Municipal Election 2026: Derek Lackey, Candidate for Ward 1

Join us for a special series of CAC: In Conversation, covering the 2026 Municipal Election in the Fundy Albert Region. 

In this conversation, we chat with Derek Lackey, Candidate for the position of Councillor Ward 1. Derek ran uncontested and therefore is the winning candidate by acclamation.   

All candidates were given a list of potential questions at least 24 hours in advance of their interview and were asked the same questions. We have completed light editing for clarity, length, and sound quality. All views and opinions represented in the interviews are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Connecting Albert County. 

Connecting Albert County thanks our presenting sponsor, the Bennett & Albert County Healthcare Foundation.

For more information on Connecting Albert County, please go to our website or find us on Facebook or Instagram.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Hello and welcome to Connecting Albert County in Conversation series. This is part of part of our special edition covering the 2026 municipal elections. Again, I'm Melody Lang, coordinator for CAC. And today I'm here with Derek Lackey. He is in a running in ward number one. So let's begin by you just telling us a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Yeah, I uh born and raised in Ottawa and uh moved to Toronto area in my for my adult career. Uh really spent 30 years in the advertising and marketing community in uh Toronto, started several agencies and sold them. And um, so I love the space. I'm somewhat creative and um I've I would say probably uh along with creative, I think I I've got a very good uh strategic uh streak where I where I look at things, I look at context as well as content. So usually when somebody says something, there's something informing that statement. I try to listen to what's informing the statement as well as the statement itself. So um, you know, all these years in the advertising and marketing community taught me to um really look at what's being implied as well as what's being stated.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

And so in your roles in the past, it sounds like you've had some leadership opportunities. Can you comment on your leadership style and how you've demonstrated community leadership in the past?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Yeah, uh I would say I drive as an entrepreneur, I drive fairly hard, but with lots of empathy. So, you know, I noticed my staff in the ad business when when my agency had like 30 or 35 staff, that there was lots of stress. And so I felt as CEO it was my job to relieve that stress. So I had regular town halls and um, you know, we do pizza and beer sessions impromptu. We do um, yeah, I told everybody in the agency that you're all senior enough that you get six weeks off every year, but your job had to be done when you're off, and that's your responsibility. So that that kind of leadership where I was inclusive, empathetic, but I was you had to do your job.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Mm-hmm. And how does that translate into community leadership, do you think?

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Well, I think I'm I'm I'm kind of less in people's face, uh more listening and more trying to come up with creative solutions is really, you know, that uh Ward One has been without uh any kind of representation for really more than a year and a half now, because when John Arrow left, it took us a while to replace him. And then uh Dave Gardner was only in there for a short period, and uh he was transferred and had to literally move out of the province.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Okay. So part of serving on council, of course, is navigating conflict situations. You've mentioned, you know, if people disagree, you take information in, that sort of thing. Um can you give an example or describe how you show how you manage conflict and how you show leadership through situations that are higher conflict?

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Especially in a council like this where we're one, you know, ward one is one vote of seven. Um I'm I'm not kidding myself as to what influence I can have. But I think if we all start considering ourselves part of Fundy Albert instead of the communities that we were prior to amalgamation, that's a good start. So first off, we're all fundy Albert. Second of all, so when I listen to uh conflict, uh if there is conflict in council, I will really be listening to seek to understand, try to understand their point of view. Because I I cannot be a uh uh Donald Trump and just make my opinion count. Because in the scheme of things here in Fundee Albert, I'm one of six counselors who have to do what's best for all of Fundee Albert.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

And in the process, I have to ensure that I represent this constituents of Alma, LS uh Waterside, uh the LSTs that we that are in my community.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

So, in thinking about running for council, why did you decide to run for this election in particular?

