As is the case with Canada overall, in Greater Saint John, our strength is our diversity. The City of Saint John and the uptown core are central to the region, but every unique neighbourhood and town that contributes to our region’s patchwork quilt adds value and diversity to the whole. 

Officially, the Census Metropolitan Area of Saint John consists of 16 municipalities and parishes including the City of Saint John. And 126,202 people live in the Greater Saint John area. No matter which area you call home—or will call home—we’re all in this together. And we’re proud that we all continue to work closely to further the economic growth and cultural vibrancy of the entire Greater Saint John community.

All property owners are responsible for posting civic numbers on their homes and buildings. Your civic address should be highly visible, day or night. This ensures that you receive the support and services you need from first responders, delivery personnel and service providers without unnecessary delays.

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) service maintains the official civic addresses and street names records for the City of Saint John. Civic addresses are assigned based on the Province of New Brunswick’s 9-1-1 guidelines.

Names of public and private streets within municipal boundaries are approved by Common Council.

Grow the City. Serve the City. Be the Community of choice.

The City of Saint John has been providing front facing and support services to residents and businesses for more than two centuries. The current organization structure consists of six service areas, working together to plan and coordinate effective and efficient service delivery.

Growth and Community Services
Providing guidance, direction, and support for development by incorporating Council and community objectives for strategic growth. Initiatives that enhance the quality of life through housing, business investment, heritage and leisure to create a city where people want to live, work and invest.

Service delivery includes: One Stop Development Shop; building inspections; permitting; infrastructure development; community standards and compliance; heritage conservation, planning, growth and community service; arts and culture; and the Saint John City Market.

Transportation and Public Works
Supporting the community vision of a green, accessible city that offers opportunities for physical activity, and ease of transportation including public, active and roads.

Service delivery includes: leisure facilities such as parks and public spaces; roads and sidewalks; parking; solid waste; fleet; urban storm water; and, traffic. Saint John Transit delivers services through a commission. 

Strategic Services
By providing strategic insight, guidance, and expertise, this group enables the City to deliver quality public services in an innovative and sustainable way.

Service delivery includes: information technology; corporate performance; communications; government relations; insurance and claims; customer service, finance; and, procurement.

Corporate Services
Corporate Services is the point of contact between the city administration and Common Council. Ensuring the organization is meeting its required obligations and compliance through general counsel, human resources and the City Clerk.

Service delivery includes: City Clerk; human resources; general counsel; real estate; contract administration; and, records and information management.

Public Safety
Public safety protects citizens, property and the environment with a focus on creating safe neighbourhoods, essential to overall quality of life.

Service delivery includes: fire prevention; fire suppression; HAZMAT; and, Saint John Emergency Management Organization. The Saint John Police Force delivers services through a commission.

Utilities and Public Infrastructure
This area is responsible for all facilities, systems, and structures that are owned and operated by the municipality, in this case The City of Saint John. The Saint John Water Utility is committed to providing safe, clean drinking water; protecting the environment through wastewater management; and supporting industry through supply of industrial water.

Service delivery includes: Saint John Water Utility; Public infrastructure and support services such as engineering; climate change programs; GIS; facilities management and asset management. Saint John Energy is governed through a commission.

Through a number of new initiatives, the City of Saint John is committed to providing an enhanced customer support experience for those who live and do business in the city.  Our customer service team is the link between residents, businesses and the services the City provides.

In the past, customer service was provided by individual departments at various locations throughout the City.  In 2015, the City brought Building, Planning and Infrastructure services under one umbrella creating the One Stop Development Shop. One Stop is a great success and ensures that developers, builders and homeowners have easy and convenient access to these services in one place. 

This “one stop” customer service concept has expanded to encompass all City services.  The City of Saint John is excited to provide convenient access to City service to Saint John citizens and businesses through a variety of channels – in-person, telephone, email, web portal or mobile devices/apps.

The City continues to work towards the enhancement of municipal service delivery through:

• Establishment of a Dedicated, Integrated Team

Employees have come together from all areas of the organization to form the  Customer Service Centre bringing with them their knowledge and experience.  This dedicated team is central to providing consistent, timely and quality responses to customer requests for information and assistance with services and programs offered by the City of Saint John.

• Convenient In- Person Access

The new Customer Service Centre is located on the Ground Floor of City Hall, at 15 Market Square, which is accessible through the Main Entrance or via the elevator on the Pedway Level of the Shoppes of City Hall.  At the Centre, customers can make payments, get information on City services or meet with the Development Team all in one place.   Customer Service staff at the Reception Desk are also available to check in visitors to City Hall who have meetings with City staff.

• Self-Service Options on the City of Saint John Website 

Through self-serve directories, users can find the information they are looking for using the “Wizard” as their guide. 

