Rebuilding middle class among election priorities in Antigonish, N.S.

Antigonish, home to St. Francis Xavier University and St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, has a population of about 5000 people.

The CEO of a family-run chocolate business in Antigonish, N.S., sees opportunity amid trade tensions with the United States and wants the next prime minister to prioritize removing interprovincial trade barriers.

“I think we have a golden opportunity to turn this to our own advantage, to build on the capacity of amazing entrepreneurial spirit in our communities,” said Tareq Hadhad, CEO of Peace by Chocolate.

Hadhad and his family arrived in Antigonish about nine years ago after fleeing war-torn Syria. Their chocolate factory in Damascus was bombed and his family restarted their business in Nova Scotia. Their chocolates are now sold across Canada and the world.

Hadhad notes there’s a lot on the minds of voters right now — affordability, housing and health care.

He said he hopes whoever the next prime minister is will deliver on their promise to diversify trade across the country.

“I really hope that we can remove all the trade barriers between the provinces,” he said.

CTV News spoke with Hadhad while visiting Antigonish to gauge what matters to voters in the community this election. The town of about 5,000 people is home to St. Francis Xavier University and St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. Main street is less than 15 minutes from a beach and on the drive there, hilly farmland.

Barry MacKenzie, curator at the Antigonish Heritage Museum, said a large wave of Scots established themselves there in huge numbers in the nineteenth century. It’s why Antigonish hosts the Highland Games each summer and street signs in the downtown core are in both English and Gaelic.

“We’ve got the richness of Mi’kmaw culture which has been the fabric of Antigonish for 10,000 years. And then you have this rich Scottish culture but it’s also a place where we have a growing Syrian community, we have a growing Ukrainian community,” said MacKenzie.

A focal point along the town’s Main Street is the library. Tucked in the back, beyond the computer stations and aisles of bookcases is a community pantry stocked by staff with food, but it’s emptied often.

“As soon as we put things in, it’s gone pretty much. It’s just there’s such a need,” said librarian and library supervisor Kristel Fleuren-Hunter.

“There’s a lot of people falling through the cracks now with regards to lack of affordable housing, food insecurity is really high. We need to be doing more to make life more affordable for people.”

At a coffee shop across the street, Crawford Henderson, 25, of Pictou, N.S., wants Canada to rebuild its middle class.

“Slowly over time with the wealth inequality, it’s becoming eroded more and more,” he said.

The town’s mayor, Sean Cameron, said the biggest issues in the community are affordable housing, noting the town is committed to working with governments to providing housing through infrastructure.

Cameron said the town is currently having issues with its water capacity and sewer treatment plant.

“My ask to the next prime minister will be can you help us in funding our water and sewer,” he said.

The sewer treatment plant is a lagoon system that was built in the 1970s. This summer, residents could smell a strong stench, and work is underway to upgrade it.

“Definitely pungent around these areas,” said Michael MacInnis, who noted he hasn’t smelled the stench for several months.

Cameron said water capacity is also concerning as the community grows and more water is needed.

“We really need another water source, not just for consumable water, but we also need for fire protection,” he said.

To historian Barry MacKenzie, Canada’s future leader must also focus on people in rural communities.

“To make people from rural parts of the country feel like everything they’re doing is as much in our interest as it is for people in big cities,” MacKenzie said.