River Watch 2023

Living near the St. John and Kennebecasis river systems, next to the highest tides in the world, can pose higher risks for some Saint John residents. In recent years, flood levels have surpassed the highest ever recorded for an entire century.

Flooding can have devastating effects on buildings and other structures, including bridges, sewerage systems, roadways, and canals, not to mention personal property. Visit this page often for up-to-date information and resources when flooding or risk of flooding is reported.

Report damage

Residents affected by flooding are urged to report damage by calling 1-888-298-8555 or by registering online.

Apply for financial assistance

If you have experienced damage of personal property due to flooding, you may qualify for financial assistance.

Satellite Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA)

Service New Brunswick

15 King Square North

Saint John, NB

Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m. – noon. 

You may also qualify for assistance from the Canadian Red Cross. Call 1-800-863-6582.

Ihtoli-maqahamok - The Gathering Space [ee-doe-lee MAH-qwah-HA-muck]

For many decades, the space just beyond the intersection of King and Water streets in Uptown Saint John has been used for community gatherings - live music, festivals, and celebrations of all kinds. Now, it is entering a new era of access and expansion.

It is a name that pays homage to the ancestors of the land on which it rests, and to the spirit of the space and the way it has been and will be used: as a place of community and gathering.

As part of the City's waterfront development, Ihtoli-maqahamok – The Gathering Space, is being reinvigorated and reimagined, with the addition of a community skating rink, indoor/outdoor patios, an expanded stage for concerts, film screenings, and other special events. It also includes space for craft and food vendors, and easy access to enjoy the waterfront.

The design elements of Ihtoli-magahamok – The Gathering Space are rooted in three foundations of Saint John: the people, the water, and the rocks. It will be a significant landmark and a place of togetherness. A destination, and a meeting place for locals and visitors to come together.

The City of Saint John would like to thank all those involved in naming and bringing this space to life. The naming process was a multi-phased community effort, with help from Saint John residents, the City’s Civic Commemoration Committee, Common Council, and First Nations’ leaders and Elders from the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick (WNNB).

The Committee acknowledges that this space is important to the Loyalist heritage in the region, which will be recognized through interpretive panels in the area and the meaning of the new name.

Province enters next phase of living with COVID-19 on Monday, March 14

Effective Monday, March 14, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. AST 

Masks will no longer be required at public facilities owned and operated by the City of Saint John. 

Facilities operated by third parties such as the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, TD Station, and Community Centres will provide their own direction and updates. 

Masks will not be required on Saint John Transit buses. 

All Common Council and Committee meetings will return to in-person attendance. The option to attend virtually will still be provided. 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Saint John has remained committed to the health and safety of its employees, of visitors to our workplaces and members of the public.  

While masks are no longer required in our facilities, mask usage should still be viewed as an excellent safety precaution due to the high level of community transmission. 

The City of Saint John reminds the public to be considerate and supportive of anyone who chooses to continue wearing a mask or practice any other precautions related to COVID-19. These measures are a personal choice and must be respected.

The City of Saint John encourages residents to protect their health and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community by getting vaccinated. To book your vaccination appointment, and for walk-in clinic information, visit COVID-19 vaccines (gnb.ca)

Please continue to follow the Government of New Brunswick and Government of Canada websites for the latest updates and information.

Having well-researched, properly funded, and thoughtful plans is one way the City secures the strongest future possible for all residents. Through Corporate Plans, the City maps out priorities and key focus areas that will guide the decisions of Saint John Common Council. The following Corporate Plans address some of the City’s challenges and opportunities, and give Council direction on where and how to invest resources. A strong future—through better planning.

Our 10-year, Long-Term Financial Plan developed in 2020, will ensure the City can afford to provide reliable services and sound infrastructure for the next decade and beyond. The plan is a foundation that lays out targets to be implemented in our annual budgets.

PlanSJ is our municipal plan and guides development and investment in the City of Saint John. It ensures that the development and planning decisions made by the City over the the 25-year planning period are made in the long-term, best interests of the whole community. This holistic plan shapes how the City develops and delivers infrastructure and services to enrich the quality of life for its citizens. Adopted in 2012, it represents a fundamental shift in the City of Saint John’s (the City) future; one grounded in a more sustainable and compact pattern of growth for the City.

