Saint John, Canada Struggles With Limited Green Spaces, Ranking Last Among Canadian Cities For Parkland Access

Published on August 29, 2025

Saint John, New Brunswick, has been facing important challenges erstwhile it comes to entree to greenish spaces, making it nan metropolis pinch nan lowest proportionality of parkland successful Canada. Despite its rich | history and vibrant waterfront, nan city’s municipality readying falls short successful providing capable greenish spaces, which are captious for nan well-being of its residents. With only 3.8% of its full onshore area dedicated to parks, Saint John ranks past among each Canadian cities, a stark opposition to different cities successful nan region that connection overmuch much successful position of recreational spaces for their citizens.

The Challenge of Limited Green Space successful Saint John

Saint John’s struggle pinch greenish abstraction entree has been wide discussed successful municipality readying circles, arsenic it straight affects nan value of life for nan city’s residents. While cities for illustration Moncton and Fredericton connection considerably much parkland, pinch Moncton dedicating 7.6% of its onshore to parks and Fredericton astatine 6%, Saint John’s deficiency of parks is simply a glaring issue. This shortage has near galore areas, peculiarly those wrong nan city’s municipality core, devoid of accessible spaces for outdoor recreation. These spaces are basal for socializing, intelligence health, and beingness well-being, peculiarly for families, seniors, and those struggling pinch intelligence wellness issues.

Statistics from nan 2021 census show that only 81% of Saint John’s residents person entree to a parkland aliases greenish abstraction wrong 10 minutes of their homes, placing nan metropolis past among each Canadian cities. In comparison, Hamilton, Ontario, topped nan database pinch 97% of its residents reporting entree to a adjacent park. Cities for illustration Moncton and Fredericton besides outperformed Saint John, pinch 87% and 82% of residents, respectively, indicating proximity to greenish spaces. This disparity highlights nan municipality readying shortcomings that impact nan city’s residents, peculiarly those successful nan lower-income neighborhoods.

A City Divided: The Impact connected Low-Income Areas

The deficiency of greenish spaces is felt astir acutely successful Saint John’s south-central peninsula, wherever nan percent of parkland drops to conscionable 2.1%. This area is location to a precocious attraction of low-income households, and residents successful these neighborhoods often look important barriers to accessing outdoor spaces that are captious for their societal and intelligence well-being. The absence of parks successful these areas makes it difficult for families to prosecute successful outdoor activities, for seniors to bask leisurely walks, and for children to person safe places to play.

Additionally, galore of nan residents successful these neighborhoods do not ain cars, making it moreover harder to entree larger parks, specified arsenic Rockwood Park, which is located extracurricular nan cardinal municipality areas. While Rockwood Park spans 890 hectares and is 1 of nan largest municipal parks successful Canada, it remains inaccessible for galore successful nan southbound extremity owed to proscription barriers. The absence of a nonstop autobus way to nan parkland further complicates nan situation, particularly for those who must transverse engaged highways connected foot, making it some inconvenient and unsafe for residents to scope this captious greenish space.

The Heat Island Effect: A Growing Concern

In summation to nan constricted entree to greenish spaces, nan deficiency of parks is contributing to nan municipality power land effect successful Saint John. The ACAP Saint John, a non-profit biology organization, has been utilizing infrared drones to representation nan power islands successful nan city. These areas, which acquisition importantly higher temperatures owed to nan abundance of paved surfaces, deficiency nan cooling effect that trees and parks provide. The statement has recovered that areas pinch constricted greenish space, peculiarly successful neighborhoods for illustration nan south-central peninsula, person seen aboveground temperatures soar arsenic precocious arsenic 50 to 60°C, while shaded spaces nether trees tin stay arsenic cool arsenic 20°C.

The effect of municipality power islands is simply a increasing interest for metropolis residents, peculiarly arsenic ambiance alteration exacerbates somesthesia fluctuations. Green spaces, particularly trees, play a captious domiciled successful mitigating these effects by providing shadiness and cooling nan surrounding environment. The deficiency of these spaces leaves neighborhoods susceptible to higher temperatures, which tin worsen wellness outcomes and summation power costs arsenic residents move to aerial conditioning to header pinch nan heat.

Decline successful Public Green Space: The Shrinking of Saint John’s Parks

While nan metropolis has struggled to grow its greenish spaces, it has besides seen a simplification successful nan existing parklands. One notable illustration is Rainbow Park successful nan southbound end, a celebrated parkland that has been partially destroyed to make room for a caller school. Furthermore, nan metropolis precocious declared 5 hectares of Rockwood Park surplus, opening nan doorway for imaginable development. These moves item nan ongoing hostility betwixt municipality improvement and nan preservation of nationalist greenish space. City officials person moreover discussed converting parts of Wolastoq Park, a greenish area connected nan westbound side, into a parking lot, sparking concerns astir nan further nonaccomplishment of parkland successful nan city.

Such actions undermine nan city’s expertise to reside its increasing request for recreational spaces, peculiarly successful densely populated and low-income areas. With constricted abstraction disposable for description , galore residents fearfulness that their already scarce entree to greenish spaces will proceed to diminish, further exacerbating nan city’s municipality readying issues.

A Call for Action: Can Saint John’s Green Space Issues Be Solved?

The deficiency of capable greenish spaces successful Saint John is not an unsolvable problem. Experts and residents alike work together that nan metropolis tin return steps to reside these shortcomings by reimagining vacant tons and unused land. Retired biologist Steve Heard, who worked successful Fredericton, suggests looking to nan occurrence of nan Botanic Garden successful Fredericton arsenic a model. This community-driven greenish abstraction was created aft section residents petitioned nan metropolis assembly to toggle shape a vacant crippled of onshore into a park. The metropolis supported nan task pinch backing and maintenance, showing really grassroots initiatives tin make a important quality successful municipality planning.

Saint John could besides attraction connected smaller-scale solutions, specified arsenic turning vacant tons into mini parks aliases planting wildflowers successful underutilized spaces. Even mini greenish spaces tin make a difference, offering important benefits for pollinators for illustration bees and butterflies, while besides providing residents pinch entree to nature.

City Response: Challenges and Solutions

Saint John’s metropolis assembly has recognized nan rumor of constricted greenish space, pinch Councillor-at-Large Brent Harris acknowledging nan request for much parkland successful nan city. Harris has been moving connected small-scale initiatives, specified arsenic placing planters successful paved neighborhoods to thief present greenery to those areas. However, he acknowledges that transforming vacant tons into larger parks aliases parkettes would beryllium a much challenging task, particularly fixed that galore of these tons are owned by backstage entities aliases different levels of government.

Despite these obstacles, Harris believes that residents must play an progressive domiciled successful advocating for much greenish spaces. He pointed to caller successful nationalist outcry that led to nan cancellation of daytime lane closures during nan Harbour Bridge building arsenic grounds that nationalist unit tin bring astir change. Harris urges residents to proceed voicing their support for much parks and greenish spaces successful Saint John.