Official Fredericton, NB projects thread [Archive] - Page 11

cl812

Apr 20, 2009, 11:15 AM

Fredericton Transit bus fleet may go high-tech
Published Monday April 20th, 2009
Internet | Webcams, wireless access down the road?
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton Transit is testing wireless capability on five of its newest transit buses before it considers the cost implications of unrolling new service options to the public.

The capital city's effort is following on the heels of Codiac Transit in Moncton. It recently launched its revamped website with a feature called GoBus developed by a Moncton-based firm called Red Ball. GoBus is a mapping system that displays a bus route and the vehicle's real-time position on that route.

The feature is possible because all of Codiac's buses have wireless Internet access that allows passengers to use global positioning system (GPS) technology.

"We've piloted having some wireless capability on the buses. There's a couple of other features we're interested in, one of them being AVL, the automatic vehicle location,'' said Fredericton Transit manager Sandy MacNeill.

"As well, there's a communications feature associated with it so that we can speak directly to the operators that we're looking at. We're looking for something very similar here with the buses if we can get the coverage. We're just getting a feel for it."

Mike Richard, vice-president of operations of the city-owned e-Novations ComNet Inc. company, said Fredericton is working with Red Ball on the project.

He said they've already conquered one of the problems related to the wireless system.

The city's free Wi-Fi Fred-eZone network is essentially a static system, but the city created a high-speed mobile wireless tower atop the northside depot on St. Mary's Street last summer.

That will allow a passenger on a bus to use a laptop computer, a PDA (personal digital assistant) or smartphone to access the Internet aboard the bus.

"In terms of the tracking of the bus, that will be a web application on top of a Google map so you can actually see where the buses are at all times. They can get it off anything that has a web browser," Richard said.

The city has installed wireless fibre on five test buses and a private call telephone system for the drivers on the same system.

"On one bus we did a public webcam that points out the front window. We expect to have the buscam on our public web page by the end of the month,'' he said.

"It's probably the coolest public webcam we'll have because it gives the public access to traffic and road conditions because you'll be looking right out the front bus window as the bus drives. It's kind of unique."

Richard said a lot of users check the city's webcams for weather and road conditions.

When Red Ball wanted to come to Fredericton, the city was able to offer the company access to the data exchange utility offered by e-Novations.

"They're a member of our network. They use our Internet, our backhaul, our tower," Richard said.

Red Ball charges the city a fee for its services, while the city charges back fees for network access, which makes the paper transaction revenue-neutral, Richard said.

"We've got a really unique deal with them because we're charging them for tower space and services, and of course, they're charging us, but at the end of the day, it's a wash," Richard said.

"The pilot phase has proved to be very successful. It's been up and running solid since September. The issue is now if we're going to equip the entire fleet of buses. Then we are into real money," he said.

"The city needs to figure out if that's something we should be spending our money on and that's in the hands of senior management and council."

Transportation committee chairman Coun. Bruce Grandy said money will be an issue as the city faces the prospect of new provincial legislation that could limit its access to new property tax revenue.

Grandy said the technology being explored is useful to the public, but will also help the city to deliver improved transit services.

"It will allow our dispatchers to look at the buses and look at routes that aren't as efficient, perhaps diverting buses, and will improve safety on buses for riders and drivers," Grandy said.

"We have to look at all this and see what kind of infrastructure we have to put into place for this," Grandy said.

"Then, of course, it all comes down to money and dollars and cents."

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Overpass for Two Nations on radar
Published Monday April 20th, 2009
A1
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

The Department of Transportation is exploring the possibility of building an overpass linking the southbound lanes of Ring Road to Two Nations Crossing.

Crews are doing pre-construction work to gauge the feasibility of an overpass.

That means testing soil quality and measuring the distance between surface and rock at the site.

The work is being paid for by the department, but spokesman Andrew Holland said funding hasn't been approved for construction of the overpass and won't be until at least the next provincial budget.

"No funds have been allotted by government yet; however, we understand it is a priority for the City of Fredericton and as such, we are going out and doing the pre-construction work," he said.

"In advance of projects it is consistent to go out, do your homework and map out the scope of the work that needs to be done and how you would do it,'' said Holland.

"Right now, that is what we are doing. We are doing the groundwork, so whenever government approves this, we will be in a better position to meet the necessary timelines."

Ward Coun. Mike O'Brien said the overpass is vital to ensuring future commercial growth in the Two Nations Crossing area and reducing traffic on both Main and Union streets.

He said the city has been in regular talks with the Department of Transportation and Fredericton-area MLAs. He said he's certain it will be built in 2010, if not earlier.

"I am 100 per cent confident that it will begin next year and it is my real dream that there is something that will start this year," O'Brien said. "They (Department of Transportation) are committed to it, we are committed to seeing it done, and it is reassuring to see that they are proceeding with some of the soft costs."

An overpass would allow drivers leaving Two Nations Crossing direct access to the Westmorland Street Bridge, as opposed to rerouting traffic along St. Mary's Street.

O'Brien said alleviating unnecessary traffic on St. Mary's Street would be another positive to come from the project, which he said he had expected to start this summer.

"We were eagerly awaiting in the provincial budget for it to be one of the capital expenditure projects and they were eager to announce that too until the extent of the repair work at the Princess Margaret Bridge was understood, which I think put the kibosh on real substantial work being done this year," he said.

Trina Macdonald, general manager of Business Fredericton North, said she too was disappointed to learn funding wasn't granted for the overpass this year, but her organization remains committed to its completion.

"It would be a definite benefit," she said. "The finishing of the connection for Two Nations has always been a priority for us and continues to be one of our top three priorities, so we are paying close attention to it."

Holland said the department understands the need, but doesn't have the money this year.

He listed construction on the Route 8 Marysville bypass at a cost of $35 million and the Princess Margaret Bridge at a cost of $12 million as major capital projects taking place in the Fredericton region this year.

cl812

Apr 21, 2009, 11:27 AM

City to continue northside bus route at a loss
Published Tuesday April 21st, 2009
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton city councillors won't be scrubbing the Two Nations Crossing bus route despite its poor performance since October.

The decision defies the advice of the city's transit manager and is in conflict with the city's route performance policy.

Transit manager Sandy MacNeill said based on 27 weeks of data, it's likely to take up to five years before the Two Nations Crossing bus route can average 20 passengers per hour.

That's the figure it takes to meet city council's route performance threshold of a 25-40 per cent revenue recovery.

"I don't see any way it will meet the benchmark in a timely fashion," MacNeill told councillors Monday night at their council-in-committee meeting.

MacNeill outlined three options: cancel the service on Saturday, try another three months or make the service permanent.

Transportation committee chairman Coun. Bruce Grandy led the charge to make the route permanent, with councillors who represent the wards on the north side of the city backing him.

"When you start a business, it usually takes five years for your business plan to take off. Doing these three-month trials seems to me to be very short-sighted. I think it's better to look at it over a year. Let it go for a year and look at it at that point," Grandy said after the unanimous council vote to keep the route indefinitely.

Grandy said, and MacNeill confirmed to council, that portions of some routes fall short of the 35-40 per cent revenue recovery figure, the Silverwood link of the Silverwood-Lincoln bus route, for example.

"As you heard from a lot of the councillors that development in Two Nations Crossing - whether it be a seniors complex, Ambulance New Brunswick, a school going in there, multiple apartment buildings being proposed this year to be put up there and, most importantly, Leo Hayes students and Willie O'Ree Place - (means) we have to keep this route on and give it a good look," he said.

The route was introduced in October after a transit master plan recommended it as a potentially strong route. The three-month pilot would have ended in January, but, based on initially strong ridership numbers, the pilot was extended to April 4.

On March 16, MacNeill produced figures showing that the upward trend in ridership had flattened. At that time, council asked staff to prepare a final analysis of the pilot for Monday's council session.

Ridership figures for the pilot over the course of six months reached a weekly high average (weekday) of 12.6 passengers per revenue hour. The lowest weekly average was 6.6 passengers per revenue hour. The service operates between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., six days per week, with half-hour service at peak times and hourly service the rest of the day.

Grandy said all bus routes are reviewed at budget time and the Two Nations Crossing route will face that assessment down the road.

He has publicly urged businesses to support the route. The city has suggested the provincial government - which set up the Social Development office on the route even before transit service was approved - to consider kicking in a subsidy on the route.

The Social Development Department serves income assistance, the disabled and other low-income clients, many of whom don't have cars.

Barkers Point-Lower St. Marys Coun. Marilyn Kerton, who works for that provincial government department at Two Nations Crossing, said many clients wouldn't be able to afford to take the bus without free bus tickets handed out by non-profit social agencies in the community.

Without the bus service, many clients would have to walk to the government office.

South Devon Coun. Eric Megarity suggested more seniors would use the bus service near the Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire stores if the bus came into the mall, rather than stopping farther back from the main entrance on a service road.

"We don't make it helpful for these people," Megarity said.

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Habitat for Humanity's request for free land denied
Published Tuesday April 21st, 2009
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton can't play favourites by giving away land for affordable housing, says Mayor Brad Woodside.

City councillors Monday night heard a plea from the Fredericton Habitat for Humanity group to amend city policy to find ways to donate surplus land or at least discount property that could be used for building homes for families.

Finding land is a major concern, said Dave Charleson, board member and site selection committee chairman for the Fredericton chapter.

It's part of an international organization that relies on volunteers and community partners to build homes for low-income families.

The Fredericton Habitat for Humanity group has built six homes in the region and so far it has secured all six lots by donation.

By raising money and requiring qualifying families to put their own "sweat equity" into the projects, Habitat for Humanity Fredericton Area Inc. has been able to build homes on each of those six lots for about $60,000 apiece.

But Charleson said finding donated property is increasingly difficult.

"The key challenge we face at this point in time is finding land," he told city councillors. "We need some help from the city."

In Saint John, the municipality has donated five lots to Habitat for Humanity, and while Fredericton offers discounted land to developers, it's only on projects of eight units or more.

Charleson is asking the city to revisit and alter its affordable housing land policy, but Woodside isn't holding out hope for a change.

"There's a level playing field for everybody, whether you're non-profit, whether you're public or private," Woodside said. "Our policy is very clear. That's not to say that Habitat for Humanity isn't a wonderful organization, but there's a lot of wonderful organizations out there."

The mayor has asked Coun. Mike O'Brien, chairman of the city's affordable housing group, to field the Habitat's request and come up with suggestions on how to help.

But Woodside said he doesn't have a sense that city council is keen on changing the policy.

As far as Saint John is concerned, Woodside said it doesn't look to other cities on every policy.

"I have no idea what they do. I know they gave a tax deal to Irving. We don't do that either," Woodside said.

Charleson said the problem with the discount that Fredericton offers on land for affordable housing is that it only works for developers building eight or more housing units, so it excludes his group.

He did agree, however, to meet with the affordable housing committee to try to further the discussion as Woodside suggested.

The Fredericton group has set a goal of building at least one house per year. It wants to improve its ability to secure land and hopes to open a store by 2012 to generate more revenue for housing.

The store would market surplus and used building materials to make money to build homes.

The group has an application and selection process before it awards a home to a family. The recipient family has to be able to make an interest-free mortgage payment that's adjusted annually to remain at 25 per cent of the family income.

All mortgage payments are reinvested into building more houses. Once the group builds 12 to 15 homes, the mortgage payments should support one build per year.

kwajo

Apr 21, 2009, 1:53 PM

In Saint John, the municipality has donated five lots to Habitat for Humanity, and while Fredericton offers discounted land to developers, it's only on projects of eight units or more.

As far as Saint John is concerned, Woodside said it doesn't look to other cities on every policy.

"I have no idea what they do. I know they gave a tax deal to Irving. We don't do that either," Woodside said.

Good to see Woodside is really maturing in his old age

xxFamilyGuyxx

Apr 21, 2009, 2:39 PM

The last thing we need is some kind of ghetto.

Smevo

Apr 22, 2009, 6:02 AM

Good to see something moving on the TNC overpass...even if it is very preliminary. I still wouldn't hold my breath for it to be done in the near future.

Though I would've thought there would be records lying around about the soil condition and bedrock depth there, since much...or at least some of the design work was already done when the road was first constructed as it is now. Sure it might have changed a bit, but I wouldn't think it would be very substantial change below the surface.

cl812

Apr 22, 2009, 11:54 AM

Convention centre project is on time and on budget
Published Wednesday April 22nd, 2009
A4
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Subterranean work will soon yield to structural steel and a big crane as the next big leap occurs in the construction of a downtown east end convention centre, provincial government office building and parking garage.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=281717&size=500x0
Shape of things to come: This conceputal illustration from ADI Ltd. depicts what the new convention centre and government office complex in downtown Fredericton will look like.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=281718&size=0x400
RISING UP: A construction worker prepares some lumber to be hoisted at the site of the construction of the Fredericton convention centre on Tuesday.

City councillors were briefed on the $79-million project this week by Greg Cook, executive director of special capital projects for the city.

The project cost includes $9 million in tax money the city will eventually claim back from the federal government.

The provincial and federal governments have each pledged $4 million to the construction cost, while the province will pay between $4 million and $5 million per year in lease costs for its new digs.

"We expect the structural steel to be delivered the end of May or the first of June, and the crane will go up once we're sure the flood waters have receded," Cook said.

Contractors had been preparing in case the St. John River spilled its banks and halted work temporarily, but so far that hasn't happened.

"We watch the water levels. We haven't got any water in the hole now, so we're doing quite well... But we're not through (flood season). We're well aware of that," Cook said.

"The crane will go up once we're sure that the flood waters have receded ... It's late June that the crane will come. It will mainly be used for the office tower which is a concrete construction building."

The concrete slabs and foundation walls for all three buildings have been constructed with only a bit more work to complete.

"Right now, we have finished all of the slabs for the conference centre basement, and this week we will pour the last section for the office building. And then we're left with the parking structure portion of the site," Cook said.

"We'll have three pours for that ... We'll kind of work our way out of the hole with the last slab."

The first of a number of environmentally friendly measures associated with the project has been built.

A cistern in the basement of the structure is underway.

"Rain water will be collected from the roof, and it will go into the cistern and be used to reduce the water consumption in the building, so that we don't have to use potable water for the toilet fixtures and the urinals in the building," Cook said.

The six-storey, 16,071-square-metre government office building is the only one that will require structural steel framing.

"Everything else will be reinforced poured concrete," Cook said.

The project is on time and on budget, but there are major contracts still ahead to be called, Cook said.

Downtown businesses appreciate the fact that the work site has been kept tidy and the construction area clean, Coun. Stephen Kelly said Tuesday.

Below the government office building will be secure parking for 68 government vehicles.

The city will build a seven-level parking garage for another 444 vehicles.

Below the two-storey, 6,800-square-metre conference centre will be parking for another 73 vehicles.

Construction of the conference centre will introduce the first overhead and street-level pedways to the city as the office building, conference centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel and The Playhouse theatre structure are interconnected.

There's room for a second downtown hotel with a similar interconnecting link.

The conference centre will have ground floor and second floor meeting rooms with elevator and escalator services.

The main ballroom can be subdivided into four separate rooms or left open.

The kitchen area will be able to serve 1,000 people for a dinner in the ballroom.

The ceiling in the main ballroom will be the equivalent of two-stories.

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Less construction happening in city in 2009
Published Wednesday April 22nd, 2009
a5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton isn’t starting off 2009 with the same heat as 2008.

Construction totals between January and March of this year hit $6.8 million, but that’s down $16.1 million from the $22.9 million for January to March 2008.

In March 2008, construction totals for that month alone hit $15 million.

For this past March, the dollar value of local construction was only $4.1 million.

Mayor Brad Woodside isn’t alarmed and said that considering the global economic downturn, the capital city should count itself fortunate.

Unlike Ontario, where businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs, Fredericton is holding its own.

“This is truly amazing. The growth we continue to have despite all that’s going on around us,” Woodside said.

“We’re doing extremely well with the economic environment that we’re in around the country and around the world,” said Coun. Dan Keenan, chairman of the city’s development committee.

“We’ve got a lot of activity occurring from permits that were actually issued in 2008. The activity is occurring in 2009. You can see that at the convention centre, at the Currie Centre and the Shannex facility that’s being built right now.”

Keenan said there are plenty of projects moving forward in the next few months.

He said it’s still early in the construction year and he expects there’s more construction to be had in the days ahead.

Fredericton has had 40 multiple units added to its housing stock since the start of the year, but only 12 new homes built.

“We feel that will pick up,” said Alex Forbes, director of development services for the city.

The average cost of a single detached dwelling, without the land value, is at $151,000 in Fredericton.

The total value of commercial construction in the city is at $1.5 million, down from the $5 million posted for the same time period last year.

There has been no new industrial construction so far this year.

Last year, there had been $2.2 million posted within the first three months of 2008.

Forbes said $1.5 million of the $2.2 million spent during the first quarter last year was for a new Covey Basics warehouse.

Government and institutional construction is also negligible so far this year.

Last year, the provincial government spent $7.5 million on a new school on Kimble Road and finishing work is continuing this year.

Forbes said the same is likely again this year, but there are major projects lined up for 2009.

List of projects

Here's a list of current and anticipated construction projects for 2009.

Ongoing projects

* 16-unit apartment building at 990 College Hill Rd.

* 19-unit apartment building at Ridgeview Lane.

* Giant Tiger store to open at 1160 Smythe St.

* Renovations to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital.

* More retail expected at Corbett Centre and Two Nations Crossing.

* Phase 2 of West Hills mall on Brookside Drive.

* UNB Wellness Centre construction is ongoing

Anticipated projects

* Building # 4 at Knowledge Park Drive.

* Shannex Senior Living Complex at Patience and Rainsford Lanes is in construction.

* Downtown convention centre construction continues.

* Southside sports and leisure complex may move to construction in 2009.

* York Manor is expanding.

* Fredericton is looking at construction of a south side fire station.

* Ambulance NB dispatch and operations centre to be built near Cliffe Street.

* A seniors retirement complex is under consideration near Cliffe Street.

* The province is considering replacing the Marysville School.

* 46 lots in Brookside West Phase 5.

* 24 single-detached lots, 10 semi-detached lots and one apartment building in North Brook Subdivision off Brookside Drive

* 40-unit apartment building, 30 townhouses and four semi-detached units at Rainsford Gardens off Sarah's Lane

* 80 townhouse units at 850 Kimble Dr.

* 48 single-detached dwelling lots, two medium density lots at Phase 1 of The Meadows at Neill Farm.

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Residents have concerns about FredRock 2009
Published Wednesday April 22nd, 2009
A6
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Sunshine Gardens residents want answers about this summer's first outdoor rock festival in Fredericton.

A neighbourhood meeting as been called for Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Stepping Stone Seniors Centre at 15 Saunders St.

The neighbourhood has invited event organizers, city Coun. Stephen Kelly and city officials to attend to answer questions.

FredRock 2009 is slated for June 19-21, and the show will take place on the infield of the Fredericton Raceway at the Fredericton Exhibition Grounds.

The Black Crowes and Live will be the two major headliners at the show.

Organizers are expected to sell up to 15,000 tickets.

While Sunshine Gardens area residents are used to putting up with the noise, commotion and parking disruptions of the annual Fredericton Exhibition, this could be a different kettle of fish, said Rookwood Avenue resident Chris Baker.

