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The Higgs-Allain Local Governance Reforms are an ongoing reform initiative in the Province of New Brunswick to modernize the local governance system. These reforms have been promoted as the most consequential since Premier Robichaud's Equal Opportunity Program. (pg. 4)

The reform initiative began when Premier Higgs appointed Daniel Allain Minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/executive_council/news/news_release.2020.09.0498.html In April 2021, a green paper was released to the public. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Corporate/Promo/localgovreform/green-paper21.pdf Upon the green paper's release, the Department of Environment and Local Government organized a series of engagement activities, most of which were virtual because of public health restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, engagement activities included 36 virtual engagement sessions, 4 working groups, an online survey, and the collection of 120 written briefs and 150 public emails. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Corporate/Promo/localgovreform/docs/WhitePaper-EN-Web.pdf (9) These engagement activities concluded with the publication of a What We Heard report and a series of public round table discussions. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Corporate/Promo/localgovreform/what-we-heard.pdf While these roundtables were originally intended to take place in person, most were conducted virtually because of the return of public health restrictions.

In November 2021, a white paper was released. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Corporate/Promo/localgovreform/docs/WhitePaper-EN-Web.pdf The Province of New Brunswick announced it would engage in strategic local restructuring to reduce the total number of local governments from 104 to just 78. As part of this modernization of the local government system, the Province's 236 Local Service Districts were also abolished. Unincorporated areas included in one of the 78 new local governments were reorganized as 12 Rural Districts. (Pg.11)

Controversy and Criticism
Throughout the reform process there have been accusation of inaccessibility and communications blunders.

These challenges were exacerbated in October 2022 when more than 260,000 households were mailed the wrong information about local elections by Elections New Brunswick. https://tj.news/telegraph-journal/101979836?ref=alert?ref=alert While all local governance entities whose populations increased by more than 15% as a result of amalgamation or incorporation were required to hold either a by-election or general election in the 2022 New Brunswick Local Government Elections (WP 62), a mix up in the files sent by Elections New Brunswick resulted in many electors recieing a letter mistakenly indicating they are not having an election and vice versa. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2022.10.0555.html

Other elements were implemented piecemeal. Elements including the establishment of an expert panel on equalization, the de-coupling apartments from the non-owner occupied residential tax class, (https://tj.news/revalidate-tokens-redirect?redirectUrl=/telegraph-journal/101990247?ref=alert?ref=alert), probably mroe were not mentioned in the white paper.