50 years on, Riverview has grown from just 3 houses to largest town in New Brunswick
Residents value small-town feel, but Riverview also has big-city challenges
That town is now home to 20,000 people and is bigger than four cities in New Brunswick.
Phillip Dobson is celebrating Riverview's 50th anniversary by remembering the impact his father, Byron Dobson, had on the town. Byron was a property developer responsible for much of the area's growth after the Second World War.
"Everybody thought he was crazy," Phillip Dobson said. "Why would anybody cross the bridge to live in Riverview when they could live in Moncton?"
Phillip Dobson says his father, who helped build the town, would be 'astounded' to see it today. (Khalil Akhtar/CBC)
The answer may lie in the difference between the two. Riverview only officially became a town in July of 1973, and it has no plans to become a city. Although neighbour to two of the province's largest cities — Moncton and Dieppe — the town's identity is rooted in that four-letter word.
"We like the fact that we're a town because it contributes to that closeness that we have as a community," said Mayor Andrew LeBlanc. "We're quite happy to continue to be the largest town in New Brunswick."'
Phillip Dobson lived in the old farmhouse his dad built for himself a few decades before Riverview became Riverview. The house is now in the heart of town, surrounded by homes, schools, shops and parks.
An
old photo of the house where Byron Dobson lived with his parents. The
image is from A History of Riverview - A Bicentennial Project (1984), a
project of the Riverview Bicentennial Committee and the Riverview
Historical Association, with the support of the Riverview mayor and
council, according to Mareika Dow, spokesperson for the municipality. (Submitted by the Town of Riverview)
Phillip said his father would be "astounded" to see the town as it is right now.
"I think this exceeds his expectations," he said.
LeBlanc has lived in Riverview for the last 30 years. He said lots has changed, especially the number of buildings and commercial development, but some things are still the same.
"We've been able to maintain that really close-knit feeling, that community atmosphere, that feeling of supporting one another," he said.
Riverview Mayor Andrew LeBlanc says the town can grow and still remain a tight-knit community. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
LeBlanc said the town is no exception when it comes to serious issues, such as homelessness and the housing crises sweeping across the country, which is why some growth is necessary, despite some pushback to any development.
"Not all growth. It's smart growth," he said. "And making sure that the growth fits to the vision of the town and in what we need."
Everything changes except desire to stay the same
Dobson said resistance to development is also nothing new. He remembers making a presentation about a condo development he was working on in the '80s and people booing and throwing things at him.
"It was on TV and my daughter, who was in school in British Columbia, saw me on television with stuff flying past me," he said.
But Dobson said as much as change is scary, he's learned in his 80 years that nothing stays the same. And change is sometimes important to make communities healthier.
"How long can we just keep building houses ... [that are] so separated." he said. "We have a problem with carbon in the air. We have to do something about it."
LeBlanc said despite all the growth, the town has still managed to keep its identity. To do this, he said it takes everyone agreeing that community matters most — green spaces, youth and social clubs and accepting each other's differences.
"Welcoming to newcomers and new cultures, new diverse backgrounds, the LGBTQ community," he said. "We're trying to be a welcoming community for everybody and whether we're a town or a city, we can achieve that goal and we have been achieving that goal."
With files from Khalil Akhtar
27 Comments
David Amos
I wonder how many folks in Riverview ever voted for me
Ken Dwight
"Although neighbour to two of the province's largest cities — Moncton and Dieppe —
-
Dieppe is not one of the two largest cities in NB. Saint John and Fredericton both dwarf Dieppe.
Michel Forgeron
Reply to Ken Dwight
The article says "...neighbour ro two of the
province's largetst cities..." This relates to the neighbouring cities,
are you saying Riverview is a neighbour of Saint John and Fredericton?
David Amos
Reply to Michel Forgeron Try a different rabbit hole if you wish to split a hare
claude bourgeois
Reply to Ken Dwight
two of...not the two,
Raymond Leger
Riverview is "Greater Moncton".
Bob Smith
Reply to Raymond Leger
No, it's not. Dieppe and Riverview are separate from the land of Arnold.