"We had a meeting on April 2, organized by the city, that actually brought some of us from the neighbourhood together with the organizers," Baker said.

"If the event organizers succeed at what they're planning on doing, they're looking at bringing 15,000 people into our neighbourhood on both a Saturday and Sunday in June."

He said he doesn't think the neighbourhood is ready for the noise.

"Parking is always a problem when you have an event like the FREX, but at least with the FREX people come and stay for a couple of hours, they get back in their car and they leave," Baker said.

But with FredRock, it sounds like rock festival participants will come early, park and stay late.

"The first time any of us heard of this event was when it was first reported on in The Gleaner. To date, there has been no outreach from the event organizers to the community ... We had to go," Baker said.

"What assurance do we have that at 11 o'clock the amplifiers get turned off and that sort of thing. We've got kids. We've got elderly people (in our neighbourhood).

"If there's going to be a beer tent and stuff like that, I'm hoping that people are not going to be getting into their cars at midnight."

Organizers say they want to make the event an annual one, but Baker said the community needs a chance to hear first-hand from the organizers and from the city to hear how crowd control, parking, foot traffic noise, and other issues surrounding the event will be handled.

"There's a lot of interest in hearing directly from the organizers and from the city about what their plans are," Baker said.

Organizers Matt Harris, Nick Zildjan and Mike Babineau have been invited to attend.

Kelly said the event application was approved through normal channels.

"We felt this was an excellent group with an excellent plan to hold an exciting event for a festival in the city ... Since the announcement, city staff have been working diligently with the organizers and the community to ensure this event goes off well and that it becomes an asset to the community," Kelly said.

"We have had the benefit of a community response from Sunshine Gardens area, although some of the concerns about having an event of this magnitude and those concerns are eagerly being dealt with by the organizing committee for the event."

The councillor said the organizers are looking forward to meeting area residents to address their concerns.

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This is the same neigborhood that complained that the flag at the superstore was too loud, so not a surprise about this.

kirjtc2

Apr 22, 2009, 5:45 PM

Like I just commented on in the Gleaner....the opening acts go long, the Crowes take the stage at 10:30 and get two songs in before they get shut off.

They'll be in Hampton Beach, N.H. the Thursday and Friday before FredRock. All of a sudden that looks mighty enticing.

cl812

Apr 23, 2009, 12:27 AM

Fredericton a hit with Chinese immigrants
Published Wednesday April 22nd, 2009
A1
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

Immigrants from the People's Republic of China are finding Fredericton to their liking.

According to the 2006 census, people from that region outnumbered arrivals from other parts of the globe in choosing the capital city as their home.

Of the 1,240 immigrants to land in Fredericton since 2001, 10.7 per cent came from the Asian country, according to Statistics Canada.

Arrivals from the U.S. came in second at 7.6 per cent, followed by the United Kingdom at 7.4 per cent, Egypt at 7.2 per cent, and India at five per cent.

"The city is friendly, clean and quiet," said Xiaolun Yi, vice-president of the Chinese Cultural Association of New Brunswick. "All the people are friendly and kind."

Yi said he hears similar sentiment from other members of the Chinese community. He said he was also drawn to Fredericton because of the local culture and the university community.

"Immigration seems to be the main driver of population these days," said Marc Melanson, a regional adviser with Statistics Canada. "We have no indication that's going to change. That will be the biggest driver of population in Fredericton and New Brunswick down the road."

Melanson revealed the statistics Tuesday during a presentation on the demographics of New Brunswick's capital city.

Also covered during the hour-long slide show were other characteristics of the population, such as language, work, mode of transportation, income and shelter.

Judy Loo, the daughter of a Dutch immigrant to Fredericton, said the capital city has gained a name as a good place for raising families.

"It's an attractive city; it's a safe city, which is appealing to people," Loo said.

"Quite a lot of people coming from Asia have a reasonably high level of education, and jobs in Fredericton often require a fairly high level of education. I think people are attracted to the fact there are two universities here and government offices here."

The 2006 census recorded 5,915 immigrants in the city, representing 6.9 per cent of its population. This is higher than the province at 3.7 per cent, but lower than the national figure of 19.8 per cent.

Provincewide, 4,295 immigrants have arrived since 2001. Unlike Fredericton, arrivals from the U.S. lead all other groups at 12.1 per cent, followed by the People's Republic of China at 10.8 per cent.

Between 2001-06, Fredericton experienced much stronger population growth than New Brunswick - 5.3 per cent compared to 0.1 per cent. That increase, however, is less than witnessed in Canada at 5.4 per cent.

Population Growth Secretariat Minister Greg Byrne said immigration and population growth are needed for the province to succeed.

"Not only are we attracting more immigrants, we are taking specific actions to make sure they stay," Byrne said. "We are investing in multicultural associations, language training and other welcoming initiatives as well."

cl812

Apr 23, 2009, 11:30 PM

Picture from today's Gleaner:

London calling
Published Thursday April 23rd, 2009
a3

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=282509&size=500x0
City view: a light fog covers the downtown section of the city early Wednesday night.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/gallery/644514,282509

cl812

Apr 25, 2009, 1:18 PM

Knowledge Park set to grow
Published Saturday April 25th, 2009
IT growth | Private sector invited to develop new sections of business park
A8
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Knowledge Park is taking a new approach in a bid to help accelerate the high-tech business park's growth.

To date, the corporation running the park has built, managed and owned buildings on the site. It's now opening up to a third-party model that would allow private developers to build and operate buildings through long-term land-lease agreements.

That would let private developers build for their own clients, bid on requests by companies or allow high-tech companies to put up their own buildings.

Greg Kealey, president of Knowledge Park's board of directors, said the new structure should help the park meet its expansion plans.

"It is an approach that will allow us to grow the park faster," he said.

Earlier this year, the park announced an ambitious goal of adding 14 buildings on the site to house more tech-sector businesses. The three existing buildings are full and the park is in negotiations to begin constructing a fourth building soon.

Kealey said the new approach should be of interest to private developers or tenants who want to build their own building.

Developers will benefit from the work Knowledge Park has already done, such as going through the planning process and completing environmental assessments. In some cases, the land has already been cleared.

That's work that could reduce development costs.

"We have already done an environmental impact assessment for the full build-out. The bulk of that work is complete," said Laura O'Blenis, general manager of Knowledge Park. "We're anticipating this will make it more attractive to developers."

Noreen Barwise, who specializes in commercial real estate, said the move is a shrewd one.

"I think it's the only way to go," she said.

She pointed to Waterloo, Ont., where a similar approach has been adopted by the local business park for the knowledge industry. In that case, the industry has added five new buildings in five years.

The expansion could mean big bucks for the local economy. If things remained consistent with past experiences in the park, upping the number of buildings from three to 17 would create 3,200 more jobs and $114.5 million in wages.

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25-metre-long pool not enough - clubs
Published Saturday April 25th, 2009
A5
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

Representatives from Fredericton's aquatic community say a 50-metre-long pool needs to be built so area swimmers won't be left high and dry when the Sir Max Aitken Pool closes several years from now.

The City of Fredericton, in conjunction with the YMCA, the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University, is exploring the possibility of building an indoor swimming pool.

There are three indoor pools in Fredericton and the city's recreation master plan, released in February, pointed out the need for another one.

Nancy Ketch, the co-coach of the Fredericton Synchronized Swimming Club, said any new pool should be 50-metres long and open for business before the Sir Max Aitken Pool at the University of New Brunswick closes. Officials say that pool will shut down in two to five years after the completion of the Richard J. Currie Centre.

"My big concern is that the city may believe that if the YMCA gets approval and funding for a new 25-metre pool, that that may be enough, but it is not. The pool needs to be 50 metres. It just doesn't make sense to build one 25-metre pool now and then decide that we need another one in a few years," she said.

"We can't train in one lane of a 25-metre pool while the varsity swimmers have the other four or five lanes. Just building one 25-metre pool will really, really eliminate the sport of synchronized swimming and diving in Fredericton."

The city has hired DMA Consulting to do a needs analysis for the proposed facility. Results are expected back the second week of May, at which point the city will host several open houses and move forward on a plan.

Coun. David Kelly, the community services chairman for the city, said a larger pool is a possibility.

"We are absolutely considering it (a 50-metre pool). What we are doing is figuring out how many people are involved, what are the pros and cons and what we may have to gain from it," he said.

"If this is something that could draw major events to the capital city, which means spinoff to the city of Fredericton in major ways, it could be a very good thing."

Peter Fraser, president of the UNB Masters Swim Club, said a large aquatic centre with a 50-metre pool and a smaller warm-up pool may be the only way to meet the needs of city residents.

"That is the only real way that it could work, because really we need two pools," he said.

Fraser said his group could easily balloon from 40 to about 80 members if they had more pool time. He's concerned, however, a new pool won't be built in time to replace the Sir Max Aitken Pool.

"We don't want to end up in a situation where the Aitken closes and we are without a pool for several years, so we want to bring this issue to light and start having these discussions now," he said.

Michel Losier, president of the Fredericton Argonaut Swim Team, agreed with Fraser.

"Our biggest concern is continuity of the program. One facility needs to stay open until the next one is ready, so we can have continuity," he said.

Losier, whose team has a 31-year history in the city, said a bigger facility could mean more regional and national competitions coming to town.

"With a 10-lane pool we could attract eastern competitions and even national competitions," he said.

mylesmalley

Apr 25, 2009, 5:09 PM

Lots of good news today!

I took a spin out Brookside Drive a few days ago. I'd never been out that far on the North Side. I'm sure all know by now how fervent a supporter I am of density in construction, but I have to say, those townhouses look reaaaaally out of place so far from the city centre.

I couldn't believe how much new construction is going on out there. New golf course, housing subdivisions on both sides of Brookside and Kilarney Roads. It's pretty obvious the real growth area in town is north of the Ring Road.

xxFamilyGuyxx

Apr 25, 2009, 6:14 PM

Yeah alot is changing there and I'm surprised how many condos have been built behind brookside mall in the past few years.

I think the next little boom we will have is going to be on the new section of Knowledge Park Drive. Once the arena is built commercial building will start to pop up. And the first thing to pop up will be Tim Hortons I imagine:haha:

Smevo

Apr 25, 2009, 7:42 PM

xxFamilyGuyxx

Apr 25, 2009, 8:08 PM

So what has beeen built so far at Corbett centre?

cl812

Apr 25, 2009, 9:30 PM

^Probably. They still haven't opened up their new spot in Corbett Centre as of December, but when they closed their food court spot in Regent Mall, that's where they were supposed to be opening "very shortly". Seems like they're using the same standard of "very shortly" as the rest of the developments in Corbett Centre. :haha:

Im not sure it is still going in the corbett centre because location it was supposed to go is where the Costco gas bar will be located, so im guessing it may have been bumped, Im not sure if it is planned to go elsewhere in the Corbett Centre or ifi it has been canned completely

xxFamilyGuyxx

Apr 25, 2009, 10:13 PM

Like I said, it will probly go where the new arena will be.

Freddypop

Apr 25, 2009, 10:14 PM

Tim Hortons will be building at Corbett Centre this summer.

cl812

Apr 27, 2009, 11:37 AM

City to hold final vote on Costco project tonight
Published Monday April 27th, 2009
Controversy | Some people say wetland will be at risk
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

To be or not to be.

It's the final hour for the Costco project and it's up to city councillors to approve the development or kill the deal as the zoning amendment comes up for third reading tonight.

Nearly a dozen opponents spoke and 38 groups and individuals sent in written opposition to the project at the April 14 council meeting that heard public objections.

Mayor Brad Woodside, who created his own Costco for Fredericton page on Facebook, at last count had more than 8,000 members all eager to vent - pro and con - about whether the capital needs a Costco.

Woodside has said he created the page to get a pulse on public opinion and to try using the popular social networking site to listen to citizen views.

Councillors gave first and second reading April 14 to a rezoning bylaw to allow a proposed Costco Wholesale store to be located at the Corbett Centre retail development on the University of New Brunswick woodlot atop Regent Street.

Much of the property needed for the store and its parking area is already within an approved zoning envelope.

But one corner at the Regent Street end of the property has to be added to the site plan for a proposed gasoline bar and that has put developers at city hall's steps for tweaking of its zoning.

Students, UNB professors, Friends of the University of New Brunswick Woodlot and the Fredericton chapter of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick say putting a gasoline station near the marshy area would be too risky to nearby Corbett Brook, the wetland and animals.

Wolfgang Faig, retired dean of engineering from UNB, supports the development. He said engineers can address the concerns about environmental protection for the surrounding area.

"Forcing Costco out of Fredericton would be a tremendous loss for this city and its inhabitants. I would not like to see that happen," Faig said.

The store is so popular with some Fredericton shoppers that they drive the hour-and-a-half to Moncton to buy in bulk at the members-only shopping club.

Coun. Bruce Grandy will receive a staff report tonight on the risks to surface water runoff and the potential impacts on the city's drinking water supply prior to the vote.

In 2004, UNB adopted a land management strategy to turn half of its 1,526-hectare (3,815-acre) woodlot in Fredericton into future development lands. Because its land is an endowment from King George III dating back to 1800, the university can't sell it, but can lease it.

UNB has inked long-term leases with a number of retailers that have already opened their doors at the centre.

Michaels, Petcetera, Winners, Home Depot, Dollarama, restaurants and other smaller retailers are already anchored at the site.

UNB needs provincial Environment Department approval in order to be able to expand the building envelope for the Costco site and to amend its engineering design to handle surface water runoff.

But the approval is considered a modification from the originally approved 2007 environmental impact assessment.

Terrain Group Inc. of Moncton, which is the site planner and engineer for the project, has figured out a way to back farther away from a 30-metre setback zone near Corbett Brook and the marsh.

The change still doesn't satisfy opponents who don't want anymore big-box stores on the university's woodlot.

----

Knowledge Park in talks for fourth building
Published Monday April 27th, 2009
A4
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Officials at Knowledge Park are in negotiations with prospective tenants for a fourth building at the tech-sector business park.

A pad of land alongside the three existing buildings on Knowledge Park Drive is ready for development. The land could support up to two buildings similar in size.

Board chairman Greg Kealey said the park - which recently announced it was opening up to third-party developers - doesn't know when an announcement might be made.

"We're in an active discussion about having one larger building and one smaller lab building," Kealey said recently. He didn't identify the prospective tenants.

He said he hopes to have more concrete news in the coming weeks and months.

The park's board of directors recently unveiled long-term plans that would see the number of buildings on site increase from three to 17.

The park intends to meet the needs of growing technology companies by serving as a base for clusters of companies in information technology, biotechnology, forestry, health care and advanced learning sectors.

These types of industries have the potential to drive New Brunswick's economy, he said.

Existing park buildings are at capacity and at least one firm recently chose to build its own office because it couldn't secure additional space in the park.

General manager Laura O'Blenis said it's too early to say whether the building will be built under the third-party development model.

Freddypop

Apr 28, 2009, 1:58 AM

Watched city council give 3rd and final reading to the Costco development at the Corbett Centre. Was surprised that all councillers gave their support. Can't recall when council has been so united on such an item.

At any rate the debate is now over and Costco and it's gas bar will be built

xxFamilyGuyxx

Apr 28, 2009, 3:06 AM

Good news for Freddy!

Might be ready by xmas...

cl812

Apr 28, 2009, 11:16 AM

good to hear

cl812

Apr 28, 2009, 11:24 AM

Costco gets green light
Published Tuesday April 28th, 2009
Big box | Store planned for Corbett Centre
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Councillors have cleared Costco to build in the capital city.

The vote was unanimous Monday night to grant the approval for the store's construction at the Corbett Centre atop Regent Street.

"There was a well-rounded discussion and a tremendous amount of input from professional engineering organizations that specialize in watershed management and staff reports, so I'm very satisfied that it was well vetted," said Mayor Brad Woodside.

University of New Brunswick students, professors and citizens who belong to environmental lobby groups recently urged the city to reject the application.

The 38 groups and individuals who protested at city hall two weeks ago want a freeze on further development of the UNB woodlot and most oppose big-box stores.

Most of the land needed for the store site and its parking area already had zoning approval.

There was confusion two weeks ago about whether approval of a gasoline bar was part of the discussion. Woodside clarified that Monday night. The gas bar had been approved on a variance application that went before the planning advisory committee.

That meant the only issue for councillors to decide was whether to allow site developers to fill in part of a man-made wetland to expand the parking area.

"The gas bar has been approved and could be constructed tomorrow," Woodside said. "But we do have a lot of information on the gas bar and I think that's because there has been a genuine concern with respect to the environment."

While the city has been dealing with UNB's consultant on the application, Woodside said his next step will be to contact Costco to inform it of the decision.

"I'll ask them to get the shovel in the ground just as soon as they can," Woodside said.

Coun. Bruce Grandy had asked for a staff report on whether the Costco project, including the gasoline station, had any impact on the city's drinking water supply.

"It is reasonable to expect that any spill of significant volume to be considered a threat to the aquifer would be detected and remediated long before it had an opportunity to contaminate the city's drinking water," said the city's wellfield protection officer Kathy Edwards in the report.

Deputy mayor Tony Whalen said he has been assured that the developer is meeting all Environment Department approvals and that a 30-metre buffer zone around the marsh will be maintained.

"I'm confident in all the information we have received from all the experts," Whalen said.

That, coupled with information from Terrain Group Inc. about containment measures that will be adopted along with Costco's own policy on avoiding leaks and spills, was provided to city council.

"There are a lot of conditions, a lot of protections in there," Grandy said after receiving the data.

"There has been intense scrutiny on this application," said Coun. Dan Keenan. "We've spent a lot of time on this development proposal ... We do that because we have an environmental conscience."

Coun. Stephen Chase, who works in salmon conservation, said he has come to the conclusion that the development can be done in such a way as to protect Corbett Brook and the surrounding marsh.

Coun. Jordan Graham said the development is needed because of the downturn in the economy in North America.

"I think it will do a lot of good for our city," said Coun. Marilyn Kerton.

In 2004, UNB adopted a land management strategy to turn half of its 1,526-hectare (3,815-acre) woodlot in Fredericton into future development lands. Because its land is an endowment from King George III dating back to 1800, the university can't sell it, but can lease it.

The university has already leased land for a Home Depot and a number of other retailers.

Coun. Mike O'Brien said Costco is only one component of the development plan, which has had extensive public and government consultation over four years.

----

Fredericton company hopes carbon is the new black
Published Tuesday April 28th, 2009
A5
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

A Fredericton company wants to take natural gas, one of the cleanest-burning fuels, and make it even cleaner using high technology and hydrogen.

And Atlantic Hydrogen Inc. is attracting attention from around the world in the process.

"These are exciting times at Atlantic Hydrogen," said company president and CEO David Wagner on Monday.

The company held an open house Monday to show off the latest stage in its research.

Atlantic Hydrogen uses plasma technology to pass an electrical current through natural gas, removing a portion of the carbon. The bonds of methane molecules are broken during the process to form solid carbon and gaseous hydrogen.

Some of the carbon is captured and removed and about 10 per cent of the hydrogen goes back into the natural gas. More than 10 per cent hydrogen would require modifications to an engine that burns natural gas.

