Common Council Meeting — April 7, 2026

The City’s annual asphalt supply contract for 2026 is recommended to be awarded to NRB Construction Company Ltd., the lowest bidder. The total estimated value is $991,500, covering patchwork, roadway and sidewalk maintenance, overlay programs, and the Saint John Water cut reinstatement program. Asphalt unit prices are 7.5% higher than 2025 due to rising oil prices, which staff warn could further increase during the season due to geopolitical instability.

Staff recommend awarding the 2026 asphalt resurfacing contract to Debly Enterprises Ltd. at a tendered price of $6,655,941.83 (incl. HST). The contract covers resurfacing of 38 streets (31 lane-km), including approximately 15,078 tonnes of Superpave hot-mix asphalt, 3,730 lineal metres of concrete curb, and 3,188 lineal metres of sidewalk. Work is expected to begin the week of April 27 and continue until October 15. The project comes in under budget with a $289,366 surplus. The full list of streets to be resurfaced is included in the agenda package.

This $1.8M project to resurface Fallsview Avenue and build a new Harbour Passage walkway from Douglas Avenue to the Fallsview Park Lookout is recommended for award to Galbraith Construction Ltd. at $1,835,308 (incl. HST), well under the engineer’s estimate of $2.38M. The project was delayed from 2025 due to cruise ship season overlap. Improvements include:

• New 3-metre-wide red-dyed Harbour Passage sidewalk
• Upgraded drainage and stormwater management
• Barrier-free pedestrian access ramps with tactile warning indicators
• New seating areas, trash receptacles, and decorative fencing
• New street trees and landscape enhancements
• New lighting along Harbour Passage
• Improved parking and bus/pedestrian safety design

Archaeological test pitting is required due to proximity to known sites.

The City is renewing its Adobe licensing agreement for a three-year term at $80,924/year (plus HST), for a total of $242,772 plus HST. This is $7,067/year less than a one-year renewal, saving $21,200 over the term. Adobe is used by more than 200 City employees for document management, PDF processing, graphic design, and digital workflows.

The City is entering into a funding agreement with the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for foundation repairs to the Union Street Pedway Tunnel — a critical asset providing access to the Canada Games Aquatic Centre and TD Station. The RDC will contribute $104,000 (40% of eligible costs). Work — including waterproofing, drainage repair, and new concrete sidewalk — was completed in 2025 at a total cost of $158,580 + HST, well below the $260,000 estimate.

Deputy Mayor MacKenzie is sponsoring a $374.54 Council Community Fund application from the Saint John North End Food Assistance Group (211 Main Street) to purchase security cameras, doorbells, and window film to improve safety for clients and volunteers. The food bank serves an average of 630 families monthly.

A new street name — “allee Foreshore Lane” — is being added for a private drive serving a residential development between 79 and 99 Mabee Road, to meet NB 9-1-1 civic addressing requirements.

Council is asked to approve a municipal servicing easement for Arlington Crescent in the Rockwood Hills Subdivision to allow interconnection of two segments of municipal watermains across a private development. Fire hydrants will be needed at approximately 90-metre intervals.

A subdivision in the Monte Cristo Neighbourhood (River & Rail Holdings Inc.) requires a municipal servicing easement and dedication of 3,205 square metres of park space (18% of the new lot, exceeding the 10% minimum). The developer has also committed to paving the frontage along Elba Boulevard during Phase 2.

Council is asked to schedule a public hearing for Monday, July 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM regarding a staff-led amendment to the Zoning By-Law related to how basements and cellars are defined as storeys.

A public information session will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 3:00–7:00 PM at the Assumption Centre (721 Chapel Street) for a major water, sanitary and storm sewer renewal and street reconstruction project on St. John Street (Lancaster Street to City Line) and Dufferin Row (City Line to Civic #360). Construction is expected June through October 2026, and will include new concrete curb, sidewalk, grass medians, and storm/sanitary sewer separation.

The Planning Advisory Committee unanimously recommends vesting a portion of PID 00038372 as a public street at the intersection of Garden Street and Hazen Street.

Apraxia Kids has requested the City proclaim May 14, 2026 as Apraxia Awareness Day. Childhood apraxia of speech affects 1 in 1,000 children and is among the most severe speech deficits in children.

Fundy Honda and Steele Auto Group (160 Rothesay Ave) is requesting to present to Council about ongoing vandalism, theft, and property damage. Approximately 70 vehicles (many belonging to customers) have been impacted, resulting in roughly $35,000 in damages. The recommendation is to refer this to the Public Safety Committee.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation is informing Council that volunteers will be canvassing door-to-door from April 2026 through September 2026 throughout New Brunswick communities.

The Province of New Brunswick is seeking feedback via an online survey (open until April 17, 2026) on its draft 2026–2035 Biodiversity Strategy. Over 10% of New Brunswick’s known species are of conservation concern.

Mayor Reardon proclaims April 12–18, 2026 as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, honouring Public Safety Communications Centre operators.

