The Saint John Community Coalition (SJCC) is encouraging residents to speak up in support of maintaining Wolastoq Park with its current zoning, as it is at risk of being converted into a site for a large parking lot by the property owner, Irving Pulp and Paper.

The proposed development of this land into a parking lot would forever change the park and the benefits it brings for residents and tourists alike.

In addition to the impacts to traffic, noise, pedestrian safety, and the surrounding natural environment, this would impact the quality of life for residents, who have benefited from the separation it provides to the heavy industrial area at the pulp mill site.  

Recognizing that the proposed bylaw changes go against the city’s municipal plan, and against staff recommendations, the SJCC recommends outright rejection of this bylaw change, rather than negotiating proposals for public benefit.

The proponent has demonstrated a track record of using their outsized influence to advance changes that go against the city’s municipal plan, and against the public interest.

The SJCC feels that the need to develop this park into a parking lot has not been adequately justified, when the pulp mill property already has 48 hectares (118 acres), much of which remains undeveloped in the area alongside Milford Road.

For over a century, the encroachment of heavy industrial activity into residential spaces has been part of our way of life in Saint John. We are calling on the council to take bold steps to elevate Saint John’s reputation as a desirable place to live, to work, and to enjoy a better quality of life.

(Photo Credit: Cosmos Mariner, July 15, 2019)