Debbie Wiggins-Colwell was elected mayor of the village of Dorchester last May, and has spent most of her year and a half in municipal politics dealing with an impending amalgamation. Wiggins-Colwell is now running for a seat on a new Tantramar council representing Ward 1 Dorchester. She’s optimistic about the potential for the amalgamation, and stresses her ability to be a voice for people in the Dorchester area.

Listen to CHMA’s Meet The Candidates interview with Debbie Wiggins-Colwell, which took place November 2, 2022, at her home in Dorchester:

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TRANSCRIPT

CHMA: So thanks for having us here today, Debbie.

Debbie Wiggins-Colwell: You’re very welcome, Erica.

CHMA: Just to start off, tell us a bit about yourself.

DWC: Well, I’ve been a resident of Dorchester for over 50 years. Of course Dorchester is near and dear to my heart. I brought up three children, one special needs boy who is severely autistic. And Dorchester being a small community, for our family, they really embraced him. And I’m willing to give back now, to my village. They have done so much for myself and my family, that it’s… yeah.

CHMA: All right. And you also you have some experience on Village Council. Tell us about that.

DWC: Yes, I do. Actually, I was the first female mayor in Dorchester. And evidently, I am going to be the last mayor for the village of Dorchester. So it’s two historical grounds, one new and the old.

CHMA: How many years did you serve?

DWC: I went in in May. So about a year and a half.

CHMA: So brand new.

DWC: Real brand new, yes.

CHMA: What made you decide to run again, now that we’re going to be in the new town of Tantramar?

DWC: Well being on the advisory [committee] for the new amalgamation, I thought it was important and I’ve learned a lot in that year and a half. Being on the advisory, I see what’s coming up. It’s almost like we’re plowing new grounds. A lot of things we don’t know. The government doesn’t know yet how this is going to take place. But I certainly want to be there for the next three years, to be able to put the ground, you know, to put the foundation for a good amalgamation, and solidifying the two communities.

CHMA: What kind of issues do you think you’re going to be highlighting in your campaign in the next few weeks?

DWC: Well try and just… to make everything fair, and to make us all work together. We’re all humans, we’re all… you know, it’s not a far distance between Sackville or Dorchester or Point de Bute, or Upper Dorchester, or Dorchester Cape. And I think if we have a voice in those communities to be able to know… We’re just getting around to people now, and to make them understand that they do have a voice now. If I will be elected, I will be that voice for them. And I have an open concept, that they can come and air [their concerns]. And if I don’t know the answers, I will certainly try to get it for them. I know yesterday, I had a had a question on the portfolios, how we were going to know with this new council coming in, how our portfolios [will be assigned]. And so I found out for them. Until the procedural bylaws are put in place by the provincial government, we don’t know how this is going to end, who the liaisons are going to be for the different departments.
So you know, things like that, if I don’t know, I have now been at it a year and a half, I know that people to contact. I have personal numbers for the government people, you know, the ministers and whatnot, so why not go to the top and find out for them?

CHMA: Do you think they’re going to be specific challenges for residents of Ward 1, in terms of the new amalgamated municipality of Tantramar? What are your concerns there?

DWC: Well, for the first year, Erica, there’s not going to be a lot of change. So that’s going to get our feet underneath of us and and get us up and running. So we understand and then we can bring it back, because there’s a lot of uncertainties coming up in the amalgamation.

CHMA: There’s a few changes that are starting right off the bat. There’s been some changes like the expansion of the Regional Service Commissions, changes in the salaries for elected officials. There’s a number of things that will be sort of rolling out. The issues that people often, you know, you hear about: fire stations, libraries, that sort of thing. Do you think that there’s cause for people in Ward 1 to be concerned about those kinds of services, in the longer term? Let’s think about your whole term.

DWC: Yes. After 2025 when the new [provincial review] rolls in? I have no concerns about our fire department. I think Dorchester will always have a fire department here. We have, like I have said before, we have a federal entity and we have Fort Folly and and just those being here, a fire department is going to be very important. And especially with first responders. We have a great department and and I feel safe, being a senior, I feel safe living in our community because we have our first responders here at the fire department.

