Alexa Detorakis

Merry Christmas! It’s might be cold outside but it’s warm in front of the oven ✨

I can honestly say that I’ve never biked around Town in December before but the Santa Ride was worth it! S/O to Janet Mersereau -her outfit + bike was decked out to the nines (and I forgot to take a picture!).

Reminder that Santa will be stopping by the Magaguadavic Place at 6:30 tonight! See you there!

It’s official- you’re looking at the new (first ever!) Council of Eastern Charlotte! Thank you to everyone that came out and gave us well wishes. I’m thankful to be a part of this council and I am looking forward to continue representing our community.

If you or someone you know does not have access to a computer, a printer, or even the internet - drop by 28 Main Street!

How wonderful to have this opportunity in our community and it’s right here in St George. Thank you to all those involved!

It’s a wrap! Tonight we had our last council meeting and we are walking away as the last ever council of our incorporated Town (118 years!!).

Thank you all, for there’s too many people to name in one post - it’s been an honour to serve the Town of St George and i’m looking forward to continue serving you as your representative for St George Ward 3 in Eastern Charlotte.

I stopped by Matheson’s Farm with my sister and niece and we said ‘hello’ to all the animals. We also had a sneak peak at Mr. & Mrs. Claus’ float for Back Bay’s Christmas Parade! It will take place tomorrow at 4 pm on the corner (4 way intersection) and I’m sure it will be baaaaa-rific! 🐐 🎄

The Workplace Essential Skills Class we've been hosting will soon be coming to an end! If you know any of our graduates & would like to attend- We'd love to have you :)

(Ok, let's try this again) Here's what is going on in St George this week, comment below if I forgot anything

While our Tree Lighting Ceremony has been postponed due to the weather, the Christmas spirit is bursting at the Eastern Charlotte Lions Club! It was great to see a packed room of smiling faces and to show my niece how our communities celebrate Christmas ❤️

Town of St. George donated $1000 to the 28th Annual Christmas Telethon / Santa finds all the Children

Just bought my tickets to “Riding The Waves”, which will take place Fundy Middle & High School on Saturday, December 10th. Buy yours today at Pharmachoice!

THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE OF ST GEORGE (WARD 3) THAT ELECTED ME AS THEIR COUNCILOR!

I will personally respond to all the wonderful messages I received (I’m so touched!) but in the meantime I would like to thank every person that helped me and allowed me into their home - I have a better perspective because of it. This has always been about all of you, and I’m thankful to continue representing you.

Thank you to Joan Majchrowski and Sam Rubin for putting their names forward- it’s wonderful to see so much engagement for our community’s wellbeing!

Congratulations to the NEW Council of Eastern Charlotte! I look forward to working with you all and I especially am looking forward to representing and advocating on behalf of St George (WARD 3). God bless!

VOTING DAY!
Today is the last day to vote and if you live in WARD 3, you can cast your ballot at the Anglican Church on Main Street until 8 pm.

Eastern Charlotte has many vacant lots but few housing investors. Why? Well, a large part of the problem is that it's incredibly expensive to build a house at this current moment. Everything has gone up, including the cost of building materials.

As Councillor, I renewed agreements with Habitat for Humanity to build homes on town-donated land. I supported a Development Incentive Bylaw that provides financial incentives to investors looking to build rental housing, including affordable rental housing. Both initiatives had limited success.

The new council has authority to lower construction costs by lowering the cost for building permits and building inspections. Residents now pay twice for permits. They pay through their property taxes and again when they apply for permits. More regulations do not make better houses, they make more expensive houses.

I believe the new council should use this as a guiding principle as we move forward with Eastern Charlotte.

In case you missed ‘Riding The Waves’- you’ll have the opportunity to watch this special and important play in St George on Saturday, December 10th!

"The council needs to be united in trying to find what our tax dollars are buying from the Service Commission and if this benefits our community at large. Strategic planning can only be theoretical at this point, as we are entering uncharted territory with this amalgamation. We can only hope that each councilor is willing to understand that our choices affect our neighbours just as much as they do us, and this is an important factor in making this amalgamation work."

Last time I ran, I campaigned mostly online because of the pandemic. But this time, I’m taking the time to go door to door and talk with residents that I’ve never sat down with and listen to their concerns.

And believe me - I’m learning a lot. Some don’t know about the amalgamation, many don’t know about the wards and how this *new* representation is set up, and OVERWHELMINGLY most are concerned about making ends meet. Because let’s be honest: who isn’t struggling right now?

This is why I am advocating that we focus on the essentials first (like, roads, water and sewage) before taking on projects that we may not be able to afford. These might not be the most glamorous things, but they're the most useful for everyone in our community: we need to ensure proper upkeep of the things that keep us going before we can focus on anything else.