MoveSJ is a three phase project that will guide how people and goods will move throughout the City. The plan will guide transportation infrastructure investments within the City for the next 25 years. The purpose of MoveSJ is to create a balanced transportation network. It integrates active shared modes of transportation and supports sustainable development, healthy communities, and a vibrant urban centre.

The City of Saint John has been recognized nationally as a leader in environmental leadership in Canada. This section contains our Climate Action Plan and information about the many environmental and climate change initiatives undertaken by the City.

PlaySJ is the strategic plan for parks and recreation to meet the community’s recreational needs while remaining within our financial means. It provides guidelines and recommendations on how best to advance our quality of life and make Saint John a more attractive place to live, work and play.

Growth plans emphasizing economic and population growth will determine Saint John’s future. This section provides specifics about how the City is working to encourage growth.

The 2023-2033 Saint John City Market Strategic Plan will chart a vision forward under key direction to maintain its reputation as the premier destination and gathering place for locals and tourists alike.

The City must couple our short-term cost-control measures with reforms. For several years, we’ve been working to close our budget gap. The Sustainability Plan addresses the immediate priority of balancing the 2021 and 2022 budgets and details the longer-term work needed with the province and our regional partners to close the gap.

The City of Saint John's 10-Year Strategic Plan identifying a renewed vision for the City and a new set of long-term goals was approved by Council on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.  The plan will serve as a management tool to improve the City’s performance and align with existing plans, including the Long-term Financial Plan, PlanSJ, and MoveSJ.

The safety of citizens, property, and the environment is critical. But in the event of an emergency, safety is much more challenging to ensure. It’s exactly why Saint John has an Emergency Management Organization (SJ-EMO) - dedicated to maintaining resident safety and minimizing the impact of emergencies. The SJ-EMO coordinates emergency planning, response, and recovery to natural and man-made disasters for the City of Saint John.

The SJ-EMO works cooperatively with a wide range of partners, including the citizens of Saint John. Our vision is for the City to be a disaster-resilient and sustainable community in which we cultivate and create a community-based emergency preparedness culture. Together, through education, communication, planning and action, we can face the unexpected with confidence.

Saint John is your destination for summer fun this season with the popular Passport to Parks program, and you’re invited to join in on all the free family-friendly activities.

Passport to Parks 2024 events will be hosted this summer in City-owned parks around Saint John. These include:

• July 14 at Dominion Park from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  (This event has moved to Sunday, July 14 to take full advantage of the sunnier forecast.)
   
• August 10 at Little River Reservoir from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• August 31 at Rockwood Park from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

This summer event series is a special way to bring the community together and build a sense of belonging. It highlights all of the beautiful green spaces we have here in the city and encourages residents and visitors to explore our many parks, beaches, trails, splash pads and other recreational options.

Residents are invited to attend Passport to Parks event series this summer | City of Saint John, New Brunswick

Home to the first publicly-funded high school in Canada, Saint John is dedicated to providing high quality and accessible education to the City’s young residents. Our public schools offer education in English and French Immersion through Anglophone South School District, and French education through District Scolaire Francophone Sud. There are also private school options available within the Greater Saint John region.

Beyond high school, the University of New Brunswick Saint John and the Saint John campus of the New Brunswick Community College offer further education for locals and visiting students alike.

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. 

Our historic buildings make Saint John a more interesting, dynamic, and pleasing place to live.  But they’re more than that: our heritage properties are also reminders of our past, and vessels for our City’s culture.  Community members worked hard over decades to ensure that many of our historic buildings have remained intact. This includes the largest and most cohesive collection of brick and stone Victorian buildings in Atlantic Canada.  Thanks to their efforts, future generations will see our rich built heritage, represented in the City’s architecture. 

Heritage Conservation identifies, protects, and promotes the elements of built heritage that are important to the culture of history of Saint John.  The Heritage Conservation Service works with the residents in Heritage Conservation Areas to: 

• Regulate any changes or work done to the exterior of properties, and any proposed new construction in Heritage Conservation Areas through the Heritage Conservation Areas By-Law. 
• Provide incentives like grants to encourage and assist in the conservation and development of heritage buildings. 
• Provide a process to designate Heritage Conservation Areas under the Heritage Conservation Areas By-Law and to designate Local Historic Places through the Local Historic Place Designation Policy. 
• Provide information to raise awareness of the social and economic benefits of heritage conservation to Saint John. 

