SAINT JOHN, N.B.- Some new city councillors are not happy with the surprise they received last night at City Hall.
 
A special meeting of Common Council had City Manager Pat Woods looking for a couple of issues on the city’s pension plan to be fast tracked including asking the province to repeal the city pension act. “The option that we’re talking about here is asking the government of the day to repeal the act so that it can be replaced with a municipal by-law”, says Woods. “Council would be in control of the agenda and future amendments to the plan”.

Councillor Shirley McAlary thinks getting the province to repeal the city pension act is a good start. “To make amendments in the future, we’ll be able to do that on our time frame and not constantly have to put reforms forward to go to the province”, says McAlary.

Some new councillors were not happy about having to make a rush decision on the pension issue. “One of the things I always say is I don’t want to jump on board a train that I don’t know where it’s going”, says Councillor Donna Reardon. “I feel like I’m on that train right now and I don’t like that feeling…I’m very uncomfortable with it. I’m not really interested in listening to a crash course on pension reform and then voting”.

Council did vote to approve the changes along with voting to ask the province to repeal the city’s pension act.