Kings RSC trusteeship to continue as new CEO leads transition

Matt Moore wants 'full annual cycle' to develop strategic plan as province says trusteeship will continue

Article content The province says the Kings Regional Service Commission remains under trusteeship as its new CEO embarks on work to create a new strategic plan for the organization. Matt Moore started as CEO at the end of June, with the commission holding its annual general meeting June 24, he told Brunswick News last week. He said he’s hoping to have a “full annual cycle” to develop a strategic plan for the commission, currently being ran by a trustee, so it can move forward with a united board.

The commission is responsible for services like solid waste management, planning and cost-sharing for regional facilities as well as community development, transportation and tourism, and counts the municipalities of Sussex, Valley Waters and Butternut Valley as well as the Kings Rural District as members. It has been under trusteeship since September 2024, when the province dissolved the board after it failed to pass a budget for the second year running. Last year, the province announced that John Jarvie would become trustee as of July 1, and that the minister of environment and local government would review the situation after the May 2026 municipal elections.

Elections took place May 11, and Jarvie said last month that his original contract would expire at the end of June. In a statement June 30, spokesperson Vicky Lutes said that the ministry “continues to work with the trustee and the Kings Regional Service Commission toward the reinstatement of the board,” adding that discussions over the governance structure are ongoing and “John Jarvie’s appointment as trustee continues until further notice.” Moore’s appointment as CEO was announced in late May, and the former Nutrien Civic Centre executive director from St. Martins started June 22.

He said he’s been able to meet with employees, saying there is a “really resilient, dedicated staff team here that take a lot of pride in the work that they do.” He said last year was a “significant transition” for the region but said the staff “continued to deliver the important services.” He said this year the organization would focus on more collaboration and “future-focused” planning.

“I take advantage of being the new guy and want to insist that we put the effort into creating a new strategic plan for the region, and really encourage all stakeholders to come with their voice, come with their opinions and thoughts,” he said. “It’s not always just about what can we do to save costs, I think we need to look at how can we invest, and how can we grow, and how can we become the vibrant region that we’re known for?” In March, a review of the Kings RSC commissioned for the province by consultants Accent Strategies said a new CEO needed “strong and impartial leadership” to help rebuild trust in the organization.

Expanded mandates for the commission through the province’s local governance reform have created “frustration, uncertainty, or questions about long-term sustainability” for some members, the review found, while also concluding that the organization was capable of fulfilling the mandates. Moore said he’s going to take time to engage directly with all stakeholders before forming opinions on the study or its recommendations, noting that there was disagreement from members about the study’s findings. “It’s important really to understand everyone’s perspectives, and to acknowledge that it’s completely natural to have a disagreement on views, but I think that what is key is that we all recognize that we’re here to work together,” Moore said.

“By working collaboratively as a region, we can position everybody for success.” He said that they want to find each members’ priorities that can result in efficiencies in the region, as well as “low-hanging fruit” that the RSC can start working on. “At the end of the day, I know we’re legislated to provide the services that we offer for the community,” he said.

“There’s not a doubt in my mind that if we find a way to strengthen our ability to collaborate, that we’re all going to have much greater success.” He said he wants a strategic plan process to be included in the 2027 RSC budget, which is being prepared this summer, and said it’s ideal to have a “full annual cycle” before making critical changes to the organization. “I think the strategic plan will be an exercise that will bring our stakeholders back together ... and we’ll move forward hopefully as a full board that’s committed to the goals that we identify in the strat plan exercise,” Moore said, noting that Jarvie’s involvement will be “key” during the budget and strategic plan process.

A proposed independent study of the RSC’s solid waste operations was put out to a request for proposals two weeks ago, he said, adding that the transfer station plays a “critical role” in the community but the study could “lay the groundwork for more efficiency and costing.” Since his appointment, he said it’s been “great just reconnecting” with people and political stakeholders in the region, saying he grew up in nearby St. Martins and has family roots in the area. “I’ve always been drawn to sport and recreation and community wellness,” said Moore, who said he helped open MacDonald Island Park in Fort McMurray, Alberta, while working with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo before returning in 2012 to help open the Nutrien Civic Centre, then known as the PotashCorp Civic Centre, serving until 2015.

Since 2024, he worked as CEO of Central Nova Scotia Sports & Entertainment in Truro, N.S., which evolved during his tenure from a regional facilities partnership into a destination marketing organization. He said there would be more work with the Kings RSC in the coming months to develop the recently launched Fundy Foothills branding, including stakeholder alignment. The Kings RSC annual general meeting was held at the Nutrien Civic Centre alongside that organization’s AGM, which Moore said was a great opportunity to hear from the board.

“They are running an extremely efficient operation down there,” Moore said. “A facility of that size requires life-cycle planning and investment, and I’d like to work closely with the group to understand its future outlook.” Valley Waters Mayor Randy McKnight said in a statement that after the AGM, there was still “a significant gap” between costs to the village and direct benefits seen by residents.

He said the lack of a board “has resulted in a lack of progress, action, and information sharing,” and that there have also been concerns around the cost associated with the trusteeship. “We remain committed to working collaboratively with the new CEO and our municipal partners to find a fair and sustainable path forward,” McKnight said. Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne said Thursday that he’s still planning a first meeting with Moore.

He referred back to his comments from June, when he said Moore was the “just the right person” to lead the RSC and that the key to reinstating the board would be first locking in a direction on regional facilities and solid waste so the new board can “move past that and into new territory, so to speak.” Butternut Valley and the Kings Rural District did not respond to requests for comment.