What you need to know before beginning work 

If you live in a Heritage Conservation Area, all exterior work you do is subject to the Heritage Conservation Areas By-Law. 

Individual conditions for each application will be outlined in a Heritage Permit once it has been approved.  Depending on the nature of the work, approval can be granted by the Heritage Officer or by the Heritage Development Board. 

The names of streets and public spaces help to define the identity of a city and how citizens interact with it. Practically, they serve as a mailing address for deliveries, a location for emergency services, or a navigational tool. Culturally, they are the vernacular of a city; a beloved corner, a park dedicated with pride and reflection, a street name that tells a story. As a City rich in diverse histories, cultural identities, and natural resources, the names placed on a street or public space can help build social cohesion, and influence experiences and perceptions of the city.

The City of Saint John adopted the Street and Public Space Naming Policy in July 2023. This policy is intended for the naming and renaming of streets and public spaces and is used to provide a framework for adjudicating applications submitted to the Civic Commemoration Committee and City staff.

The City acknowledges that the names of streets and public spaces reflect community values by demonstrating how the City chooses to collectively recognize and honour the past. The City may use commemorative street and place naming as a tool to create an inclusive and diverse culture.

All commemorative naming of street and public spaces must comply with the guidelines and process outlined in the policy.

HOW TO PROPOSE A STREET OR PUBLIC SPACE NAME IN SAINT JOHN

STREET AND PUBLIC SPACE NAMING OVERVIEW

COMMEMORATIVE NAMES

PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS

PUBLIC REQUEST TO REVIEW AN EXISTING COMMEMORATIVE NAME

COMMEMORATIVE NAMES AND NON-COMMEMORATIVE NAMES

HOW TO PROPOSE A STREET OR PUBLIC SPACE NAME IN SAINT JOHN

The Naming Proposal Form is available on the City’s website to propose a name.

Letters to Common Council will be referred to staff and the applicant will be asked to submit a Naming Proposal Form submission. These will be placed in the queue to be processed.

Requests by staff or council regarding time-sensitive projects will be given precedence.

STREET AND PUBLIC SPACE NAMING OVERVIEW:

The City will not consider naming proposals that:

• Propose to rename streets that have been named or renamed in the past ten (10) years.
• Make direct or indirect reference to recent events or recently deceased individuals until two (2) years have elapsed since the event or death.
• Are discriminatory or derogatory of race, colour, ethnic origin, gender identify or expression, gender, sexual orientation, creed, political affiliation, disability, or other social factors.
• Are problematic for dispatching emergency services personnel or the City’s ability to deliver services. This includes but is not limited to duplicate or soundalike names.

COMMEMORATIVE NAMES

Members of the public interested in submitting a proposal for a commemorative name must:

• Carefully review the Naming Proposal Form and the City of Saint John Street and Public Space Naming Policy
• Reach out to community members, organizations, and groups to develop a proposed name and to confirm that there is community support for the proposal (at least 75% of the street’s residences, property owners, and businesses via a petition, letters, or emails).
• Maintain a record of the positive and negative feedback you receive from others.
• Note important information about the proposed name you receive from historical sources (newspaper articles, historical documents, etc.)

PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS

All proposals will go through a Technical Review; if the proposed name is commemorative, the proposal will also be reviewed using the criteria in the Street and Public Space Naming Policy.

PUBLIC REQUEST TO REVIEW AN EXISTING COMMEMORATIVE NAME

The City will only consider requests to review a name of a City street or public space where in:

• The name poses a threat to health and safety and/or wayfinding;
• The name honouring a person has been misspelled;
• The historical legacy of the namesake of a street or park has been found to be unfitting of honour.
• The current name is inconsistent with City By-laws or policies.

The public may submit a proposal to rename a City Street or Public Space that currently has Wayfinding name or Commemorative name with a new Commemorative name.

The City will consider such proposals but is under no obligation to accept a proposed name.