City of Saint John Budget Summary

Saint John's long-term financial plan: A roadmap to 2030

One of the joys of a tight-knit community is the growth we all experience—sometimes, quite literally! Community gardens have sprouted up all across Saint John in recent years. The Greater Saint John Area Community Garden (G.S.J.C.G.) began as a volunteer project with about 100 small plots on the former site of the Rockwood Elementary School. Since then, many more neighbourhoods have developed volunteer-led community gardens of their own. 

If you would like to participate, here are the community gardens currently growing in Greater Saint John.

• Greater Saint John Community Garden (Rockwood Park Entrance)
• Shamrock Park
• Rainbow Park
• Forest Hills Baptist Church
• Market Place
• Crescent Valley
• Courtenay Bay High Rise
• Victoria Street
• Martinon Community Centre
• Street Hope
• UNBSJ

Please call Parks and Recreation for more information.

The City administration is led by an experienced, professional Senior Leadership Team. A commissioner and two directors oversee each service area.

They are responsible for the work of over 570 dedicated employees who support the delivery of quality services throughout Saint John.

There is a lot to celebrate in the City, old and new. Here are a few notable milestones the corporation of the City of Saint John has achieved.

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

2019
Completion of the Safe Clean Drinking Water Project, bringing quality, award-winning drinking water to Saint John Water customers. 

2014
Completion of the Harbour Clean-up project, ensuring the Saint John Harbour is 100 percent sewage free.

2012
City earns “Cultural Capital of Canada” designation.

1996
As an early adopter of implementing energy efficiency measures in relation to municipal facilities, the City of Saint John became one of the first Canadian municipalities to create a Municipal Energy Efficiency Program (MEEP).

1967
The District of Simonds (east), and the City of Lancaster (west) amalgamated with the City of Saint John. The sculpture ‘Progression” on the front of City Hall recognizes the amalgamation.

1908
Canada’s first public playground, the Allison Ground Playground, opened thanks to the work of Miss Mabel Peters. 

Mid-1800s
Rockwood Park is constructed, designed by Calvert Vaux, one of the designers of New York City's Central Park. Today, the 2,200-acre regional park is the outdoor jewel to the city.  

1880s
One of the North America’s first sewage systems is built.

1849
The Saint John Police Force was established. 

1845
Saint John’s first street lights were lit. 

1844
First gas works commenced.

1837
Lily Lake anchored the first municipal water supply.

1797
First City Hall building built on Market Square.

1786
Fire service established.

1785
The City of Saint John was established and named by Royal Charter amalgamating (The Town or  District of Parr) Parrtown and Carleton. Only white inhabitants of the United States or Europe were granted all rights and privileges as stated in the Charter.  Black Americans and people of colour could only be granted said privileges by the Mayor. They would then be known as “Freeman.”  The Charter was amended in 1849 to read “Notwithstanding anything in the said Charter to the contrary contained, any black person or person of colour may become a free citizen of, and be admitted to the freedom of the said City.”

1604
Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain arrived at the mouth of the present-day St. John River on June 24, 1604- and named the area in honour of Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

The City of Saint John has won numerous awards as a place to live and for its operations.

Our City Publications page provides access to various communication and reporting tools used to inform citizens about City of Saint John services and initiatives. These include:

Newsletters 
Saint John - At Your Service is the Official Newsletter of the City of Saint John. Through a series of articles, photos and video links, each issue shares recent milestones and achievements and describes how City services impact you.

Municipal Minutes
Municipal Minutes give you an inside look at City services and how they impact our community. Taking you straight to the source, these brief videos feature topics that are timely and relevant to our citizens such as how services are delivered, new initiatives, milestone achievements, seasonal activities, special events and more.

My Saint John
Why Saint John? Why do we love it here? What makes the City special like no other? Is it our love of the water, neighbourhoods and nature? Is it because of our family and friends? Is it the cherished memories that are a part of our history? Is it the job that sets the course for our future? Or that familiarity and feeling of being home?
Watch, like, comment on, tag an out-of-town friend and share the #mysaintjohn videos that will be featured on the City of Saint John Facebook and Twitter pages.

Infographics
Infographics are another publication tool the City of Saint John uses to inform citizens. They provide a visual way to display various types of information, from describing how services are delivered to celebrating achievements. Click images to enlarge.
 

Saint John - At Your Service is the official newsletter of the City of Saint John. Through a series of articles, photos and video links, the newsletters share milestones and achievements and describe how City services impact you.

Issue 3 - September 2020

Issue 2 - October 2019

Issue 1 - April 2019

Municipal Minutes give you an inside look at City services and how they impact our community. Taking you straight to the source, these brief videos feature topics that are timely and relevant to our citizens such as how services are delivered, new initiatives, milestone achievements, seasonal activities, special events and more.

Effective and accessible government and community programs are critical to the fair and equitable operation of any city. In Saint John, the Saint John Human Development Council maintains the Saint John Community Database for citizens. Through it, residents can access an array of resources and services within the Greater Saint John community. 

Visit the Saint John Community Services Database for a full list of all the community services available.

If you would like help navigating the network of community, social, non-clinical health and government services, please call 211 NB.