David Amos
Reply to Raymond Leger
So you say
Jos Allaire
C'est Vrai
Some previous posts touched on the subject
without actually pointing out the real reason. If Riverview becomes a
city, it will have to provide bilingual services as is required by law.
David Amos
Reply to Jos Allaire Michael Cain
Reply to Jos Allaire
I think it depends on how many of the minority, like 20%.
Bob Smith
Riverview is pro residential but has had a long
standing aversion to all things business. Oh, and I've lived in
Riverview since mid seventies. It's been a lot bigger than three houses.
As far as amalgamation goes, Riverview doesn't want it and neither does
Dieppe for language reasons primarily. Riverview is, well, an odd place
to grow.
David Amos
Did you ever vote for me?
David Amos
Reply to Bob Smith claude bourgeois
Dieppe and Riverview are really Moncton whether you like it or not.
David Amos
Nay not so
David Amos
Nobody cares
William Peters
Reply to Raymond Leger
Not on cultural grounds. The Petitcodiac river
separates the diverse SE of NB from the COR regions. Gunningsville had
an English speaking identity, and it for long had that cachet. It has
functioned as a bedroom community to Moncton for Albert County which is
about as different, culturally speaking, as it could be to Westmoreland
county. I do think that this sort of division actually still matters to
the current political establishment we have. Raymond Leger
Reply to William Peters
There are many communities that have culturally speaking differences that were recently forced to amalgamate.
David Amos
Reply to William Peters Oh so true
Terry Halverson
Reply to Raymond Leger
Forced being the main word there. I much prefer to be in the town of Riverview.
Bob Smith
Reply to Raymond Leger
So bring that up when next you visit Dieppe. See how that goes.
Raymond Leger
Reply to Terry Halverson
There are a lot of people in towns and villages who would have preferred not to be forced to amalgamate with another entity.
Raymond Leger
Reply to Bob Smith
Maybe getting rid of the name "Moncton" would help. Definitely not a name that people of Acadian descent like to be reminded of.
David Amos
Reply to Raymond Leger
Cry me a river
David Amos
Reply to Raymond Leger
Oh MyZoe Richmond
"The green green grass of Home." What an awesome village Riverview was and now town. Thank you for the memories!
David Amos
Reply to Zoe Richmond My Father is buried under the green green grass of Riverview
June Arnott
Lets hope that new building units will actually
be affordable to help the homeless! Riverview is not what it was even
twenty years ago. The crime goes unanswered too!
David Amos
Reply to June Arnott Take it up with the RCMP
Ken Dwight
Reply to June Arnott
What crime? You seem obsessed with crime, you mention it like the area was Chicago
Is your neighbour in a different federal riding? This is why
‘It's a bit like Rubik's Cube,’ says retired professor who helped reshape New Brunswick ridings in 2012
· CBC News· Posted: Oct 19, 2019 8:00 AM AT
The next time riding boundaries shift could be after the 2021 census, but does that mean you and your neighbour might end up in different ridings? (Mike Heenan/CBC)
At an intersection along Whitepine Road in Riverview, drivers are besieged by election campaign signs, far more than your average high-traffic corner.
That's because the road marks the border between two federal ridings — Moncton-Rivervew-Dieppe to the north, Fundy Royal to the south. The boundary cuts Riverview almost in two, and Mayor Ann Seamans says it can be confusing for residents come election time.
Multiple residents on Brewster Street, one street south of Whitepine, told CBC News they should be included in the riding with neighbouring Moncton. They say their interests are not as closely aligned with Fundy Royal communities like Sussex and Quispamsis.
Seamans made a similar point in 2012 when officials readjusted the boundaries and opted to maintain the border through Riverview. Seven years later, the two-term mayor said she was speaking up for her residents, but she doesn't think the split has negatively affected the municipality.
It's better to have two MPs in your corner than one, she said.
It's not the only boundary in New Brunswick's 10 federal electoral districts that may raise an eyebrow.
The latest boundary for the Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe federal riding. (Elections Canada)
Dieppe has a chunk of the city belonging to Beauséjour. Rothesay and Quispamsis, two communities that share several municipal services, are in different federal ridings. Rural villages south of Grand Lake, like Gagetown and Cambridge-Narrows, are tied to the Fundy Isles riding.