SPEAKER_00 5:13

The first one was the most difficult one. They they had to they had to pick up pieces that they didn't even know were part of the puzzle. We're now getting a much clearer picture. I think we're gonna we will make some significant advancements in the next four years as a council. And I thought that I could uh both contribute and learn from uh being a counselor for World One.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Okay. How have you prepared for this running for office? What have you been up to as you prepare to potentially serve or even in the um election process here?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Uh the first couple of years we moved here, uh Adrian, my wife was uh on several boards and and committees, and she ran the Alma committee for a while, and she was on Friends Fundy, and um and I focused on work because I run the Response Marketing Association for Canada. I'm the chairman of that. Uh I felt my volunteer time was more national than local. And the last two years I've switched that up. So I've uh joined the board of uh CCRC. I am secretary currently on the executive for CCRC, and as you know, I'm on the board of Connecting Albert County. That really prompted me to to think about running. I think there's uh, you know, there's maybe a little bit of, you know, it it makes no difference. And I and I want to try to show uh Wood One that it actually that we can make a difference. Alma has a great deal to contribute to the rest of Fundy Albert, and I think um there's old perceptions that are in the way, and I'd like to maybe try helping to change those perceptions because Alma is a very vital part of Fundy Albert.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Okay. So building off of that, um, have you been running on a particular platform or on particular issues?

SPEAKER_00 7:17

I have not. I've I've you know, I'm a resident, so I I have my issues as a resident, but I have to set those aside because uh I really uh here to represent the people in the residents in the in Ward One. And quite frankly, uh I I'm just starting to get out and hear what those issues are, but I am seeing some consistency. Um, there's a a few key issues that are on people's minds.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Okay. Um, do you have any feedback on what those might be or what you might hope to achieve if you were to do, you know, what's the most pressing thing that you could take away, say in your first quarter or first bit of service?

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Yeah, great question. Uh I would I would suggest that we've only got a couple of years left to uh file our uh rule plan uh with the southeast region. And um so I would suggest we're gonna have to crack that in the next uh in this term. Yeah. Um the other thing probably is the is the equalization or the yeah, equalization of the mill rates for how we pay tax. Right now there's a quite a disparity throughout Fundy Albert, and it's because their Alma had its own tax rate. Uh Alma gets kind of double whacked because they not only does the province uh uh assess the houses at the highest rates, some of the highest rates in uh all of New Brunswick, but then we've got one of the highest mill rates in all of New Brunswick as well. So it's a double whammy. We're getting a higher tax rate on a higher assessed property. And and it's and it's disproportionate. When we ran our own council and everything, we needed that to run our own council. But as part of a bigger entity called Fundy Albert, there should be a leveling out of that. So the villages all pay the same tax rate, the LSDs all pay the same tax rate, and we all get on with life. Because then province the province then sets the assessments for all the the value of all the houses. That's going to be an issue, but certainly, you know, the perennial stuff, the roads are always an issue, right? Everybody I talk to, they want the roads fixed.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

So especially this time of year. Exactly. Okay, thank you for that uh answer to that question. Moving into questions around time, serving your community through municipal government can be time consuming. There are multiple meetings per month at various times of the day and in evenings, as well as community events, boards, other things. And that can you speak to any concerns that voters might have about how you will manage your time and be available to serve your constituents?

SPEAKER_00 10:23

Well, my watching Wheel of Fortune in Jeopardy is over. I'm pretty flexible because I'm self-employed. I've uh I can move my commitments around a bit and work around. So if it does get busy at the village, I can certainly accommodate it. Um as long as I can do my job as well. So, you know, the the the good folks of uh of Ward One and Fundy Albert do have to realize this council is a part-time job, not a full-time job. And um, and while I'm committed to do the job to the best of my ability, it it is not a full-time job.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

And I do not plan to make it one.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Okay. So, in regards to training, earlier this year, there's been a lot of discussion around mandatory training for municipal counselors, whether or not it will be offered, whether it offered in advance, and whether it even should exist. Are you for against required training for municipal counselors? And have you had any type of that training already or um like it?

