Envision Saint John Is Not The Regional Success Machine It Was Supposed To Be. Can It Be Salvaged?
A key element of Saint John merging economic agencies and expanding the focus to the region was to share costs equitably and create a new regional cost-sharing model to address SJ's role as a regional hub.
We have a culture problem in Saint John, and it’s deeply rooted. Depending on who you talk to, there are multiple perspectives on the root causes.
Some characterize our city and residents as whiners, ungrateful, and combative. A whole other group is growing weary of the undercurrent and repercussions of speaking up, questioning outcomes, and attempting to hold organizations and individuals accountable.
We populate our boards with exceptional leaders who know the difference. Good leaders whose careers are based on high performance in their duties, developing clear strategies and objectives, delivering on their work plans, and accepting accountability for outcomes.
But something about the culture we have created seems to cause many to leave that discipline and professionalism at the door when it comes to the commissions and boards that serve our city.
I ask those who serve, would your company tolerate this level of performance, vague commitments, and lack of accountability?
There’s an expectation that these organizations will receive public funding even though they systematically reject the fundamental principles of meaningful transparency, accountability, innovation, the ability or willingness to adapt to challenges and opportunities, and the drive to deliver outcomes that matter.
When you look at the data — if you can find it — it’s clear that we’ve fallen behind; benefits fail to flow to the majority of citizens. Throughout our history, there has been no “trickle down.” We’ve been unable to shift from manufactured narratives or expensive marketing slogans to sustained, meaningful results for our community.
In short, I can’t tell if Envision is an economic development firm or a marketing agency.
We should celebrate our wins and what we do best and focus on regional growth. However, our wins and growth must be told through measured, reported data that clearly shows our progress and the benefits to people and our deficiencies so we can see where to improve.
Tolerance for bad practices that wouldn’t be tolerated in business
Why don’t people in positions of authority or political influence talk about these issues? Why is it acceptable in these agencies by the people who serve on them when it would never be acceptable in private sector organizations, sometimes with the same people at the table?
Recently I read an article entitled “Growth Fantasies Setting the Urban Agenda in Saint John, New Brunswick, 1960–1976.” Written by Greg Marquis of UNB (link below). This was a powerful examination of a period that prioritized a growth narrative and a concentration of power. Reading this article, and based on my experience as Mayor, this was accurate and sadly still applies today.
A summary of the article from the 1960s is that a group of influencers lobbied the government and others with a narrative that growth would solve all of our problems, taxpayers’ money should be invested, that tax concessions should be given, and everyone would benefit. In other words, the benefits would “trickle down.”
Guess what? Those trickle-down growth plans did not work. The economic outcomes are questionable, social challenges persist, and wealth is concentrated in small groups.
If you raised concerns during that period (and since), the response was to silence and mock dissenters, and it was swift and mighty.
Here’s the article for you to read.
Our industrial city’s yoke
We live in a province and region where there’s a concentration of power, funding, and favouritism in very few private hands, a culture that accepts poor performance in government, a failure to address barriers and, in some cases, even to acknowledge they exist, and a loss of leadership that runs wide and deep.
We’re plagued with chronic poverty, social challenges, addictions, mental health challenges, and a lack of affordable housing, and many groups working to deliver support are growing frustrated and are understandably tired.
If we reflect on the amount of just our city’s taxpayer’s money spent over the last two decades on economic development (likely $40 to $50 million City dollars), I believe there is plenty of justification for demanding better data and measurement of progress that empowers us to make more mature decisions.
And not only are we not measuring and reporting, but we’re also not benchmarking ourselves compared to other similar communities to ensure we’re growth-ready and competitive. For example, Envision reports that building permit values are up $3.1 million, but our supply lags significantly behind Moncton. This means that our house prices will be higher, our selection poorer, and we will have one hand behind our back in attracting new residents in the coming years comparatively.
This didn’t happen overnight. We watched it happen to ourselves, and we let it happen.
In one generation, Saint John has gone from the largest city in New Brunswick, with the largest tax base and leading employment numbers, to no longer leading in any of those categories.
