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A regional service commission (RSC) is an administrative entity in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. [1] As the name implies, an RSC administers services on a regional level. [2]
RSCs are not incorporated municipal entities and lack direct taxation powers.
A 2021 white paper recommended major reforms to New Brunswick's local governance system that took effect in 2023, with increased RSC responsibilities and some boundary adjustments. [3]
RSCs were originally required to provide regional planning, local planning in local service districts (LSD) and participating local governments, solid waste management, policing collaboration, emergency measures planning, and facilitating cost-sharing agreements between member governance units. [4]
The 2023 local governance reforms added economic development, community development, tourism promotion, regional transportation, cost-sharing on recreation infrastructure, and public safety committees to the mandates of RSCs. [5]
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 [6] in 2008 as part of a sweeping reform of the province's local governance bodies. Twelve RSCs 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, with Graham telling reporters it would be a mistake to implement the changes during the 2008 financial crisis. [7]
RSCs 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 LSD representatives appointed by the provincial government.
Instead of using the RSC 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.
All local service districts were dissolved, with all areas not within a municipality formed rural districts. Minor boundary changes were common; Hampton was moved from the Kings RSC to Fundy.[ citation needed ]
Each RSC is governed by a board consisting of all mayors within the RSC and chair of the advisory board of the RSC's rural district. [8]
The Official Languages Act [9] (OLA) 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. [10]
The twelve RSCs were originally given only numbers, counting roughly clockwise from the northwestern corner of the province; the original order is retained here. Most adopted more descriptive names within two years of their creation.
Municipality types: (C) city, (T) town, (VL) village, (RC) rural community, (RM) regional municipality
The NWRSC serves primarily francophone communities in the northwestern corner of the province, including all of Madawaska County, western Restigouche County, and northern Victoria County.
The RRSC serves most of Restigouche County and is the smallest RSC.
The CRSC serves western and central Gloucester County and the eastern edge of Restigouche County.
Serves eastern Gloucester County and Neguac, which forms an exclave surrounded by the Greater Miramichi RSC.
Serves most of Northumberland County plus the rural community of Upper Miramichi.
Serves Kent County and Rogersville Parish in Northumberland County.
Serves Westmorland and Albert Counties.
Serves eastern Kings County plus three LSDs in Queens County. Kept its original name until the local governance reform. [11]
Serves Saint John County, western Kings County, and southwestern Queens County.
Serves most of Charlotte County plus Manners Sutton and McAdam Parishes in York County.
Serves Sunbury County, most of York County, most of Queens County, and Clarendon Parish in Charlotte County. Kept its original name until shortly before the local governance reform.[ citation needed ]
Serves Carleton County, most of Victoria County, and Canterbury and North Lake Parishes in York County.
Beresford is a geographic parish in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Dundas is a geographic parish in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada.
A local service district (LSD) was a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. LSDs originally covered areas of the province that maintained some services but were not made municipalities when the province's former county municipalities were dissolved at the start of 1967; eventually all of rural New Brunswick was covered by the LSD system. They were 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.
St. Martins is a community on the Bay of Fundy now part of the village of Fundy-St. Martins, Canada.
Addington is a geographic parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Dalhousie is a geographic parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Balmoral is a geographic parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Colborne is a geographic parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Grimmer is a geographic parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Durham is a geographic parish in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Nelson is a geographic parish in Northumberland County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Glenelg is a geographic parish in Northumberland County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Alma is a geographic parish on the Bay of Fundy in the southwestern corner of Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Saint Martins is a geographic parish in Saint John County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Simonds is a geographic parish in Saint John County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Saint George is a geographic parish in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada, located between St. Stephen and Saint John.
The Canadian province of New Brunswick is divided into 89 local entities, consisting of 77 local governments and 12 rural districts.
Local governance reform in the Canadian province of New Brunswick was implemented on January 1, 2023. This resulted in a significant reorganization of the local government entities in the province, including a reduction in the number of entities from 340 to 89, consisting of 77 local governments and 12 rural districts nested within 12 regional service commissions. The local governance reform review was commenced by the Government of New Brunswick in January 2021 and was promoted as the most consequential restructuring of the local governance system since Premier Robichaud's Equal Opportunity Program.
Municipal elections were held in the Canadian province of New Brunswick on 28 November 2022 to elect local governments in newly formed municipalities following the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform process. The new municipalities came into existence on 1 January 2023.