Up to 90 per cent of the nitrogen oxide emissions are eliminated when the hydrogen-enriched natural gas is burned. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide have both been linked to greenhouse gases and climate change.

What's unique about Atlantic Hydrogen's technology is that the carbon is captured from the natural gas before it's burned.

In addition, the resulting hydrogen-enriched natural gas burns more efficiently and can be used in engines that use regular natural gas.

Wagner said the process removes seven per cent of the carbon and engine efficiency is increased by six per cent.

"What that really means is you are burning less fuel," he said. "We are getting all the benefits we expected."

The company is generating 75 kilowatts of electricity using a modified 454 Chevy car engine running on hydrogen-enriched natural gas and selling that energy to NB Power. It also uses the heat the process generates to heat the building in the winter

About a litre of pure carbon in powder form is generated a half an hour.

The company has raised more than $9 million since 2002 to do research and build a prototype of its carbon-saving technology.

That includes $2.2 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, $2 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada, $3 million from Encana and $2 million from the province of New Brunswick.

"Atlantic Hydrogen is a true New Brunswick success story," said New Brunswick Energy Minister Jack Keir.

The company has 18 employees and is located in the Wilsey Road industrial park.

Recently it operated on natural gas pressured at 150 pounds per square foot, the equivalent of 10 atmospheres.

"This has never been done before with natural gas under pressure," said Wagner.

Working with pressurized natural gas is important because natural gas distribution pipelines are all pressurized.

Wagner said one of Atlantic Hydrogen's carbon-saver units could be installed along a main pipeline or at a power plant leading into a city and every homeowner would benefit from hydrogen-enriched natural gas.

"Our goal is to scale the technology such that it can handle the volume of gas required," he said.

Wagner said he doesn't expect any problems in convincing the public that his technology can make natural gas even cleaner.

There's no problem for power companies to have consumers pay a premium from green energy such as hydro and wind power, he said.

"We believe a greener natural gas is kind of like a premium unleaded gasoline," said Wagner.

The next step is commercialization and Atlantic Hydrogen has set up a committee that will meet for the first time this week.

Wagner said the first small commercial application could be sold within a year.

"Most of our challenges right now have to do with codes and regulations," he said.

He said the cost will depend on the size of the carbon-saver unit.

Wagner said the pure carbon that's removed from natural gas may be valuable enough to pay for the operation of the carbon saver and more.

The University of New Brunswick is studying the value of the carbon right now, he said.

David Young is the vice-president of research and development with Columbian Chemicals near Atlanta, Ga. It has 11 plants around the world, including one in Canada. Young is on the Atlantic Hydrogen commercialization committee.

His company is interested in the carbon the Atlantic Hydrogen process captures.

Young said companies such as his have to burn oil and gas to create what's called carbon black. But half of the carbon is burned off in that process, he said.

"What we have here is a process that gives us 100 per cent carbon," he said. "It is an opportunity to produce our product using a completely different process to enhance our economics."

Carbon black is used in the manufacture of rubber, tires, plastic, window seals, paint, printer cartridges and anything that is coloured black, including clothing, said Young.

He said eight million tonnes of carbon black is used every year around the world.

"I am not aware of anyone else that is working on this type of technology," said Young.

xxFamilyGuyxx

Apr 28, 2009, 8:49 PM

They moved the camera at the Convention Centre/Office building to give us a view of the entire site.

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/ConferenceCentreWebcam.asp

Freddypop

Apr 28, 2009, 10:33 PM

Was looking at the floor plans for the Prospect Street Plaza and found that they have Rent-A-Centre occupying the old Mike's Restaurant location.

Here is the link to the floor plan:

http://www.crombiereit.com/en/lease_floorplan.aspx?PID=45

Here is the link to Rent-A-Centre:

http://www6.rentacenter.com/

cl812

May 1, 2009, 12:04 PM

Acadian Bus Lines looks for new home
Published Friday May 1st, 2009
A1
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

The Acadian Bus terminal in Fredericton is looking for a new home, but isn't having much luck.

The busy transportation centre provides passenger service 365 days a year.

It has been asked by Commercial Properties of Saint John, the building's owner, to leave its location at 101 Regent St., said a spokeswoman for Group Orleans Express, the company that owns Acadian.

Manon Piche, vice-president for marketing, sales and communications, said the company's search for a suitable location has proven futile.

"It is very difficult to find a new location in Fredericton," Piche said. "We have been looking at it, at least, for the last two years (and) more specifically over the last year. We have looked at multiple alternatives."

The biggest issues facing the company are finding enough space for its buses while having a location that's convenient for customers. It's proven to be a tough task, she said.

"At this point, I will not confirm any place," Piche said. "We haven't signed with anybody at this point, but the goal is to move by mid-fall."

If that time frame can't be met, Group Orleans Express will be without a place in Fredericton, she said.

The company is working with the city.

Alex Forbes, director of development services for the city, was travelling Thursday and unavailable for comment.

Piche said Fredericton is in no danger of losing its service with Acadian.

"The Acadian bus service is an important service for the community and is an important point for Acadian," Piche said. "We certainly will not leave that point of service. There are two main universities (and) a big student clientele.

"We are still going to be there; it's just a question of finding the right location for our service."

Discount Car and Truck Rental also occupies the building.

Commercial Properties spokesman Kevin Harris said no decision has been made with regard to plans for the Regent Street property.

----

Mexicali Rosa's reopens under new ownership, management
Published Friday May 1st, 2009
D1
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

A long running Fredericton restaurant that abruptly closed just over five weeks ago is open for business again.

Mexicali Rosa's on King Street closed March 20, but has since reopened under new ownership.

Mathew Youen, who also owns Mexicali Rosa's franchises in Halifax and Moncton, bought the business from previous owner Ross Ventures Ltd. shortly after it shut down and reopened it April 6.

He said all of the restaurant employees were offered their jobs back and most accepted.

"The only employees that were lost were the staff that had already found other jobs," he said. "Most of them are very happy. Some of the folks had been there for quite some time and obviously enjoyed it, so they are pleased to be back."

Youen lives in Moncton, but will be making weekly trips to Fredericton to check in on his newest business. He admitted that it might be a struggle at first to regain all of the restaurant's previous customers, but said he was confident that everybody that used to frequent Mexicali Rosa's would eventually come back.

"It has been my experience that time kind of heals all wounds, and good service and good food and atmosphere will bring everyone back," he said.

"One of the other restaurants I own was closed for quite some time when we purchased it and it was a little bit of a slow start getting it back, but once people realized that the product was consistent and the service was where it should be, it came back quite rapidly and that is what I am expecting."

Steve Savoie, who worked for Youen at the Mexicala Rosa's in Moncton, has been brought in to serve as general manager of the King Street location. Savoie said customers won't see much of a difference in the restaurant.

"The restaurant is pretty much the same," he said. "There are a few things we changed, but as far as the decor everything is pretty much the same and we do have a new menu, but it is generally the same menu as we used to have with a few new items in there and all the old favourites."

Mexicali Rosa's has been operating in Fredericton since 1992. The restaurant is part of a chain with 19 locations across Canada.

----

Leon's Furniture celebrates new location with ribbon cutting ceremony
Published Thursday April 30th, 2009
D1
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

Mark Northrup was pleased to cut the ribbon at his new store Wednesday, especially after 21 years in the last location.

Northrup, franchisee of the new Leon's Furniture on Alison Boulevard, was joined by Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne and ward Coun. Scott McConaghy at a grand opening ceremony Wednesday morning.

The 40,000-square-foot (3,700-square-metre) store officially opened in February, replacing a 26,000-square-foot (2,400-square-metre) facility that had been located on Whiting Road since 1988.

"It is great to have this new location," Northrup said. "Twenty-one years is a long time to be in one place, and everyone who works here is really enjoying being in this new location."

The new Leon's employs 50 people, four more than at the store's previous location, and has seen its product selection grow by 20 per cent as well.

Northrup said he built the new store largely out of a desire to increase foot traffic.

"Part of the reason we moved, other than the store being a bit old and needing more showroom space, was that our accessibility changed with the new overpass and this store makes us a lot more accessible and easier to get to," he said.

"We are still a little off the beaten path, but we are a bit of a destination now."

Edward Leon, vice-president of merchandising for Leon's Furniture Ltd., attended Wednesday's ceremony and commended Northrup.

"This store stacks up great," he said. "They have done a magnificent job and they have obviously done their homework. They have looked at a number of different facilities, taken a lot of good ideas and put them all together, and I think the finished product is just wonderful."

Leon was in Fredericton in place of CEO Tom Leon, who was attending 100th anniversary celebrations for the company in Ontario. He added that he's pleased whenever franchisees such as Northrup improve their business.

mylesmalley

May 1, 2009, 12:49 PM

cl812

May 1, 2009, 1:09 PM

I think Irving owns the bus station on Regent street as well, so hard to say what they have planned for the site.

I totally agree, the train station would be the perfect location for the bus station as well, hopefully they are considering it.

kirjtc2

May 1, 2009, 2:49 PM

It is owned by Irving and they've used it to house a few of their businesses over the years. In the 80s they had a tiny little 2-pump gas station where Quizno's is now, and the old MITV Fredericton news bureau was in that building too.

Knowing the bus companies though, they'll probably get a little hole in the wall two feet off route 8.

mylesmalley

May 1, 2009, 4:20 PM

I can't speak for Saint John, but in my experience, the only decent bus station in the maritimes is the one in Halifax. And that's only because it shares the colonial train station with Via.

Freddypop

May 1, 2009, 5:01 PM

Sounds like the company that owns the bus station land wants to do some redeveloping of the area. I think that plot has some tremendous potential. it's basically dead-centre downtown, close to parking structures and major streets, level, and has a tim hortons directly across from it.

It would be nice to see the train station renovated into a bus depot. You've already got the land with parking and a central location. It's too bad Irving sold Acadian to Orleans Express in 2004 because that would've made perfect sense back then.

Also don't forget the proximity to the new Convention Centre and proposed Hotel development. I had heard last fall that Irving was not renewing leases in that building. He also owns the empty lot further west which is a surface parking lot.

I'd bet my paycheck that there is indeed some major development at this location being planned

mylesmalley

May 1, 2009, 7:15 PM

If nothing else, they probably want to clear the land in the hopes that demand for commercial space recovers quickly after the current office construction is completed.

cl812

May 4, 2009, 11:44 AM

Closed for repairs
Published Saturday May 2nd, 2009
Aitken Centre | New roof and floor for UNB's aging arena
B1
By BILL HUNT
hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

The home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey champion University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds will become the home of construction crews Tuesday.

The Aitken University Centre will undergo an extensive renovation, replacing the arena floor, the roof, the boards and glass at a cost of more than $1 million.

The building will be closed for all but two days between May 5 and Sept. 1, said building manager Kim Norris.

"The construction crew has given us a target date of Sept. 1 to start making ice," Norris said. "They say it's a tight window, but doable."

The building will be reopened briefly for graduation exercises May 27-28, but will then be turned over to construction crews. The major order of business will be to replace the arena floor and the roof. Both are the originals from when the building opened in 1976.

Norris hopes to find additional funding to renovate washrooms and dressing rooms as well, replacing the current bathroom fixtures with "radar" toilets.

Replacing the floor involves tearing out the cement floor "right down to the base," Norris said. "They're going to dig down a number of feet and put in heating pipes so we don't get frost into the ground. Then they'll lay down a four-and-a-half inch cement pad. While that's curing, a construction group will be working on the roof."

The hope is to complete the roof - tarring it "right from scratch," said Norris - by August.

Construction may force Aitken Centre staff from their offices for periods during the summer, he said.

Parking and traffic around the building will be restricted because the area, particularly the front and south sides, will be a construction zone.

UNB athletic director Kevin Dickie said there may be situations where one person would man the Aitken Centre offices rather than the four who currently do so, for instance.

"There will be disruptions at times in terms of noise and disruptions in terms of air quality ... we've just got to wait and see how that plays out," he said. "It's business as usual, but it's not as hectic day to day. I think we can adjust. We're going to keep our upstairs office open. It's just a matter of who or how many are going to be there on kind of a triage basis."

The UNB summer hockey programs, including the Skills and Drills camps, defencemen, checking and advanced goalie camps, will run out of Willie O'Ree Place on the city's north side.

"We've had to modify what we do a bit, but you can't have something of this significance without disruptions," said Dickie. "If you have to stand in the rain to see the rainbow, we'll do that for four months."

Norris said the timeline is tight but the goal is for the national champions to be back home at the beginning of September.

"My concern is to make sure Gardiner (UNB hockey coach MacDougall) has ice by Sept. 5," Norris said.

There will be obvious cosmetic differences as well. The glass will be replaced by seamless glass and panels will be installed behind the player's benches and the penalty box area. The boards, currently 46 inches high, will be lowered to 42 inches. The riser on which the first row of seats currently sits will be removed, dropping the seats down six inches. The lobby and concourse will be painted.

But the more important repairs will be structural, designed to prolong the life of the building, which opened in May of 1976.

Norris said he worried "every day" last year that the icemaking system might break down. He said the icemaking system was well past its life expectancy.

"I think the lifespan is supposed to be 24 or 25 years and we were working on 31 or 32 ... we were cheating for a while. We were having the gravy."

"Between our rink guys, with their experience, and the support of the guys at Physical plant, I think they've done a fantastic job of keeping this thing on life support," Dickie said. "I can honestly tell you that when we started the year, my goal was to get through the year."

Norris said the staff nursed the system through last year.

"We were extremely careful not to overtax it," he said. "One of the reasons we turned the heat off was to not tax the system. If your fridge is 25 years old and you want to keep it in the house, you don't leave the door open all night long. We also had to be very careful how low we could drop the brine because the pipes were at the end of their life."

The brown, discoloured area at the west end of the Aitken Centre was due to brine "leaching" through the pipes due to previous breaks in the piping system beneath the arena floor.

"It wasn't leaking, but it was leaching out through past breaks," said Norris. "It was still hard ice. It just didn't look pretty. I asked the guys if we could paint it. When we made the phone call, the experts told us that you might be taking a chance. So we decided 'Why chance it?' "

While keeping the bowl area of the arena noticeably cooler than the lobby and concourse area was a strategy designed to preserve the system last year, Norris said that practice will continue even with the new system in place.

"We want to have the best ice possible," he said. "Fast team, fast ice."

It will also, of course, prolong the life expectancy of the ice plant.

Norris said there are no plans in the current renovation for luxury boxes.

"We'd have to talk about it at length and get contracts signed and so on," he said.

"It's not on the agenda at this time," said Dickie. "We haven't done any type of analysis. We'd like to have it, but we've got to see if the market bears it."

The Aitken Centre, of course, will host the 2011 and 2012 Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey championship tournament.

kirjtc2

May 4, 2009, 9:05 PM

CBC just reported a concrete chunk of the Princess Margaret Bridge has fallen onto Lincoln Road....ouch.

They have to fix this thing.

mylesmalley

May 4, 2009, 10:30 PM

CBC just reported a concrete chunk of the Princess Margaret Bridge has fallen onto Lincoln Road....ouch.

They have to fix this thing.

Bah. It's just Lincoln Road.

cl812

May 5, 2009, 12:35 PM

Tour of convention centre site reassures mayor and premier
Published Tuesday May 5th, 2009
A6
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

The knowledge that a third fixed crane will soon stand over a Fredericton construction site is reassuring for Mayor Brad Woodside and Premier Shawn Graham.

While talk of tough times is everywhere these days, the city is in the throes of a building boom that's keeping tradespeople working.

One crane is already up at the site of the $50-million Richard J. Currie Center, the athletics and fitness centre being built at the University of New Brunswick. The other is up at the Patience Lane site where Shannex is building a 69-suite retirement home, the first of three buildings going up as part of the company's $30-million first phase.

"I'm glad it's being done during a year that is being called a recession year in North America," Woodside said Monday as he toured the downtown construction site of the $79-million project that will incorporate an office tower, convention centre and parking garage.

"They're going to be putting up a very large crane here soon. I think that is going to be very exciting."

Graham was also reassured by the work.

"Today our province is facing one of the greatest challenges it has ever faced because of the economic downturn," Graham said.

He said he's been watching the convention centre progress from his second-floor office across the street in the Centennial Building.

"This is a much-needed project for the New Brunswick economy," he said, noting that to date, the majority of the work on the project has gone to New Brunswick companies.

More than 9,000 metres of concrete has been poured and about 17,000 is expected once all is said and done.

Any talk of adding a hotel component to the convention centre project is off for now, Woodside said.

"That was looking real, real good until the American economy tanked," he said.

But he's confident that once the convention centre is built, interest will heat up.

Work on the project is expected to ramp up this summer.

There were 38 workers on site Monday morning. That's expected to increase to more than 100 by fall. A crane will go up at the site next month.

Over on Patience Lane, the first of three new buildings is being built for a campus-style retirement community.

About 60 workers were there Monday, but the number is expected to increase to 150 by year's end.

----

Did Fredericton just get Googled?
Published Tuesday May 5th, 2009
A3
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Was it here for the view or just in for a pit stop?

No one seems to know, but the sight of a Google Street View car in Fredericton on Monday has people talking.

The black car, equipped with a roof-mounted camera array, was spotted at a Prospect Street gas station as the driver tanked it up.

The car is used for Google Street View, a sometimes controversial tool that lets Internet users go on a virtual jaunt around the streets of cities and tourist attractions.

Street View uses a special 360-degree camera installed on the roof of a vehicle to provide eye-level images on the Internet.

The Internet titan is adding a number of Canadian communities to its mix of featured communities.

Last month, the company's cars were spotted in Halifax. Google said it's also capturing images in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Saint John, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Winnipeg.

Officials at Fredericton city hall said they weren't aware Google was taking pictures in the city, but they said they wouldn't be surprised.

"Is it any wonder they'd be in Fredericton? We're one of the world's Top 7 intelligent communities," said Maurice Gallant, chief information officer for the city.

He was making reference to the fact the city is one of seven international finalists for the title of the Intelligent Community of the Year.

"I had heard ... rumours that they might be interested in recording more street-level information in Eastern Canada, but nothing substantial."

It's often worth the city's while to be included on Google's popular services, he said.

"We've worked with them to ensure they have all the information available," Gallant said.

When the company was preparing its map tool, the city supplied maps of Fredericton.

They worked together again to add the city's transit maps and schedules included as a feature on the Google Maps transit tool.

"Our IT guys were early players with Google Maps, providing them with maps of the city and with Google Transit," said Don Fitzgerald, executive director of strategic initiatives for the city of Fredericton.

Google Street View has also earned its share of criticism from those who say it's intrusive and infringes on their privacy by posting photos of people, cars and homes.

Google replied by saying it will blur the faces of Canadians caught by its lenses.

The debate is fierce though. In early April, residents in the English countryside village of Broughton formed a human chain to turn away a car shooting images for Google Street View.

The Canadian version of Street View is expected to be launched in several cities in the coming weeks.

Faces and licence plates are being blurred out to avoid identifying people or cars. People who object to being shown on the site can also request their image be removed.

The service is already available in cities and rural areas in the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Australia, Japan, France, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

----

Concrete repairs won't happen soon
Published Tuesday May 5th, 2009
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

There will be no repairs to the crumbling concrete of the aging Princess Margaret Bridge until the end of this year at the earliest, government tender documents show.