Proposals by the public must be made using the City’s Naming Proposal Form and at minimum is to include:

• The current name and/or address of the City Property;
• The proposed Commemorative Name for the City Property or street;
• The rationale for the proposed Commemorative Name and how the Commemorative Name adheres the Guiding Principles for Commemoration;
• Documented support from the community, including but not limited to petitions and support letters.
• A public request to rename a street requires 75% of residents, property owners, and businesses surrounding the street providing support through a petition, letter, or email.

The information above is sent to Community Services, and staff will prepare the information to be included in the Civic Commemoration Committee’s proceeding meeting. The Committee will use the Commemorative Naming Review.

If the Committee decides there is ample cause for renaming, the Committee will follow the process outlined in the Commemorative Naming Review.

COMMEMORATIVE NAMES AND NON-COMMEMORATIVE NAMES

Commemorative Name is a name assigned to a Street or Public Space to commemorate one or more individuals, communities, organizations, events, or ideas of significance to Saint John, New Brunswick, or Canada. If your proposed name is deemed by City staff to be commemorative in nature, your proposal will be assessed by the Civic Commemoration Committee.

Examples would include:

• Horsler Drive (named after a mayor of Lancaster)
• Champlain Drive (named after explorer Samuel de Champlain)
• John T. McMillan (the owner and operator of Little John's Variety Store in Glen Falls and community leader)

Non-Commemorative Name is a name that is generic, aesthetic, or references topographic, flora, or fauna.

Examples would include:

• Loch Lomond Road (named for the lake of the same name)
• Sandy Point Road (leads to a sandy point in the north end)
• Island View Drive (has a view of the island in the bay)

Saint John Transit is pleased to offer FLEX on demand service in certain areas in the City.  FLEX service replaces routes with low ridership and limited schedules and frequency.

FLEX service offers riders a much more flexible approach to transit service. FLEX service does not operate on a fixed route or schedule. It operates within a zone. Riders download an app to use on their phones or tablets, or call a dispatcher at 506-652-3539 (FLEX) to schedule a ride.  Riders can travel from stop to stop within the zone, or transfer at common stops on fixed routes in the zone. The app or the dispatcher will let the rider know when to meet the bus at the requested stop.

FLEX service areas

• West zone information
• Millidgeville zone information
• East zone information 
   

FLEX service and booking hours

Riders who live in the FLEX zones will have service available throughout the day.

Riders can ride stop to stop within the zone or transfer at any common stops that serve fixed routes in their area. A transfer is required to board a fixed route bus.

Hours of Service 

FLEX West

• Monday to Friday 6:30 am until 6:30 pm
• Saturday from 7:30 am am until 6 pm
  Sand Cove service
  -Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 3:50 pm

FLEX Millidgeville 

• Monday to Friday 6:30 am until 6:30 pm
• Saturday from 10 am until 6 pm

FLEX East

• Monday to Friday 6:30 am until 6:30 pm
• Saturday from 10 am until 6 pm

Telephone booking hours (all zones)

• Monday to Friday 6:30 am to 5 pm
• Saturday 7:30 am to 5 pm

Tips

• FLEX on demand does not mean ‘immediate’ service. The goal is to have the bus arrive at your requested stop within half an hour of your booking.
• You may be presented with a few trip options to pick from, and depending on the time of day, you may incur a wait time.  
• We recommend that you schedule your trip as much in advance as possible and that you choose the "Arrive By" feature to ensure that you reach your destination when you want to.
• You can schedule rides up to six days in advance.
• The bus does not drive a regular route. The app on board the bus determines the best route to take you to your destination. This means the trip to your destination might always be different. Your bus may pick up other riders enroute.
• Riders who use book via the app will receive status updates on their phones.
• We appreciate your patience as we work to implement this new system.

Visit the AppStore or Google Play to download onto your smartphone or tablet

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Stops

Residents in areas where this service is offered will notice green FLEX signs at stops with a bus stop number.  They may also notice that some stops have been removed.

FLEX West stops
FLEX Millidgeville stops
FLEX East stops
 

Twenty foot electric buses

Saint John Transit began piloting six new leased Karzan electric buses in January 2023 to serve the FLEX routes. 

