We want to hear from YOU! Tell us your thoughts on what Tantramar should do in 2026.

The municipal budget is one of the most important matters your Council will decide, and your input will help Council identify key investments and priorities.

There are several ways residents can participate in the annual budget process, including:

reviewing budget information on TantramarNB.com;

reaching out to a member of Council;

following @TantramarNB on social media;

attending or watching a Council meeting; or

registering to speak at a Council meeting.

Your input is important to us! This survey is intended for property owners and residents of the Municipality of Tantramar. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey and tell us what is important to you in how we invest your tax dollars. Participants can enter their contact information for a chance to win a $200 gift card to any Tantramar restaurant.

Deadline to submit survey is 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete depending on your answers.

Feedback from the survey will be shared with Tantramar Council and staff, but no personal or identifying information will be shared. The information gathered from this survey is collected in accordance with the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will only be used for initial input into the first draft of the 2026 Tantramar Budget. Contact information will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner of the draw for a $200 gift card to any Tantramar restaurant.

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* 1. What area do you live in?

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* 2. Which of the following statements describes your connection to Tantramar? Please select all that apply.

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* 3. How many years have you lived in Tantramar?

*The Municipality of Tantramar was created on January 1st, 2023. It includes the former Town of Sackville, Village of Dorchester, and Sackville, Dorchester and Point de Bute Local Service Districts.*

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* 4. In what age category do you fall?*

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* 5. How did you hear about this survey? Please check all that apply.*

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* 6. The Municipality of Tantramar provides a variety of services to support residents.

The following questions are about services funded through Tantramar tax dollars and delivered by the Municipality.

Active Living & Culture

The Active Living & Culture department provides recreation programs, manages and operates parks and recreation facilities (eg. Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre, Dorchester Outdoor Rink, Sackville Waterfowl Park, Bill Johnstone Memorial Activity Centre, Dorchester Veterans’ Community Centre), and supports local sport and special event initiatives.

The department maintains 8 parks, several smaller greenspaces, 4 ball diamonds, 3 soccer/football fields, 4 playgrounds, 1 arena and one outdoor rink, 3 community centers, 1 skateboard park, 2 outdoor sporting pads, several kilometers of recreational trails, 1 splash pad, and even a cemetery.

Protective Services

The Protective Services department includes By-Law Enforcement and Animal Control. This department includes 1 by-law officer and 2 animal control providers.

Our Fire Departments also fall under Protective Services. There are 3 fire departments in Tantramar: Sackville Fire & Rescue, Dorchester Fire and Point de Bute Fire. These fire departments provide fire suppression services, vehicle extrication, training and education related to fire prevention, detection or extinguishment of fires and emergency rescue services.

The fire departments are comprised of 71 paid on call firefighters, 1 full-time chief that responds to an average of 400 incidents per year. There are 3 fire stations with 17 fleet vehicles.

RCMP Services

Tantramar is served by 14 RCMP officers under a Municipal Police Service Agreement (MPSA) — a direct contract between the Municipality and the Federal Government for local policing services.

Community & Corporate Services

The Community & Corporate Services department provides high-level strategic planning for community and corporate initiatives. This includes community living, climate change and land use planning. Tourism & Business Development is included in this department, as well as Communications, Climate Change, and social issues like housing and access to healthcare. This department administers our municipal website, Business Passport program, and banners and is responsible for the Visitor Information Centre.

Engineering & Public Works

Public Works is responsible for the upkeep of roads in both Sackville and Dorchester (not including provincially-owned roads in the former Local Service District areas), water and sewer utilities in Sackville and Dorchester, as well as ensuring our buildings and facilities are maintained.

Financial Services

The Financial Services department is responsible for the municipal budget, accounts payable and accounts receivable, financial reporting and analysis, payroll, and corporate compliance.

Office of the Chief Administrative Officer

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) includes the CAO, Clerk’s Office and Human Resources. The Clerk’s Office maintains our municipal records, including by-laws, municipal policies and Council reports, and is responsible for any RTIPPA requests.

In 2026, should the following Tantramar services be:
> Enhanced (increase service level or funding)
> Maintained (same amount of service level or funding)
> Reduced (decrease service level or funding)

  Enhanced Maintained Reduced Unsure
Active Living and Culture
Protective Services - Fire Department
Protective Services - Animal Control
Protective Services - RCMP
Community & Corporate Services
Engineering & Public Works
Financial Services
Legislative Services

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* 7. Do you have any additional comments about your ratings for these service levels?

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* 8. What would you say are the top 3 priorities for your community right now? (Drag to the top)

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* 9. With Property Tax Assessments being frozen this year, Tantramar will have less money than usual available to meet its objectives. What would you say are the bottom 3 priorities for your community right now? (Drag to the top)

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* 10. Are you happy with the current tax rate given the current services provided? (Recreation, Police, Fire)

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* 11. Are there any other comments or suggestions you would like us to consider for the 2026 Tantramar budget?

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* 12. In addition to this survey, there are other opportunities for the public to be engaged and informed on the 2026 Budget. Keeping residents informed and engaged in the budget process is important to us. How would you like to be informed? (Select all that apply.)

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