Despite a 10-kilogram chunk of concrete breaking off the bridge sidewalk Sunday, tearing through protective netting and crashing onto Lincoln Road - narrowly missing a passing car - only structural steel and roller bearings will be repaired this summer.

The province has allocated $12 million this year for repairs to the bridge.

Norman Clouston, Fredericton district engineer for the Department of Transportation, said Monday concrete rehabilitation is part of Phase 2 of the repairs.

"We would expect maybe late this year there would be some contracts awarded," he said.

"The steel was done first because there was a need to do some strengthening to ensure the integrity of the bridge itself. We want to make sure that from there we can build on this."

There will be no sidewalks on the bridge when the repairs are completed. DOT officials say few people walk on it.

"The bridge when it is completely rehabbed will lose its sidewalks and pedestrian travel on the bridge will be stopped," said Clouston.

"It is going to be widened to allow a little bit more shoulder area and give more clear zone for traffic use on the bridge.''

Once all the repairs are done, the life of the bridge is projected to be another 50 years.

----

'Close the bridge'
Published Tuesday May 5th, 2009
Danger? | Piece of concrete falls from Fredericton bridge
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Princess Margaret Bridge should be closed immediately until $12-million worth of repairs to its steel and concrete are complete, says Opposition Public Safety critic Carl Urquhart.

He made the call Monday after a 10-kilogram chunk of concrete fell off the bridge Sunday around 11 p.m. It tore through protective netting and narrowly missed a car travelling on Lincoln Road.

"People could have got killed there last night," said the Tory MLA for York, who's also a former police officer. "I think it has got to a point where, yes, the thing has to be shut down until the public has been convinced without a doubt that it's safe.

"If something happens (and someone is killed or injured) where are we?" asked Urquhart.

He said he isn't playing politics or fear-mongering by calling for the closure of the bridge.

"Before you come out and make a comment, you have got to think it out and it has got to be completely in the best interest of the public," said Urquhart. "The only reason not to close that bridge is inconvenience to the public.

"You are balancing out public safety with the inconvenience to the public. Shut it down."

Const. Ralph Currie, spokesman for the Fredericton Police Force, said police received a call about the falling concrete soon after 11 p.m. Sunday.

"A lady had reported a relatively large piece of concrete had fallen from the bridge and ... it just missed her daughter's car," he said Monday. "We responded. There was debris on the road.

"The officer reported there were several pieces of concrete varying in size."

Some of the pieces were five inches in thickness and various lengths, said Currie.

He said the Department of Transportation was called and the road was closed until the debris was cleaned up. He said he didn't have any information on how long the road was closed.

Norman Clouston, Fredericton district engineer for the Department of Transportation, said Monday the concrete came from the downriver side of the bridge's sidewalk and broke through protective netting that wraps that portion of the bridge.

"We are not quite sure what caused the breakage (of the protective netting)," he said. "We have added some additional straps to ensure it is tied in place.

"The public should be assured that it is safe and we will be monitoring it to ensure it doesn't happen again."

Clouston said DOT repair crews spent about 2.5 hours at the bridge Sunday night doing repairs and assessing the situation.

Last fall, the Liberal government reduced the weight limit allowed on the bridge and announced $12 million has been allocated for repairs this year.

Earlier this year, The Daily Gleaner used right-to-information legislation to get copies of engineering reports that show there are serious problems with the bridge's structural steel and concrete.

The report said the steel holding up the sidewalks is so corroded that it could collapse if a vehicle mounts the curb.

It also said the concrete may suffer from alkali silica reaction, the same flaw that has troubled the Mactaquac dam, and can cause concrete to crumble.

Urquhart said the Liberal government has done a poor job of keeping the public informed about the true state of the bridge.

"There are reports out there that we know have been done by reputable firms that have been buried so far that the only way you get them is through right-to-information."

Urquhart said he won't drive on the bridge or even under it. He also said he has heard that DOT employees won't use the bridge until it's repaired.

"I have even talked to ambulance people who have a concern about it.''

Urquhart said he's worried about the sidewalks.

"I wouldn't even be allowing people to walk on that bridge because something is going to go," he said.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry couldn't be reached for comment late Monday.

But earlier in the day, Premier Shawn Graham insisted the Princess Margaret Bridge is safe.

"If the Princess Margaret Bridge was unsafe, it would be closed," Graham said. "Fortunately, no one was injured (by the falling concrete).

"I understand the engineers are looking at why the netting failed and are putting up new netting."

Graham said the province has fast-tracked work to help restore the structure.

"We moved quickly to put a rehabilitation plan in place for the bridge.''

Mayor Brad Woodside said he trusts the Department of Transportation about the state of the bridge and the repair work to be done.

"I am aware of the incident," he said about the fallen concrete. "I am sure they were as surprised as anybody else and I am sure they are taking the necessary action to ensure the safety of the motoring public.''

Freddypop

May 6, 2009, 8:49 PM

Anyone hear when Costco construction is due to start?

cl812

May 6, 2009, 9:48 PM

I think it is supposed to start sometime this month, I originally heard may 1st but i think the approval process was delayed a couple weeks, because that date was based on the third reading being on April 14, instead of the 27th, so it will likely start soon. It also says on the Riocan site that it will be mostly complete by the third quarter of 2009, however,I find it unlikely it will be open before the end of the year.

cl812

May 7, 2009, 11:28 AM

From trains to buses?
Published Thursday May 7th, 2009
Old station | Site pitched as new home for bus line
A1
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

If a creative idea for Fredericton's York Street train station is accepted, it may have new life as a transportation hub, but not as it pertains to trains.

Lewis Morgan, a member of Transport 2000 Atlantic, a group that promotes the advancement and development of public transportation, believes the property should be redeveloped so that it can be used by Acadian Bus Lines.

The company is looking to move from its location at 101 Regent St.

"It would be lovely to have that site returned to its original intended use," Morgan said Wednesday.

Group Orleans Express, the company that owns Acadian Bus Lines, confirmed earlier this month that it was looking for a new home.

Manon Piche, the company's vice-president of marketing, sales and communications, said the firm is only interested in leasing property from someone else and isn't interested in buying the train station and the land it's on.

"If there's a developer that comes to us and says, 'Here is a project we have (and) here is the long-term lease you would have to pay to be here,' then it's a question of whether (it) fits with our budget constraints."

If that happens, Piche said, then it's worth looking at it.

"I look at everything; I look at all alternatives."

Piche said the company needs to have enough space for its buses and a location that's convenient for customers.

Morgan said the York Street site would give Acadian the space it needs, while providing ample parking.

The York Street train station, constructed in 1923, is protected under federal heritage legislation that bars owners J.D. Irving Ltd. from tearing it down. The cost of restoring the structure is about $2 million.

While J.D. Irving Ltd. couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, the company has said it isn't feasible to do that work without a major development.

J.D. Irving Ltd. wants to redevelop the station as part of a commercial or office project. Bringing the one-time station back to life is a requirement for development of the surrounding land.

Company officials in recent years have talked with developers, potential tenants and even signed a letter of sale after being offered $1. So far, however, nothing has materialized.

Morgan said the transformation into a bus station could be done while preserving the rail bed, and maintaining the building's original appearance.

Because of its rapidly decaying state - and the city's need for a new bus station - a decision on the building's future should be made as soon as possible, Morgan said.

Steve Boyko, president of Fredericton Friends of the Railway, also feels the York Street site would be a great location for the bus station.

"It's not far from downtown (and) there's good road access,'' said Boyko. "Also, it's in keeping with the theme of the station as a transportation centre."

In order for it to work, however, there would have to be some level of government involvement, Boyko said.

Alex Forbes, director of development services for the city, said his initial response to the idea is that it wouldn't be the best utilization for "an extremely valuable property."

"It certainly could work for that use, but a lot of other uses have been tried on that property that are much more substantive," Forbes said.

"The upgrade to the train station is significant. Any type of an operation like Acadian doesn't need really expensive space."

Forbes said Acadian has an application going later this month to the city's planning advisory committee pertaining to a location on Woodside Lane, off Hanwell Road.

"From the city's point of view, we would ideally like to have them downtown because people want to get dropped off downtown. But it's easier said than done because it's hard to find the property downtown where you can get all of the conditions to accommodate them."

mylesmalley

May 7, 2009, 2:49 PM

Obviously they must read these boards :D

cl812

May 8, 2009, 12:48 PM

N.S. firm has low bid
Published Friday May 8th, 2009
Work | Company manager expects 18 to 25 people will be working on bridge
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The contract for the first phase of repairs to the Princess Margaret Bridge has been awarded and work is expected to start in two weeks.

Dave Oulton, founder and general manager of Marid Industries Ltd. of Windsor Junction, N.S., won the contract.

He said his company has done similar repair work on major bridges.

"We've done a fair amount of work on both the Halifax and Dartmouth bridges," he said. "That's the reason why it was attractive to us and the reason we thought we had expertise."

The 26-year-old company has also repaired the Black River railway bridge in Nova Scotia, built 25 schools in that province and refitted canal locks in the Strait of Canso.

The Princess Margaret Bridge contract involves repairs to structural steel and the replacement of 22 roller bearings, each weighing about 360 kilograms (800 pounds).

Roller bearings connect the bridge to its piers.

Marid Industries was the low bidder on the project at $2.98 million, said Department of Transportation spokesman Andrew Holland on Thursday.

The DOT estimate for the project was $3.13 million. The overall value of the first phase of the repairs, including the engineering work done in advance by DOT was $3.4 million, he said.

There were three other bidders. MQM Quality Manufacturing Ltd. of Tracadie-Sheila bid $3.7 million and Dunbar Construction Ltd. of Fredericton pegged the job at $8.1 million, said Holland.

A fourth company's bid was rejected because the tender submission didn't have the necessary bid bond included, he said.

The first phase of repairs doesn't include any renovations to the concrete.

A 10-kilogram piece of concrete broke off the bridge Sunday night and fell onto Lincoln Road, narrowly missing a passing vehicle.

Oulton said he heard about the falling concrete. But he said the condition of the concrete won't complicate his repair efforts.

"I walked across that sidewalk a couple of weeks ago before the tender closed," he said. "The edges of the sidewalk are deteriorated somewhat.

"I am surprised that a piece of concrete fell off. I didn't think it was that bad."

Oulton said he will be sitting down with DOT officials soon to discuss scheduling.

"We have done our preliminary schedule. We think that we will have somewhere between 18 and 25 people all together working on the bridge when we get going at it."

Oulton said his company will do a good job and he hopes "the people of Fredericton will think we are not all that bad for shutting the bridge down once in a while."

The company has about 125 employees and $30 million a year in revenues, he said.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry said the Princess Margaret Bridge is a vital structure for the region.

"My department is taking a co-ordinated approach to rehabilitate this 52-year-old bridge so that it will continue to serve motorists for a long time," he said.

Landry said officials from his department will be meeting with representatives from Marid Industries to identify three, 20-day closures of the bridge for the repairs.

"We feel these dates are important so bridge users, emergency responders, area businesses, employers and tourism stakeholders may receive advance notice," said Landry.

Other than those 60 days, the bridge will remain open between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The deadline for completion of Phase 1 is Oct. 30.

There's a $5,000 penalty per day if the work isn't done on time.

Landry said the contract for Phase 2 of the repairs will be awarded in late summer or early fall.

That work will include deck and guard rail replacement, the removal of sidewalks, pier rehabilitation, sandblasting and painting.

The province has budgeted $12 million for repairs to the bridge this year.

Landry also announced the province has awarded two separate contracts to Springhill Construction Ltd. of Fredericton worth $4.58 million to pave 16.5 kilometres of road in the capital region.

----

Fredericton named to list of Top 10 places to live in Canada
Published Friday May 8th, 2009
A3
By The Daily Gleaner

Fredericton has been named one of the 10 best places to live in Canada for a third straight year.

Fredericton finished seventh in the survey of 154 Canadian cities by MoneySense Magazine.

According to the magazine, Fredericton benefits from two characteristics shared by several of the Top 10 cities: government and students.

Those factors are reasons for low unemployment and high incomes. According to the survey, house prices are the 12th most affordable in the nation, yet average household incomes are among the highest in the Maritimes.

Communities are ranked on climate, particularly the number of days above freezing, housing, prosperity, lifestyle and general "buzz" related to various types of attractions.

Victoria and Ottawa retained the top two spots. Kingston, Ont., finished third.

"We are thrilled to add another accolade to our growing list of achievements," said Mayor Brad Woodside.

"I can speak on behalf of my council colleagues when I say we are committed to providing our residents with world-class infrastructure like Fred-eZone (the city's free, wi-fi network), and further enhancing the quality of life we so enjoy in Fredericton with facilities like the new sport complexes, swimming pools, fire station and training centre, conference centre and parking structure."

Burlington, Ont., ranked fourth, Vancouver ranked fifth and Moncton earned sixth place. Winnipeg, Peterborough, Ont., and Brandon, Man., rounded out the Top 10.

mylesmalley

May 8, 2009, 7:03 PM

Bit slow to the game, aren't they? That survey came out two weeks ago.

cl812

May 9, 2009, 2:27 PM

Weather, soft demand combine to slow construction season
Published Saturday May 9th, 2009
A5
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton had the strongest urban residential construction sector in New Brunswick in the first third of 2009, in terms of percentage increases.

But the capital dropped in the construction of single detached residences for the year to date.

There were 114 single and multiple residential housing starts in Fredericton by the end of April, up 50 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the latest data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

Moncton had 88 residential housing starts, down 38 per cent, and Saint John had 195 starts, down 13.3 per cent.

Fredericton's strength was in multiple-unit developments, with 73 multiple units started by the end of April compared to six for April 2008.

Fredericton had 41 single detached housing starts in the first four months of the year, compared to 70 for the same period last year.

Moncton had 32 single detached residential starts, down 45.8 per cent, and 56 multiples, down 32.5 per cent.

Saint John had 63 single starts, down 41.1 per cent, and 132 multiples, up 11.9 per cent.

Claude Gautreau, senior market analyst for Canada Mortgage and Housing, said it's early in the construction season.

"It is mostly an overall decline based on a little bit softer demand (for single detached)," he said. "I would just caution you when it comes to looking at percentages earlier on in the year, simply because the numbers are so small."

Gautreau said weather can have a huge impact on early housing numbers.

Fredericton's big jump in multiples is probably just a coincidence of timing on the completion of a couple of apartment buildings, he said.

"The strength of the market is really the second and third quarter," he said. "You can make it all up in one or two weeks in the summertime."

Canada Mortgage and Housing also released urban housing statistics for the month of April.

Fredericton had 82 housing starts, up from 17 in April 2008. Seventy-one of those were multiple units, compared to two for the previous year.

There were 11 single housing starts in the capital, down 26.7 per cent from the same month in 2008.

Alex Forbes, the city's assistant director of development services, said Canada Mortgage and Housing and the city measure housing starts differently.

He said the city tracks housing starts based on when the building permit is issued, and the corporation bases its data on when construction is finished.

Forbes said the city's data for April show there were 17 single detached housing starts compared to 22 last year.

"We are down for this month in regards to multiple dwellings," said Forbes.

He said the housing market in Fredericton is softer than usual. There was a lot of snow this winter and it probably delayed some construction of single detached houses, he said.

"I ask all of the builders when I see them ... 'Are you guys sensing any downturn?' " he said. "Most of them ... indicate they are as busy as usual."

Moncton has 10 single housing starts in April, down 60 per cent, and 24 multiples, down 40 per cent.

Saint John had 23 single housing starts in April, down 34.3 per cent, and nine multiples, down 64 per cent.

Gautreau said the housing construction market in New Brunswick has been strong since 2000. It isn't unusual for demand to ease after years of growth, he said.

He said the global recession does not seem to be having much impact on New Brunswick's housing market.

"The fundamentals of what have been driving housing markets in New Brunswick are still very strong in 2009," he said.

That includes a good economy, high employment rates, population growth in Fredericton and Moncton, and low mortgage rates, said Gautreau.

"There is no reason that the housing market should not be doing as well as it was two or three years ago," he said.

But Gautreau said the impact of the recession can't be ruled out.

"There is uncertainty out there, for sure," he said.

Gautreau said that in urban centres across Canada, housing starts in April declined by 53 per cent to 8,063 compared to 17,209 last year.

Single detached starts nationally fell 49 per cent to 3,526, while multiple unit starts dropped 56 per cent to 4,537.

In the Atlantic region there were 369 residential units started in April, compared to 533 in April 2008.

----

FredRock carving its niche in busy summer
Published Saturday May 9th, 2009
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

The organizers of FredRock 2009 say a slew of high-profile Maritime concerts and music festivals this summer won't put a damper on Fredericton's first outdoor rock festival.

World-class entertainers such as AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Kiss and John Fogerty are all scheduled to perform in the Maritimes over the next few months, forcing many local concertgoers to make some tough decisions.

But promoter Nick Zildjan said he's confident the organizing team has put together a music festival experience that will stack up against the best.

Top-notch acts such as The Black Crowes, Live, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, The Respectables and Gordie Johnson will join a number of Canada's up-and-coming rock talents and some local favourites.

Zildjan said the organizing team is aware that Maritime music fans will have a number of major concerts to pick from this summer.

"When we first started planning for this, we knew that Moncton usually has one or two shows, Halifax has a show, and (Prince Edward Island) always has the Festival of Lights," he said.

"So we knew this was going to happen and we're still confident we'll have lots of support."

Zildjan said it's true that it won't be possible for most music fans to attend every concert in the Maritimes this summer.

But he said he believes many people will want to attend the first outdoor rock festival in Fredericton because of its quality lineup, it's a new event and it has a convenient location.

"People will be able to make a night of it and walk downtown afterwards," he said.

Zildjan wouldn't say how many tickets have been sold for FredRock 2009.

"Tickets are selling very well - both online and hard tickets," he said. "We're getting a lot of out-of-province buyers and sales (in the United States), which is what we figured. We're happy with the way ticket sales are going.

"The buzz in Fredericton is building and I'd say we're ahead of where we thought we'd be at this point in the game."

Tickets, priced at early-bird rates, were still available at online vendor TicketBreak.com as of Thursday, but Zildjan said that's because organizers decided to print off hard copies of extra tickets and sell them at retail outlets.

He said those printed tickets aren't being counted among the ones sold by the online vendor.

"There are hard tickets available throughout the Maritimes and they have been selling pretty well, so that's basically offsetting some of the tickets being sold online," he said.

When TicketBreak.com hits a certain number of sales, the prices will jump to a higher price.

Even after the prices go up, FredRock 2009 tickets will be selling for less than the major summer concerts in Moncton and Halifax.

Organizer Mike Babineau said he thinks a public information session held several weeks ago helped answer the concerns of some local residents.

"I think some of them were there to see if we knew what we were doing, that we had our ducks in a row," he said.

"I think it settled a few minds. They knew that the city and the police would be involved and that we were taking this very seriously and that we weren't just throwing a three-day party at the (Fredericton Exhibition Grounds)."

Potential vendors and volunteers have been asked to contact organizers before it's too late. Information is available at www.fredrockfestival.com.

----

Unemployment rate drops in N.B. -statsCan
Published Saturday May 9th, 2009
A3
By MARY MOSZYNSKI
Canadaeast News Service

New Brunswick's unemployment rate dropped slightly last month, bucking the national trend.