Thanks to those that attended our Saturday screening of E.T. and donated food (and $ !) for the St George & Area Food Bank

Also, big thanks to Cathy and Garth Neves for setting up the movie! 😇

As we start our journey into the forced amalgamation of our Town with the Eastern Charlotte Rural communities, my priority will be to maintain the essential services of the community by keeping them affordable and reliable. It’s important to defend our essential services before supporting any new initiatives which our municipality may be unable to afford.

Talking about money isn’t sexy- I get it. But it’s a conversation we need to have ESPECIALLY now. If I’ve learned anything from my constituents, the price of ‘existing’ is too high and you don’t have to be a mathematician to know that taxes rarely go down. Do you know how much it costs to run the Town?

Today is the big day! We are looking forward to being apart of Light It Up! For NDEAM. Going to be great to have so many locations in our town lit in purple and blue!

As my time on Council comes to a close, I’m reflecting on what has gone on in the last 17 months - what has been brought forth since municipal reform was announced in January and what is to be expected.

Back in January, it was announced by the province that there would be municipal reforms and certain municipalities and LSDs would become amalgamated. The result for our area: two (2) incorporated municipalities and several LSDs are now under the same umbrella - part of St. George becomes Ward 3.

I am pleased to share that I have put my name forward as a candidate for Councillor of Ward 3 and I am looking forward to representing the interests of the Town of St. George as we transition into unchartered waters. I wish to continue putting people first, as we balance maintaining our traditional values while also considering our place in the future. The purpose of any elected leader is to listen to those who they represent, to help their voice gets heard in an arena where they oftentimes feel ignored.

I am proud of what I accomplished in the 17 months I’ve been on Council, despite the circumstances, and I will work to ensure that this tradition of open government continues with the Council of Eastern Charlotte. This is why I am asking for your vote as we elect our new representatives on November 28.

Some of the topics that were discussed at our last council meeting:
1. The Town is looking to see if “existing vacant land at J.O. Spinney could facilitate new usage such as a child care building”.

2. St George Legion thanked the Town for putting the banners up and donated $2000.

3. The Town voted to cover the municipality’s share of a study to explore the possible expansion of St. George’s industrial park. As reported in the Telegraph Journal, the study will “consist of environmental impact assessments to help the town determine the costs and possibilities of constructing infrastructure to support an expansion like roads and sewage lines, as well as identify potential new water sources like a wellfield or another lagoon”.

Growing your own food should NOT be considered some sort of radical idea ; it is the most basic right we have and it is a practice that has sustained us for generations.

We hear a lot of talk about how eating ‘healthy’ is the key to reducing pressures on our healthcare system. But how can people, or even communities, become ‘healthier’ when the cost of self care is not proportionate to their income.

I don’t know a single person that hasn’t been impacted by the rising cost of food.

Food sovereignty starts with our community, either by growing your own food or by supporting the local farmers that do. It’s about empowering communities and regaining control.We used to do it, and I believe we can do it again!

PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST for St. George Animal Shelter! 🎃🎃
Carve or paint, young or young at heart. Show us your creative side!
👻Prizes to be won! 👻
Only $5 to register!
E-transfer to: [email protected] with the name and age of the competitor.
Winners will be announced on October 21st!
🎃🎃Let's have some fun!!🎃🎃

“The Minister wants us to reduce property taxes but also they’re reducing grants at a time when municipalities are dealing with inflation, download of services by the provincial government (like mandated services like the Regional Service Commission), and the reform itself is filled with unknowns.”
- Andrew Black - Sackville Town Council President of the Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick

Municipal budgets | Information Morning - Fredericton with Jeanne Armstrong | Live Radio | CBC Listen Budget meetings are underway across the province, but the funding for municipalities has changed. Jeanne Armstrong spoke to Andrew Black, the new president of the Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick.

The UMNB conference I mentioned yesterday is where municipalities all over the province come and learn and connect with professionals or representatives on the very issues that affect all of us. Topics included Housing, Health Care, RCMP, Municipal Reforms, Municipal-Indegious Partnerships, and so much more. It's a fairly comprehensive conference designed to cover things that affect us as New Brunswickers.

However, what struck me on Day 2 was something that wasn’t on the agenda. I mean, I knew it already but it hit me HARD.

We heard a common theme again and again: making the future better for the next generation. But as I looked around, there weren’t many people that looked like me or my peers.

Since taking on this role, I’ve experienced the usual challenges of working in a group and politics in general. I love being challenged and working with people, but I 100% would be lying if I said it was easy.