There are many communities along every boundary that would seem to be a more appropriate fit in the adjacent riding, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. And it's not an easy task for those charged with the duty.
Elections Canada describes the independent commissions that redraw the lines as "high-wire balancing acts"— a fair comparison, according to Patrick Malcolmson.
The retired political science professor was appointed to the three-member commission that readjusted the boundaries in 2012. He described the process and what it was like to walk that high wire.
How are federal ridings reshaped?
The Constitution requires that federal electoral districts be reviewed after each decennial census.Redistribution, as it's called, is led by independent commissions established in each province.
A commission is permitted to tweak boundaries but not the number of ridings. For New Brunswick, that means keeping it at 10. The commission makes its recommendations, accepts feedback during public hearings and delivers a report to the chief electoral officer.
The current map of federal ridings in New Brunswick. (Elections Canada)
House members can object to the recommendations in the report. The commission must consider any objection but is not compelled to make any changes. A final report is submitted to the Speaker of the House. Once the speaker tables it, the commission's decisions are final.
Reflecting on the framework, Malcolmson said the Canadian system is probably "one of the best systems, at least at the federal level, that exists." He said typically people with legal or academic backgrounds are appointed to the non-partisan commissions.
"You find that, you know, basically the commissions are made up of people who have a lot of expertise and have no political axe to grind," he said.
They seek to improve representation, he said, not to manipulate constituency boundaries for political purposes, the gerrymandering often seen in the United States.
What criteria are used to adjust boundaries?
Each commission is given an "electoral quota," the number of residents permitted in a single district. It's essentially the province's population divided by number of ridings.Commissions must draw the boundaries to be "as close as reasonably possible" to the electoral quota. In New Brunswick, the number during the most recent redistribution in 2012 was 75,117.
But they have some wiggle room.
It's a bit like Rubik's Cube, you know, because if you do that you have to change the boundaries somewhere else.
- Patrick MalcolmsonThe riding population has to remain within a 25 per cent margin on either side of the quota.
That's almost a 40,000-person window to work with in New Brunswick.
But it's still a tricky task, given the continuing migration to urban centres and depopulation of rural New Brunswick. Because of the population shift, the 2012 commission faced a crucial fork in the road early on in its work.
One option was adding surrounding population to urban centres and making more urban ridings — two each for the Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton areas — reducing the number of mixed or rural districts to four. The other option was to take a bit from urban centres and add to the other districts.
Commissioners opted for the latter.
"It's nice to sort of say, 'Well, we should have two ridings for each [region] of the major cities,'" Malcolmson said, "but I think you'd have quite a groundswell of discontent from people who live outside the cities that now they're really not going to have a voice. And I think they already feel that they don't have a voice."
The Riverview/Fundy Royal issue began with a proposal to put all of Dieppe in the Beauséjour riding, leaving Moncton and Riverview as one. But residents of Dieppe objected. So to meet the population quota, parts of Riverview and Moncton were moved into adjacent ridings instead.
"I think we were sort of caught on two sides and, ultimately, made what we thought was the best decision," he said.
"It's a bit like Rubik's Cube, you know, because if you do that you have to change the boundaries somewhere else."
What else is taken into account?
Commissions also need to consider manageable geographic sizes for the districts and communities of interest.A community of interest is a key idea in shaping the boundaries in order to enhance representation.
The notion is open to interpretation, but Elections Canada calls it a "counterweight" to the cold, hard math of divvying up things by population.
The 2012 redistribution commission changed the name of the Saint John riding to Saint John-Rothesay to better reflect the geography. (Elections Canada)
"Strict population equality may well mean the splintering of otherwise natural communities," that share municipal boundaries, economic interests as well as social, racial, religious or linguistic characteristics.
On multiple instances, francophone groups in the province challenged boundary adjustments out of concern it would diminish francophone representation.
The Federal Court made history in 2004 by halting a boundary change that sought to move some Acadie-Bathurst residents into the predominantly anglophone Miramichi riding.