The unemployment rate in New Brunswick is 8.9 per cent, down from 9.5 per cent in March. However, the size of the province's labour force also dropped, as 400 fewer New Brunswickers were working that month.

Manitoba was the only other province to see its unemployment rate drop.

Nationally, the unemployment rate remained at eight per cent, although employment grew by 36,000 jobs.

"New Brunswick and Manitoba were the only provinces in Canada to experience a slight decrease in the unemployment level in April," Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said in a statement.

"This lower rate was fuelled by a large decrease in the number of unemployed in April. In times of economic concern, I am hopeful that capital investments, combined with our recent budget and federal initiatives, will help the province regain its momentum."

Statistics Canada said the majority of the new jobs created nationally were in the self-employed category.

The Canadian dollar surged by more than one cent on the news, rising above 86 cents US for the first time since early November.

----

cl812

May 12, 2009, 11:30 AM

Library closer to facelift
Published Tuesday May 12th, 2009
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Comeau MacKenzie Architecture will receive a design contract from the city for $54,500 to draft a set of blueprints to reconfigure the interior space of Fredericton Public Library on Carleton Street.

City Coun. Stephen Kelly, who sits on the library board on behalf of the city, said the board of directors of the library has proposed a five-year, $1-million renovation plan to the city.

"Fredericton Public Library is due for a lot of upgrading and repairs and council has been sympathetic to that," Kelly said.

Councillors this year agreed at closed-door sessions to stake the funds for the design study.

Kelly said any further capital investment will have to be approved by councillors year by year as the renovation project is staged.

The library hasn't been upgraded since it was built in the mid-1970s and needs washroom improvements and an elevator to make the building accessible.

York Regional Library, which has shared the public library's space will be relocated to allow for the renovation and expansion of the public library.

"It's really overdue and we're really looking forward to getting on with it," Kelly said.

"Nothing is really going to happen this year until the design study is done. The money would be spent to progress the program as council sees fit. Council is pretty sympathetic to moving ahead with the project."

----

City likes it chances ahead of smart city announcement
Published Tuesday May 12th, 2009
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton is counting down to this week's selection of the world's most intelligent city as rated by a New York think-tank.

Don Fitzgerald, executive director of strategic initiatives for the city, and Maurice Gallant, the city's chief information officer, head to New York today for the start of the Intelligent Community Forum conference in New York.

Municipal politicians and city business leaders follow Thursday, where they'll catch keynote presentations and then participate in the awards luncheon ceremony Friday at the Brooklyn navy yards. That's when the Intelligent Community Forum will announce which of its Top 7 cities has risen above the rest of the pack.

Each of the final seven cities was visited by a forum representative who chronicled the city's efforts to grow its broadband technology prior to the final evaluation and a vote by an international jury.

"The session went very well here. I had a very good feeling about it," Fitzgerald said.

The forum's representative on the Fredericton site visit asked interesting and penetrating questions, Fitzgerald said.

Fredericton faces tough competition for the title.

"There are some really impressive communities nominated," he said.

Tallinn, Estonia, for instance, didn't have a banking system after its independence from Russia was gained in 1992.

"It's quite a story, but then our story is pretty good, too," Fitzgerald said. "We are upbeat. We are keen."

The City of Moncton is one of the seven finalists, as well as Bristol, Va.; Eindhoven, Netherlands; Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; and Stockholm, Sweden.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham will dovetail his two-day trade mission to New York by bringing eight New Brunswick technology companies to the Big Apple to seek increased trade with the U.S.

Business New Brunswick acting minister Jack Keir will join the trip and the two politicians will attend the Intelligent Community Forum awards luncheon in support of Moncton's and Fredericton's nominations.

"Our government's approach to economic development includes an aggressive investment attraction strategy balanced with a strong support of New Brunswick companies," said Graham.

"We are pleased to support innovative New Brunswick IT companies as they look for partners in New York. Building our export markets will help us move closer to our goal of self-sufficiency by 2026."

Graham and Keir will also host a breakfast and panel discussion for New Brunswick and New York companies Thursday. The panel will focus on New Brunswick's IT strengths and partnership opportunities in New York.

"New York is an important market for New Brunswick IT companies, and the eight New Brunswick companies attending this mission realize the opportunity that exists for them," said Keir.

"We are determined to position New Brunswick companies to take full advantage of the economic rebound when it happens. This mission will help connect our entrepreneurs with important industry players to sell our skills and our ingenuity to the world."

Participating New Brunswick companies include: PCS LabMentors Ltd.; Barrett Xplore; Cube Automation; Red Ball Internet; PQA (Professional Quality Assurance Ltd.); Ambir; Lexi-Tech International Inc.; and Chalk Media Service Corp.

----

Can new federal program save York Arena?
Published Tuesday May 12th, 2009
All ears | Councillor says he will listen to proposals
A4
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

Coun. Bruce Grandy says he's always willing to hear people out.

But whether that translates into saving the York Arena remains to be seen.

"I am certainly always open to hear stories or the cases that people have to lay down in front of you looking at different options," the councillor said.

Grandy made the comment Monday following an announcement by Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield, the minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, that the federal government is investing $12 million in community recreational sites.

The money will be available for upgrades and repairs to, among other things, swimming pools, sports fields and hockey rinks.

It's part of the government's new Recreational Infrastructure Canada program.

Grandy said council has already decided that once the Grant*Harvey Centre is open, the York Arena will be torn down.

But he said if the city's director of community services brought something forward that might suggest an alternate course of action, it will be looked at.

"We're always open to listen," Grandy said.

"That's one thing I have learned from being on council for the last six years is that you have to listen to the people."

Grandy said he hopes the federal announcement is just the start, as $12 million isn't a lot of money to disperse amongst the aged recreation facilities across Atlantic Canada.

A city study of rink facilities in Fredericton suggests it would cost $1 million to modernize York Arena and bring it up to modern building codes.

Chris Mabie, part of a committee formed to save the south Devon facility, said there's money out there, but council has to be willing to revisit the matter.

"We're in the process right now of demonstrating the fact that there is a real need for two additional ice surfaces," Mabie said.

Mabie said he was encouraged by Monday's announcement.

Ashfield said priority is being placed on projects where repairs and upgrades to facilities can be completed by March 31, 2011.

Under the program, the federal government will provide up to one-third of the project costs with a maximum per project contribution of $1 million.

"We're inviting municipalities, First Nation governments, community organizations and other not-for-profit entities in Atlantic Canada who have eligible projects ... to submit their proposals now," he said.

Ashfield said the $12 million is just the beginning, with future funding to be allocated based on applications submitted to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Jamie Shanks, executive director of Recreation New Brunswick, welcomed the announcement.

"This is news that we, our recreation facilities and our members have been waiting a long time to hear," Shanks said.

"Recreation facilities in New Brunswick and Canada have not had a major or dedicated financial investment since the infrastructure boom in the centennial year (of) 1967, at which time many of our facilities were constructed."

Earlier in the day, Ashfield announced more than $1.8 million over the next two years to be used in the modernization of three federal laboratories in the province.

The Atlantic Forestry Centre Laboratory in Fredericton will get the bulk of the funding - $806,000.

The Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility, also known as the fish hatchery, will receive $539,000, while the Potato Research Centre in Fredericton will get $500,000.

The announcements are part of a two-year, $250-million program to modernize federal laboratories across the country.

cl812

May 14, 2009, 11:32 AM

Airport to study expansion options
Published Thursday May 14th, 2009
Busy | Increase in traffic could pave way for flight tower
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Fredericton International Airport is looking at expanding again.

The airport announced at its annual meeting Tuesday that it has hired airport consulting company LPS Avia of Ottawa to consider existing and future expansion needs.

"With nearly 50 per cent growth in passenger traffic out of Fredericton over the past decade and having just come off another record year in the number of passengers served, it is obvious that the demand on airport capacity will continue to grow," said David Innes, president and CEO of the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority.

"For this reason, the time has come to get serious about planning for the future.''

In 2008, the number of passengers using the airport reached 270,435, which is a new record, said Innes.

There have been a lot of improvements to the Fredericton airport in recent years.

The airport terminal was expanded in 2006. The departure lounge was extensively renovated in 2005 and the runway was lengthened in 2002.

Traffic in the first four months of 2009 remains above the national average, which fell 9.2 per cent.

"Traffic has been steady," said Innes. "We are holding our own in the first four months of 2009 with good growth in March, especially with the continuation of our Caribbean flights and the return of the direct flight to London.''

Melodie Beal, public relations and marketing manager of the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority, said the airport's expansion study should be done in a few months.

It will tell the authority whether it can expand the terminal or needs to build a new one.

Aircraft movements at the Fredericton airport increased 115 per cent in 2008 and 58 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, said Innes.

He said that growth prompted NAV Canada to announce last week it's studying aircraft traffic.

That could lead to the construction of an air traffic control tower here, he said.

"This is excellent news and would add to our capabilities as an international airport," said Innes.

"It would be a great asset to include in our plans for the future of the Fredericton International Airport."

Coun. Bruce Grandy, chairman of the city's transportation committee, said the expansion study is great news.

"It just shows that our airport is actually in big demand," he said.

The direct flight to England and the flight school is obviously part of that demand, he said.

"It gives great confidence that there is future growth here in Fredericton," said Grandy.

It fits perfectly with the new convention centre the city is building, he said.

"We need a great partner in the airport," said Grandy.

The city participated in past expansions at the airport, but council hasn't received a financial request from the airport authority, he said.

Fredericton-Silverwood Liberal MLA Rick Miles said Wednesday there's a great opportunity to expand the Fredericton airport.

"We are going to have to discuss it more with the airport and also with our federal colleagues to look at how we can improve and expand the aerospace industry, not just in Fredericton but also New Brunswick," he said.

"The federal government would have to have a big role to play," he said.

Ryan Donaghy, spokesman for Business New Brunswick, said the government is also promoting the airport as a site for potential private-sector investment.

----

Premier hopes N.B. city brings home title
Published Thursday May 14th, 2009
Smart | Fredericton, Moncton in running for world IT title
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Premier Shawn Graham is after intelligent community bragging rights in New York and Fredericton has a chance to win them for him.

Fredericton is one of two New Brunswick cities in the Intelligent Community Forum's competition this week in New York City.

"We want to win the top prize," said Graham on Wednesday. "When we win the bragging rights to be the smartest province and (for) having the smartest city in the world, definitely we will be using that as an opportunity to brand the province.''

It's the second year in a row the capital has been invited to the competition.

"I am very proud of that fact that we have two communities in New Brunswick ... in the Top 7 intelligent community competition," said Graham.

"It has been well recognized across the globe as one of the most important competitions to enter.''

Moncton is also in the running.

The premier said he was rooting for both Fredericton and Moncton.

"At the end of this process, I would like to see one of these cities in our province be (named) the smartest place in the world," he said.

Other cities in the competition include: Tallinn, Estonia; Bristol, Va., Eindhoven, Netherlands, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France and Stockholm, Sweden.

The winner will be named at a gala luncheon Friday at 2 p.m.

The premier will speak Friday to the forum in a keynote discussion about his vision for rural competitiveness in New Brunswick using high-speed Internet.

Graham said New Brunswick will be the first jurisdiction to have 100 per cent broadband high-speed Internet coverage in rural areas.

"That, in itself, is a great stepping stone that many other jurisdictions are looking to follow," he said.

Barrett Xplore, which has the government contract to provide rural coverage, is one of eight companies travelling to New York with Graham and the New Brunswick delegation.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside left for New York on Tuesday.

Deputy mayor Tony Whalen said Wednesday the capital is thrilled to be in the Top 7 competition for the second time.

"Hopefully this will be the time for us to be the No. 1 most intelligent community in the world," he said.

Whelan said Fredericton is going into the competition with more ammunition this year - including more Green Matters initiatives - while continuing with free wireless Internet.

He said he hopes Moncton is successful if Fredericton doesn't win.

"It (a Moncton win) is good for the whole province," said Whalen. "Anything that is good for the province is good for us."

The New Brunswick companies travelling to New York will be making business calls organized by Business New Brunswick and attending several Intelligent Community Forum workshops.

Companies participating include: PCS LabMentors Ltd.; Cube Automation; Red Ball Internet; PQA (Professional Quality Assurance Ltd.); Ambir; Lexi-Tech International Inc.; and Chalk Media Service Corp.

Graham will attend a reception tonight hosted by Canadian Consul General Dan Sullivan at his private residence.

After that, the New Brunswick delegation will attend a Top 7 reception hosted by the provincial government and the Canadian consul general.

The premier will address an information technology trade mission breakfast Friday prior to introducing a panel discussion highlighting the province's IT strengths and partnership opportunities with New York companies.

Jack Carr, Tory MLA for New Maryland-Sunbury West, said he's delighted Fredericton is in the Top 7 two years in a row and it will be an extra bonus to win.

"It bodes well for the work being done by the municipality and by the province ... to make Fredericton and the province one of the best places in the world to do business," he said. "I will be rooting for Fredericton.

"Of course, Moncton is in the Top 7 as well, but I have a soft spot for Fredericton."

If Fredericton or Moncton wins the province should promote it, said Carr.

"It is a great (marketing) tool already to be in the Top 7," he said. "If we get named No. 1, of course we would want to promote that even more."

Updates on the New York trip can be watched at www.youtube.ca/gnbca.

More information on the Intelligent Community Forum can be found at www.intelligentcommunity.org. The awards luncheon will be shown on the website live Friday afternoon.

----

Inspection and paving will slow bridge traffic for weeks - province
Published Thursday May 14th, 2009
A6
By The Daily Gleaner

Drivers should be braced for construction delays in and around the Princess Margaret Bridge for the next three weeks, said Department of Transportation spokesman Andrew Holland.

Not only has bridge traffic been reduced to one lane while work crews inspect the underside of the bridge's concrete and structural steel, but that inspection process is now expected to continue Friday as well from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Beyond the inspection work on the north end of the bridge, Holland said a paving contract has been issued to Springhill Construction.

"They've been awarded two paving contracts for work on both approaches to the bridge. One is on Route 8 approaching the Princess Margaret and they started this work Monday," Holland said.

The contract involves milling up the old asphalt and then resurfacing the roughened surface with a fresh coat of asphalt.

Holland said the company is working even during rush hour times in and around the bridge to get the job done.

"We're seeing some traffic backups because of the milling work," Holland said.

If drivers can adjust their travel times, find alternate routes or at least allow extra travel time to adjust for waiting, it would be helpful, Holland pointed out.

"It's part and parcel of the construction season," he said. "There's a lot of work to be done. Our department has already awarded more than 60 tenders for work in the province to get people to work, help the economy and get things rolling."

Pugsley

May 15, 2009, 9:22 PM

What does the city spend chasing this? Is it worth it? From where I sit, nobody I know in the tech and dot-com world give a rats ass about Intelligent Community Forum...so why the big interest from Fredericton?

Stockholm Named Intelligent Community of Year 2009 by ICF
Europe’s “Green Capital” Receives Honor in New York during NYU/Polytechnic Event

Published Friday, May 15, 2009

Issy-les-Moulineaux’s Legendary Mayor named Visionary of the Year; Dave Carter of Manchester Digital Development Agency; Andrew Spano of Westchester County, New York, and Taoyuan County, Taiwan presented with annual Founders Awards during Luncheon Ceremony

(New York City, 15 May 2009 – 1445 ET) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named Stockholm, Sweden the Intelligent Community of the Year for 2009 at an awards ceremony this afternoon at Steiner Film Studios in Brooklyn, New York. The Scandanavian community, known for its prowess in innovative technologies and its quality of life, was represented by a delegation led by its Vice Mayor Ulf Kristersson, which included its Consul General, Ambassador Ulf Hjertonsson. ICF Co-Founder Louis Zacharilla presented the award to Stockholm, which succeeded the Gangnam District of Seoul (Korea), the 2008 recipient.

“This is a community that has methodically and substantially redefined the possibilities of urban living and sets an example of how technology can play a role to enhance economic and social development,” said Zacharilla.

Also recognized were the recipients of the ICF’s Visionary of the Year Award and its three annual Founders Awards. The annual awards are presented by the independent think tank as part of its annual conference, Building the Broadband Economy, produced in association with the Institute for Technology & Enterprise at New York University’s Polytechnic school in New York (USA).

The goal of the awards is to increase awareness of the role that broadband and information communications technology (ICT) play in economic and social development at the community level worldwide. The mayors, CIOs and heads of technology companies from around the world were on hand to meet during the three day, invitation-only Summit and awards program. www.icfsummit.com

Intelligent Community of the Year 2009: Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm, on Sweden's south-central east coast, has been Sweden´s political, cultural and economic center since the 1200s. One out of every eleven Swedes lives in Stockholm, and in the first decade of the new century, their city has continued to find ways to make "big" work better. The economy benefits enormously from Stockholm's status as the political and cultural capital. Most of the country's head offices and one in three foreign-owned companies are located there. Nearly one in three new Swedish companies is located in the county of which Stockholm is the capital. Education levels are high (51% of Stockholmers have studied at university levels compared with 35% nationwide) and average salaries are proportionally higher.

During a national fiscal crisis in the early Nineties, the City of Stockholm decided to pursue an unusual model in telecommunications. The city-owned company Stokab started in 1994 to build a fiber-optic network throughout the municipality as a level playing field for all operators. Stokab dug up the streets once to install conduit and run fiber, closed them up, and began offering dark fiber capacity to carriers for less than it would cost them to install it themselves. Today, the 1.2 million kilometer (720,000-mile) network has more than 90 operators and 450 enterprises as primary customers and is now in the final year of a three-year project to bring fiber to 100% of public housing, which is expected to add 95,000 households to the network. Stockholm's Mayor has set a goal of connecting 90% of all households to fiber by 2012.

In 2007, the City of Stockholm published Vision 2030, identifying the key characteristics the city aimed to have by that year. In 2030, according to the plan, Stockholm would be a world-class metropolis offering a rich urban living experience, the center of an internationally competitive innovation region, and a place where citizens enjoyed a broad range of high-quality, cost-effective social services.

More information is available on the Intelligent Community Profiles pages of the ICF Web site: http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/index.php?src=news&refno=304&category=Community

cl812

May 16, 2009, 11:48 AM

I know to be a part of these types of groupings you have to buy into it (most of them atleast), so it is really just BS, i dont know the intelligent communities form is the same, but i wouldnt be surprised if it was.

cl812

May 16, 2009, 11:55 AM

Finding land to build on big problem for Habitat
Published Saturday May 16th, 2009
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Habitat for Humanity Fredericton Area Inc. is on the hunt for donated or discounted land in order to build another affordable house for a financially strapped family in the Fredericton area.

The non-profit, charitable organization helps low-income families invest in a home of their own by facilitating an interest-free mortgage and by rounding up donated materials and labour.

Homeowners who apply and are approved for a Habitat home must invest their own sweat equity into the project.

"One of the biggest challenges that we currently face is obtaining land to build new homes," said Dave Charleson, co-chairman of the site selection committee for the Fredericton group.

"Many people do not realize that Habitat also looks for private land and that donors will receive a tax receipt for the value of any land they may donate, or even for the difference between the market value and a discounted value that they may be willing to offer to Habitat," Charleson said.

Without access to a free or inexpensive property, the group may not be able to build a home in 2009. It aims to construct one house per year for a family in need.

