GMF - Q&A: Mayor Murray Driscoll, Town of Quispamsis, New Brunswick

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The Town of Quispamsis, New Brunswick, recently announced the construction of their new multipurpose recreational centre, the QPlex Wellness and Conference Centre, supported by $2.3 million in grants and loans from FCM’s Green Municipal Fund^TM (GMF).

By the end of the construction, the new building will be LEED® Gold Certified — one of only a handful buildings in New Brunswick built to the LEED benchmark.

GMF spoke with Murray Driscoll, mayor of the Town of Quispamsis, about the town’s green initiatives and its approach to sustainable development.

Mayor Murray Driscoll is serving his first term as mayor after serving two terms as deputy mayor for the Town of Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

Active on environmental issues, Mayor Driscoll is dedicated to the innovative recycling programs in New Brunswick and the sustainability of its resources.

In 2007, he was elected chair of the New Brunswick Tire Stewardship Board and also appointed commissioner to the Fundy Regional Solid Waste Commission.

He and his wife, Nita, have lived in Quispamsis for 43 years and have two grown children, Claire and Steven, and two grandchildren, Jay and Ava.

Q: What does a sustainable community mean to you?

A sustainable community is responsible and respectful of the earth’s resources, establishing policies and procedures to protect its environment, leading by example, and making a better and healthier world for our children’s children.

Q: What are some of the major challenges facing the town? What sets it apart from other communities in the surrounding area?

We are one of the fastest-growing communities in the province. Our major challenge is to ensure that our bylaws and land use initiatives promote proper growth patterns, compact development and best uses of the land. Another challenge is to ensure that long-range projects dealing with infrastructure and subdivision developments all adhere to sustainable development practices, including groundwater protection.

One of the town’s biggest contributors to greenhouse gases is transportation and energy consumption in private dwellings. In the fall of 2007, the Saint John City Transit System extended its regional COMEX public transit park and ride service to Quispamsis. Ridership of this public transit service has increased substantially, to the extent that the Provincial Rural to Urban Commuter Program has granted funding in 2009 for a new articulated bus to handle the overload of passengers.

The town also refrains from using any cosmetic pesticides on all public properties, but has not passed a bylaw as it would be very costly and difficult to enforce. The Province of New Brunswick is now considering the implementation of a province-wide ban against cosmetic pesticides, which would be much more uniform.

Q: Your town has launched a number of new initiatives in the last couple of years. What is the initiative that you are most proud of?

We are most proud of the new QPlex project, which was just put out to tender this past week. The QPlex principal amenities will include a 1,100-seat ice hockey arena with infrastructure in place for future twinning, an outdoor pool and a conference centre and will be LEED Gold Certified, the first of its kind in North America. Its very green design will include a geothermal heat recovery system, collection of rainwater for reuse, ice flooding and pool top-up, and efficient lighting and equipment. We anticipate it becoming an environmental showcase, which confirms our council’s commitment to sustainability.

Q: How do you engage the community?

With respect to the QPlex project, the town met with many community groups to explain the proposed features of the building and welcome public input into this environmentally sustainable and innovative project. The town promotes participation in Earth Hour, hosts activities on Earth Day, and promotes environmental alternatives in its promotional material and quarterly newsletters that go to all residents.

Q: What was the greatest challenge you faced in helping to take the city down this path?

Our greatest challenge was getting the buy-in of those who have the power to make change happen.

Q: What advice would you give to other municipalities looking to become more sustainable?

Establish your goals, and put a plan in place to make them happen. A great place to start as a municipality is to have an energy audit done on all municipal facilities, and phase in the recommended retrofits as part of your annual budget process. For any new projects, look at the sustainability options. Although they may be initially more expensive, their payback periods make them worthwhile over the long haul.

Q: How is your project unique in New Brunswick and Canada?

The QPlex will be one of, if not the only, LEED Gold Certified ice rink in the Atlantic provinces, and possibly in all of Canada.

Q: How do you keep the momentum going? How do you sustain your sustainability efforts?

It seems that once you begin practicing sustainability, it becomes a consideration in all aspects of operations