Interview: The Concerned Citizens Group

Spurred by a proposed change to regulations around off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to town streets, Glenn Pettigrew wondered if others were concerned… and found folks who have many other questions.

READ OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE ON THE ATV BYLAW HERE.

The first indication that something was up came in the form of a simple poster on the local post office bulletin board. Addressed to the “Residents of Oxford,” the sign posed some specific and general questions regarding how the Town of Oxford is being run. Signed by Glenn Pettigrew, the poster called for interested persons to reach out and help him to form a “Concerned Citizens Group.”

Hello Oxford sat down with Pettigrew at the South side trail head gazebo to talk about the issues that led him to go public with his concerns. The excerpts below have been edited for length and clarity.

What was the thing that kind of pushed you to say that you needed to start something like this, the Concerned Citizens Group?

Basically because they’re going to allow the ATVs… on all the streets and roads in the town of Oxford. And I don’t know how they can justify it. This was something I addressed almost two years ago down at Capitol Theatre. I stood up against them, you know, and I let my voice be known down there. And then they did it anyway.

So then when I had read online that they’ve already had the first reading… And then they’re moving to the second reading….Within seven days, Oxford had passed the first reading amendment….something inside me just snapped. It’s like in my head, these guys aren’t getting the message.

What’s the argument against ATVs in the downtown core?

(W)ho do you think that’s going to benefit the most if they amend that bylaw? In my biased opinion, it’s only going to benefit guys like me that own one of these machines, and we don’t have to put them on the trailer, and we can just jump in and use them like cars, and we can go up and down every street in Oxford legally. And it won’t matter in this time, in this town, whether they’re insured or not, or the driver’s licensed or the machine’s licensed, people are still going to do it.

You know, there’s an enforcement issue along with this, and I’ve already spoken to the RCMP, and I don’t see how it’s going to benefit the people that don’t own one. They’re already allowed in town, and they can access all the business, I do believe, for those two streets. So why do we need them on all the streets? Who’s putting the pressure to the town?

I mean, this is the worst area of town, South Oxford, and you go down Lower Main, you just, it’s just, a lot of people don’t like the way they’re being used, and again, we don’t have enough policing. So, if we don’t have enough policing now, why would you want to introduce more of those vehicles onto your street? There’s a big safety factor here that comes in. (W)e have little to no enforcement now, and there’s a lot of noise complaints, right? A lot of people aren’t used to meeting these things on the road, so they don’t really know what to do with them. Only most of the newer ones do have signal lights, horns on them.…we could have an accident here.

So… enforcement is an issue

…when you have little to no enforcement right now, there’s four officers, …that patrol Cumberland County on a 24-hour basis, only four officers. How are you going to patrol all of Cumberland County? How are you going to police all this extra traffic that may come in that somebody out there somewhere is hoping that comes into this town? How? How is that possible? The RCMP can’t chase them. They really don’t have a lot of interest in ATVs.

Are you a member of the ATV Association?

No, I didn’t join … but I’m part of a club. Just a group of old fellows get together, try to go out once a week. I have a trail pass, but that doesn’t make me a member. They’re a very respectable group. And we enjoy our ATVs, but we don’t use them for cars, you know, we don’t take them shopping, get our groceries, do whatever it may be. And I honestly don’t believe there’ll be very much commerce, increase in commerce in the downtown businesses if they open up every street for everybody in this town to drive their ATV or any other person that (…) wants to come in and drive on our streets. So far, the people I’ve talked to in the downtown business have seen very little commerce.

This commerce, if there was an increase in commerce in the downtown business, they’re not going to share their extra revenue with me, I guarantee you. But I’m going to have to listen to the noise, right? And I may witness a few accidents, you know, and I’m going to have to put up with the shenanigans when they’re on two back wheels or one back wheel going up and down the street.

And the majority of people, like I had said before, do not own these things. So why would you want more of them on your street when you’ve got to deal with these issues now? It just don’t add up in my head.

I don’t know if there’s a hidden agenda here for somebody else who’s going to make some money. I mean, the ATV industry is big. It’s the next biggest wave right now in Nova Scotia, but it’s not regulated properly.

(T)hese guys are going out and paying 30- and 40-thousand plus for a side by side can’t afford to truck and trailer their side by side to a trailhead. What about the convenience of the people who live in a residential area? They’re looking for peace and quiet. And now they’ve got these guys ripping up and down the road. Is your convenience worth more than my peace of mind?

You went out into the community with a petition on the ATV issue. How did it go?

You know, both sides had their point. No doubt about it. Some people even told me it’s just not ATVs. There’s a lot of issues in this town and people started getting a little wound up here. Patience is getting a little bit thin…It’s like nothing appears to get addressed. And people have told me, you’re wasting your time going down that town hall because they’ll stonewall you. They’ll frustrate you so bad, you’re just going to walk out of that building…

And some of them are only just maybe a small issue. But to that particular person, it’s a bigger issue. I had a person mention to me, “Why can’t we have hanging baskets anymore?” (…) Spring Hill’s got hanging baskets... (The) last time I remember having hanging baskets here, the town had hired a student. He had the ride-on tractor and a little trailer and a pump, a little tank of water in the back and some kind of pump,..and they would water them every morning….They had them during COVID because kids were still going around watering them. People need something positive. They need positivity in their lives here in this town.