Obviously, it's not supposed to be a walk in the park, but I am often treated as 'lesser than' due to my age. I am infantilized by the same folks that vent their concerns for reform and change.

I get it - I don’t look like the average representative. I understand that it's not malicious (mostly), but it still bothers me to have so few allies in politics that are in my age group.

But instead of repeating the same theory again and again PUT. IT. IN. PRACTICE.

If you want better, more VIBRANT communities, then you have to do something different. We need MIXED representation of different ages and backgrounds and professions. We need balanced representation and perspective.

I initially ran for council in hopes to push things forward while maintaining our local traditions. Now, that's not an easy task - there's a balance that's needed to make sure we don't get stuck in the past without planning for the future. I am hoping that as we move forward that more younger people feel encouraged to speak up, make their voice heard, and participate in politics!

Otherwise, we can't expect things to change.

This weekend I attended the UMNB conference for the first time. There were many topics that were covered including policing. You don’t have to be on facebook to know that crime is going up in our communities. Many folks and representatives complain about the perceived lack of police presence in our community and are quick to criticize (and even blame) the RCMP.

Something that I learned is that the number of existing officers is not equivalent to the area that they cover. The actual number of officers is spread thin to cover a large, physical landscape and because of the increase in demand they cannot be everywhere at once. According to RCMP J-Division Assistant Commissioner DeAnna Hill, they have ⅓ of the resources and they’re “shocked that they can provide the services they can with the resources that they currently have”.

She also talked about stressors that officers are faced with on a daily basis and let’s be honest - it’s not glamorous. We are fortunate to have them and there should be a better acknowledgement in the challenges they face daily, especially in this seemingly more complex time.

Thanks to the Multicultural Association of Charlotte County - CCMA for this wonderful (and sold out!) community thanksgiving meal! It’s always a pleasure to see everyone come together.

This doc "For Love" about the crisis of Indigenous kids in foster care is now on Netflix. Would highly recommend taking the time to acquaint yourself with the transition from residential schools to the "60's Scoop" model that is still in effect and damaging communities to this day.

For Love | Official Trailer "For Love" | Official TrailerFOR LOVE is a film of resilience and resurgence. Colonization has led to many adverse impacts on the Indigenous population of Ca...

It’s important to hear people’s experiences and opinions on the very issues that affect our community. Our community, like other rural communities, needs attention more than ever. I am all for community development and maintaining our local traditions, including preserving farmland (and yes, I do believe the two can co-exist).

At yesterday's meeting, the Council unanimously took a stand to protect agriculture and our most basic activities that have sustained us for generations. I always remind people that New Brunswick has less than 1% of the total farm area in Canada - and I do not want to see that number go down.

There are multiple developments currently in progress within St. George, which makes me optimistic for our future: one where our town plan has been meticulously researched to help benefit people without causing undue burdens to others.

It’s important that we stick together as a small town because that’s what makes us different from the bigger places. We’re diverse in our needs but we look out for each other and that’s what makes us an amazing place to live.❤️

I think of solidarity going beyond unions, as all workers deserve to be treated with respect - which sounds simple, but I can tell you that’s not always the case.

There are many jobs that people take on that are physically, emotionally and psychologically intensive. They can be the jobs that 'no one wants' but are necessary for maintaining the order of society. For what they lack in glamor they make up for in usefulness.

This is a classic union song that goes back to the 30s', originally written by the wife of a coal miner and union organizer. A lot has changed since then but we can’t forget what this day is all about or how we got here.

Which Side are You On? Provided to YouTube by Smithsonian Folkways RecordingsWhich Side are You On? · Pete SeegerIf I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope and Struggle℗ 1998 Smithsonian Fol...

I had never heard of Sofia Recovery Center before. Perhaps you haven’t either?

They provide care programs and support to women that are impacted by addiction through peer-support, counciling, and coaching. They currently have three locations, with the closest one being in St Stephen.

Even at this reception, it was so powerful to be in the presence of women that are so passionate and committed to helping those in need. One person shared their sobriety journey and the ongoing judgment-free support from the Sofia Community. It was very inspiring to hear such positive work being done.

There are many thing going on today!

At Matheson’s Farm, starting at 9 am, there will be pony rides, BBQ, and if you’re not a fan (yet!) of riding you can be sure you can meet a cute animal or two.

Starting at noon until 10 pm there will be the 1st Annual Kitchen Party organized and hosted by Mariners Alumni Association. There will be music, food, and a time to let loose!

Happening Now: 2nd Annual Garden Party at Community Roots 💕St George & Area Food Bank

Come enjoy some sweet iced tea while the sun slowly sets!