A sense of identity

For Fundy-Albert, tourism will be an important driver of future growth

As the mayor of a municipality that is ten months old – and until January 1st was composed of three separate municipalities and five local service districts –Bob Rochon says his one of his biggest challenges is creating a shared sense of identity.

“We don’t want to remove that individual sense of identity. We want to make sure that we embrace and keep the cultural aspects both of our former municipalities and our current municipality. We are going to continue to celebrate those various elements of Albert County we have (celebrated) in the past, those unique cultural experiences, and that’s an important part of what we want to accomplish.”

The new municipality, created as part of local governance reform in New Brunswick at the beginning of this year, is Fundy Albert. The previous three were Hillsborough, Riverside-Albert, and Alma, along with unincorporated surrounding areas.

Rochon was referring to tourism development, but it is clear he is sincere in his desire to navigate that high wire act: creating a new identity for the amalgamated municipality of Fundy Albert while respecting that residents also have long-standing loyalties to their original communities.

Fundy Albert is also one of the largest of the newly-incorporated municipalities created by local governance reform – the largest local government reorganization in New Brunswick since the days of Louis Robichaud in the 1960s.

Rochon believes that Fundy Albert’s location, stretching from Lower Coverdale to the boundary of Fundy National Park in Alma, positions the municipality well for tourism development.

“We’re essentially on the corridor that runs from Riverview all the way to Fundy National Park, through the park and the Fundy Trail, all the way to Sussex. The opportunities are for increased traffic and volume of tourists.

“There are some unique tourism assets that we think will attract people,” says Rochon, referring in particular to the region’s rolling countryside, the Petitcodiac River and the tides at Hopewell Cape, Fundy Park itself, and the network of walking trails as economic drivers.

With opportunity comes challenge. Rochon notes that Fundy Albert faces a familiar obstacle for rural and semirural regions, that of keeping people for longer stays rather than drive-throughs and overnights. While details are still in the works, Rochon says “we are working on that.

“I am on a working group of what is called the Rural Upper Fundy Partnership, which is a group of tourism associations, chambers of commerce, and the Fundy Biosphere, where we are looking at tourism from a regional perspective … it crosses three regional service commissions.” community at any time of the year, and especially not during tourist season. Alma has approximately 250 permanent residents but can host between five and ten thousand tourists a week in the summer.

One of the issues that group is reviewing is another testing issue for municipalities across Canada – housing, in this case for employees of the tourism sector. “We are looking at some of the options that are available, such as billeting, partnerships with non-profits, and partnerships with land developers.

“The idea is to put the infrastructure in place so that (tourism operators) can stay open longer” during the year.

There is a temporary measure in place now in place now to supply water, but a permanent solution will cost between $10 million and $12 million. “That’s a lot of money for a community with 250 permanent residents.”

The first phase of a Water Exploration Project for Alma is complete. Once water quality test results are available, a second phase can begin. “The application for funding for Phase Two from the federal and provincial governments has been submitted. We are just waiting on approval.”

The population is growing, again creating opportunities and challenges. “What we’re finding is that folks are coming here from places like Ontario, perhaps on a visit, they come through as tourists and then they look and say, ‘what a beautiful place, why wouldn’t I leave the hustle and bustle … and come have a slower, calmer pace of life.”

That keeps the residential tax base growing and schools open, but also creates the need for more housing.

Similarly, Rochon hopes that reorganization will allow the amalgamated region to tackle issues that each community would have had difficulty tackling on its own.

Infrastructure is a challenge for Fundy Albert as it is for every municipality in the country, and a prime example is the village of Alma’s water supply. An aging system can no longer properly service the

Rochon believes the process of bringing the formerly separate communities together while respecting their individual identities, improving infrastructure, and housing, and developing tourism will function better with a strategic plan in place. “That’s on the horizon,” with work on a strategic plan likely to begin in 2024.

“You have to have a plan. You have to have an objective.”