A project that was delayed by council at their meeting on October 10 will be back up for consideration at a special meeting on November 1. Councillors voted to add the item to this week’s special budget meeting agenda in order to make sure it can be completed before the end of this year’s fiscal year on December 31.
At Tantramar council’s October 10 meeting, town staff brought forward a proposed project to install two Level 2 EV chargers beside the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre (DVCC), something which climate change coordinator Brittany Cormier said would be a “cost efficient, timely and effective way of increasing Tantramar’s electrical vehicle charging infrastructure.”
Detail from Tantramar council package for October 23, 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting.
The project would be partially funded through NB Power’s Plug In NB program, and cost the municipality about $9500 on top of the rebates available. Cormier told council that staff saw the DVCC as a “valuable location” for the chargers based on access to a power connection, ownership by the town, and “high visibility for both accessibility and security.” Cormier also cited “the proximity to amenities, restaurants, shopping, museums, the public library and gorgeous green spaces right on the valley, seeing the river and the train passing by.” The DVCC is on Main Street, near access to the Station Road Marsh Loop Trail and about a 5-minute walk from the village centre.
Councillors had just two questions about the project back on October 10, before they voted to delay a decision. Councillor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell asked about the possibility of piggybacking electrical upgrades in the DVCC, and was told the two items would be covered by separate budget lines. Councillor Bruce Phinney asked about the compatibility of Teslas with the proposed charges. (They are compatible with most chargers, though most other EVs are not currently compatible with Tesla chargers.)
It was Councillor Matt Estabrooks who moved to delay the approval of the project, saying he wanted some time at a Committee of the Whole meeting to further discuss the proposal.
That discussion happened at council’s October 23 Committee of the Whole meeting, but was entirely taken up with how to get the project approved in time to meet a December 31 deadline for funding from Tantramar’s operating budget.
Due to a delivery time of two to four weeks on the chargers, Corporate Services director Kieran Miller said that with a possible council approval not slated until November 14, that could mean the chargers would not be received until December 12, leaving very little time for the installation.
Councillor Josh Goguen pressed the issue, and the matter is now on the agenda for a special meeting this week on November 1. (It could have been added to an agenda on October 24, but a single nay vote from Councillor Bruce Phinney kept it from being added to that agenda.)
Further EV charging updates
EV users continue to report sporadic problems with the new DC fast charger installed in downtown Sackville, despite efforts by town staff to get it fixed. Miller told council on October 23 that an electrician from the manufacturer, Flo, had visited the site the previous week for repairs. But testimonies posted online from users show both successful and unsuccessful attempts to charge in the past few days.
Another three DC fast chargers were due to be installed by NB Power this fall at the Visitor Information Centre in Sackville, but Miller told council that NB Power “will look to do some of the civil engineering work on site this fall, but the actual chargers will likely be installed in the spring.”
NB Power’s communications department would not revise their expected date to complete the project, which was approved by Tantramar council this past spring. “We are waiting on the delivery of a couple of key pieces of ancillary equipment,” writes spokesperson Dominique Couture by email. “Construction at the site should be starting in the next few weeks,” says Couture.