MLA Conroy hosts town hall meeting

MLA Michelle Conroy hosts 86 people at a town hall meeting and fields questions about a variety of issues including bridge closures, multiplex and more.

Michelle Conroy, MLA for Miramichi, held a Town Hall meeting last night in Newcastle at the conference room at the Goodie Shop.  86 people attended.

Conroy, who was elected in September ousting former Liberal Cabinet Minister Bill Fraser, said she wanted to keep in touch with the constituents to let them know what has been going on, and to hear their concerns.  Conroy gave a speech and then took questions.

Conroy told the crowd about files she has been working on such as ambulance service, the Miramichi Airport, repurposing Mount St. Joseph, and traffic concerns when the Centennial Bridge closes.

Conroy said she raises the concern about the bridge closure at every opportunity but has consistently heard the bridge repairs can’t wait, and that construction of a bypass, if considered, would not be complete in time for repairs.  She also said she has been stressing to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure the importance of approving the list of projects the City of Miramichi has proposed to mitigate traffic on the King George Highway during the time of the bridge closure.  (See related story HERE).  By the reaction of the people attending the meeting, traffic and safety concerns on the King George Highway are a high priority.

Conroy also told the crowd about a recent meeting with the Minister of Mike Holland about the airport.

“I had with Mike Holland, the Minister of Energy and Resource Development, the management at Forest Protection Ltd, and the Miramichi Airport Commission.  My goal was to be sure the airport maintains the contract with DNR for fire suppression services – without that business that future of the airport would be in jeopardy, along with its vision of adding news services for  the community such as passenger service. Minister Holland assured me he will not be the man responsible for the closure of the Miramichi Airport.”

Conroy also alluded to a future meeting she has scheduled with Dorothy Shepherd, Minister of Social Development, to discuss possible uses for Mount St. Joseph.  The Mount will no longer be a nursing home in October 2019, as the Shannex complex in Chatham Head is set to open in October. The province recently invested more than $10 into facility improvements.

In an interview, Conroy said representatives of Shannex recently met with her to update her on the progress of the nursing home construction.  They said when the homes are finished, the residents will be transported all in one afternoon. “They’ll have breakfast at the mount, and lunch at Shannex,” Conroy said.  At the town hall meeting Conroy said she was glad Shannex had committed to keeping the Meals and Wheels and adult daycare programs that had been started by the Miramichi Senior Citizens Home.

Ambulance service was featured in her speech.  Conroy explained how recent changes should improve service, and how the People’s Alliance were instrumental in seeing it realized.  She said leader Kris Austin had been insisting for ten years, long before being elected, that fair application of language laws needed to be applied in New Brunswick, and that mandated unilingual hiring at ANB was part of the solution.

Conroy also spoke about her Acadian heritage, and how she and her party have been misrepresented by political opponents and sometimes in the media as being anti-french.

“I want you to know that we are proud to be a bilingual province.  We certainly believe that everyone should be served in their language and the fact that diversity in New Brunswick is something that should be celebrated. And is!  All parties have agreed that conversations should be had about bilingualism. ”

Conroy insisted that if it hadn’t been for the election of three PANB MLAs, the needed conversation would not be taking place.

Questions from the crowd including inquiries about the multiplex.  Conroy said she believes the funding application is getting some attention now, but doesn’t know what the PC cabinet will decide.  She said she is personally in favour of better recreational facilities, but said they have to be sustainable.

There were comments from the crowd about Miramichi being portrayed as a retirement community and how that might deter investment and economic growth.  There were comments about high taxes, and there were questions about many government issues that have been in the news including the staff shortages at psychiatric hospitals in northern NB.

Overall, the crowd was very happy for the opportunity to attend a town hall meeting, and said it had been too long since such an event had been held in Miramichi.

Conroy said afterwards she is considering a second town hall event closer to budget time.