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A Regional Service Commission is an administrative in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. As the name implies, an RSC administers services on a regional level. [1]
Regional Service Commissions are not incorporated municipal entities and lack direct taxation powers.
A 2021 white paper recommends major reforms to New Brunswick's local governance system to take effect in 2023, with increased RSC responsibilities and some boundary adjustments. [2]
RSCs are required to provide regional planning, local planning in local service districts and participating municipalities and quasimunicipalities, solid waste management, policing collaboration, emergency measures planning, and facilitating cost-sharing agreements between member governance units. [3]
Before the creation of RSCs, regional planning and waste management were managed by two systems of planning commissions and solid waste commissions; these sets of commissions divided the province in different ways.
The concept of a regional administrative body that replaced existing regional commissions in a unified body was proposed by the Finn Report [4] in 2008 as part of a sweeping reform of the province's local governance bodies. Twelve Regional Service Districts would administer services in 53 municipalities with boundaries based on communities of interest rather than existing municipal and LSD boundaries.
The Graham government shelved the Finn Report shortly after it was released, citing the high cost of implementing the recommendations.
Regional Service Commissions were created by the Alward government in 2012, taking effect on 1 January 2013. The initial boards consisted of mayors of the member municipalities and rural communities and local service district representatives appointed by the provincial government.
Instead of using the RSD boundaries proposed by Finn, the Alward government based RSC boundaries on existing governance units. The period between announcement and implementation allowed for municipalities and LSDs to request transfer to another RSC; Belledune, Saint-Quentin, and Hampton all took advantage of this policy to successfully lobby for a change in which RSC they would belong to.
Each RSC is governed by a board consisting of all mayors within the RSC and a number of LSD chairs based on a formula combining population and tax base, to a minimum of four and a maximum of ten LSD members; deputy mayors and two LSD chairs serve as alternates. LSD representatives and alternates are chosen by a meeting of all LSD chairs in the RSC; in theory, the Minister of Environment and Local Government may appoint LSD representatives if there are not sufficient chairs to fill the board positions but this rarely if ever happens.
The Official Languages Act [5] applies to all RSCs with a 20% linguistic minority, a city, or a municipality with a 20% linguistic minority. As of 2017 eight RSCs are subject to the OLA. [6]
The twelve RSCs were originally given only numbers, counting clockwise from the northwestern corner of the province. Listed here according to their original number, most chose to adopt more descriptive names.
Unless noted, RSC board of director minutes do not list LSD representatives' home LSDs.
The NWRSC (French Commission de services régionaux Nord-Ouest or CSRNO) serves primarily francophone communities in the northwestern corner of the province, including all of Madawaska County, western Restigouche County, and northern Victoria County.
The 23 members comprise one city, three towns, four villages, two rural communities, and 13 LSDs. [7]
There were originally five LSD representatives on the board of directors; this was reduced to four following the incorporation of Haut-Madawaska in 2017. [8]
Language Obligations under the OLA apply. [6] Board minutes are unilingual but available in both languages.
The RRSC (French CSRR) serves most of Restigouche County and is the smallest RSC.
The 25 members comprise one city, one town, five villages, one rural community, and 16 LSDs. [7]
The BOD includes four LSD representatives whose home LSDs are usually noted.
Language Obligations under the OLA apply. [6] Board minutes are bilingual.
The CRSC (French CSRC) serves western and central Gloucester County and the eastern edge of Restigouche County.
The 21 members comprise one city, one town, four villages, and 15 LSDs. [7]
The BOD includes four LSD representatives.
Language Obligations under the OLA apply. [6] Board minutes are bilingual.
Serves eastern Gloucester County and Alnwick Parish.
The 45 members comprise three towns, 10 villages, one regional municipality, and 31 LSDs. [7]
Serves most of Northumberland County plus the rural community of Upper Miramichi.
The 23 members comprise one city, two villages, one rural community, and 19 LSDs. [7]
Serves Kent County and Rogersville Parish.
The 27 members comprise two towns, four villages, one rural community, and 20 LSDs. [7]
Serves Westmorland and Albert Counties.
The 39 members comprise two cities, three towns, nine villages, one rural community, and 24 LSDs. [7]
Serves eastern Kings County plus three LSDs in Queens County.
The 18 members comprise two towns, two villages, and 14 LSDs. [7]
Serves Saint John County, western Kings County, and southwestern Queens County.
The 14 members comprise one city, three towns, one village, and nine LSDs. [7]
Serves most of Charlotte County, Manners Sutton Parish, and McAdam Parish.
The 28 members comprise three towns, four villages, one rural community, and 20 LSDs. [7]
Serves Sunbury County, most of York County, most of Queens County, and Clarendon Parish.
The 42 members comprise one city, two towns, nine villages, one rural community, and 29 LSDs. [7]
Serves Carleton County, most of Victoria County, and Canterbury and North Lake Parishes in York County.
The 36 members comprise three towns, seven villages, and 26 LSDs. [7]
Beresford is a civil parish in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada.
A local service district (LSD) is a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. LSDs relate to areas of the province's former county municipalities that were not incorporated as municipalities around centres of population. They are defined in law by the Local Service Districts Regulation of the Municipalities Act. In 2017, the Municipalities Act was replaced by the Local Governance Act, which continued the Local Service Districts Regulation.
Addington is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Northampton is a civil parish in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada, sitting across the Saint John River from Woodstock. It comprises two local service districts, both of which are members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC).
Dalhousie is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Balmoral is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Colborne is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Eldon is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Grimmer is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Durham is a civil parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Allardville is a civil parish in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada, situated south and southeast of Bathurst.
Saint-André is a civil parish in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Kent is a civil parish in the northeastern corner of Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada. It comprises one village, two local service districts, and part of one town, all of which are members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC).
Peel is a civil parish in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada, situated on the eastern bank of the Saint John River. It comprises one local service district and part of one town, both of which are members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC).
Wilmot is a civil parish in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada, located along the international border northwest of Woodstock. It comprises one local service district, part of one village, and part of another LSD, all of which are members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC).
Woodstock is a civil parish in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada, surrounding the town of the same name on its landward side. It comprises one town, one Indian reserve, part of one village, and parts of three local service districts, all of which except the Indian reserve are members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC)..
Richmond is a civil parish in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada, located west of Woodstock. It comprises one local service district (LSD) and parts of two others, all of which are members of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC).
Grand Manan is a civil parish in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada, comprising one village and one local service district (LSD), both of which are members of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission (SNBSC). The parish includes Grand Manan Island and numerous lesser islands, only one of which has permanent year-round inhabitants.
The Canadian province of New Brunswick is divided into 340 local entities. New Brunswick has a single-tier municipal system in which all services are delivered either by the local municipality such as a town, village or city, or by the province itself to unincorporated areas organized as local service districts.