Pointe-du-Chêne residents make case for basic street maintenance

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Shediac council unanimously passed a motion Monday to have town staff investigate, evaluate and report back to council on financial and other related issues associated with having the provision of basic private road maintenance in Pointe-du-Chêne assumed by the Town of Shediac.

Mayor Roger Caissie said during the meeting he had met with citizens of Pointe-du-Chêne in December and one of their main concerns was decent road transportation. He said the motion will put the town on a path of answering questions for citizens who are frustrated with roads that are riddled with potholes and aren’t plowed in the winter.

The motion was put forward by Harry McInroy, the councillor for Pointe-du-Chêne. It followed up on a presentation made by Claude Poirier of the Bluff Association, which represents residents of the Pointe du Chene area.

Pointe-du-Chêne was a separate local service district until last year, when it was amalgamated into the Town of Shediac under the province’s municipal reform.

“The Bluff, along with the rest of the Pointe-du-Chêne area, was developed primarily as a seasonal community, with the first cottages erected over 100 years ago,” Poirier said in his presentation. “Today it has become a largely full-time community, but there are serious infrastructure deficiencies.”

He said the most serious problem is the state of the streets.

“In recent years, this service has seriously deteriorated to the point where many streets have no maintenance or snow-clearing service at all, while some receive occasional service,” said Poirier. “I think it’s only right that all Shediac residents should be able to count on a safe and reliable road system. Living with serious doubts about whether we’ll be able to use the roads after a storm or receive emergency services is not acceptable.”

Poirier said the total property assessment of the former LSD is $284 million, which represents 16 per cent of Shediac’s tax base, and that residents in the former LSD pay two taxes: they will pay $1.3 million to the Town of Shediac, which is hesitant about taking over the roads, and $1.2 million to the province, which he said is providing “mediocre service.”

Poirier said all tax revenue should go to the municipality, which should take full responsibility for the roads.

 

The main road to the Pointe-du-Chêne Wharf was seriously damaged by high winds and storm surges during Hurricane Fiona on Sept. 23-24, 2022. Many other streets near the beach were flooded and trees were knocked down, creating more damage. In the spring of 2023, the road to the wharf was totally rebuilt.