Village of Port Elgin

01/23/2026

After many years of dedicated service, our Chief Administrative Officer and Treasurer, Donna Hipditch, has made the decision to move on to retirement. Donna has played an important role in supporting Council, staff, and the community through many changes and milestones. Including Local Government Reform in 2022 and the opening of a new municipal office in 2025. Her contributions over the years are sincerely appreciated.
On behalf of the community and staff, we thank Donna for her commitment and service and wish her all the very best in her next chapter. Municipal operations and services will continue as usual. Council will decide on the next steps for staffing and organization of the office in the weeks following the municipal election on May 11th.

01/12/2026

Elections NB Information Session for Candidates

Are you thinking about offering as a candidate in the upcoming May municipal election? We are pleased to announce that Elections NB staff will host a free, online session on Tuesday, January 20th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.

Having local residents put their name forward to represent the community as a Councillor, or as Mayor, means a lot for our democracy. There are rules and procedures for becoming a candidate. It is important to take some time to learn what you need to put together for your nomination form, what are the spending and fundraising rules, and when everything has to be submitted to be accepted. You will have an opportunity to hear from the experts at Elections NB during this presentation.

This special session is being hosted just for the communities of Miramichi River Valley, Strait Shores, and Sunbury-York South. It is open only to potential candidates. You will need to request the Zoom link from your local municipal office through either the Supervisor or the Clerk.

Who is this for?
Anyone who may be thinking about offering as a candidate in the upcoming municipal election in May.

What will I learn?
Kim Poffenroth (Chief Electoral Officer) and her staff will make a presentation on the process, timelines, and forms required to become an official candidate in the upcoming May municipal election.

Can I ask questions?
If time permits there will be a question and answer period at the end of the online session.

How do I sign up?
To get the Zoom link for the online session, just send an email either to the Supervisor or the Clerk at the addresses found below. You will receive the Zoom link on the day of the session.

[email protected]

[email protected]

01/08/2026

Good Morning Everyone

Please be advised that Mr. Lutes has not sent the zoom link out yet for the elections information and when I receive it I will forward it to the people that have emailed me.

Have a nice day.

12/19/2025

Strait Shores Report
December 19, 2025

Hi Everyone,
Our supervisor Greg Lutes and our staff Angela Grant, Robert Oulton and I (Donna Hipditch) want to wish everyone in the Municipality of Strait Shores a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Fireworks to honour Chad and Colby
The fireworks display to honour the 10-year anniversary of Chad & Colby that was held on November 6th was a huge success, we are so happy that we could help make this a night to remember and a big thanks for the fire department for setting up and setting off the fireworks as always, they did a great job.

Voyent Alert
Coming soon to the mail will be a notice explaining to anyone who hasn’t already signed up for Voyent Alert. Voyent Alert is the best way for us to keep everyone within the municipality of Strait Shores informed of upcoming events and important notifications such as closed roads or boil orders, etc. We encourage you to sign up as soon as you receive instructions.

Candidate Information Session
Elections NB will deliver an on-line information session to anyone considering running in the next municipal election. This session is currently scheduled for the evening of January 20th from 6:30 to 7:30. The Chief Electoral Officer will take questions at the end of the session. This will be open to those who are considering being a candidate and or wants to learn more about the important upcoming dates, deadlines, and processes. If interested - please contact the CAO or the Supervisor to receive the Zoom link.

Port Elgin Public Library Report
Thank you to everyone who joined us on November 29 to celebrate the library’s 65th anniversary. We are grateful to our patrons and community members, the Municipality of Strait Shores, and the New Brunswick Public Library Service for supporting 65 years of stories, learning, creating, and connecting at the Port Elgin Public Library.

December Library Programs
Throughout December, drop into the library during open hours to make your own holiday cards! All ages are welcome.

Library Holiday Hours
Wednesday, December 24 to Friday, December 26: Closed
Saturday, December 27: 10 am – 12 pm; 1 pm – 5 pm
Sunday, December 28: Closed
Monday, December 29: Closed
Tuesday, December 30: 10 am – 12 pm; 1 pm – 5 pm
Wednesday, December 31: 12 pm – 3 pm; 4 pm – 5 pm
Thursday, January 1: Closed

January Library Programs
Bookmark Creation Station (all ages)
Throughout January, drop into the library anytime during open hours to make your own bookmark.

Seniors’ Games at Westford Nursing Home
Friday, January 9, 10 am to 12 pm
Seniors from the community are invited to join in friendly board and card games with Westford residents. Coffee, tea, and snacks provided.

Book Club at the Library
Tuesday, January 20, 3 pm to 4 pm
Join us for discussion about Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart. Limited copies of the book are available at the library in advance.