SPEAKER_00 11:38

So absolutely. I think that training is meant should be mandatory. Um and uh I have had extensive training. I've um managed communication and been campaign manager on dozens of federal, provincial, and municipal campaigns in my career because as an ad agency, I actually sometimes took on um, like we did the leadership campaign for Leslan Lewis when she ran for the Conservative Party a few years ago. I was the camp communication lead on uh Leslan's uh campaign.

unknown 12:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

So I I have had extensive, I'm also on the board of directors for the Canadian Leadership Foundation, and what they do is train people to manage political campaigns. So I I definitely have the technical background. Okay, but specifically here in New Brunswick, what are my jobs, what's my job as a counselor? I would really, really welcome the opportunity to understand that. And and and more important, Melody, it's what isn't my job as a counselor. And I and I I believe maybe some of the early councils when we amalgamated in all parts of New Brunswick, um, it took them a while to learn what was their job and what wasn't. And some still don't have it right.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Right. So maybe building off of that, if we're looking at that familiarity with the policy and procedure, um, to talk about the New Brunswick Local Governance Act, which is the primary legislation governing municipalities, rural communities, and regional districts following the major reforms that were effective in January of 2023 leading up to it as well. But um, there were some key updates with it, including regional service delivery changes, a new local governance commission, and the restructuring of local service districts, as we know. The act sets the framework for council powers, financial duties, and bylaws. Um, can you share your with us your level of familiarity with the New Brunswick Local Governance Act?

SPEAKER_00 13:59

I have reviewed it. I have not done as deep a dive as I will need to, but I have read it. Um I part of my role in marketing is I'm a privacy expert. So I'm quite familiar with reading and interpreting uh laws and the language in by which they're written into plain language. That's something I've been very well trained to do over the last 12 years. So I believe as I do a deeper dive into the Governance Act, I will uh be able to interpret it in plain language, such that myself and my constituents know um what it's what it demands of us.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Okay, thank you for that answer. Uh, moving into some more, I guess we would say, hot button topics. Um, there have been many public conversations around concerns in regards to transparency of local council and perceived conflicts of interest that have occurred around decision making of counselors. What would be your response to this concern?

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Well, I I think that the the lack of or the perceived lack of transparency is more a function of not communicating effectively.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Um, and I believe there have been some some mistakes made in the past on on council. Um, and perhaps conflicts of interest have not been as clearly uh defined as they should have been, because I think all of the counselors that I know uh who have represented Fundy Albert have integrity. That's not the question. It's just maybe they just didn't understand the rules around conflicts and what considered what's considered a conflict and what's not. And maybe that's one of our jobs is to make that more clear and more public. But we need badly need a communication strategy for the village, and we don't really have one, it's kind of hit and miss. Okay from what I've seen from the admin, although they're very hard work, there is no one person in the admin whose job it is is communication.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Okay. So building off of that, if you are the successful candidate, how will you hold yourself transparent and avoid conflicts of interest into institutionalizing um transparency and accountability for your municipal work?

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Um, you know, the the best I can say is that I, you know, I I I think I'm well aware of what a conflict of interest is, or and and if if there is any doubt at all, it is a conflict is the position that I would have to take. If I had even the the smallest doubt, I would declare a conflict of interest. But more important, that the regular communication with the with the ward is really what people are are wanting. The fact that we post it on the website and it and people can find it, that's not what they want. They want it pushed to them somehow. Right? So there's gotta be other methods of communicating with folks in the ward, like town halls, like regularly town halls, where I book the activity center here in Alma and I and I invite people to come and tell me what's on their mind as a as their counselor. Right. Um and bumping in at people on the street and having conversations. That's where most of it's gonna happen, Melody, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Right. Thank you for that for your response. Um, moving into talking about specific files, as I mentioned, we have collected questions from community members, and some of them have been more specific or related to um specific areas of the municipality. So I've pulled them together as best I can. Some of the questions will be a little bit wider in lens, um, and we'll be kind of jumping from topic to topic. And the first one is nature and environmental concerns. So, as you know, the village of Funde Albert has a lot of resources, but perhaps the most obvious is our connection to our natural environment. The connection is so profound, it is highlighted in our tagline, friendly by nature. We are part of the UNESCO Funday Biosphere Region, which is a huge and globally significant designation. How do you see the municipality's role in maintaining, managing, and utilizing our natural resources?

