Pembroke city council is moving ahead with the removal of the Muskrat River dam this summer. The dam was built in 1967 and has never been rehabilitated or had any major repairs completed. Since the dam was decommissioned in 2004, roughly $261,000 has been spent on debris removal and minor maintenance, equaling approximately 16,300 a year on average. During the flooding in 2017 and 2019, the city paid almost $100,000 to have the debris removed at the dam to allow water to flow. In a recorded vote, council voted 4-3 in favor of awarding the tender contract to R.G.T Clouthier for $506,000 plus a $20,000 contingency allowance to remove the dam this summer. Councillors Andrew Plummer, Brian Abdallah, and Pat Lafreniere were in opposition to the motion, citing the city should hold on to the money considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Council set aside $591,000 in the budget this year for dam removal.