In 2023, further service enhancements will roll out across the system. Find out more about the latest enhancements here.

Sign up for Transit news and notifications here.

CURRENT DETOURS AND SERVICE CHANGES

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Convenient, efficient transit service is a critical part of life in any city. Residents deserve quality transportation options—besides a private vehicle. Saint John’s transit service is a sustainable, practical, and cost-effective way to get around the city. 

Saint John Transit is currently undergoing a transformation designed to better serve current riders and attract new riders.

Sign up for Transit news and notifications here.

The City of Saint John must produce an annual budget in order to set property tax rates and water rates. The annual budgets must be balanced with no projected deficit.  The City of Saint John maintains a General Operating Budget, Utility Fund Operating Budget and General Fund and Utility Fund Capital Budgets. The Operating Budget funds municipal services such as road maintenance, parks, emergency services (police and fire), and garbage collection, and many other services.

Saint John Water budget based on a user pay system.  Rate payers are charged based on the Utility’s cost of providing services to each class of rate payers.  Saint John Water currently has two classes of customers which are Potable Water Customers who receive treated drinkable water along with sewerage services and Industrial Customers who receive raw water only.

The City and Utility Fund Capital Budget goes toward maintaining and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, as well as investing in new development that will benefit residents and businesses for years to come and contribute to Saint John’s economy and quality of life.

Once the gifts are opened and the parties are over, it’s time for the Christmas tree to move on. To help you, the City will once again be offering its free and convenient annual Christmas tree drop-off program in the new year. Please ensure all decorations have been removed from your tree prior to dropping it off. All sites will be open from January 1 to January 12, 2024.

Site locations:

• Charles Gorman Arena – 80 University Avenue, North
• Crescent Valley – Between 30 and 38 Taylor Avenue, North
• Peter Murray Arena – 711 Dever Road, West
• Forest Hills Ball Field – 651 Westmorland Road, East
• *Old Sugar Refinery – 330 Charlotte Street, South/Central Peninsula

*South/Central Peninsula residents are advised that the specific drop-off site commonly referred to as the “Old Sugar Refinery” is located at the very end of Charlotte Street and Vulcan Street. Trees are not to be deposited at the Bulk Terminal Truck Entrance or any other location on Port Saint John property.

Look for the designated area at each location. Sites will be plowed and maintained for the safety of the public and workers.

If you are unable to drop off your Christmas tree to a designated site, you can:

• Remove all decorations and trim
• Delimb the tree and cut up the trunk and branches into manageable blocks (must be no longer than four feet and must be smaller than the diameter of two inches)
• Place blocks and branches in your compost cart for removal on your regular garbage and compost collection day.

We thank you for your cooperation.

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The area in Millidgeville as shown on the map, is serviced by FLEX Millidgeville on-demand.

The Millidgeville zone includes stops on Kennebecasis Drive including Tucker Park, 1099 Kennebecasis (Lift Station) and Lentook Avenue. 

The zone does not include University Avenue.

FLEX service does not operate on a fixed route or schedule. It operates stop to stop within the zone. Riders use an app on their phone or call a dispatcher at 506 652-3539 to schedule a ride. The app or the dispatcher will let the rider know when to meet the bus at the stop, depending on preference.

Riders are able to request the quickest available bus, book a ride for later, or request the time to arrive at their destination within the zone.

Riders can travel from stop to stop within the zone, or transfer at to the 3N or 9N at 608 Millidge Avenue (old fire station) or to the 3E or 9E at Woodward Avenue/University.

The service goal is to have the bus arrive at the requested stop within half an hour of the request.

Service hours

Monday to Friday 6:30 am until 6:30 pm
Saturday from 10 am until 6 pm
 

Visit the AppStore or Google Play to download onto your smartphone

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You can also call 506 652 3539 (FLEX) to set up an account and book your rides via telephone.

Telephone booking hours

Monday to Friday 6:30 am until 5 pm
Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm

Stops

Area residents will notice new signage in the area. They will also notice that there will stop removals. Stops are being removed mainly where there are duplicate stops.

More about FLEX service is here.
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In 2023, service enhancements will roll out across the system. Find out more about the Transforming Transit project here.

Sign up for Transit news and notifications here.