This is the 3rd and final reading to rezone 1,563 sq. metres of land at 1360 Old Black River Road (PID 00340703) from Rural Residential (RR) to Rural Mixed Residential (RMX) to legalize the placement of a mobile home. The 1st and 2nd readings passed on March 23, 2026 with no public opposition.

A traffic by-law amendment to support a new daycare in a multi-use development (56 dwelling units + 80-student daycare, now projected at 120 children) on Cliff Street between Coburg and Waterloo Streets. Key changes:

• Parking restricted to the east side only (street too narrow for both sides)
• 8 dedicated 15-minute drop-off/pick-up spaces during peak hours (7–9 AM, 4–6 PM weekdays)
• One space with 15-minute limit during full daycare hours (6 AM–6 PM)
• Alternate side parking removed; residential parking permits updated accordingly

The General Counsel Office has prepared a consolidated and modernized version of Council’s Procedural By-law (By-law LG-15). The current by-law was enacted in May 2021 and has been amended four times since. This rewrite incorporates all previous amendments plus a new process for selecting the Deputy Mayor (where the Mayor interviews interested Councillors and nominates one for a 4-year term). The GCO also used the opportunity to remove obsolete references, modernize the public hearing process, and align Saint John’s procedures with other NB local governments of similar size. The proposed by-law was reviewed by the Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Director of Planning, and Senior Manager of Planning.

A Notice of Motion from the March 23 meeting, now deferred to this meeting for discussion and vote. Councillor Norton proposes requiring the Community Safety and Security Team to report at all Public Safety Committee meetings.

Also deferred from March 23. Councillor Norton is requesting that the Clerk schedule a public presentation from Turner Drake & Partners Ltd., an Atlantic Canadian commercial real estate counselling, brokerage, and valuation firm (headquartered in Halifax). Turner Drake has documented that rental rates are a leading indicator of economic problems for cities — reflecting conditions before they show up in broader statistics like unemployment or population decline. Their attached newsletter, “The Goose That Used to Lay the Golden Egg,” analyzes real (inflation-adjusted) downtown office rents across Atlantic Canada and finds that Saint John’s office market is now one of the softest in the region: overall vacancy has risen from 7% in 2012 to 30.8% in 2025, and real Class A rents have fallen from $14–15/sq ft in 2008–09 to $9.36/sq ft in 2025. The newsletter argues that commercial real estate is not just a private-market concern — it’s civic infrastructure that directly impacts the municipal tax base.

Staff will present the 2026 annual work plan, organized around four strategic goals — Vibrant, Prosperous, Service, and Accountable — plus four catalytic infrastructure projects (Central Peninsula Learning Commons, Fundy Quay redevelopment, new comprehensive recreational facility, and industrial park investment) and four advocacy efforts (tax reform, bilateral funding, affordable housing, and post-secondary education). Key 2026 deliverables include:

• Housing Accelerator Fund: North End Secondary Plan approval, Housing Concierge grants, and e-permitting Phase 1
• Housing For All Strategy: Expanded Green Zone and Red Zone monitoring/encampment cleanups
• Comprehensive Recreation Facility: Secure funding, begin detailed design, kick off fundraising
• Fiscal Reform: Continue advocating for Heavy Industrial Tax transfer
• Simms Corner: Intersection improvement advocacy
• Saint John Energy: Advocacy for corporatization
• Transforming Transit: CAD/AVL implementation, on-demand paratransit, transit code of conduct
• City Market: 150th anniversary celebration (Q4), major capital work on aisle layout and Deck Seating Area
• MoveSJ Implementation: Roundabout strategy, up to 5 cycling improvements, safety and accessibility roadway actions, accessible signalized intersection upgrades (target 60%)
• Play SJ: Scope update for Harbour Passage Connections, Rockwood and District Parks
• Climate Adaptation: Causeway design, Charlotte Street stormwater
• Gen AI Adoption: Policy development, impact/risk assessment
• Council Transition: Onboarding new members, governance training, strategic plan alignment

The Community Safety Services (CSS) Team launched in February 2026 as a visible, non-police service focused on proactive patrol and voluntary-compliance response to nuisance and public disorder in Waterloo Village, Uptown, and the Thorne/Rothesay Avenue area. This is a two-year pilot. In its first seven weeks (February 2 to March 21, 2026), the team recorded:

• 93 public assists (e.g., moving disruptive individuals from business entrances, crowd control)
• 69 service calls responded to
• 109 wellness checks
• Only 9 escalations to police or 911 (2 of which were medical emergencies)
• Average response time: under 5 minutes
• 39 abandoned shopping carts returned
• 216 sharps (needles) collected — all in the final two weeks as snow melted and concealed needles became exposed

Staff report consistently positive feedback from businesses and residents. The next phase will include a targeted mailout to the pilot area with an informational handout. A more detailed 90-day review will go to the Public Safety Committee at the end of April.