This Week Uncut Connects Local Action in Southwest New Brunswick to Global Issues

The latest episode of This Week Uncut on CHCO-TV focused on four topics affecting Southwest New Brunswick and beyond: LGBTQ+ rights, wildfire resiliency, healthcare pressures, and immigration policy.

In St. Stephen, this year’s Pride events included a deliberate nod to communities across the border. Host Vicki Hogarth said that every year the Charlotte County Pride March alternates which town in the region hosts it, but this year organizers felt it was important to be in St. Stephen, the county's border town and also the birthplace of Charlotte County Pride. Todd Ross, Co-Chair of Charlotte County Pride, said organizers chose the waterfront location to show solidarity with the United States.

“We wanted to be here on the border to look across to the U.S. side and say, ‘We’re here, we’re your neighbours, we’re your friends, and we support the queer community in the U.S.,’” Ross said.

He also pointed to recent legislative changes in the U.S. as a reminder to remain vigilant in Canada. “The biggest concern is how easy it is to lose our rights,” he said.

Charlotte County Pride invited Downeast Rainbow Alliance, based in Calais, Maine, to join in the festivities in St. Stephen this year. Avery Witham from the Downeast Rainbow Alliance set up an information booth in Chocolate Park after the parade and spoke of what it means for Americans to feel the support from their Canadian neighbours.

The show also highlighted efforts to improve wildfire preparedness in Charlotte County. Saint Andrews Fire Chief Kevin Theriault said the provincial FireSmart program is helping educate residents about protecting their properties through defensible space practices.

“Having FireSmart in New Brunswick is a great help,” Theriault said.

Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission Executive Director Hollis Bartlett said the regional approach includes improved coordination between fire departments and a public education campaign. “There’s going to be a public education component as well,” Bartlet noted.

On the topic of healthcare, Premier Susan Holt addressed challenges facing emergency rooms across New Brunswick in a press conference attended by CHCO-TV. She described it as a “perfect storm” created by a growing elderly population, infrastructure constraints, and limited staffing.

Holt said programs like Nursing Homes Without Walls aim to reduce ER visits by supporting people in their homes, but long-term fixes depend on increasing the workforce.

“Our own direct birth rates are not contributing to meet the demand that our construction sector has for the amount of people that we need,” she said, linking healthcare and housing needs to labour shortfalls.

Holt added that federal cuts to immigration quotas are making the situation worse. “We had experienced a 50% cut in our immigration quota from the federal government,” she said.

The episode also featured Grace Lloyd, a St. Stephen native now working in Formula One engineering. Host Nathalie Sturgeon noted her role as a rare example of female representation in the sport.