Seniors’ Games at Port Elgin Public Library
Friday, January 23, 10 am to 12 pm
Seniors, meet at the library for a friendly game of Crokinole, Sequence, Scrabble, and more. Light refreshments provided.

By-Laws
The Parking By-law is now approved and, on our website, and has been in affect since October 1, 2025. The Code of Conduct By-Law will be approved shortly. Next in the queue will be a revised Council Procedures and a new Chief Administrative Officer by-law. We are also starting to work on policies governing human resources and procurement (including disposal of assets).

Water & Sewer Information
It has come to our attention that someone has put mopheads into our sewer system hopefully not realizing that this can destroy our pumps at a cost of $8,000.00. This happened approximately a year ago and a pump was destroyed and there was a mophead found in one of our pumps yesterday and it has destroyed that pump at a cost of at least $8,000.00 (we don’t know the exact amount at this moment). We try not to raise the water and sewer bills too much but if this keeps up, we are going to have to raise them. If you know anyone that is flushing mop heads down our sewer system, please explain that this is costing everyone.

Christmas Lights
The Christmas Lights are beautiful on the slab bridge, and they will be coming on until January 7, 2026.

Donna Hipditch – CAO

12/10/2025

Hello Strait Shores,

We started with a goal of keeping tax rates the same while balancing the budget and accommodating a few new activities in the community. This upcoming year is a challenge due to very little growth in the tax base while dealing with inflation like everyone else. But the staff worked hard for us to meet those goals.

Thank you to the four groups who submitted requests. All four will receive at least partial funding.

These include more funding for GROW Strait Shores, the Port Elgin Regional Basketball Association, small beautification investments, and summer recreation programming for youth in all parts of the community.

Operationally, Strait Shores will start paying in 2026 for the new municipal building debenture. Note that this amount is offset by not having to pay rent anymore.

For the first time there will also be funding available for bylaw enforcement activities like checking on unsightly premises.

The three major items that are funded are Fire Department, RCMP, and Waste Collection. Many thanks to Chief Alward for his advice on the Fire Department budget especially.

You will see where we have tightened our belts in almost all areas of the budget. The budget was also updated to better reflect the historical spending of each line item, including anticipated HST rebates. In many cases there may appear to be reductions but the figures represent actual spending levels.

When a new Council is elected in May they will have reasonable funding to work with. Thankfully previous Councils set aside reserves which will also be available if needed. And there is a new Capital Renewal Fund that starts in 2026 for infrastructure projects.

The draft Utility Budget is also available on the website and there is no increase in water & sewer fees for 2026.

I invite residents to review the draft budget and provide feedback to me before noon on Monday December 15th.

Regards,

Greg Lutes
Supervisor
506-999-3350

Go to: https://www.strait-shores.ca/municipal-office/ and look under budgets / 2026 / 2026 draft budget

Municipal Office Meeting Agendas Minutes Bylaws Budgets Audited Financial Statements Mayor & Council Strait Shores Reports

11/26/2025

10/20/2025

10/06/2025

We want to inform you that the snares have been removed in the wooded area off the disc golf course path, one coyote has been removed.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Strait Shores

08/12/2025

JUST BECAUSE WE ARE ON TOWN WATER DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T RUN DRY.

New Brunswickers encouraged to conserve water

12 August 2025

FREDERICTON (GNB) – New Brunswickers are being encouraged to conserve water as surface water and groundwater levels are lower than normal throughout the province.

“Recent heat waves, coupled with low precipitation over the last few weeks, have affected water levels,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Gilles LePage. “A slow and steady rainfall over several days is needed to help improve low water levels, so we are asking everyone to do what they can to conserve water.”

Stream flows are below the long-term normal for most of the province, except in the northwest where they are normal. All-time-low stream flows have been observed at several sites in the northeast, southeast and along the Bay of Fundy coast.

Groundwater levels at eastern and southeastern monitoring sites are well below normal, with groundwater levels at all monitoring sites throughout New Brunswick on the decline. With no significant precipitation in the immediate forecast, conditions are expected to continue to decline.

LePage said everyone should be thinking about how they can reduce water use, whether they are on a private well or on a municipal system.

The Department of Environment and Local Government suggests the following ways for people to conserve water:

* avoid washing vehicles
* avoid watering lawns
* avoid filling swimming pools
* use washing machines and dishwashers less frequently and with full loads only
* take quick showers to minimize water used for washing
consider installing low-flow faucets
* check for leaks in plumbing systems, such as faucets and toilets, and repair as necessary

Updates on water levels are available on the New Brunswick Water Quantity Information website. The site is updated monthly and contains summaries of precipitation, stream flow and groundwater levels.

08/12/2025

July Report