. “We’ll see.”

Quispamsis Town Hall

Quispamsis starts work on homelessness strategy

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Quispamsis town council is taking early steps to developing a strategy to address homelessness.

Coun. Kerrie Luck raised the issue at this week’s regular meeting, and said Quispamsis should be proactive in dealing with it.

“It’s potentially not if, but when, it potentially will happen in our town,” Luck said.

Luck said she viewed the problem as one of being unprepared, specifically as far as emergency services are concerned.

“(They) don’t have clear direction,” she said.

Deputy Mayor Mary Schryer said the town’s housing strategy didn’t include homelessness.

Schryer is part of the social development committee for the Fundy Regional Service Commission and said there’s a lot of knowledge available to draw on to improve the strategy.

“The housing committee, in my mind, would be an opportune place to create that space for people to engage and talk about what’s happening in our communities,” Schryer said.

Coun. Kirk Miller said there needs to be a regional discussion of the issue.

“The housing has to be in there,” he said. “But also support groups for those that need outreach after that.”

Miller said the solution will take time to put together.

“I think we’ve just got to start this ball rolling,” he said.

Council voted to direct the town’s housing committee to develop a collaborative project plan to help ensure housing security in Quispamsis, including development and implementation of policies and bylaws as required.

The committee will engage with stakeholders and experts to craft the plan.

Santa Claus

KV and Grand Bay‑Westfield parades roll out Saturday

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Two separate holiday parades will fill the streets of Grand Bay‑Westfield and the Kennebecasis Valley.

The Town of Grand Bay-Westfield has its third annual Christmas Parade beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The route runs from the Grand Bay Guardian on River Valley Drive to the lower parking lot at River Valley Middle School.

Town officials said River Valley Drive will close at 5:30 p.m., with access to businesses reopening once the parade passes.

The Towns of Rothesay and Quispamsis announced the 27th annual KV Santa Claus Parade will also start at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The parade begins at Kennebecasis Valley High School (KVHS) and travels along Hampton Road to the Marr Road and Clark Road intersection.

Organizers added that this year’s theme is “The Lights of Christmas”.

Road closures in Rothesay and Quispamsis will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Westbound traffic from Highway 119 to KVHS will be blocked, while eastbound traffic from Campbell Drive to KVHS will also be restricted.

At 6 p.m., all traffic along the route will be stopped until the parade finishes.

The KV parade has a severe storm date of Sunday, Nov. 30.