You are going to present the petition to council?

The meeting’s not the public hearing. They’re supposed to have a public hearing before the second reading, but they haven’t announced a public hearing. And the meeting…the second reading is on Wednesday (July 27th). How can you have a public hearing if nobody knows there’s a hearing?

If Council goes ahead with this (after the petition is presented) then they’re not doing their job because they’re not listening to the people. 280 signed it. But not everybody was home. And not everybody wanted to put their signature on a piece of paper. 207 were opposed. And the survey was fair. You could either sign in favour or opposed. So it was unbiased…. if town council ignores this…

What’s your relationship like with council members?

I haven’t spoke to none of them on this. Actually, two years ago, I had spoke with one or two councillors. And one of them definitely was all for it. He thought it was going to be a good thing to bring more commerce to the downtown…. Sometimes your elected officials, don’t always act on your best behalf. There could be a hidden agenda there. I don’t know. I’m very suspicious now of everybody.

I know we elected them to represent us. I feel that sometimes you just (not being) represented. And we have complained about the side-by-sides and bikes on Waverly Street… We’ve taken pictures and we’ve sent them to Linda (Cloney, Oxford’s CAO). Linda said on the meeting on the 24th of June that she’s never received a complaint. So Where do you put your faith? So how is council supposed to make their decision when you have your CAO not supplying council?

Generally speaking, what has been the response of people beyond the ATV issue?

Well, the roads are always going to be an issue. And I want to say right now that the roads and the streets in this town did not get into the shape they are over the last two winters … (t)here’s no reason in the world that we couldn’t have hired a professional crew that knows how to patch a pothole. Because the potholes in this town, when they patch them, there’s still a pothole. And if they’re not a pothole, they’re a bump. They’re worried about saving money. Spend the extra few bucks and get somebody who knows what they’re doing and can patch a pothole, and so that asphalt will stay in it for a while.

(A) lot of people are telling me, “We’re not getting it. Our taxes are way too high for this little town in the condition of my house, but we’re paying an extra amount of taxes that we shouldn’t be.” They feel, you know, they’re just not getting the services. And when you have a conversation like that, of course the roads come into it right off the bat.

There’s not enough positive things happening here in Oxford to give the people some pride in this town. They’re not. And that’s what this town is missing, is some pride … Because they’re just not getting good results, good value for the money they’re spending. And again, the roads are just one little issue. It’s a big issue, but it’s just one issue... I still don’t understand the reasoning why they, again, they can’t hire a reputable company to pave these potholes, to fill them correctly.

Things are different now since COVID. People have less patience. People are very demanding. I mean, you’re watching every cent you spend, but I’m not sure everybody else is doing the same. A dollar saved is a dollar earned. So there’s a lot of waste in this town. There’s a lot of waste, and you can take that money and put it towards something else, but we’re not seeing that, neither.

What will the Concerned Citizens Group do?

As a concerned citizens group, we want to look at some of these concerns. We want to see if we can help and change a few things here in town. We want to help see if we can assist the town or town council when they make decisions. Or we’re going to try to get their attention that, you know, it’s not all about the roads here.

Accountability and transparency. Accountability is a real big concern to a lot of the citizens. Again, they have so many concerns, but accountability is important. I don’t care where you’re at, what you’re doing. You have to have accountability and you got to have transparency.

(W)here our tax dollars are being spent and how they’re being spent is going to be a big, big issue. But it’s only one issue of many. And we’re going to look into it. We’re going to see if we can get the town’s attention, you know, see if we can work with them, see if they want to work with them. Someday I’m going to invite town council and the mayor to one of our meetings. Love to have them there. We’re not a lynch mob, you know.

The purpose is not to criticize or beat people. It’s the actions and the accountability that makes the difference. It’s not an attack against town hall or town council. It’s about seeing what town hall is doing so that the citizens have some peace of mind about what’s going on.

(I)f this group can bridge that gap, and town hall will listen, then maybe the residents of Oxford will start to have more faith in them. (T)his isn’t meant to be harmful, this is meant to bridge the gap.

What does it say that people aren’t finding avenues to participate or make their voices heard?

Some people have tried, but I’ve got a number of complaints. Town hall was closed. Why do they need to close at noon? Why is that necessary? You’ve got four staff. Why is that necessary? A lot of people think that’s just unacceptable. Unacceptable to have town hall closed so much.

(W)hen you’ve got the mayor stating that council doesn’t pay attention to social media (…) maybe they should (…) hit the road and talk to the people around town and find out what people really think because people are saying they don’t want to go to town hall because it’s wasting their breath. (…) I had X many number of people tell me that I’m wasting my time. Oh, they signed the petition but I’m wasting my time because they’re not going to listen. 280 residents in the town of Oxford have voiced their opinion on this petition. And if they move forward, then they’re ignoring 280 voices.

