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Quispamsis Town Council

Gondola Point Road

Quispamsis council hears plans for Gondola Point Road

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A proposed multi-use path in Quispamsis is raising questions about privacy.

It’s part of a project on Gondola Point Road that includes paving and new stormwater infrastructure.

Phase one includes a 1.3-kilometre trail on the river side of the road.

Deputy Mayor Kerrie Luck said homes on that side are so close to the road that they have little privacy.

“There’s not a lot of land or privacy already,” Luck said. “I feel like the trail is going to be on top of these people’s homes.”

Engineering and works director Gary Losier said the designers have been instructed to avoid infringing on people’s properties.

Opening up the arterial

A new access point to the Gondola Point Arterial could also be in the works.

Council was presented with a design that would open Gondola Point Road to the arterial, also known as Route 119.

The proposal would mean an on-ramp to the arterial toward Hampton Road only, something some councillors expressed concerns about, particularly with residents already concerned about traffic issues at other points along the road.

But it’s no sure thing.

Losier said because Route 119 is provincially controlled, the ramp may not be possible.

“ So regardless of what we want, if the province goes, ‘Sorry, you’re too close to the ferry landing’ or, you know, the traffic is going to be increased whatever, they may just go, ‘Nope, you can’t do that.’”

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Quispamsis council will test new meeting schedule

Councillors in Quispamsis will explore having fewer meetings as part of a review of the town’s procedural bylaw.

The proposal would mean one regular meeting per month and one committee of the whole meeting per month.

Some concerns were raised about what cutting the number of meetings could mean for the amount of material to be covered in a regular meeting.

Coun. Doug MacDonald says the change could lead to longer meetings or delayed decisions.

“If there’s something like a bylaw change that requires three readings over two meetings, that means you’re now going to have two months where you’re going to have to wait for that enactment versus perhaps one,” he said.

One goal is to improve efficiency and create a more consistent and predictable meeting schedule for both councillors and the public, particularly councillors who hold day jobs.

Another is to allow for more discussion of important issues.

“The one thing I can tell you over the last five years that I’ve heard from council is that they want to be able have more discussion,” said Mayor Mary Schryer.

“Sometimes the stringent council agenda doesn’t allow for that. So we’ve worked together to try to come up with a solution that would give council the ability to have that happen.”

The town will test the schedule for three months.

TD Station

Quispamsis councillor questions regional facility costs

A Quispamsis councillor is concerned about rising capital costs for regional facilities.

At the most recent committee of the whole meeting, Kirk Miller said the costs for things like TD Station and the Canada Games Aquatic Centre have jumped 36 per cent.

He said major renovations at the Aquatic Centre were supposed to be a go or no-go this summer.

“We’re now into September,” he said. “We don’t have a go or no-go. The price keeps escalating. We have no say in it to my knowledge.”

Miller said he’s concerned this issue continues to be kicked down the road.

Miller also expressed concerns about the timing of the various budgets of the municipality and the region.

He said the Fundy Regional Service Commission finalizes its budget at the end of November.

“Which is past the date, I think, that we even submit our budgets to the province,” he added.

Deputy Mayor Kerrie Luck, who attended a recent meeting of the commission’s regional facilities committee meeting, said she understands the concerns being raised.

“We’re looking for information and we are committed that when we have something we will always bring it back to council,” Luck said.

Construction sign

Hampton Road construction coming later this summer

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Construction is likely to begin this summer on a major project in Quispamsis.

Town council received an update on the Hampton Road Streetscape Corridor last week.

Director of Engineering and Works Gary Losier said the tender process is ready to begin, with the expectation that council would award those tenders at their July 21 meeting.

Losier said that means a contractor wouldn’t be on-site until early August.

“It shortens our construction season to the fall,” he said.

Losier added the project would likely be substantially completed by August 2027.

The project will involve adding water lines along Hampton Road and adding a new trail.

Losier said the town will have a website dedicated to the project to keep the public informed.

He said traffic management will also be an important aspect of the work.

“We want to maintain traffic throughout the area,” he said. “So we won’t see complete closures of the road.”

Losier said that could mean situations where a two-lane section of the road is reduced to one, or where there are four lanes, reduced to two.

“But the goal is going to be to make sure that there’s a regular and consistent traffic going through there,” he said.

Losier said there will also be discussions with the school district, residents and business owners along Hampton Road to minimize disruptions.

Quispamsis Town Hall

Surplus reported in Quispamsis

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Quispamsis recorded a $7.5-million surplus in 2025, according to audited financial statements.

Auditor Peter Logan said the town brought in just over $45 million in revenue, with about $35 million in property taxes.

Other highlights included a reduction in the town’s net debt from $13 million to about $10.3 million, and about $1 million saved in expenditures from the budget.

The town had to spend more on snow-removal than budgeted, but there were other savings found that helped bring overall expenses down.

Transportation services cost about $166,000 more than anticipated.

But engineering and works director Gary Losier said there were some unexpected cost-savings found that helped balance things out.

“We had some staffing shortages that we didn’t fill due to long-term disabilities, leaves of absence, things of that nature,” Losier said.

“Alternatively we also didn’t need as much with respect to some of the equipment repairs that we had.”

Losier said crews were able to do more preventative maintenance in-house than anticipated.

Mary Schryer May 25 2025

New Quispamsis council sworn in

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The new mayor of Quispamsis has a simple commitment to the community.

“I want to engage sincerely with our community to lead with integrity and compassion,” Mary Schryer said after being sworn in. “And to live and to deliver on priorities that protect and enhance the quality of life that makes Quispamsis such a special place to call home.”

Schryer and the new council were sworn in on May 25 in a brief ceremony at Quispamsis Town Hall.

“New” may be a bit misleading, as seven of the eight elected officials were all part of the previous council.

Schryer, who served as deputy mayor during the previous term, was acclaimed as mayor.

Councillors Kerri Luck, Kirk Miller, Mike Biggar, Noah Donovan, Beth Thompson and Emil Olsen were all re-elected on May 11.

Doug MacDonald is the only new member of council.

Luck will serve as the new deputy mayor after receiving the most votes in the election.

Schryer congratulated all councillors on their election and praised their willingness to serve.

“Public service is not always easy, and it does take a lot of courage to step up in public and give your name and be tapped on at the grocery store or anywhere else,” she said.

“You’re always on call, you’re always working, so thank you for your commitment.”

Outgoing mayor Libby O’Hara reflected on 15 years serving the community.

“Tonight I stand before you with a full heart, deep gratitude, and more memories than I could possibly fit into eight minutes,” O’Hara said.

She said she got into municipal politics because of a belief in her community.

“I believed in the people of Quispamsis,” O’Hara said. “I believed that local government matters because it touches everyday life. Our people, our roads, our safety, our recreation, our neighbourhoods, and most importantly, our sense of belonging.”

O’Hara said she believed giving attention to the town would allow a council to shape what Quispamsis would become.

“But Quispamsis has shaped me,” she said. “Serving as your mayor has been one of the greatest honours of my life.”

The first regular meeting for the new council will be June 16 at 6 p.m.