New BrunswickThe controversial wharf refurbishment in Saint Andrews will not go ahead as planned, after council voted to cancel the tender for the project.Lowest bid on project to revitalize treasured wharf was more than $2 million over budgetIsabelle Leger · CBC News · Posted: Sep 16, 2025 4:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 16The Market Wharf, a landmark of Saint Andrews, reaches out to the Passamaquoddy Bay. (Michael Heenan/CBC)The controversial refurbishment of a wharf in Saint Andrews will not go ahead as planned, after council voted to cancel the tender for the project.The decision came after all bids on the project were millions of dollars over the town’s budget. “Due to all of the associated costs and construction costs, it brought it up way over budget from what we could approve,” said Kate Akagi, the acting Saint Andrews mayor.”We could do it, but that leaves our town strapped and we didn’t want to do that.” The project would have seen Market Wharf, which is long overdue for repairs, infilled with rock and steel. The town received $5.4 million in federal and provincial funding for the refurbishment and planned to cover the remaining cost of what it estimated would be a $7 million project. The tender closed on Sept. 10 with these six bids: Caldwell and Ross Ltd. for $9.4 million Dexter Construction Company for $12.1 million Graystone Infrastructure Inc. for $12.2 million Fundy Contractors Ltd. for $13.4 million Greenfield Construction for $13.5 million Valley Structures Ltd. for $17 million Akagi said the town will now look to have another assessment of wharf conditions done by the end of the year. She said the last assessment was done about five years ago. She said the town will also need to seek more funding from the government, and “we have to ask for a change of scope for funding as it’s different from what we put in for.” Akagi said she hopes to see the community become more involved with ideas about the refurbishment project, “since they didn’t like what was done.” Cindy Kohler, who lives a few coastal properties away from the wharf, was one of many residents who expressed concerns that the project could cause erosion and sediment damage along the shoreline and would take away from the historic charm of the area and original wooden wharf. Cindy Kohler, who lives just a few coastal properties away from the wharf, says she was happy the tender for revitalizing it was cancelled. (Shannon-May Photography)”I was very happy and I was very hopeful because I saw the community coming together for something they believed in,” Kohler said of her reaction to Monday evening’s council vote. She said she felt the need to “get loud” when this project was brought to council in May, because she had previously experienced the repercussions of another infill project. Kohler said a business that had burned down near her Water Street property was infilled during the rebuilding, which created a cove between her and her neighbours’ properties. “There’s more pushback of water coming through than ever before, a lot of debris getting settled there, seaweed stays on the rocks there, and it just looks very messy,” she said. Kohler said no environmental impact assessment was done for the project, so it was difficult to understand the scope of damage, if any, it would cause. She hopes to see a committee of community members come together to help decide how this refurbishment will move ahead.Matt Abbott, Fundy baykeeper for the Climate Council of New Brunswick, says council’s decision opens way to creating a vision for the wharf and Market Square area. (Mike Heenan / CBC News)Matt Abbott, Fundy baykeeper with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, said he wasn’t surprised to this project fell through because the cost of infrastructure has changed significantly since the project was proposed seven years ago.”With a decision like this, you have to be prudent, and I think they made a wise decision in that regard,” Abbott said. He said this decision was also a testament to how “tricky” these kinds of projects can be. Abbott hopes the approach now will be to figure out a vision for what the community needs and wants from the Market Square and wharf area and then make necessary efforts to ensure limited harm to nearby properties and the environment.ABOUT THE AUTHORIsabelle Leger is a reporter based in Fredericton. You can reach her at isabelle.leger@cbc.ca
Saint Andrews wharf renewal comes to halt after council cancels tender
