Fredericton's About to Yeet the NBEX Grounds?! 😳 Housing vs. Agriculture Drama!

The Tea is Piping Hot!

Okay, fam, listen up! The Fredericton city council just pulled a major move and voted to *expropriate* (big word, I know, but basically they're taking it over) the exhibition grounds. These grounds are where the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition (NBEX) throws down every year, but now the city wants it for something else.

Apparently, they wanna build housing and a new school there. Straight up, they're saying the city needs it more for that. But NBEX has a lease on the land that doesn't expire until 2031, so this is gonna be a whole THING.

One councillor, Steven Hicks, is not here for it. He voted NO, saying the land was originally donated for agriculture, and building houses and schools ain't the city's job. He's worried this could totally destroy NBEX or lead to a super expensive court battle. Like, imagine all that taxpayer money going down the drain! 💸

The plan is to use almost 12 acres for a new school (replacing George Street Middle School) and the rest for housing and community stuff. The city’s saying they gonna compensate NBEX for the value of the lease, which is estimated at nearly $3.5 million. But still, that’s gotta sting, right?

The Mayor stated that the city "values and respects" agricultural traditions, but considered the expropriation to be a "responsible decision" to put the needs of the community first. Basically, they're trying to justify it by saying it's for the greater good. But is it really?

Apparently, the city and NBEX have been talking about this for years, but nothing ever really came of it. Now, the city's just going full send and taking the land. Will NBEX survive? Will this end up in court? This drama is juicier than a watermelon in summer! 🍉 Stay tuned for more updates, besties!