The New Brunswick commission tasked with the 2002 redistribution also proposed having every First Nation vote in the Miramichi riding, even though only three were in the geographic area. The idea was to boost Indigenous representation, but the plan was met with heavy opposition and eventually scrapped.
During the 2012 redistribution, the commission decided to roll Belledune into Acadie-Bathurst. The village, which is located between Campbellton and Bathurst, was previously part of the Miramichi riding "for no apparent reason," the commission wrote.
What's next?
The next decennial census is scheduled for 2021, meaning another boundary readjustment will soon be upon us."I would imagine the trend towards, you know, greater urbanization in the province has continued and there's a sort of process of rural depopulation happening," Malcolmson said.
"At some point, whether it's this time or next time, you're going to reach the tipping point and there's going to have to be a more substantial redistribution than there was.
"The commission will have to look pretty, pretty hard at redrawing those boundaries, and that will not be a walk in the park."
7 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.David Amos
Methinks everybody knows that I am running again in Fundy Royal again but like lots of folks I can't vote there because I live just across the line as well N'esy Pas?
Kelly Alder
Wish sackville Nb could be put in a different federal riding. Now we are lumped in with the majority of francophone communities and basically will be liberals til end of time federally. Haven’t seen domitwit Leblanc in 20 years. Doesn’t even need to campaign to win.
Oscar Acosta
Reply to @Kelly Alder: Hopefully Laura shakes things up
David Amos
Content disabled
Reply to @Kelly Alder:
I feel your pain I was born in Sackville and raised in Dorchester until
1967. When Little Louie centralized the government my Father who was
the County Administrator for Westmorland County Dad lost his job and had
to take the job offered in Fat Fred City as the Supervisor of Taxation
for the Province. He provided faithful and ethical service to the the
folks in NB until he died way too young. Trust that it was a job my
Father hated but he did enjoy forcing the Irving Clan to pay their
property taxes. Later my Mother married the former Chief Electoral
officer and a very Proud CoR Party member just like Premier Higgs once
was. Furthermore my Brother in Law's law firm partner is Brian Mosher. As the VP of the PC Party for the Maritimes Mosher assisted Petey Crybaby MacKay in merging with Harper's Party Methinks it should be a small wonder to R.B. Bennett's ghost as to why my Father's wild child has run for public office 7 times N'esy Pas?
Natalie Pugh
Federal riding boundaries are one thing but the way they determined polling stations is completely ridiculous. My advanced polling station was 36 km north of my residence but there was an advanced station 2km south of us. Residences 1 km to 4 km north of us were designated to the advanced station 2 km south of us! Great way to encourage people to vote Elections Canada!!
David Amos
Reply to @Natalie
Pugh: I was not allowed to vote from 2000 until this year even though my
name has been on 7 ballots from 2004 til now Go Figure
Vernon A McPhee
I think the premise that the commission is trying to balance the rural/urban divide is just a smokescreen. The only actual challenges mentioned was to ensure that the Francophone representation is kept artificially high enough.
David Amos
Reply to @Vernon A McPhee: I concur
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/10/former-mps-rob-moore-rodney-weston-and.html
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Shuttle, Paul"<Paul.Shuttle@pco-bcp.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 12:26:21 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks it was interesting that CBC shut
down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Please note that I am no longer at PCO. For immediate assistance,
please contact Ms. Jodie van Dieen at 613-957-5726 or Ms. Guylaine
Létourneau at 613-957-5252.
Veuillez noter que je suis plus au BCP. Pour une assistance immédiate,
veuillez contacter Mme Jodie van Dieen au 613-957-5726 ou Mme Guylaine
Létourneau au 613-957-5252.
Thank you.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Drouin, Nathalie (BRQ)"<Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 12:26:11 +0000
Subject: Réponse automatique : Methinks it was interesting that CBC
shut down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Veuillez noter que je suis à l'extérieur jusqu'au 15 octobre 2019,
avec accès limité à mes courriels. Pour toute question qui ne peut
attendre mon retour, je vous invite à communiquer avec mon adjointe
Irène Ghobril au 514-283-5687. Merci.
Please note that I am away until October 15, 2019, with linited access
to my e-mails. For assistance, please contact Irène Ghobril at
514-283-5687. Thank you.
