Lakeland Ridges council awaits answer on North Lake Park
With summer in full swing, the municipal council for Lakeland Ridges is anxious to get an answer from the province on a proposed lease agreement for North Lake Provincial Park.
At a meeting on June 29, the council agreed to bring the issue to public attention.
“We’re disappointed we haven’t yet received a response to our expression of interest to open the beach,” said Mayor Greg Grant. “The park is an important summer attraction for our municipality and time lost will have an impact on the current tourist season. The beach is a coveted recreation area. It would be a tremendous loss for local families and visitors to see it remain closed this year.”
At its inaugural meeting on June 8, the council voted unanimously to submit an expression of interest to the provincial Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, for a lease agreement to get the beach open for the 2026 summer season.
The decision came after the Mayor Grant and Deputy Mayor Stephen Manuel participated in an online meeting with senior officials at the department. Their discussion focused on opening the beach this season and developing a business plan for leasing the campground next year if the department so agreed.
As part of the spring budget process, the province decided to close the park as a cost saving measure. Four years ago, the former Higgs government invested close to $1 million in upgrades to the park.
North Lake was one of several sites in New Brunswick with less than 5,000 visitors that were targeted for closure by the province this year. The government then announced it would be seeking community partners to take them over for public use.
“We appreciate the positivity conveyed during our May meeting with the department,” Mayor Grant said. “We remain hopeful the province will accept our submission of interest and get back to us soon so the beach can open this summer.”
Grant noted he had also spoken with Carleton-York MLA Richard Ames who has been regularly advocating to the province on behalf of the municipality.