Community News

Just a reminder that the Municipal Office will be closed on Monday, May 18th for Victoria Day. We will reopen on Tuesday morning.

Have a great long weekend!

Dear Residents of SYSRC:

I first wanted to congratulate the elected Mayor Allen and Councillors Hartwick, Gillis, Angers, Corbett-Hysop, Warren, Bobarnac and Waddingham. I wish them the best as they start their four-year term. My assignment will end when the new council is sworn in later this month.

I recognize that being placed under supervision is not a positive event for a community and is not something that any mayor, council and the population desire. As a result, my presence may have caused concerns in the community and understandably so.

Notwithstanding those potential concerns, I wanted to express how much I enjoyed working as SYSRC’s supervisor. I met so many wonderful people during my stay here and it was such a rewarding assignment. I quickly developed a fondness for the community and its residents. What a great experience it was for me!

I wanted to acknowledge some of the people who made a solid contribution to my work performance and/or to my enjoyment of the assignment.
They are:
- Cindy Ogden, Treasurer and Assistant Clerk who was such a pleasure to work with. Cindy loves her community and is great at her job. I could not have done this without her
- Robert White, Interim Clerk/Senior Administrator who brought a wealth of experience and knowledge and a calm and professional demeanour to the office. He was great to work with, and he corrected many of my mistakes before I even made them. His arrival at the office was a game changer. Council is in great hands with him and Cindy
- Alex Labelle, who volunteered to be the Director of the Emergency Operations Committee (EOC). He was so well organized and took over the file with enthusiasm and dedication
- The individuals who volunteered to be on the EOC and have brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table
- The Chair (Abe Scott) and the entire Board of Directors of the Rusagonis Recreation Council who were the first group I met with following my appointment and with whom I enjoyed a wonderful two hours of exchange as well as developed friendships
- Greg Lutes, the first supervisor who covered for me the first month of supervision and who gave me an excellent briefing on the issues before me. He is a much-appreciated colleague
- Ryan Archer, who posted all my statements and who patiently put up with my frequent requests
- All the members of the previous council as well as the former mayor who met with me early in my mandate and provided me with good insight and information on the past and on the challenges going forward
- The CAO’s in Oromocto, New Maryland and Hanwell who were always available to answer my questions and provide information and advice as I learned my role
- The mayors of the communities in the Capital Regional Services Commission (CRSC) Region 11 who were very generous and helpful with their comments and advice at every CRSC meetings
- The people who regularly provided positive comments and feedback every time I posted on the community Facebook page. They don’t know how much that mattered to me. I am not naming them here for privacy purposes. Even though I did not comment on Facebook, I read every comment and appreciated them so much
- The people with whom I exchanged regularly on email or phone who had solid questions, advice, comments, friendship and support. That meant a lot to me. Again, I am not naming them here for privacy purposes

It is my sincere hope that my efforts and my decisions have provided the mayor, council and the administration a good foundation upon which to build a successful and thriving community.

I will never forget my time here and will keep in touch on the news about the community. I wish the new Mayor and Council all the best as they take on the difficult and important task of governing this community.

What a wonderful and unforgettable experience it has been for me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Don Ferguson
Supervisor SYSRC

Dear Residents of SYSRC:

I know I had indicated that last week’s update would be my last one except for a good-bye statement in May, unless something drastic happened. But I feel this is important to communicate this to you.

I wanted to advise you that I have decided not to proceed with the Code of Conduct and Procedural By-Law amendments and to put them forward to the next council.

The original reasons for making the change in the by-laws was to continue the work of the last council. They had proposed changes to those by-laws and the amendments had received two of the three required readings.

I had originally decided to go ahead with the changes and, after reviewing the original ones put forward by the last council, we decide to amend them to strengthen them.

However, we have received thoughtful comments from people suggesting that we should wait and let the next council decide what to do. So, I have decided to reconsider.

I will not sign off on the by-laws amendments and instead will put them forward for the next council to consider on whether to adopt them or not. This is the right thing to do. We will however proceed with the zoning by-law amendment and the repeal of the CAO by-law.

Don Ferguson

Supervisor SYSRC