Leaders need to be held accountable
I mention these challenges for two reasons. First, because it is a failure of our systems that we have so many people that are left behind, that the challenges we face as a community, region and province have persisted for decades, and secondly, as further evidence that leaders fail to assign the resources necessary and demonstrate the political will to improve outcomes and measure progress in a meaningful way.
Showing up, speaking up, engaging with the community and making tough decisions was and remain areas I’m passionate about.
When I became Mayor in 2016, it was with a particular focus on growth (population, jobs, and the tax base) and fiscal sustainability. Surprisingly, despite many plans, announcements and celebrations over the years, the results were poor and sustainability uncertain.
These issues matter to me because they are directly linked to improving citizens’ quality of life and equity in our community. Operating with transparency, reforming systems, and reshaping culture all result in improved and meaningful outcomes.
Many people in our community and the province are growing cynical of our elected officials and their ability or willingness to deliver change. The issues are complex and require competent, motivated, and skilled people willing to engage with citizens, measure progress, and commit to rejecting power brokers interested only in their riches or the patently dishonest narrative of trickle-down economics.
If public dollars are invested, show the public the business case, and protect those investments to ensure the stated benefits are realized. No public data should mean no public money.
What we asked for, agreed to, and why
Economic development was a consistent focus throughout my five years at city hall. Despite significant resistance from many quarters, we identified our shortcomings, challenged the status quo, and, despite deep-rooted resistance, we redefined success and made necessary changes.
Results started to improve, and it was evident that results will come when you build a strategy, focus resources, and measure progress.
2019 and 2020 were difficult times for the City of Saint John, we faced financial unsustainability, and significant resources were applied to achieving fundamental changes from the Province in the form of tax reform and regional cost sharing. We had written and verbal commitments from the Premier, a signed cabinet document, and personal commitments from our local Members of the Legislature (MLAs).
Economic development was once again a significant focus, and throughout early 2020, a working group came together with a recommendation for a combined agency, which we now know as Envision Saint John. This would become a regional agency, a merger of Discover Saint John, Develop Saint John, Population Growth, and Economic Development Greater Saint John.
Throughout the deliberations, I was consistent in my commentary (as was the council) that this organization must be a strategic, high-performance, transparent organization (like the Halifax Partnership), it must be funded equitably, and more broad regional cost sharing needed to be addressed and was committed to by the Premier.
The conversation continued, details were fine-tuned, letters of support flowed from around the Province, and the concept began to gain momentum.
One of the elements of being Mayor that I have reflected on often is how difficult it is to get projects over the finish line. Was I consistent in my feedback and comments on expectations? Yes, I was. Were the commitments kept on more broad regional cost sharing? No, they were not.
Undermined by failed commitments
Somedays, I wish I didn’t care and could let go of the disappointment in these files. The Premier of this Province could look you in the eye, shake your hand and tell you he was going to do something specific, only to turn around and not deliver. Once again, wealthy influencers outside of our city, who haven’t and don’t pay their share of the costs, won the day.
The Province even commissioned a study that pegged costs to SJ taxpayers to support the region at $10 million dollars plus per year. But, as you’ll see, the ugliest aspects of politics kept decision-makers from making the tough but necessary decisions to put us on a new sustainable path.
With the pressure to fix this deficit, the vote went through, and the new combined regional economic agency was born. That was the summer of 2020, with a targeted start date of January 2021.
This was a big transition time, and there was a lot of chatter going on behind the scenes. A members’ agreement had to be finalized, a board structured, and a new CEO found.
When the selection committee ultimately chose their CEO, I received several calls with concerns about the selection process; the board’s selection committee chose someone from their own advisory committee to be the CEO and a “national search” landing on an insider was not landing well. There was a public outcry about the process and the new agency selecting one of its own.
Based on the many conversations I had with the advisory committee members and city staff, I put my integrity on the line and defended the new organization needing some time to find its feet.
Reflecting on where we are in November of 2022, I can tell you that I am profoundly disappointed and underwhelmed by the agency and that significant gaps exist between what was discussed and agreed to and what’s happening today. Saint John is falling far behind as a result.