The local chapter of the organization appealed to city council to assist with the donation of free or discounted land, but Mayor Brad Woodside has said the city won't give land away.

The city has a program for discounting land for multi-unit developments that include a subsidized or rent-reduced unit in the project.

Woodside has assigned the city's affordable housing committee to meet with Habitat, but they haven't gotten together yet, Charleson said.

"We've also had some discussions with Oromocto. They were a little more receptive there, but there's nothing immediately forthcoming. They've given us some suggestions," he said.

"We're still seeing what we can do to try to find something.

"At this point, we have no land to build in 2009."

Safe, affordable housing is needed for families to prosper and to break the cycle of poverty in Fredericton and surrounding areas, he said.

Smevo

May 18, 2009, 10:21 PM

:previous: so, the city will discount land to developers with big pockets if they include an affordable unit in a multi-unit development, but won't do anything for a group that runs on donations and is dedicated solely to affordable dwellings? Makes sense. :rolleyes:

cl812

May 18, 2009, 11:02 PM

Neill Farm housing development proceeding as planned
Published Monday May 18th, 2009
A5
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

Plans to gradually turn historic Neill farm in Devon into a large scale housing development are progressing according to plan.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=295168&size=500x0
The Neill Farm is pictured in the background with a lot marker in the foreground for the construction of a home on the land that used to be one of the fields for the former dairy farm.

James Realty agreed to purchase the 110-acre (44.5-hectare) parcel of land, which has been used as a family-run dairy operation by four generations of Neills, from Ron and Albert Neill two years ago.

The land is being purchased and developed in four stages, and Jim Davis, one of the project's developers, said the first phase will include about 60 lots near the end of Hillcrest Drive.

That phase is coming along nicely, he said.

"It is going well. All the pipe is in the ground, all the infrastructure is in place and all the lots now exist," Davis said.

"We have four houses up, a fifth one in the works and our pavement will go down in May. The road is there, but it is a dirt road right now, so once we get the pavement and curbing done it should be quite nice."

Development on the site, which will be known as the Meadowlands at Neill Farm, will mainly consist of single-family dwellings.

However, several lots have been earmarked for possible development as condominiums, apartments or duplexes.

The entire development is expected to take 10 years to complete.

However, Davis said, the first phase, which spans 10 acres (four hectares), could be done within the next two years.

"There is a lot of things that have gone on in that area with the Willie O'Ree Centre, the YMCA and all the businesses that have opened, and I think there will be real demand," he said.

The Meadowlands at Neill Farm is being billed as an upper-class housing development complete with underground wiring, walkways throughout the subdivision and plenty of green space, including a park stretching from Irvine Street to MacLaren Avenue.

Jim Martin, one of Davis's partners on the project, said the goal is to create what he calls a sustainable community.

"There is one way of developing where you try to maximize every square inch of you property, and there is another way where you kind of stay away from the wetlands, you kind of stay away from the view planes you want to maintain, and those are the kind of philosophies we are trying to employ with this development," he said.

Coun. Dan Keenan, chairman of the city's development committee, said he sees the development as a boost to the Two Nations Crossing area of Fredericton.

"It is a definite benefit," he said.

"We are seeing a whole mix of development in the Two Nations and Cliffe Street area, and high-density development like this should help to drive the commercial development there because it will provide another source of business for retailers."

Keeenan said residential developments continue to be big business for the city, even in tough economic times.

He said Fredericton's population increased by around 1,000 residents in the last census, making new housing important to the city's success.

"As long as we can create the jobs, people will want to move here because of the beauty of the community and the services available, and that will continue to move the housing development forward," he said.

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New facility for fire department on north side nears completion
Published Monday May 18th, 2009
A5
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton firefighters will soon have a new state-of-the art fire station and training facility on the north side.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=295167&size=500x0
The new fire station and training facility at Two Nations Crossing will open this summer.

The Two Nations Crossing project is almost finished and will be officially christened within the next few weeks.

Fredericton fire Chief Phillip Toole said an exact date for opening is still somewhat up in the air.

He said it looks like the official ribbon-cutting could come next month or in July.

Toole said firefighters are anxious to make the move to the $5-million facility.

"Going around to the stations, the question that's being continually asked to me is, 'When is it going to be ready?' I'd like to have answers for them but it's one of the questions I can't answer right now," Toole said.

"We've been in this project for a number of years now, and I've said, 'Hang on, we'll soon be there.'"

The long-awaited fire station has been in the works since October 2004, when council authorized studies on the feasibility of creating two new stations for the city - one on the north side and one on the south side.

The southside facility, to be located in the Silverwood area, is still in the developmental stage.

Unlike its northside cousin, it will be strictly a fire facility and will meet a demand for service in that area and in Hanwell, now served by the York Street and Kimble Road stations.

In the meantime, last-minute work on the northside facility is continuing.

The lower end of the building, which will house the training division and includes office and classroom space, is almost complete.

The fitness room and the living quarters are also close to being finished.

Work is continuing on the operational side, such as the bay areas.

On the outside of the structure, work on the curbing has been completed for parking and sidewalks, but efforts are continuing on grading the parking lots in anticipation of asphalt.

Loose ends are also being tied up on the tower and the training facility.

"It's been a long process, but there's light at the end of the tunnel," Toole said.

The northside station will result in the amalgamation of the MacLaren Avenue facility with the one on Harrison Court in Marysville.

The city also has stations on York Street, Kimble Drive and Royal Road, but there are no plans to close or alter them.

"When we move, we will be turning off the lights and moving into our new facility, and it will be up to property services to deal with the two stations that are being decommissioned," Toole said.

The $1.9-million, four-storey training facility, the only one of its kind in Eastern Canada, should open around the same time as the fire station.

"The training facility is going to allow us to conduct day-to-day training to enhance the skills that we presently have," Toole said.

Basic firefighter-training classes - part of the Holland College program in Summerside, P.E.I. - could have a full class of 24 students using the facility by April 2010.

Other potential clients include police, ambulance, emergency-measures organization staff and smaller fire departments that require training.

Eric Fiander, deputy director of the Atlantic Police Academy who oversees the Holland College firefighter-training program, said he's a huge fan of the new training complex.

"They (firefighters) will be able to come there and do their training," Fiander said.

"It will be money-saving because they haven't got to leave Fredericton. It will (also) be a nice facility for volunteer firefighters to do their training."

Fiander said he believes it's in a good location and should work well once the other two stations are decommissioned.

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Residents welcome to tour new water-treatment plant
Published Monday May 18th, 2009
A5
By The Daily Gleaner

An open house will be held May 26 at the E. John Bliss Water Treatment Plant to give residents the opportunity to take a tour of the new $8.5-million facility at 300 Waterloo Row.

"It's a great opportunity for the public to learn about the plant and see how it operates," said Coun. Scott McConaghy, chairman of the city's public safety and environment committee.

"I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to see where our excellent drinking water comes from and to see their water-rate dollars at work."

The open house will be held from 1-6 p.m. May 26 and will feature slide shows and guided tours of the new plant. Light refreshments will be served.

The new plant, the city's second, was formally named during a ceremony last September.

It treats water from new wells in the Queen Square area, providing an additional safe and secure source of drinking water to meet the growing needs of a growing city.

Coun. Marilyn Kerton, attending Tuesday's public safety committee session, questioned whether the open house would be better attended if it was held on a weekend, but Danny Lanteigne, the supervisor of the two water-treatment facilities, said that would entail bringing in extra staff on the weekend to host the event.

Kerton wanted to be sure that schoolchildren could visit the facility, but Lanteigne said school and environmental groups can and do book tours of the water-treatment plants during the school year.

Since 1883, the city has treated water at the plant on Smythe Street, which was officially named the William L. Barrett Water Treatment Plant in June 2007.

Both Barrett and Bliss are former city engineers.

City water and sewer staff are working to get the plant online and hope to have water flowing into the city-wide system later this year.

cl812

May 20, 2009, 11:37 AM

No 'Metro Fredericton' for a while yet
Published Wednesday May 20th, 2009
Data | Not enough of region's residents work in Fredericton, StatsCan says
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Census metropolitan status isn't coming any time soon to New Brunswick's capital city, says Frank Flanagan, Fredericton's development services director.

Fredericton hasn't been able to meet the benchmarks required by Statistics Canada to achieve the designation, for which both Moncton and Saint John have qualified.

"We had hoped to achieve CMA (census metropolitan area) status," Flanagan told the city's development committee Tuesday.

Acquiring CMA status would help the city market itself better to higher-calibre site developers and investors who use the designation as a measurement of major markets.

Even certain retailers use CMA status as a determinant in whether to locate a store in a city, or the size or class of store that may be built.

There are other technical reasons why Fredericton has been seeking the designation over the past decade, including that Statistics Canada will supply more free data to a CMA and a CMA designation guarantees inclusion in more data and surveys done by the federal statistics agency.

One key qualifier to achieve CMA status is that 50 per cent of the labour force from outside communities included in the CMA must commute to work in the city's urban core.

Oromocto and Burton are key areas in order for Fredericton to achieve CMA status, but only 14.6 per cent of Oromocto residents work in Fredericton and about 24 per cent from Burton come to the city for employment, mainly because Canadian Forces Base Gagetown is a significant employer in the greater Fredericton region.

Fredericton Junction comes the closest to the criterion, with 44.4 per cent of its residents coming into the city to work.

Flanagan said it's not a question of lobbying for support, since the designation is based on Statistics Canada's computer model and data.

Instead, the city will have to continue to market itself and promote what it's already got, Flanagan said.

Fredericton is one of the fastest growing urban centres in Atlantic Canada at 6.2 per cent.

Only Moncton and Halifax have similar growth rates, as measured by the 2001 and 2006 censuses.

Within 100 kilometres of Fredericton is a regional population of 322,670.

"That's a significant trade area," Flanagan said.

The city is continuing to promote itself as the gateway to the Atlantic region, and that 70 per cent of the province's knowledge industries are in Fredericton.

The city has a population of 50,535 and a regional population of 85,688, according to Statistics Canada.

Moncton has a population of 64,128, and it achieved CMA status with a regional population of 126,043.

Saint John has a population of 68,043 and a CMA of 122,389.

Flanagan said the city will continue to track its figures and work with Statistics Canada in hopes of achieving CMA status.

The city is also keeping an eye on the Finn report, which the provincial government has temporarily shelved.

That report came up with ideas on changing local governance structures and geographic groupings of major centres with their bedroom towns and villages.

----

More contracts signed for Marysville bypass
Published Wednesday May 20th, 2009
A4
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Marysville bypass got a big boost when Premier Shawn Graham announced 10 additional contracts for clearing and grading on the project worth $11.9 million.

Graham and Transportation Minister Denis Landry made the announcement during a site visit Tuesday.

"We clearly committed to addressing this important transportation and safety issue prior to taking office," said Graham.

"It will be really positive to see this 36-kilometre stretch improve the flow of traffic in the capital region, while helping motorists have better access to southwest Miramichi and northeast New Brunswick."

The cost of the bypass project is $124 million.

Landry said the government will spend $35 million on the bypass this year.

"We want to rush the work because we want to end it earlier than expected," he said. "The work is going very well."

Initially, the project wasn't expected to be complete until 2015.

Construction work revealed fossils in the rock along the route that caused some worry that the project might be delayed. But Landry said experts were brought in to look at the fossils and they turned out to be fairly common plant fossils.

He said he had a chance to examine some of the fossils Tuesday.

"It was amazing to be able to see that it was an old tree," he said. "It was still there after some 300 million years."

Eighteen contracts have been awarded for work completed or underway on the bypass. The contracts range in value from $3,336 to $6.61 million.

Joining Graham and Landry on the tour were Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak Liberal MLA Kelly Lamrock and Fredericton-Silverwood Liberal MLA Rick Miles.

Lamrock said people in his constituency are excited to see the long-awaited project taking shape.

"The people of greater Fredericton had reason to be skeptical after hearing 30 years of announcements and promises," he said.

"Completion of this bypass will make the residential community of Marysville safer, while giving the trucking community a more efficient route."

Three grading and four bridge or overpass contracts will be tendered in the coming weeks, said government officials.

----

Tennis group seeks city support
Published Wednesday May 20th, 2009
A6
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The Capital Region Tennis Association is asking Fredericton city council to provide a letter of support to back its application to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency for $730,000 in federal funding.

The association wants to erect a $1.6-million indoor tennis complex tied to the Grant*Harvey Centre when the city constructs the southside regional sportsplex on Alison Boulevard.

Association spokesman David Clark told city councillors Tuesday night that by joining the two sports facilities, the city will be contributing close to $400,000 toward the project through land and in-kind services.

Geothermal heating proposed for the hockey sports centre can be purchased by the tennis association for its four-court indoor tennis facility. Coupled with a radiant heating system and extra insulation, the tennis facility can be heated for about $30,000 annually, he said.

Clark gave councillors an updated copy of the group's business plan, which estimates annual operating costs at $108,000 and revenues of $162,700.

"The sustainability of this, in our view, is incredibly strong," Clark said. "The City of Fredericton has been an excellent partner and has come to the table with $400,000 in-kind (not cash) support."

For about 20 years, local tennis players supported a private tennis dome in Lower St. Mary's, Clark said, and the business model for the new facility draws on a much broader community base and greater construction efficiencies.

The tennis facility will be multi-purpose and can be used for badminton, basketball and other indoor sports, as well as for trade shows and exhibits.

The group has drawn local schools into the mix and hopes that school programs, provincial tournaments, wheelchair events and adult and seniors tennis can round out the mix of users and potential revenue sources.

"We've had good support from the school district," Clark said.

Since there are many groups clamouring for federal cash under ACOA's Building Canada Fund, the group wants city council to submit a letter of endorsement to complement their application.

A second wave of federal funding for recreation projects was announced last week.

The Capital Region Tennis Association has gathered $230,000 in pledges to support the venture. Another $100,000 is expected to be raised from the private sector, with another $140,000 expected to come from a national endowment campaign.

"We're very confident in our fundraising abilities," Clark said.

To cover all the bases, Clark said the $1.6 million includes $250,000 for contingencies and it turned to Eastern Designers and Company Ltd. to vet its business case.

"I think this is a worthy project and clearly you've worked hard at building support," said Coun. Stephen Chase.

Coun. Dan Keenan commended the group for building a business case that includes its own financial contribution. The days of expecting the city to carry the full financial load for sports facilities is long gone, he said.

Mayor Brad Woodside said city councillors will discuss the request, but councillors have generally been supportive of the group's efforts and senior city hall staff were authorized to work with the group on its project.

----

This isn't your parents' middle school
Published Wednesday May 20th, 2009
A3
By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com

Construction on Bliss Carman Middle School is in the final stages.

The keys to the school on Kimble Drive, which will replace Albert Street Middle School, are expected to be turned over to District 18 staff by the end of June.

The school will open to students in September.

"Bliss Carman is going to be a great school. Everything is modern. It's a big step from Albert," said Tim O'Connor, senior project manager of facilities and pupil transportation for the Department of Education.

Students Reilly Parsons, Erin Guilfoyle and Tanya Dhayagude got a sneak peek of the interior of the new school Tuesday.

They chatted excitedly throughout the tour and paused several times to explore some of the special features of the school.

"This is really amazing," Parsons said while standing inside the front doors of the building.

"I'm surprised how big the gym is and that there is a science lab. The technology lab is really big, and I really think we're going to enjoy this school."

Bob Phillips, the architect of the building, said the state-of-the-art facility was designed to give students more space, a high-tech cafeteria and a better gymnasium.

The school includes 24 regular classrooms, several doubled classrooms, a music room, two science labs, a library and resource room, an art room and a lab for sewing, woodworking and computer science.

The footprint of the facility is just more than 4,000 square metres, but the floor space of the two-storey building is more than 7,300 square metres.

"It's a big project, so there's a huge sense of pride as it nears completion," Phillips said.

"We have more than 85 construction workers in here working hard to finish this by June. It's been a long process that hasn't been without its growing pains, but it's all worth it to see the joy on the kids' faces as they walk through the facility."

O'Connor helped lead the tour. He pointed out many of the features the new school will have that the old school doesn't.

"There's a cafetorium, wireless Internet throughout the school, motion-activated lights, Smartboard technology in every classroom and indirect lighting that reflects off the ceiling to prevent glare," he said.

"The double classrooms will allow teachers to combine their classes for team teaching, and the staff rooms throughout the school will allow space for staff to prepare coursework."

Other features of the new school include: FM sound systems in every classroom; a heat-recovery system; and biometric technology in the cafeteria that will allow students to pay for meals by simply scanning their thumb to access an online account.

"After seeing the new school, there isn't really anything I can think of that I'll miss about the old school," said Grade 7 student Tanya Dhayagude.

"I'll be part of the first class to graduate from the new school, so that's exciting to think about, too. The focus is definitely on the new school now."

Public tours of Bliss Carman Middle School are expected to take place in the next few months. Construction is scheduled to be completed June 30.

----

Fredericton, Oromocto, New Maryland to split millions for infrastructure projects
Published Wednesday May 20th, 2009
A4
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton, New Maryland and Oromocto will get almost $5 million to invest in infrastructure this year after the federal government doubled gas tax transfers to municipalities.

"Families and workers in Fredericton, Oromocto and New Maryland will soon see faster improvements to roads and other local infrastructure thanks to the Conservative government's doubling of gas tax transfers to municipalities," said Fredericton Tory MP Keith Ashfield, who's also the minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

The amount of money shared with municipalities accounts for five cents on every litre sold.

The announcement is part of a series of announcements by Conservative MPs in their ridings. Federal gas tax transfers to the provinces and municipalities were doubled April 1.

Municipalities across the country will be provided with $2 billion a year to invest in projects such as roads, water treatment plants, bridges, sewers and transit systems.

Fredericton, which received about $1.9 million in gas tax funding last year, will get about $3.8 million this year. This year's funding was anticipated to double and has been allotted to projects.

Area mayors welcomed news that the federal government will continue to provide bolstered funding to municipalities for another four years.

"This funding means a lot to a community like Oromocto," said Mayor Fay Tidd.

"It means when we need new wastewater treatment plants, we'll have some additional funding," she said.

New Maryland Mayor Frank Dunn said the money will hopefully help his community link new wells to water towers in the village.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said the city plans to use the money to refurbish the waste water treatment plant on the city's north side.

Ashfield said the federal government continues to invest in infrastructure projects in Atlantic Canada.

He said the first project in the government's $104-million Community Adjustment Fund - a $7-million silviculture program in Miramichi - was announced last week.

He said there are also likely to be announcements in the next few months related to Ottawa's two-year, $12-billion Building Canada Fund meant to promote economic stimulus through infrastructure projects.

----

Also noticed some activity at the Costco site this morning, they were digging with a loader at the gas bar area, so hopefully construction is finally starting, im guessing its prep work for the engineered wetland.

cl812

May 21, 2009, 11:16 AM

Bus company mulls move up the hill
Published Thursday May 21st, 2009
Location | Acadian Coach Lines off to Woodside Lane?
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

It's not its first choice, but moving to 150 Woodside Lane is an option for Acadian Coach Lines, which is living on borrowed time at its downtown location.

After 23 years at the corner of Regent and Brunswick streets, the company is being evicted from its home.

