New Brunswick·NewSaint John councillors have voted in favor of a zoning amendment that will make it easier for solar energy projects to move forward in large rural areas of the city.Amendment drops need for full rezoning, like process that allowed Burchill wind farmNipun Tiwari · CBC News · Posted: Oct 07, 2025 10:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 17 minutes agoAn example of an array of solar panels in Cape Breton. This one can generate up to 555 kilowatts of energy to power 29 homes and businesses in a Sydney, N.S. subdivision. (Tom Ayers/CBC)Saint John council has given the green light to a city recommendation that will make it easier to put solar energy arrays in the city’s rural areas. Councillors approved a zoning amendment after a public hearing at Monday night’s council meeting. It adds “solar energy development” as a permitted use in the rural zone in rural resource designated areas, according to a staff report submitted to council. The change means that what city staff call “low-impact” solar projects don’t have to be placed only in areas zoned for green energy projects and can be developed in other rural areas. Yeva Mattson, a community planner for the city who presented the amendment to council, said Saint John’s green energy zoning “was created with much larger [projects] in mind, specifically the Burchill wind farm project.” That’s a 10-turbine generating facility in the Lorneville area that has the capacity to produce up to 42 megawatts of energy. Mattson said adding solar energy generation as a permitted use will allow a form of “resource-based activity” on large, unserviced rural lots in the 316-square-kilometre municipality. The amendment would allow low-impact solar projects in rural lots instead of confining them to areas zoned for green energy projects. City staff say green energy zoning was created with much larger projects in mind — specifically, the Burchill wind farm in the Lorneville area. (Natural Forces)Saint John Energy’s engineering director, Andrew Ahearn — who spoke in support of the amendment before council — said amendment removes a barrier for solar energy projects that will supply power to the city-owned utility. The energy utility is also the applicant behind the city-backed amendment. The amendment was approved by the city’s Planning Advisory Committee on Sept. 16 before coming before council Monday.According to staff reports submitted to the committee, the process for having new solar projects approved will be more straightforward — needing development permits and site plan approvals rather than a full rezoning process and public hearing in front of council for every new project.”It enables developers to more easily develop solar, specifically in the rural zones, which is consistent with other jurisdictions across the country,” Ahearn said, adding that it also “allows for more attractive bids and players.”Smaller footprint, ‘relatively low impact’ citedSolar projects would still need to go through provincially led Environmental Impact Assessments to move forward.They would be considered low impact because they don’t involve tall structures like windmills and don’t cause a lot of noise, other than possibly some “low humming” from equipment, Ahearn said. Saint John Energy’s engineering director, Andrew Ahearn, said the amendment removes a barrier for people looking to place solar-energy projects in the city’s rural areas. (Nipun Tiwari/CBC)”You don’t require as big a footprint as, say, a wind turbine. Overall, it’s relatively low impact to the land,” he said. The policy change also reduces setbacks or buffers between solar farms and residential areas from 100 metres to 30 metres. This will apply to solar projects that are built in the newly amended rural zones as well as those in green energy zones. Ahearn said the setback change mimics how other jurisdictions are approaching solar energy. He said the change removes a barrier for a 10-megawatt solar project being spearheaded by a First Nation community in northern New Brunswick — Neqotkuk (Tobique) First Nation — in partnership with a European company called Universal Kraft. The project, announced in June, is called the Menahqesk Kisuh Energy Hub. Its named comes from the Wolastoqey language words for “Saint John” and “sun,” respectively. It will reportedly supply 100 per cent of its power to Saint John Energy and is planned for development on Old Black River Road in Saint John’s East Side. Ahearn said this particular amendment wasn’t designed specifically because of the Neqotkuk and Universal Kraft project, but “would have come about as part of” the utility’s call for proposals from companies who would be interested in developing solar projects in the city. Saint John Energy has been a company that has always been innovative and it’s always evolving and reinventing itself… They’re movers and shakers.— Saint John Mayor Donna ReardonThe change means that the project on Old Black River Road will not have to be assessed by the city’s Planning Advisory Committee and go through a public hearing process. Ahearn said the project is currently going through an Environmental Impact Assessment. Community planner Yeva Mattson presented the amendment to council, saying the change brings a form of ‘resource-based activity’ to large, unserviced rural lots in the municipality. (Nipun Tiwari/CBC)The zoning amendment did not receive any opposition during the public hearing. Before the amendment was voted forward Monday, both it and Saint John Energy drew some praise from council members.”It’s great to see Saint John Energy be leaders in solar energy in the city,” Coun. Barry Ogden said.Speaking with reporters after council, Mayor Donna Reardon said she agreed. “I think there’s some real potential there for us,” she said. “Saint John Energy has been a company that has always been innovative and it’s always evolving and reinventing itself… They’re movers and shakers. We could be anything with those guys on board.”ABOUT THE AUTHORNipun Tiwari is a reporter assigned to community engagement and based in Saint John, New Brunswick. He can be reached at nipun.tiwari@cbc.ca.
Saint John council approves zoning change to reduce red tape for solar projects in rural areas
