About three months ago, mayor Don Darling declared that we need a new deal for Saint John and now premier Brian Gallant says that his government is going to deliver that.
The new regional minister for Saint John and southwest New Brunswick stated in a speech during a Chamber luncheon that they are going to get Saint John that deal and that it will focus on growth.
Gallant says that the province needs Saint John ‘firing on all cylinders’ and they understand Saint John is the industrial base of New Brunswick’s economy.
“Saint John is important to the New Brunswick economy, and it’s a very important contributor to our education and health care opportunities in New Brunswick,” Gallant tells CHSJ News.
“As regional minister for Saint John and the southwest I’m very excited to be working with Saint John to get them the new deal that they need to ensure that they’re going to be able to grow.”
Gallant, who recently opened up a Saint John office uptown on Charlotte Street, concedes that there are still challenges before us and opportunities that we have to seize, but that what we are doing together is working and we want to make sure the momentum continues.
“We saw over the last census something that’s unacceptable, Saint John unfortunately shrunk. Over the last couple years though, we have seen economic growth in Saint John, we have seen economic growth in New Brunswick” says Gallant.
“So the last few years of growth that we’ve seen in Saint John and in the province is I think a demonstration that we’re no the upswing.”