Its landlord has handed the company a notice to vacate as of April 1, and has tolerated them over-staying their lease temporarily.

The landlord intends to redevelop the site.

"We would love to be downtown, but we just can't find accommodations downtown," said Linda Canney, the company's territory manager for the Fredericton area.

At the city's planning advisory committee meeting Wednesday, approval was given to Moncton-based Acadian Coach Lines' business to be permitted within the highway commercial zone on Woodside Lane.

United Rentals has offered to become the bus company's landlord and can reconfigure its building to create the 335 square metres of space needed for the administrative office, customer seating area, ticket sales location and storage for parcels.

The operation employs three customer sales representatives and a manager.

Although the proposed location off Hanwell Road is less convenient for customers than the downtown area, Canney said 90 per cent of bus passengers come by cab or are dropped off at the bus station because they have luggage.

"They don't travel light," Canney said.

Planning advisory committee member Alan Raynor said the former York Street train station property might be expensive to redevelop, but it would be a choice location for the bus system.

"Would the (Acadian Coach) Lines consider a location, as time permits, probably a little more desirable than this? I assume they would. They're trying to serve their customers," Raynor asked.

"We certainly would," Canney said. "We have been looking for the past five years. There's just no location downtown where we can accommodate our buses, per se. A terminal isn't the issue. It's space for our (buses)."

City council will get the final say on the zoning change needed to allow Acadian Coach Lines to sub-lease from United Rentals.

A new driveway to the property would be located on Serenity Lane with parking for four buses.

The bus terminal would operate from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. During the day, there will also be additional travel to and from the area for the courier service, which also operates from Acadian Coach Lines' office.

Fleet maintenance and repair of buses is done in Moncton.

----

Carriage Hill Drive residents raise concerns about proposed development
Published Thursday May 21st, 2009
A2By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's planning advisory committee has approved an 11-lot subdivision in an R-2 single family zone off Fairview Drive.

But a group of Carriage Hill Drive residents descended on the group's Wednesday evening session to voice wide-ranging concerns about the proposal, from fears about increased traffic to possible risks to their drinking water.

While the proposed subdivision isn't large, it's only the first phase of what will be a multi-year housing development proposed by owner Percy Jones of Temperance Vale.

Carriage Hill Drive residents Brian Steeves and Donald Gorman said they're worried about the destruction of animal habitat, clearcutting, potential for blasting, water runoff down the side hill and possible damage to their well water.

Carriage Hill Drive homes, although within city limits, are at the end of the city line and they have their own wells and septic fields.

Jim Martin of Trainor Surveys Ltd., a spokesman for the developer, said blasting won't be required during the first phase of the subdivision and likely would be the last choice for any developer in a developed area.

Provincial rules require anyone using blasting techniques to have a permit and do pre-inspections of surrounding homes. It also requires costly insurance to protect a developer should nearby homes be damaged.

Those are all good reasons to avoid blasting in an urban area, Martin said.

"We're not anti-development. We're looking for least damage," said Brian Steeves, a spokesman for Carriage Hill Drive homeowners.

"We're concerned with erosion problems."

As the subdvision is built, the residents don't want to see apartment buildings added into the residential housing mix.

Martin said the economy will dictate the rate of development, with the first 11 lots expected to hit the market in 2010 and further development would be driven by market conditions.

Residents were already concerned with tree-cutting, but Martin said trees have to be cut to allow for the survey, engineering and design work to plan the overall property design, even though it will likely take a decade or more to see the next few phases completed.

Residents said they already experience water runoff and soggy basements in the spring.

Planning and engineering department staff told residents that part of the design requirement for the overall subdivision will be storm-water management systems.

The new subdivision will have access to city water and sewer services, and to a storm-water drainage system.

Martin said there should be no impact on wells from the project and the developer is committed to maintaining as much tree cover as possible.

Meanwhile, two Brookside Drive residents are opposed to a rezoning that would turn a piece of single-family residential land into a R-9A zone to allow a 40-unit, low-income apartment building at 543 Brookside Dr.

The planning advisory committee is recommending the project to city council for approval.

Eleanor Sherwood moved to Brookside Drive in 1990 and said she doesn't want to see a four-storey building next door when all her neighbouring dwellings are single-family or townhouse homes.

Another neighbour said the apartment building - which would consist of 40 one-room units with each having one bathroom and a kitchenette - won't fit the neighbourhood.

The developer is Tannery Court Co-operative of Moncton. It's the same company that built a similar low-income, government-subsidized apartment complex on Cliffe Street.

----

Bands helping fill hotels', restaurants' dance cards
Published Thursday May 21st, 2009
A5
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's hospitality industry is hoping world-class musical entertainment will lure hordes of concertgoers to local hotels, restaurants and bars during the busy summer concert season.

Big-time acts such as The Black Crowes, John Prine, Susan Tedeschi, Live, Los Lobos, Stompin' Tom Connors and others have booked shows in the capital region over the next few months - some as part of the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival and FredRock 2009.

Geoff Gallant, rooms division manager at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, said that means the hospitality industry is expecting to see hotel rooms filled, restaurants hopping and dance floors crowded for most of the summer and early fall.

"Any time you have concert events and big names in entertainment tied to the city, it's beneficial for a lot of people in this industry," he said.

"From a regional perspective, it draws people from other regions to your city, and it also draws people from outside your area into the city."

Gallant said people have been booking rooms at the Crowne Plaza Hotel well in advance to prepare for their entertainment plans.

"The Harvest festival sells out months in advance at this hotel," he said.

"We're sold out two or three of those nights already, and we're starting to see some demand for rooms during the FredRock weekend. The word is out that The Black Crowes are coming and people are busy booking their rooms."

He said having a number of concerts in a row helps solidify Fredericton's reputation as one of the province's entertainment hubs.

"It builds on the reputation of the city as a venue," he said.

"The buzz will continue to attract other big names. Other cities in the province have done it quite well over the past few years, particularly Moncton, but it's great to see Fredericton build up its own demand."

Wes Ward, who owns and operates The Capital Complex, said having talented performers visit the city will also help venues who host live music reap the rewards.

He said the crowds will want to continue the fun by taking in local performers at downtown clubs after the events have finished.

"Any time you can get a high density of people going to one certain event, whether it's at The Playhouse or for a music festival, we definitely see an increase in business," he said.

"If these festivals can bring 10,000-15,000 people who love music to the city, the spinoffs will be significant for hotels, businesses and restaurants."

Jesse Demers, the head chef at Isaac's Way on Carleton Street, said he's hoping to capitalize on the many concerts scheduled to hit Fredericton this summer.

Demers said these events attract new visitors to local eateries, help waiters and waitresses earn extra tips, and generate increased revenues for business owners.

"It's definitely going to help our industry out," he said.

"The way the economy is going, every little bit helps."

He said the restaurant occasionally plans special menus or prices to coincide with downtown events in an effort to entice new patrons into the establishment

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Ice-time demands support keeping York Arena
Published Thursday May 21st, 2009
Study | Mabie looking to secure proof that tearing down facility is not the way to go
B1By BILL HUNT
hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

Chris Mabie, part of a group of citizens anxious to keep the York Arena open past its 2011 expiry date, is in the final stages of completing a study that he believes will demonstrate the need to keep the historic arena open.

He said he has contacted several potential user groups who have indicated there won't be enough ice to meet their needs if the city carries through with its plan to decommission the York Arena once the Grant*Harvey Centre opens on the city's south side.

"The demand for ice is exceeding our expectations," said Mabie. He said anyone whom he has not contacted can reach him at 447-8144 or via a newly established email address, looking4ice@hotmail.com.

"Our belief is that, with demand as great as it is, one surface won't do it."

The Grant*Harvey Centre will have two ice surfaces, but one will be an Olympic size surface devoted primarily to speedskating.

"The city themselves recognize that they're 45 hours short (in fulfilling demand for ice time). We're doing a very, very thorough study,'' said Mabie.

"We're contacting the groups and asking them to back it up with a letter stating their needs," he said. "Our main objective is to make sure we don't miss anybody. We want to hear from individual users too...if some guy and his friends have been looking for time late on a Thursday night and have been unsuccessful, we want to hear from them.

"We want to find out exactly how great the shortage is. Anyone who would like to express their frustrations or their needs, we'd like to hear from them."

Mabie plans to attend the Fredericton Youth Hockey Association's annual general meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Killarney Lake Lodge.

He said once the study is completed, the findings will be presented to the city.

"I wanted to get the bulk of the study done," he said. "Frankly, if the need's not there, there's no point in carrying on. Our first objective was to establish need, which we've done, I assure you."

Mabie believes it will take another week to assemble the data for presentation to the city councillors.

"Quite frankly, I think they'll get their eyes opened," he said. "I'm not convinced they're at all aware of how significant the usage issue is.

" I think an in depth study had to be done and the only way to do that is to call people and engage them,'' said Mabie.

"Some people have stopped looking for ice entirely, and you have to take those people into consideration.

"I had a guy tell me he used to apply for ice, but he stopped four or five years ago because it was fruitless. There's a lot of that out there. I'm shocked at how great it is."

mylesmalley

May 21, 2009, 12:12 PM

The city is really going to have to give the CMA thing a rest. Fredericton just doesn't qualify yet. A census agglomeration population of 85,000 is well and good, but you need at least 100,000 to qualify. Not to mention that one has to wait a full census period after qualifying before being fully counted.

On a different note. What are the plans for Albert Street School when Bliss Carmen is finished?

Lamespotting

May 21, 2009, 12:58 PM

On a different note. What are the plans for Albert Street School when Bliss Carmen is finished?

I believe they are going to tear it down and use it for the Y/City/UNB indoor pool.

cl812

May 21, 2009, 2:24 PM

I agree, Fredericton should give it up for the time being, however, I personally think Oromocto and Burton should be included in the Fredericton CA

kirjtc2

May 23, 2009, 8:14 PM

Also don't forget the proximity to the new Convention Centre and proposed Hotel development. I had heard last fall that Irving was not renewing leases in that building. He also owns the empty lot further west which is a surface parking lot.

I'd bet my paycheck that there is indeed some major development at this location being planned

I was at Quizno's yesterday. They said they're the only ones not being evicted...they say there's some sort of new development that includes them, but they're not sure what.

I'm thinking some sort of mixed office-retail building.

cl812

May 27, 2009, 11:21 AM

City opens new treatment plant
Published Wednesday May 27th, 2009
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The $8.5-million Fredericton E. John Bliss water treatment plant officially opened Tuesday with its namesake in attendance.

Local Government Minister Bernard LeBlanc praised the city's decision to name the facility after Bliss, who was a city engineer between 1979-98.

"In naming this treatment plant after John Bliss, you are recognizing the work and the record of a man that played such an important role in securing a continuing supply of clean, safe water," LeBlanc said.

The facility is designed to remove manganese and iron from the city's well water supply.

It received $1.5 million in federal-provincial funding, with $300,000 coming from gasoline tax revenues, which Ottawa now shares with the provinces.

LeBlanc said more than half of the gas tax revenues the province receives are used for water and sewer projects.

"I've been saying for a long, long, long time that the most precious commodity on the face of this earth is not oil," said Mayor Brad Woodside. "The most precious commodity on the face of this earth is water.

"We can get by without oil, but we can't sustain life without water. If you've got water, you're wealthy."

Bliss and his wife Dorothy McDade attended the ceremony.

"Naturally, I'm very pleased," Bliss said. "This plant is important because it continues to keep up with the demand for good drinking water, and it is complementary to the other plant at the other end of the city which was reaching capacity. This will ensure the future of good drinking water (in Fredericton)."

Bliss said the new plant is even more automated than the old plant.

"The other plant was very well automated when it was first implemented with the manganese removal system ... but it continues to improve. It's just amazing," Bliss said.

Retired city engineer Bill Barrett, for whom the city's downtown east end water treatment plant is named, attended the ceremony. So did three former mayors of the city - Les Hull, A.M. Sandy DiGiacinto and Elbridge Wilkins.

Kevin Price, executive assistant to Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield, attended on behalf of Ashfield, who toured the plant earlier because he had to be in Ottawa on Tuesday.

cl812

May 28, 2009, 11:25 AM

Funding feud threatens new campus in city
Published Thursday May 28th, 2009
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

A federal-provincial funding spat is threatening to derail Fredericton's new $15-million community college campus.

A multimillion-dollar university and college infrastructure deal was supposed to be signed June 4.

But on Wednesday, New Brunswick Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said Ottawa is reneging on the amount promised to the province.

"We are very, very frustrated with the federal government on this file," he said. "We are not receiving our fair share."

Arseneault said Ottawa announced early this year a $2-billion national infrastructure program for universities and colleges. The province announced a $160-million capital program for universities and colleges late last year, he said.

"We feel we should get approximately 2.9 per cent of the (federal) fund as per our population," said Arseneault. "We are shovel-ready."

Arseneault said he originally was told by federal officials that New Brunswick's share of the national program would be $70 million. But now he has been told the share will be $45 million, he said.

Arseneault said he sent a letter to federal Industry Minister Tony Clement on Monday saying how displeased the province is about the situation.

"We are not signing until New Brunswick is treated fairly," he said. "The new (Fredericton) community college campus will not be able to receive enough funding to go through.

"I think that is very unfortunate."

The provincial government has promised to build a new $15-million community college campus on land donated by the University of New Brunswick. Arseneault said if New Brunswick gets $70 million in federal funding, then work would begin on the campus this year.

"Greg Thompson has to step up," said Arseneault.

But Thompson, the Conservative MP for New Brunswick Southwest and the senior government MP for New Brunswick, said Arseneault's math is off.

"They were not promised that ($70 million)," he told The Daily Gleaner. "That is absolutely not true.

"This is the first time I have heard them suggesting that figure."

Thompson said New Brunswick's share is based on a formula based on the province's population, and it's the same formula across the country.

"New Brunswick has 2.2 per cent of the population and we got our appropriate share," he said.

He said $44.9 million is a significant amount of money and the province has to pick its spending priorities.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said a promise is a promise.

"My reaction is I'm not really interested in excuses," he said.

Woodside said Premier Shawn Graham stood in front of city hall and promised Fredericton a new community college campus during the 2006 election campaign.

"There was no fine print," said the mayor. "There was no saying we will do it if we can get federal funding."

Woodside said if the Liberals don't build the campus in the capital, they will have to explain why to the people of Fredericton.

"I still expect the premier and our local members will fulfil their promise," he said.

cl812

May 28, 2009, 11:57 PM

fyi,

new stores now open in the Corbett Centre: Easy Home and Sally Beauty, also the Wicker Emporium, Panago Pizza and Select Kitchens opening soon.

Too bad there is nothing terribly interesting opening up, the pizza place might be ok though

cl812

May 29, 2009, 11:55 AM

Graham promises college campus
Published Friday May 29th, 2009
Politics | But how provincial government will pay for it isn't clear
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Premier Shawn Graham renewed his election promise Thursday that Fredericton will get a new community college campus, despite a funding dispute with the federal government.

"I can tell you today that we are committed to a new community college in Fredericton and our government is going to deliver," said Graham during question period. "Just watch us."

The premier said his government has an excellent track record on investments in community colleges, despite the province being in one of the most severe economic recessions in decades.

But Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said it won't be possible to keep that promise this year without cash from Ottawa.

"There is no doubt we made that commitment in the platform," Arseneault told The Daily Gleaner on Thursday. "When you get elected, you get elected for a mandate, and the mandate is four years. We will get it done - with the feds or not."

The next provincial election is scheduled for next year.

There's no funding in the province's capital budget this year for the $15-million Fredericton community college campus, which will be located at the University of New Brunswick.

On Wednesday, Arseneault unexpectedly announced that he wouldn't sign a federal-provincial infrastructure funding agreement for universities and colleges because New Brunswick isn't getting the $70 million he said it was originally promised.

Instead, the federal government is offering $45 million.

Arseneault said Thursday the province was expecting 2.9 per cent of the $2-billion infrastructure fund, but Ottawa is only offering 2.2 per cent.

The 2.9 per cent figure actually works out to about $60 million.

Arseneault said when Gary Goodyear, the federal minister responsible for science and technology, came to Fredericton earlier this year for a different announcement, the two met and Goodyear promised there would be two rounds of post-secondary education infrastructure funding and the total for this province would be close to $70 million.

New Brunswick Southwest Conservative MP Greg Thompson said Wednesday that 2.2 per cent is New Brunswick's percentage of the total population in Canada.

He insisted Ottawa never promised New Brunswick 2.9 per cent.

The Daily Gleaner on Thursday calculated that New Brunswick's share of national population is 2.3 per cent.

That's based on the 2006 census data, which is the latest available, on the Statistics Canada website. The data show Canada as having a population of 31,612,897 and New Brunswick has a population of 729,997.

The Daily Gleaner asked an official in Thompson's office to explain where the figure of 2.2 per cent came from and didn't get an answer by deadline Thursday.

Arseneault said the 2.9 per cent figure he used for the funding formula is New Brunswick's portion of the number of unemployed people in Canada.

He said he has used that figure in all his dealings about post-secondary education infrastructure funding with the federal government since the national program was announced in February. All the discussions said projects to be funded would be merit-based, he said.

----

cl812

Jun 1, 2009, 11:26 AM

Proposed bus depot location gets gears
Published Monday June 1st, 2009
Moving | Businesses say better solutions are available
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A number of downtown businesses have fired off emails to Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside, protesting the proposed relocation of the Acadian Coach Lines out of the downtown to Woodside Lane off Hanwell Road.

A public hearing of objections will be held at city council June 22 to the bus line's plan to sublease space from United Rentals at 150 Woodside Lane for a customer waiting area, office, and for its courier and package delivery service.

Councillors have to approve the use proposed for the highway commercial zone.

Martin Aitken of Aitken's Pewter is a downtown business owner who's interested in environmental causes. His firm belongs to the city's Green Shops program, a voluntary program in which businesses take steps to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and develop "green'' techniques to reduce, reuse and lessen their carbon footprint.

Aitken said Acadian Coach Lines should share the city's bus parking hub at Kings Place.

"To move it way out in the boon docks is like moving the passenger train service out to Fredericton Junction. Sooner or later, no one will use it," Aitken said. "I think it behoves all the Green Shops to lobby for a greener public transportation system.''

Woodside said he's aware that the bus line has been having a tough time finding an alternate downtown depot after receiving notice to vacate its leased premises at Regent Street.

"There's not a whole lot of property in the downtown ... The final decision in the private sector is up to the private sector for the reasons they want to choose," Woodside said.

Aitken said that response is a cop-out and the city could try to broker a different deal for Acadian Coach Lines.

"With a better integration of services, the city might well attract more users to its own system, thus either reducing greenhouse gas and possibly breaking even on the exercise or possibly increasing revenue directly from the city bus system," he said.

"A lot of transit users are not generally the well-to-do economically and therefore, generally do not have a very loud voice on such issues.''

Aitken has received supportive emails from Botinical Gift Shop Inc. and the Blue Door Restaurant, both of which support environmentally friendly business practices.

Botinicals uses the bus line for shipping and receiving.

So does Paul Simmonds clothing store where employees walk packages to the bus depot rather than drive them to Regent Street.

All three businesses believe the old York Street train station would be the ideal location for a bus depot.