SPEAKER_00 18:59

Well, I think from a policy point of view, there are certain things that we can do to, uh, for example, when we develop our rural plan, there has to be very serious environmental considerations. Um, but we've got organizations like Friends of Fundy, and uh there's several organizations that are involved in having, you know, taking care of all that uh element. And I think I think it's better served by organizations like that than the municipality itself. Although we should be supporting and maybe passing laws or policy directives that that help in the area of environmental concerns.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Okay. And specifically, questions have been asked around um counselors' thoughts about the spraying of our region's forests with glycophates.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

It's it's just a hard no.

unknown 19:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

It's just a hard no. Um, it's it I I get that it's convenient commercially for Irving and some of the logging uh enterprises, but the effect it has on the people of this community uh is astounding. I mean, I I can't believe it still goes on. So hard no.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

Hard no. Uh moving into the housing poverty and cost of living files. There is always a lot of discussion around the challenges of living. In particular, the cost of living has a huge impact on residents of this village. Precarious housing is a problem in our region, and we have seen that in statistics showing that there is a significant number of our residents that are within two paychecks to be at risk of homelessness or displacement. There's increased use of food banks and other food security resources, so on and so forth. How have you or how would you use the full range of the municipality's tools and resources to increase access to affordable housing, reduce or eliminate homelessness, increase food security, or in general, how would you have a positive effect in any area of poverty reduction?

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Yeah, I just I think this probably leads to economic development. Um, the the poverty gets lessened. For example, if if somebody put a business with 50 employees, bringing 25 of their employees and hiring 25 locals in Riverside Albert, what would that do to the village? It would completely transform it. Completely transform it. So maybe a little bit of economic development thinking and bringing a little bit of chosen industry into Fundy Albert in key places, but we're not equipped to. Like we couldn't we couldn't find 25 places for people to live if that business moved into Riverside Albert. So we've we've got homework to do. If we if we want to make moves like that, we have to be able to accommodate them. And you know, from what I've seen, trying to get a permit to build anything in Fundy Albert is a very arduous chore. I've had a few friends build either houses or garages and watching the the what the the um the folks in Moncton put them through to get permits. And um it's just it's just we're shooting ourselves in the foot, basically. So as a as a municipal voice, I would at least be speaking out about that. I plan to spend as much time in Fredericton as I do in Hill Rillsboro, because that's how it's gonna make that's how we're gonna make a difference. We have to get the pol the provincial politicians to listen to us and to take accountability and responsibility. They downloaded a tremendous amount to the municipality level without the money and the expertise. And I think that that's what a lot of villages have been struggling with since amalgamation, is they've not only uh they've been given the authority without the without the budget.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Right. Okay. And that naturally leans into um the next file to discuss, which is economic development. What do you see as council's role in regards to economic development of this region?

SPEAKER_00 23:45

I think we should at the very least be great ambassadors for the quality of life here in Fundy Albert. Um, you know, when my wife and I look at this, the quality of life here compared to where we lived outside of Toronto, like it's just not even close. We should have done this years ago, but in a moment of clarity during COVID, we actually realized that although we had worked from home for 20 years, um, the rest of the world now got a taste of it, and they knew that working from home wasn't because you couldn't afford an office, it was because you preferred to work from home.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Super. So, what do you think would be the best ways to grow our community from an economic standpoint?

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Attract some some small businesses that have growth potential. So they you know they might they might come here as a 15-person entity and end up being a hundred people entity. Again, look what that might do to a community over five years.

SPEAKER_02 24:52

Right.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

We can't handle a company of 100 people right now. We just we don't we just don't have the infrastructure or the uh the housing, you know, all the issues you talked about earlier, but we could handle a 15 that grows to 100.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

And and and help them grow to 100.

unknown 25:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

Be part of their community just like they're part of ours.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

Okay. Thank you for that. Moving into the arts and culture file, um, when we think about arts, culture, and history in our community, do you think they add value to the municipality?