How will the group proceed?

We are going to dig for the facts. We want the facts and when we get the facts then we can proceed. Facts will take you a lot further than rumours. That’s the only way I think we got any chance (that) anybody (is) going to listen to us is with facts. The only problem is how are we going to find them. Are they going to let us look at them. Are they going to let us expose them. You know has somebody been covering their tracks here. You know like if expenditures have been added together. Whereas maybe the cost of this piece of machinery wasn’t quite that much and it was used to pay something else over here that probably shouldn’t have been. I don’t know.


Like I said before we’re going to try to work with the town. We’re going to try to work with and see if things can be done in a different way or more cost effective way. Because people can’t afford to pay much more taxes in this town.

I think (…) most people are displeased with what’s going on in this town and they have been for a while. And now things are starting to come to the surface. They’re going to make a little noise. People are going to start to pay attention just a little bit more. Because they’re unsatisfied. How many more years are we going to wait to have a main street that’s worth driving on?

What other issues are on the table?

A lot of issues. And public works will be one of them… People are noticing that we had two different buildings down at the transfer station in a very short time. People are wondering who built the second one. Some people already know. (…) If the first building was not up to their expectations. Why did they bother using it? Why didn’t you just tell them to take it? Why didn’t somebody inspect that building the day it landed there? And say, “Well, this is not what I ordered.”

Are there any other issues with the Depot?

I really, I think it’s run more efficient now. It’s more organized. And people are more aware what they should be separating and putting in there. (…) I mean, I think it’s ridiculous to me, for us to be paying for that transfer station through our property taxes. And yet I still have to take the time, put my garbage into my truck, use my wear and tear of this truck over those nice smooth roads to go out to the transfer station to get rid of my garbage….(b)ut on the other side of this, a lot of people, you know, are worried about rodents, which Oxford already has a problem right now.

(S)ince we are talking about public works here, a few people told me of an issue that the town had put a piece of equipment in a ditch up by the lake across from the restaurant. And the town supervisor hired a tow truck to come from Moncton to pull that plow back onto the road. The town itself has lots of equipment here. They may not have people that know how to operate it, but they have lots of equipment. They could have pulled it out with their own equipment.

But that’s just one example of waste. I mean, I had a complaint that we’re putting too much salt on the sidewalk last winter at one point in time. And usually it’s always the other way around. And another big issue: snow plowing. A lot of that was hired out last year. (…) I’m sure it costs a lot more to hire it out than to get your rig fixed and your own men to use it.

(T)here’s a big issue over public work. That is a big issue and the salaries. Correct me here, if I’m wrong, 35% raise in income at once. How do you justify that? An ordinary working man, even these government unions can’t get that…. (W)hen they go and they hire those qualified people to do those jobs, then pay them a qualified wage. But until they have qualified people, don’t pay them the qualified wage. (…) Nobody talks about the qualifications too much. Most people talk about that 35% … Nobody ever got a 35% raise. And they’re saying that the people that are working there aren’t qualified. (…) some of these people have got this big raise, do not have to take the water taxes payments…that’s the reason why they close so often.

Glenn Pettigrew for Mayor in 2030?

No, that’s never going to happen. I’ll be pushing up daisies by then probably. I mean, I’m 69 right now. If this issue hadn’t came back up about the ATVs, I wouldn’t be here now. You and I wouldn’t be having this interview. (…) You know, something’s got to be done. You know, what are they thinking here? (…) I think they’ve got an outside influence, whether it be Pictou or the province. I don’t know. But I’m sure there’s something else at work here behind the scenes that most people aren’t aware of.

And we’re not just going to be satisfied if the town keeps pushing us off. There’s offices above the town that can hold the town accountable. And we’re not afraid to go there. I think it’s called provincial Department of Municipal Affairs.

We want town council to know that we’re watching. And that we’re working behind the scenes. We want them to be very aware of us. (…) I want people to know. That we are watching. And we’re also not watching, we’re digging. We’re digging. So be careful what you do. And if there’s people who don’t want to be part of the group, but if they have concerns, (my) email address (nascar.junky@hotmail.com) is out there… we can add it to our list as we prioritize our items.

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Hello Oxford: The Concerned Citizens Group has met once since Pettigrew put up his poster at the Post Office, and says he was pleased with the turnout. Some ten people participated, and “they all spoke up… There was a really good interaction. I thought it went well.” Another meeting is planned for August.

This Wednesday evening, Pettigrew intends to present his petition to Town Council prior to the announced Second Reading of an update to the Road Trails Designation By-law No. 06-2026 that would allow OHV access to all of the town’s streets under the provisions of the Road Trails Act approved by the provincial government in 2023.

Oxford Town Council Meetings may be viewed live (streamed to Facebook) on the Town’s social media page, and are available following the meeting on the Town of Oxford YouTube Channel.

Oxford Town Council agendas are available here.

Town Council minutes are posted here (delayed until approved at a following meeting).

Budgets, Financial Statements, and Expense Reports are also available.