Not only do I regret supporting and defending this organization and its leadership, but we would also have been better off with the status quo, which would have had agencies providing focus and critical support to the growth agenda in the City of Saint John.
Here is the entire members’ agreement, approved by our Council and signed by myself as Mayor, which is the prospectus that formed the expectations and responsibilities of the agency. Many gaps exist, and they must be addressed urgently.
Private dealings undermine public confidence
I know several very competent and talented staff within the agency, and several exceptional staff have either left or have been, regrettably, let go. My comments today are not directed at them, but I sound the alarm bells for the board, municipal funders and councils to exercise their rights to ask questions and not accept answers that “all is well.” There are problems, and there have been for more than a year.
Why am I disappointed? Because this agency has not yet met the expectations set in the beginning that should have been achieved by now, it is not demonstrating new behaviours, transparency, urgency, engaging with the community in a meaningful way, and committing to meaningful metrics that position our city and region as leaders.
We’re celebrating mediocrity, which we’ve done too much of in the past.
Why are our leaders not talking about this in public?
This city has too many secrets, closed-room conversations, and a lack of transparency, especially concerning public expenditures and actual results. I’m not talking about “activities,” like the billboards celebrating projects around the city; I’m talking about actual results attributable to actions and decisions made by Envision Saint John.
Why have I not just picked up the phone and privately addressed this issue with board members, councillors, or MLAs? Because that’s the backroom nonsense that finds us in this position. That’s the culture of whispers that we need to put an end to in New Brunswick if we are going to fill our shoes.
I have first-hand experience participating in meetings where conversations with reasonable questions about accountability and results are met with excuses and temper tantrums. Oh, the temper tantrums.
When it comes to funding, this is far from equitable either. We’re stuck with the same narrative that the wealthy communities (based on household income) outside of Saint John scream about their contributions when the benefits they enjoy often far outweigh the benefits inside the city.
The City of Saint John is required by provincial directive to pass the hotel levy we collect from tourism onto Envision, while Fredericton and Moncton are not required by the province to do the same.
When you include the hotel levy, the contribution from Saint John in 2023 to Envision this year will be $3,093,000 and all other communities combined will contribute $654,000, despite Saint Johners having half of the average household income in our city as our neighbours have in theirs.
Uncertainty around the Regional Service Commission (RSCs — ours is the Fundy Regional Service Commission) changes could make this agreement even more unfair for Saint John residents. The theme of broken promises, unfairness, and inequity from Fredericton continues, with our local MLA's signatures on the broken promises.
These conversations have been going on for many years, where the same talking points have been used to justify inaction and the denial of the dependency suburban communities have on the city. While we remain stuck, the entire region falls behind.
Changes to address the broader issue of meaningful regional cost-sharing will have to be made. Sadly, until that happens, we’ll continue to be distracted and perpetuate a false narrative that we’re all “always moving forward.” We’re not, and we won’t be on this path.
Can this mistake be fixed?
I had high hopes for this agency and the commitments made by many leaders who were and still are involved today. Can it be salvaged? Likely, but it will take a pledge to dust off the prospectus, make whatever leadership changes are necessary, and accept a level of accountability that has been absent in our region for decades.
What’s at stake? It depends on who’s reading this commentary. Some will dismiss my opinions as those of a disgruntled former mayor, but I’d ask you to reflect on one thing; what do I have to gain from speaking up? I’m not lobbying for a job; I’m no longer the Mayor — in fact, my life would be easier if I just pretended everything was going well and that my past leadership set us up for a bright future.
But I can’t, and I won’t.
There’s too much at stake. The future of our region depends on it, commitments were made and have not been met, and I have personal integrity on the line, having supported a decision that has so far not delivered what it should have by now.
You get to choose how you respond, and I hope you don’t choose silence. Spending millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money comes with responsibilities. Responsibilities to deliver results, transparently conduct business, act with urgency, measure progress, hold each other accountable, and position our region as an economic, cultural, social, and environmental powerhouse.
Unless we course correct, speak the truth, and acknowledge our challenges, we will achieve more of the same with an expensive marketing campaign.
Choose wisely.
Don
