Environment, development focus of Shediac’s new strategic plan

Article content

The Town of Shediac has adopted a new strategic plan to prepare for future growth in the municipality.

Article content

Mayor Roger Caissie said the municipality’s former plan was in need of an update to account for the needs of communities that joined Shediac as part of local government reform in 2023, which added the local service districts of Shediac Cape, Scoudouc Road, Pointe-du-Chêne and Scoudouc.

The town hired Champoux Inc. to work on the 2025-2027 strategic plan and consulted with the council, residents, the business community, and community groups last year to come up with objectives for the plan. The new strategic plan was adopted at a special meeting of council on Jan. 13.

The environment, lifestyle, development, and operational excellence were selected as the four pillars of the strategic plan.

Caissie said the environment portion includes updating the town’s climate change adaptation plan and aligning the municipal plan to take into account sustainable development, protecting natural assets, and climate change resilience.

Article content

Article content

“The actions of the municipality do affect the environment. We want to make sure that’s something that’s top of mind in anything,” he said.

Becoming Canada’s first net-zero community by 2035 is also one of the objectives, and the mayor said there will be first steps in attaining the town’s goal that will soon be announced.

“That’s going to require more than just individual investment on the part of citizens,” Caissie said.” It will require some community investment as well and it will require national investment.”

As for lifestyle, Caissie said it involves enhancing services, cultural activities, and recreational assets, not just for those who visit during tourism season, but residents who live in the town full-time. He gave an example of a four-season park nature park that is being planned.

Article content

In order for Shediac to grow and encourage future development, Caissie said it will involve updating aging municipal infrastructure like pipes and roads, and identifying key parcels of land for residential and commercial development.

He pointed to the extension of Breaux Bridge Street, which will help to alleviate traffic congestion on Main Street. That work is set to get underway in the spring.

Caissie said a new five-storey residential/commercial building on Main Street was one of the first new developments in Shediac’s downtown in a few years, and has attracted businesses such as Halo Donuts, Lost & Found Ice Cream, and Le globe cafe Shediac.

“We’ve had significant development. The pace was quicker than we were used to in the last few years,” the mayor said. “We also need to plan for the future.”

Each pillar of the strategic plan will include a large number of initiatives and priorities that will be part of an operational plan to be implemented during the first quarter of the year, said the town in a release.

Article content