Miramichi River Valley latest N.B. community to be left without a council

Sam Farley · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 4:58 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6

New Brunswick present has 3 municipalities nether the power of unelected supervisors until adjacent spring’s elections. 

Miramichi River Valley — an amalgamated assemblage that includes Blackville, Renous and Sunny Corner — is the latest to spot its elected authorities dissolved. 

A connection posted Thursday greeting by the Local Governance Commission of New Brunswick said the municipality mislaid its quorum due to the fact that of resignations.

“This means that the assembly is nary longer capable to govern and nonstop the operations of the agrarian community,” the connection said. 

All 3 supervised municipalities, Miramichi River Valley, Sunbury-York South and Strait Shores, are amalgamated communities that did not beryllium earlier 2023.

No details person been made disposable to the nationalist astir wherefore the assembly successful Miramichi River Valley fell apart.

But successful Sunbury-York South, a supervisor was appointed aft the politician resigned. Council had recovered helium violated the codification of behaviour by signing a two-year lease for the municipality's bureau abstraction successful Oromocto without bringing it to assembly for an authoritative decision.

In Strait Shores, a supervisor was appointed aft months of turmoil, driven by a antagonistic absorption connected assembly to efforts by a caller councillor to bring astir much transparency.  

Commission advised compulsory training

In September, the Local Governance Commission recommended that each councillors successful New Brunswick beryllium taxable to mandatory grooming to debar problems specified arsenic those affecting immoderate recently amalgamated communities. 

But the state is not going to enactment connected the grooming proposal until aft elections adjacent spring, Local Government Minister Aaron Kennedy said Thursday successful an email statement.

Kennedy said his section is "working successful concern with the municipal associations to look astatine however champion to code grooming of recently elected officials pursuing the 2026 municipal election."

Minutes and notices posted connected the Miramichi River Valley website bespeak determination was a batch of changeover connected the assembly this twelvemonth alone. 

Two caller councillors, Ray Croft and Paula Hare, joined aft a May byelection pursuing 2 resignations. Morgan Vickers resigned arsenic lawman politician successful July, and different councillor, Amanda Brennan, stepped successful to capable the role. 

A societal media leafage for the municipality said the assembly gathering connected Nov. 4 had been cancelled due to the fact that of a deficiency of quorum. The would-be docket for that gathering included 3 abstracted conflict-of-interest complaints and 1 codification of behaviour complaint, to beryllium discussed successful a closed session. 

Biographies and interaction accusation for each those who were serving arsenic councillors person been deleted connected the website. When a supervisor is appointed, each councillor email accounts are deactivated, arsenic they are nary longer officially councillors.

There was nary effect to a question sent to the email code of the municipality asking which councillors resigned and seeking their resignation letters. 

The province’s newest MLA, Kevin Russell, won a byelection successful October for the riding that includes Miramichi River Valley. Russell was the politician of the municipality earlier stepping down to tally for the provincial office.

CBC News requested an interrogation with Russell done a Progressive Conservative Party authoritative but did not get a response.

Supervisor experienced successful section government

The appointed supervisor, Brenda Knight, volition beryllium successful spot until municipal elections successful May 2026. 

A webpage for the Université de Moncton says that Knight runs a grooming people determination for section authorities officials, and it outlines her extended inheritance successful municipal governments. 

The biography connected the leafage says Knight has worked successful the municipal governments of Nackawic, Oromocto and St. Stephen. She has besides held enactment roles wrong the Local Government Department and is simply a past president of the Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick.