Most polls close across New Brunswick in local government elections

hither’s how you put up mould your ballot on municipal election daytime

N.B.ers head to the polls to elect local governments

Everything you need to know about voting in N.B.’s local elections

Advance voting for N.B. Municipal elections suggests voter engagement is up

As the clock strikes 8 p.m., most polls across the province have closed (other than those six polling stations open later due to technical issues!). Results will start to come into the Elections New Brunswick website, which will have up-to-date results on every race and we will provide live coverage here. 

Over 1,200 New Brunswickers stepped up to put their name forward on a ballot — be that as candidates for mayor or council as well as on rural districts and district education councils. 

I’m at a legion hall in Moncton’s Sunny Brae neighbourhood where Shawn Crossman and his supporters have gathered to watch the results. 

Crossman, one of four candidates to be Moncton’s mayor, is here chatting with supporters along with his wife and daughter. 

Pizza just arrived and the bar is open as they await the close of polls.

This election campaign took on a sombre mood in two New Brunswick municipalities after two candidates died in recent weeks.

Saint Andrews acting mayor Kate Akagi, who had been running as a councillor in Ward 3 this election, died April 19, and Coun. Greg Smith of Grand Lake, who has been running as a councillor in Ward 2, died May 1.

Under Elections N.B. Rules, the races in both of the deceased candidate’s wards were cancelled, and a byelection for both will be held on June 22. All other elections in Saint Andrews and Grand Lake continued today as normal. 

Outside of the three major cities, a lot of New Brunswick’s towns and villages were shaken up drastically under local governance reform. When we reached New Year’s Day in 2023, the province went from having over 300 local entities to just 77 municipalities and a dozen rural districts. 

Some existing places were fused together, like Minto and Chipman into Grand Lake, or Sackville and Dorchester into Tantramar. While other places, like Butternut Valley, were basically created anew.

Tonight’s vote represents the first time citizens will get a say after the dust has settled, so to speak, with a lot of these new communities. The incumbent mayors from many places told me that they feel the challenges of amalgamation are finally behind them and the next councils will finally get a chance to focus on other areas now that the growing pains are less visible. 

A new council will be dealing with a very different Saint John than 2021 when the outgoing council was elected.

The city’s population has also grown by about nine per cent since then. A homelessness crisis has also evolved in the city in the five years since, rising from under 100 to over 250 in March of this year. 

Tied to homelessness issues are the city’s affordable housing shortage and public safety concerns — with many residents and businesses telling councillors they don’t feel safe working and living in their communities.

Another challenge remaining from the previous term — the city’s aging infrastructure, with its many old roads, sidewalks and storm sewers. At last check, the city had an infrastructure deficit of roughly $545 million.

Hi, this is Nipun Tiwari in Saint John and I cover municipal affairs.

It’s a three-way race for mayor in the Port City.

Incumbent Donna Reardon, who has served two terms as a councillor, is seeking a second term as mayor. Ward 2 councillor and retired teacher Barry Ogden as well as veteran and barber shop owner Blaine Harris are also running. 

Reardon, who has been on council since 2012, has leaned on her experience through years of change in the city — and a lot of big decisions in front of councillors —  as part of her campaign. 

Ogden is wrapping up his first term on council. If he doesn’t secure the mayor’s seat, he would also be giving up his role as councillor. Ogden said his community presence as an organizer and former teacher makes him right for the job. 

Harris is after his first term on council. The west-side business owner is campaigning on improving city services and has been critical of some decisions made by the outgoing council — including the other two mayoral candidates. 

Moncton is the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in Canada

The Moncton area continued to grow rapidly in 2024 according to Statistics Canada with the population of the metro area rising by 5.1 per cent.

The new council takes over a city that's undergoing rapid growth. Whether that growth continues, and how it's managed, will be a big issue for the new council. 

The city's population has exploded, topping 100,000 people last year.

That's up more than 20,000 from the last election. That's like adding a whole Town of Riverview. 

Its growth was driven by immigration and people moving from other parts of Canada during the pandemic. 

You can see that change when you drive or walk around Moncton. Lots of new apartment buildings, more traffic on the road and more visible diversity.

The Moncton municipal boundary also grew. Local governance reforms in 2023 added an area along Charles Lutes Road and Berry Mills Road. 

Report calls for action on Moncton homelessness

A newly released report says it's time to move beyond reports and discussions about tackling homelessness in Moncton. The document by a former chamber of commerce leader and a non-profit housing leader includes 26 calls to action.

Mayoral and council candidates in the main say public refuge and homelessness as their top out issues in this run.

The criminal offence rate has been falling since 2021 for the Moncton region. But businesses and residents have been raising concerns about drug use, property crime and traffic enforcement. 

McCluskey, Crossman and Murphy all say they want to revisit the issue of switching from the Codiac Regional RCMP to a municipal police force. Léger is proposing a hybrid approach with both RCMP and municipal officers. 

Homelessness has been a major issue for city council. 

The number of people chronically homeless has grown to more than 500, up hundreds from only a few years ago and significantly more than the province's other major cities. 

Four are vying to be the city's next mayor. 

Shawn Crossman and Charles Léger are both three-term councillors. 

Brian Murphy wants to return to the mayor's office, a role he held from 1998 to 2004. 

Jeffrey McCluskey is also in the race. He previously ran for the provincial Green Party in 2014.

There's no incumbent mayor. Dawn Arnold resigned last year when she was appointed to the Senate. She became the first woman to lead Moncton when elected in 2016.

As of last year, the mayor had a base salary of $80,205.59, but health and dental benefits plus car, communication and clothing allowances brought the total compensation package up to $100,738.32.

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