Greater Geary Association

May 12, 2010.  Many people often have questions on how local governance works in Greater Geary.  Greater Geary and its four communities do not have a mayor or council and it is referred to as an "unincorporated area".  Rural areas in New Brunswick are divided into 269 Local Service Districts (LSD's) covering different geographic areas which are managed by the provincial government.  Greater Geary, along with the community of Burton , is located in "Burton Local Service District". 

To some, this does not make a lot of sense since there is a town and military base in between the two communities.  However, for things such as fire protection and garbage collection (the two biggest budget items for our area), it can make financial sense to have shared local services. 

Many LSD's have an elected "Advisory Council" which provides a mechanism for citizen input on how to better serve the needs of local citizens, by interacting directly with the provincial government and with our Local services manager, Peter Kavanagh (who organizes the agreements for fire protection, etc). In addition, this Council can keep citizens informed on what new things are coming from a provincial level that may impact them.  Without this representation, people may not know who to contact if they have local issues, such as recreation, local planning, bylaws, etc.  It is interesting to note that Burton LSD is one of the largest districts in the province not to have an elected Advisory Council.

Our LSD is unique in New Brunswick - no other LSD has such a large population separated into two areas that are not geographically linked, which is probably why there is currently no committee.  Some have suggested two separate communities are needed, and maybe they're right, but it does not look like a possible option with a change in government policy. The provincial government has been exploring ways to join communities together and is not interested at all in separating them.  In addition, there could be impacts on the tax rate since we currently get the benefit of shared services. 

What is needed is for everyone in both areas (Greater Geary and Burton) to have a better understanding of the LSD system and whether it makes sense for both areas to work together to organize an official Advisory Committee. There are a lot of questions that should be addressed well before any kind of formal action, such as:

• Will doing this raise my taxes? (It won't)
• How is this system working in our neighbouring communities, like Hoyt, who have committees?
• Could the LSD name be changed to include Greater Geary?
• What does an Advisory Committee actually do that currently can't be done by local groups?
• Can we ensure adequate representation from both areas?

The GGA is looking to engage the citizens and communities on these issues and start a dialogue. It will be working with a new informal interested citizens group in Burton, (BICG) to host two initial consultation and information sessions, one in Greater Geary, one in Burton.  The purpose of these sessions are to provide opportunities for citizens to learn about how their community works, ask questions of Peter Kavanagh, and to provide feedback on whether this is a good idea or not, what could be changed to make it a good idea, or whether we should stick with the status quo.

Greater Geary is a significant contributor to the provincial economy.  Statistics Canada indicates it boasts a participation rate of 68.8% (the provincial rate is 63.7%) and an unemployment rate of only 5.7% (the provincial rate is 10%).  Provincial figures for tax assessment show valuation of Burton Parish at approximately $300 million in 2007, meaning a minimum of $180 million in Greater Geary. 

Only 5% of workers who live in Greater Geary work in the community, while 46% of New Brunswickers live in the same community they work in[1].  While there are substantial commuters, the numerous trucking, contracting, and hauling businesses headquartered in Greater Geary, as well as local home-based businesses and a commercial fishery are important contributors to the local and provincial economies.

Since Greater Geary has 55% of the population of Burton Parish, Statistics Canada census data for Burton Parish were extrapolated for Greater Geary: 

• 555 people aged 15 or younger
• 411 people between 15 and 24
• 933 between 24 and 44
• 765 between 44 and 64
• 336 over the age of 65

In fact, Greater Geary has one of the youngest populations in New Brunswick.

Home construction in Greater Geary since 1986 has far outpaced housing construction province-wide.  Statistics Canada figures for Burton Parish show nearly just as many homes were built between 1986 and 2006, than were built prior to 1986.