CHMA: Is there any other changes you foresee in direct services for people in Ward 1 as they join Tantramar? Areas like recreation or different aspects like that?

DWC: Well already we’re starting with the Greater Dorchester Moving Forward as far as recreation. Trails is an important thing. I’ve been a trail pioneer, you might say, for years. And we’ve already met… Greater Dorchester Moving Forward has already met with some of the trail coordinators over there, Dr. [Ross] Thomas and Peter [Manchester].

As a matter of fact, this afternoon I’m going to break some trails down to Pink Rock and Pink Lake and just see how the conditions are, because there’s people coming on Friday to be able to explore those trails. So there’s a lot in trails that can be, you know, explored. And we’re no different. We’re just expanding from Sackville trails like Walker Road, we’ll expand to the marshes and down to the Nature Conservancy… beautiful. I mean, I’ve walked those marshes and trails for years.

CHMA: I wanted to ask a bit about taxes. This won’t be a decision you are making right away. But eventually, you know, taxes are going to be a big part of this mandate. Dorchester’s tax rate right now is on par with Sackville. So there’s not too much surprise for people in the former village. But what about outside the village? Do you foresee having to increase rates outside the former village?

DWC: That’s the question… foresee? I’m not sure, Erica. We’re not sure how that’s going to proceed, how it’s going to be. I know a lot of people were upset about the assessments, you know. But assessments are assessments, you know. Would I sell my house for what the assessment value is? No, I wouldn’t. So that’s all they’ve got to understand, you know, it’s assessment.

Taxes will, it’s inevitable, they will go up. Not a whole lot, you know, but they do have to increase a bit. But when that’s going to happen, and what, we’re going to try our best to keep, I’m going to try my best to keep it down in our community. But, you know, there’s only… that’s how it is, it’s taxes.

CHMA: Now, there’s going to be different tax rates. Do you support sort of a version of… Or how do you foresee that? There being different tax rates for different service levels in the municipality? What do you think would be a fair?

DWC: If you receive the services, Erica, yes, it’s only fair that you pay for them. If you don’t receive the services, no, you shouldn’t have to pay for them. That’s what I have to… There has to be a fair evaluation of what you receive and what you get for your tax dollar.

CHMA: Let me just ask, how do you see that breaking down in terms of where we draw the line? How rural is rural? Would they have a different tax rate versus…

DWC: That’s right, that’s right. And I can’t say. I can’t answer that. I really don’t know that at this time.

Like I say, we’re pioneers. We’re building this for the future. I mean, am I going to benefit from this? No. But my grandchildren and my great grandchildren, they’re going to, you know, benefit from what we’re trying to pioneer and get through with this amalgamation. And it’s happening.

CHMA: I’ll ask one more thing. I did ask your co-candidate Robert Corkerton this… What is sort of the best and worst out of this amalgamation? The thing you think is the best opportunity, and also maybe the thing you think is going to be the biggest challenge?

DWC: Well, I think some of the services, the shared services that we can make… I think there was a need for that. There was too much money being spent on the different services.

And the the worst is… I think it’s what people’s perception of how this was going to happen. Are we going to lose our name? Are we going to do this? And no, we’re all going to stay the same. We’re always going to be Dorchester. We’re always going to be Sackville, Point de Bute, Upper Dorchester, you know. So that was the first, that’s what I’m seeing just at the preliminary of all this taking place, Erica.

CHMA: Well, that’s that’s pretty much it for my questions. Do you have anything else you want people in Ward 1 to know about?

DWC: No, just, we’re all in this together. And I’d like to make it a good amalgamation, you know, to work. It’s not a whole lot of difference. Most of us in Dorchester went to school and Sackville. And people from Sackville came to Dorchester. People from Dorchester marry people from Sackville, and the other way… so I’m very, very hopeful that in 10 years time, this will be something that nobody will even remember. You know, that it will just be there. So that’s what I’m hoping for.

CHMA: Thank you very much.

DWC: Thank you, Erica.