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Absolutely. Absolutely. Places like Harvey Hall, and I know it's really been a struggle to, you know, to revitalize it, just like we're doing with uh CCRC with the old bank. But these are all worth keeping. And the museums that we have, and uh the you know, I love what uh Sam Steves is doing with the history of um Albert County. That's all really great stuff. So uh the more, the merrier. Uh I was very sad to see the province um stand down on that file in the last budget. Um that that's really a shame. Um also, even from a tourist point of view, people coming here to closed provincial parks just makes no sense.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Right. How do you see um the most important ways the municipality can engage with the history, arts, and culture file through things like strategic planning, policy, investment, even programming, so on and so forth? How should the municipality engage with that file?

SPEAKER_00 26:40

Actually, I I think that they would probably be wise and and and Jim and the council, our mayor and the council are currently doing this. They're reaching out reaching out to the entities in the community to see what what do you need, what can we provide. And that's exactly, in my opinion, where to start.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

And and I've seen more of that in the last six months than I have in the last three years. So I assume that's uh Jim's leadership and the council's now starting to be able to grapple with those kinds of issues.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

The last section um before we wrap up is something you have alluded to, which is infrastructure. Uh roads are always a concern for residents, we know, but we know that infrastructure encompasses a lot more than that as well. How have you or how will you utilize the full range of the municipalities' tools and resources in managing, maintaining, or improving important municipal infrastructure or even developing new projects or initiatives?

SPEAKER_00 27:45

Well, you know, just as Zelma needed water. And we found a way with federal and provincial and a little bit of municipal money to put a new water system. Uh Hillsboro is built on wooden sewage pipes. And um wood like clay has about a 50-year life. And um the house I lived in in Dundas, just outside Toronto, uh, it had clay pipes, and I had clay pipes collapse. Uh so we're we're going to have to address this. There is a mechanism that you can shoot a resin up a current pipe, creating a pipe inside the pipe, and as the outside clay pipe or wooden pipe rots away, the PVC pipe is still there and does its job. We actually use the technology in Dundas, it was it was brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

And you know, maybe rather than digging up and all of that, maybe some strategic uh reworking or religion of the water and sewage in Hillbrough may be an option. It was certainly something that I would I would want to look at. It wasn't cheap, but it was certainly cheaper than digging up the roads and having to repave everything.

SPEAKER_01 29:18

Right, exactly. So, in regards to amalgamation, which you have mentioned a couple of times, and it is connected to infrastructure as well, because we went from three municipalities and the LSDs all in between and around to one entity now, which expands and connects that infrastructure development. What, regardless of our individual feelings on amalgamation, we are now living with those consequences. How will you approach the challenges related to this experience? And are you prepared to serve the greater community of Funday Albert?

SPEAKER_00 29:56

Absolutely. I think I started out that way. I really consider myself a Fundy Albert counselor. Uh, I do represent the the people of Ward One, and I will certainly do my best, but all in the context that we are part of Funde Albert. Because I think to deny that is just, you know, it's a recipe for dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

And I think I'm going to choose happy. The province dictated this. So how do we make the best of it? How can we help our neighbors? Right? This is a great place to live. And I'm sure 30 years from now it'll still be a great place to live.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

Awesome. So as we wrap up, is there anything we haven't covered that you would want your municipal residents to know about you or your bid in this election?

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Yeah, I think the one thing that we haven't touched on that seems to be a conversation is um we have to start fully acting like one entity. And we don't. We currently don't. Our fire departments, all our bank accounts. I mean, if you look at the way we're still really three separate villages trying to figure out how to get married. And I think it's time to get married. I think it's time to give up all that stuff. And like 10 years from now, 15 years, will I still say I live in Alma? Yes, I will. But I will also uh acknowledge fully that Alma is one of the villages, one of the three villages and um LSDs in Fundy Albert. So it's gonna have to be Fundy Albert first.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to chat with me. I really appreciate it. Part of what we do with Connecting Albert County with this initiative is to try and allow folks to make informed choices, engage with the election process, and as they do so, be able to educate themselves and each other about what's going on in their community and how they can make choices that are based upon fact and information. And so I do appreciate you taking the time because that allows us to offer that to the community. So thanks so much, Derek, and all the best to you. Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Thanks, Melly.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

Bye bye.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

Bye.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

And that is all for today with Connecting Albert County. Again, I'd like to thank all the counselors, future, and uh candidates that have taken part. We will continue this series as we move forward.