Fight Over Industrial Park Expansion Brings Back Memories of Forced Displacement

Industrial Park Expansion in Saint John Stirs Painful Memories for Lorneville Resident

For Lorneville resident Jill Leblanc, the proposed expansion of a Saint John industrial park brings back painful memories of her family's forced displacement in the 1970s.

The current proposal would redesignate over 400 hectares of land for heavy industrial use, allowing the Spruce Lake Industrial Park to expand. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for May 12.

The project has sparked resistance from residents of Lorneville, a small community southwest of central Saint John. Opponents say the expansion would destroy forests and wetlands and pose a risk to their residential well water.

In response, Saint John city councillors voted in October to delay the approval process and establish a task force for further discussion.

Leblanc, whose family has lived in Lorneville for five or six generations, said she doesn’t trust the authorities involved—largely because of how development has played out in the past.

1970s Demolition

That history includes the demolition of her family home after the province expropriated thousands of acres in the area for industrial development.

"I came home from school one day, and my mom was sitting at the table crying," Leblanc recalled. "I asked her what was wrong, and she said we had to move because we were being expropriated. They heard about it on the radio or in the newspaper."

Around 40 families were displaced, she said, including her parents, great-grandparents, two sets of grandparents, cousins, and friends.

Members of the "Save Lorneville" campaign also point to the history of a landfill in the area. Established in the 1980s, the Spruce Lake landfill has been leaking leachate ever since, according to Leblanc.

A 1994 provincial environmental assessment report confirmed that the landfill was nearing capacity. One replacement option considered was Paddy’s Hill, near the northeastern end of Lorneville Road.

The report noted “a prevailing negative attitude” from area residents—understandable, it added, given that “much of the land around them [had been] expropriated for industrial development” and that the landfill had caused “numerous environmental problems.”

Eventually, the Department of Environment chose the Crane Mountain site instead—a win for Lorneville residents.

“We fought it, we protested, and we had meetings,” said Leblanc. “We won that fight.”

She also remembered opposition in the early 2000s to the use of Orimulsion—a bitumen-based fuel widely considered dirty—at the Coleson Cove Generating Station. That plan ultimately collapsed after a supply deal with Venezuela fell through, resulting in a costly boondoggle for NB Power.

Municipal Task Force

In October, Saint John’s planning advisory committee (PAC) heard from nine local residents opposed to the industrial expansion. The PAC voted against the rezoning and called for further consultation with the community.

City council later agreed to establish a task force made up of city staff and Lorneville community leaders.

Leblanc said a meeting of the municipal task force was scheduled for Wednesday night. Although she’s not a member of the task force, she’s part of the broader campaign against the expansion.

She said campaigners had pushed for the meeting to take place in Lorneville and to be open to the public—but instead, it was held in Saint John, with only 10 attendees permitted.

“So they wouldn’t allow the community to hear it all. It’s just sneaky,” she said. “I don’t trust them at all,” she added, noting that “everything I’ve been through since the ’60s” has left her skeptical of the process.

The NB Media Co-op has reached out to the City of Saint John for comment.

Leblanc shared her story following a public meeting Tuesday—Earth Day—at Haven Music Hall in Saint John. The event offered a critical look at the Spruce Lake expansion and pollution from Saint John’s Irving Oil Refinery, which is currently undergoing a separate review under the provincial Clean Air Act.

David Gordon Koch is a staff reporter with the NB Media Co-op. Data Brainanta is a volunteer reporter and activist. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).