NOTIFICATION ÉLECTRONIQUE: NotificationPGC-AGC.Civil@
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Austin, Kris (LEG)"<Kris.Austin@gnb.ca>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 12:26:13 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks it was interesting that CBC shut
down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for your email.
Please be assured that all emails and letters are read carefully.
Should your issue be Constituency related, please contact Janet at my
constituency office in Pepper Creek at janet.johnston@gnb.ca or by
calling 444-4530.
Thanks again for taking the time to reach out to me with your concerns or input.
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Assemblée législative du Nouveau-Brunswick
Office of Kris Austin, MLA Bureau de Kris Austin, député
506-462-5875 506-462-5875
---------- Original message ----------
From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 12:26:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks it was interesting that CBC shut
down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
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Subject: Réponse automatique : Methinks it was interesting that CBC
shut down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Veuillez noter que je suis à l'extérieur jusqu'au 15 octobre 2019,
avec accès limité à mes courriels. Pour toute question qui ne peut
attendre mon retour, je vous invite à communiquer avec mon adjointe
Irène Ghobril au 514-283-5687. Merci.
Please note that I am away until October 15, 2019, with linited access
to my e-mails. For assistance, please contact Irène Ghobril at
514-283-5687. Thank you.
NOTIFICATION ÉLECTRONIQUE: NotificationPGC-AGC.Civil@
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Austin, Kris (LEG)"<Kris.Austin@gnb.ca>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 12:26:13 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks it was interesting that CBC shut
down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for your email.
Please be assured that all emails and letters are read carefully.
Should your issue be Constituency related, please contact Janet at my
constituency office in Pepper Creek at janet.johnston@gnb.ca or by
calling 444-4530.
Thanks again for taking the time to reach out to me with your concerns or input.
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Assemblée législative du Nouveau-Brunswick
Office of Kris Austin, MLA Bureau de Kris Austin, député
506-462-5875 506-462-5875
---------- Original message ----------
From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 12:26:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks it was interesting that CBC shut
down the comment section about Moore, Williamson and Weston just
before our debate last night but Rogers TV recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for contacting The Globe and Mail.
If your matter pertains to newspaper delivery or you require technical
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---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2019 09:26:08 -0300
Subject: Methinks it was interesting that CBC shut down the comment section about
Moore, Williamson and Weston just before our debate lastnight but Rogers TV
recorded it N'esy Pas?
To: robmoorefundy@gmail.com, alaina@alainalockhart.ca,
tim.thompson@greenparty.ca, rudolf_neumayer@yahoo.ca,
James.Tolan@ndp.ca, johnevans.nca@gmail.com, votejohnw@gmail.com,
bruce.fitch@gnb.ca, bruce.northrup@gnb.ca, Ginette.PetitpasTaylor@parl.
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Cc: motomaniac333@gmail.com, jp.lewis@unb.ca, darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca,
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Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca, barbara.massey@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, andre@jafaust.com,
barb.whitenect@gnb.ca, carl.urquhart@gnb.ca, Frank.McKenna@td.com,
Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, alex@themanatee.net, robert.gauvin@gnb.ca,
jan.jensen@justice.gc.ca, greg.byrne@gnb.ca, brian.gallant@gnb.ca, jbosnitch@gmail.com,Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca, barbara.massey@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, andre@jafaust.com,
barb.whitenect@gnb.ca, carl.urquhart@gnb.ca, Frank.McKenna@td.com,
Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, alex@themanatee.net, robert.gauvin@gnb.ca,
https://davidraymondamos3.
Is your neighbour in a different federal riding? This is why
‘It's a bit like Rubik's Cube,’ says retired professor who helped reshape New Brunswick ridings in 2012
Colin McPhail · CBC News · Posted: Oct 19, 2019 8:00 AM ADT
At an intersection along Whitepine Road in Riverview, drivers are besieged by election campaign signs, far more than your average high-traffic corner.
That's because the road marks the border between two federal ridings — Moncton-Rivervew-Dieppe to the north, Fundy Royal to the south. The boundary cuts Riverview almost in two, and Mayor Ann Seamans says it can be confusing for residents come election time.