Dr. Judah Bunin of the Fredericton Naturopathic Clinic on Cliffe Street said the new terminal could be located near Willie O'Ree Place at Cliffe and Two Nations Crossing where there's plenty of vacant space for the bus depot.

"This is handy to several city transit bus routes and is not nearly as far from the downtown core as the Hanwell Road suggestion and is easily accessible - especially with the new exit off

mylesmalley

Jun 1, 2009, 12:37 PM

Terrible idea. It's pretty damn hard to walk home or back to campus when the bus station is way the hell out in Hanwell. It'd be even worse to put it out in Two Nations Crossing. And bus access to TNC isn't all that great, especially if you need to transfer twice to get to Prospect St.

I like the idea of using King Place, but I still say the best solution is the train station. Big lot, good access to York St and Dundonnald etc. Regardless of where it goes, it should stay as close to the city centre as possible.

mmmatt

Jun 2, 2009, 1:43 AM

Yeah that would be foolish to put it way out there...keep it downtown, what other city do you see that has its main bus/train terminal out on the edge of town? It makes no sense at all.

magee_b

Jun 2, 2009, 1:48 AM

what about the old nb liquor spot for a bus station downtown? I wonder who owns that spot...

mylesmalley

Jun 2, 2009, 2:12 AM

what about the old nb liquor spot for a bus station downtown? I wonder who owns that spot...

It was used as the election headquarters for David Innis in the last federal election. I don't know if anyone has moved in since then though.

cl812

Jun 2, 2009, 3:13 AM

the old liquor store space downtown is currently for lease, i believe.

cl812

Jun 2, 2009, 11:25 AM

Bus depot not wanted
Published Tuesday June 2nd, 2009
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Serenity Lane and Red Maple Court residents are petitioning their ward councillor, David Kelly, to oppose the Acadien Coach Lines proposal to relocate its downtown bus depot to Serenity Lane.

The company's application comes up for a public hearing of objections June 22 at city council.

Acadien Coach Lines is proposing to sub-lease part of the United Rentals property for a bus terminal, courier and delivery service and for a reception area and administrative office.

The company will also have to park motorcoaches nearby to run the eight bus trips per day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"But the residents feel this is not the right place for it. This is going to be too far for people who are using the bus to have to go," said Kelly.

Downtown businesses don't want to lose their bus depot.

Acadien Coach Lines was given notice April 1 to vacant its Regent Street depot and has stayed longer than its lease allowed while trying to find a new home.

A company spokeswoman said it has searched for an alternate downtown location without success.

"I think that the York Street train station is the ultimate place for a bus stop in the City of Fredericton," Kelly said.

The Ward 12 residents who have contacted Kelly say the downtown bus terminal attracts loiterers. They're concerned that people will be parking and loitering after dark near the United Rentals property, leaving behind garbage, drug paraphernalia, booze bottles and porn magazines, he said.

kirjtc2

Jun 5, 2009, 1:47 PM

Capital to get new college
Published Friday June 5th, 2009
Funding | Ottawa, province to announce project today in city
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

A federal-provincial funding feud is over and the new campus for the Fredericton Community College will be built this year.

A major funding announcement about the college is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the capital today, said Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne, who's also the MLA for Fredericton-Lincoln.

"My Fredericton colleagues and I are pretty thrilled that the provincial government is announcing it will partner with the federal government to move forward on the new community college in Fredericton,'' he said Thursday.

Byrne, who's recovering from heart surgery, declined to reveal the dollar figure of the federal-provincial deal in advance of the announcement.

But the cost of the community college campus has been previously reported as $15 million.

It's expected to be built on the University of New Brunswick campus.

It seemed last week as if the community college campus wouldn't be built this year after a federal-provincial disagreement blew up over funding from the national Knowledge Infrastructure Program for universities and colleges.

Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said the province had been promised $70 million in the national program, but was only getting $45 million.

He vowed not to sign a deal unless New Brunswick got its fair share.

Greg Thompson, Conservative MP for New Brunswick Southwest, and federal Industry Minister Tony Clement, insisted that New Brunswick hadn't been promised $70 million.

But apparently all that bad political blood is over because Byrne said Clement will be at the funding announcement today.

"The money will be drawn down this year," said Byrne. "This is one of the projects we talked about as being shovel-ready."

He said Fredericton is the only city in the province that doesn't have a community college with regular programming.

Byrne said the original funding schedule for the community college campus was thrown off when the province had to come up with $12 million for repairs to the Princess Margaret Bridge.

"The benefits are obvious. Students will no longer have to travel outside the area.

"It is going to be as well a great economic stimulus in this time when there is certainly a need.''

cl812

Jun 5, 2009, 3:06 PM

Freddypop

Jun 5, 2009, 10:19 PM

It appears as though that office building that was supposed to be built in fornt of Sobeys at the bottom of Regent is finally starting. Drove by earlier today and a trailer was set up and the area was fenced off.

Also good to hear about the community college been built this year. Wonder where it will be built on campus, there isnt a whole lot of space up there.

Had heard awhile ago that Sobey's had the office building on their books for this year. That they were in final negotiations for tenants.

Still waiting to see some action at the Corbett Centre re Costco though.

cl812

Jun 6, 2009, 12:05 PM

Based on what I last heard, I think Costco will be started this year but not sure exactly when, likely sometime this summer.

----

City gets a college, so premier gets a smooch
Published Saturday June 6th, 2009
Campus | Mayor keeps promise as province, Ottawa come through on funding deal
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton is getting a new $15-million community college campus, and Premier Shawn Graham got a big thank-you hug and kiss from Mayor Brad Woodside on Friday.

During the 2006 election campaign, Graham promised that Fredericton would get the facility - and Woodside promised a smooch if it happened.

"A promise made is a promise kept," said the mayor after kissing the premier on the cheek.

"I prefer Roxanne's kisses," laughed Graham, referring to his wife.

The mood at the funding announcement at the University of New Brunswick's Alumni Memorial Building was in sharp contrast to last week, when a funding disagreement between the province and Ottawa threatened to scuttle the community college project, at least for this year.

"This is a wonderful announcement for Fredericton," said Woodside.

"It shows what can happen when levels of government get together and work collectively to get themselves going in the same direction, and the winners here will be the students."

The Fredericton community college campus is getting $4 million from the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program and $11 million from the province, Graham said.

It will be built on UNB's grounds, he said.

"This will help create a more cohesive post-secondary education system and provide more opportunities for students to transition between our colleges and our universities," he said.

"It is great news for future generations of students in the province of New Brunswick, the communities of the greater Fredericton area and the universities and community colleges."

Heather Hathaway, principal of the New Brunswick Community College's Fredericton campus, said the exact site hasn't been determined yet.

But there's speculation it will be located between the Wu Centre and Marshall D'Avray Hall at the top of the UNB campus.

Hathaway said the new campus is expected to start accepting students in the fall of 2011.

"We are in ... consultations with our local community to see what types of programs the campus should offer," she said. "There will be some destination programs that will not be offered in other locations."

She said new instructor jobs will be created when the campus opens, but she didn't know how many.

There was no money allocated for the new community college campus in this year's provincial capital budget.

But Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said the $49 million in federal money for universities and community colleges freed up some other provincial infrastructure money for the Fredericton project.

The province has allocated $100 million for community colleges and $80 million for universities for infrastructure renewal and upgrades.

Arseneault said work will start on the new Fredericton campus this year and it will take two years to complete.

That means some of the money will come from next year's provincial capital budget, he said.

Arseneault acknowledged the province didn't get the $70 million it first expected under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

Last week he said he wouldn't sign any funding announcement until New Brunswick got its fair share.

Ottawa initially offered $45 million. The difference between the original $45 million and the final figure of $49 million was the amount the Fredericton project needed.

"That is the discussion we had last week," said Arseneault. "They realized that and they added some money and now everybody gets their fair share."

University of New Brunswick president John McLaughlin said the community college coming to UNB's campus is vital because closer collaboration between post-secondary education facilities is needed.

"We don't have the resources for everybody to go off and do their own thing," he said. "This is not about somebody taking over somebody else. That would be completely unproductive."

McLaughlin said the move will give students access to world-class facilities and minimized duplication.

"It is about coming together to shape a new intellectual and academic vision," he said.

"I am terribly excited about that part of the story."

Lee Winchester, president of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said the new community college is the final piece of Fredericton's educational puzzle.

"A full scale community college is something that is important for our members," he said.

The business community is always concerned about having enough properly trained and educated employees, said Winchester.

----

Unemployment rate holding steady in N.B.
Published Saturday June 6th, 2009
A5
By NICK MOORE
Canadaeast News Service

New Brunswick's unemployment rate was 8.8 per cent last month, the same as April, but up 0.1 per cent year-to-year, according to monthly job figures released Friday by Statistics Canada.

The province's labour force stood at 400,600 in May, up by 2,800 compared to May 2008.

In a news release, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said the province recorded the nation's smallest year-to-year increase in unemployment rates last month.

"These recent statistics show that New Brunswick's employment rate is remaining stable even in these tough economic times," he said. "They indicate that capital investments, combined with our recent budget and federal initiatives, are helping to minimize the impacts on our provincial economy."

The strongest industrial growth was found in agriculture, education services and construction. Significant employment losses were recorded in the province's accommodation and food services sectors, as well as in the trade sector and in the information, culture and recreation sector.

While most areas of the province saw an increase in job growth, job losses were recorded in the northeast and central portions of the province.

Canada's unemployment rate rose to 8.4 per cent in May. A total of 41,800 Canadians became unemployed last month, pushing the number of Canadians who've lost their jobs since the recession began in October to 363,000.

With files from The Canadian Press

----

UNB, STU get $21M for facilities 'falling apart'
Published Saturday June 6th, 2009
A3
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's two universities are getting $21 million to upgrade their facilities.

The University of New Brunswick is getting $18 million - $8 million from the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program and $10 million from the provincial government.

St. Thomas University is getting $3 million - $1.5 million from each level of government.

"These investments provide significant short-term economic stimulus in Fredericton," said Keith Ashfield, Conservative MP for Fredericton and federal minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

"These investments will create jobs for people now while providing the infrastructure that universities and colleges need for years to come."

The announcement was made at UNB.

In total, the province is getting $49 million for infrastructure improvements at 17 universities and colleges from the two-year, $2-billion federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

Of that, $37 million is for universities and $12 million is for community colleges.

"Both universities are renowned for their quality of high education they offer and together they are a vital part of the post-secondary education system in our capital, our province and our region," said Premier Shawn Graham.

"This funding will ensure that they are going to stay and continue to play a very important role."

In the last capital budget, he said, the provincial government allocated $100 million to expand community colleges and $80 million for universities to tackle their deferred maintenance problems.

The investments will strengthen UNB and STU and enable them to continue providing students with the first-rate education they will need to be competitive in today's workforce, he said.

"When we first heard about the new federal program, we got very excited," said UNB president John McLaughlin.

UNB will use the money to pay for a human performance analysis lab in the Richard J. Currie Center, which is under construction.

McLaughlin said the centre will be the university's signature building in the next generation.

"It will probably be the defining building, incidentally, in the province in terms of what our hopes and aspirations for people are," he said.

It will be a research facility for health and wellness with world-class biomedical engineering facilities, he said.

McLaughlin said UNB is the fastest-growing research centre in Canada and research is vital to the future of universities and the country.

Ryan Brideau, vice-president external for the UNB Student Union, said the investment will lead to a university all students can be proud of and enhance its reputation.

"There is such a large amount of deferred maintenance," the fourth-year student said.

"You go to classrooms and they are falling apart. Most of the undergraduate labs ... are falling apart."

STU will use its money to refurbish Edmund Casey Hall and George Martin Hall, and upgrade information technology, stated a federal news release.

----

City ready for affordable housing projects
Published Thursday June 4th, 2009
D1
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

The announcement of $99 million in affordable housing funding in New Brunswick will convince private developers to include affordable units in their projects, says Mike O'Brien, chairman of the city's affordable housing committee.

O'Brien made the comments after a joint federal-provincial initiative was announced by Premier Shawn Graham last week.

The funding will be available to those looking to renovate existing affordable housing developments or looking to build new ones.

O'Brien said it will help convince private developers to experiment with some level of affordable housing in their projects - something the city has been advocating for several years.

"The non-profits, by their very nature, have trouble raising funds and they are basically dependent on the goodwill of the community or government funding, whereas the private developers also have access to that funding, but have some of their own funds to put towards it as well," he said.

"I am hoping that the security of this funding will give people who have already bought into it a morale boost, but more importantly provide the carrot on the stick for those private developers that are on the fence and thinking they would like to get into this."

O'Brien said the announcement, which marked the renewal of a previous deal that had been in place since 2003, would likely provide the green light for projects planned by private developers.

He said he knew of several projects, which he wouldn't identify, that could be announced in the next two to three months.

"I know there are several projects in the conceptual stage, and what I am excited to say is there are some projects by some private developers and this should allow them to formalize their plans and bring them forward for zoning or building permit approval," he said.

Jennifer Sloat, executive director of Fredericton Non-Profit Housing Corp., said private developers building affordable housing would be positive for the city.

"This is great and you have a lot of really good, qualified groups in the province that will certainly step up and take advantage, and with the economic climate in this province, the demand keeps increasing all the time."

An estimated 300 families are on the waiting list for affordable housing in Fredericton.

cl812

Jun 8, 2009, 11:40 AM

City backs local applications for federal construction funding
Published Monday June 8th, 2009
Building Canada Fund | Tennis group, art gallery among those seeking infrastructure support
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

City councillors have endorsed two more construction projects which are seeking funding from the federal government's Building Canada Fund.

Coun. Tony Whalen said the federal infrastructure program requires third-party applications to have the support of their municipal governments.

The Capital Region Tennis Association made a pitch to council to back its application for $730,000 in funding to apply to its proposed $1.6-million indoor tennis facility.

The association is fundraising to construct the facility adjacent to the proposed Grant * Harvey sports complex and ice arena, which is in the design stage.

Council has also endorsed an application from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, which is seeking federal infrastructure funding for its Queen Street facility.

The city previously endorsed applications to Ottawa by the YMCA in Fredericton and the Knowledge Park, which is constructing office buildings to support the growth of the information-technology sector in Fredericton.

----

Green community plan in works
Published Monday June 8th, 2009
Sharing | Landowner wants to have public's input into project in Island View
A2
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

An Island View property owner wants to bring a Department of Environment concept plan for sustainable community development to life on a 144-hectare (360-acre) piece of property just outside Fredericton.

"We're partnered with the province to create a showcase of this new sustainable community design," said Alex Good, project proponent.

The government's head planner has created a new way of designing neighbourhoods to preserve green space and use fewer impermeable surfaces on roads and roofs to allow soil to naturally absorb water.

The plan will cluster well and septic systems together and feature passive solar and geothermal heat pumps.

Good, who's developing what has been family owned land for the past 80 years, said about 80 hectares or 200 acres of the land will be reserved as a wildlife conservation area, protecting eagle nests and native butternut trees.

Good is inviting area residents to attend one of two public town hall meetings to provide comments and input into the design process.

One meeting will be held June 15 from 6:30 p.m. -9 p.m. at Aggies Restaurant, 3696 Route 102 at Island View.

For anyone who can't attend the first session, a second meeting will be held June 16 at the same location from 6:30 p.m. -9 p.m.

"I want the community to come out and hear about the plan and hopefully to offer some feedback about how we can do it in a way that's going to be beneficial to everyone," Good said.

Island View doesn't have many amenities, and Good said he wants to know if people would welcome a grocery store within the scope of the development.

"We're going to put in a shared agricultural area for organic gardening. The new design I think is far superior to the one-acre lot rule, assuming that everyone has their own well and septic system.

"Of course, that's important so that we don't contaminate each other's water, but we're going to be clustering together and a housing association will own and maintain those to conserve the green space occupied by the septic systems."

Good foresees home ownership with the addition of housing association fees to look after services held in common for all the homeowners.

While the last six months has been spent taking inventory of different plant and tree species for the conservation area, Good said, the next stage is to come up with a concept plan for the housing by September.

"We want to get people in the community (to be) a part of that design process, so that they can have some ownership in it and feel empowered in the process.''

Some neighbours are concerned about loss of privacy and tree cover.

"I totally understand that, which is why I want them to be involved in the process so that we can design it in a way that's not going to affect their view," he said.

Good will have to meet with the Rural and District Planning Commission with his proposal later this fall when a site plan is honed.

The land is within the Kingsclear local service district.

Good, a trained opera singer, came home to provide family support when illness beset his family.

"I'm learning as fast as I can about this, but I have no background in this whatsoever," Good said.

Despite that, he's seeking experts who can help him.

Good said he's working with seven research students at the University of New Brunswick to develop wastewater and storm-water management plans.

The province's Environment Department has been working with him on the project as well.

mylesmalley

Jun 8, 2009, 3:17 PM

How exactly is throwing another $9 million at the Currie Centre supposed to address the deferred maintenance issue? That said, it's nice to see extra money coming to campus.

I'm anxious to see what gets proposed for the new NBCC facility. It'll definitely be beneficial to share services (libraries, student union building etc.) so long as they contribute to maintaining the campus and services that everyone benefits from. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of the new gym at STU which is only useable by their students, while STU students have full access to all of UNB's facilities.

The bottom of the hill has always been the focus of campus, but it seems more and more that the St. Thomas end is quickly becoming the new focal point.

Does anyone know how far back UNB owns behind the residences on MacKay drive? Perhaps the wooded area between there and the highway might make a suitable location. It would certainly make a pedestrian crossing to Skyline Acres more feasible if that area became a destination, rather than just a transit point.

cl812

Jun 12, 2009, 12:52 PM

Sobeys ready to build office building
Published Friday June 12th, 2009
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A professional office building promised by Sobeys Atlantic is going to become to reality this year.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=310445&size=500x0
Coming soon: This is an artist’s concept plan for the Sobeys office building to be built on Regent Street. The grocery chain says construction will begin this month and is expected to be finished in August.

Jill Thomas Myrick, director of communications and corporate affairs for the grocery chain, said construction will begin later this month and is expected to be completed by the end of August.

Sobeys made a commitment to build a street-facing office building in September 2002 when it received approval for its Regent Street grocery store.

The pledge was made as part of a design concept for the grocery store that would try to ensure that the streetscape - the faces of building along the street frontage - was protected.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside reminded Sobeys of its commitment by letter in 2005 when the promised building project lingered. Sobeys reaffirmed its pledge to the city, but it took a set of negotiations this spring to finally cement a deal.

In March, Thomas Myrick said negotiations with potential tenants were ongoing.

Sobeys will build a 612-square-metre (6,800-square-foot) office building as promised in its development agreement. The building design will be similar to the Sobeys grocery store on its property at the bottom of the hill on Regent Street.

"The professional office building will include three medical clinics and we have confirmed occupancy," Thomas Myrick said.

"Details about services to be provided will be announced at the discretion of tenants."

"I'm very pleased that Sobeys is coming through with what they said they would do. I think it's going to be great for the property and for the community," said Woodside.

It's been a long time coming, but Woodside said there have been some economic reasons for the delays and he's happy the project is getting off the ground.

----

Congregation to get sneak peek at addition
Published Friday June 12th, 2009
A3
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Members of Brunswick Street Baptist Church are preparing to take a first look at the newest addition to their church.

The scaffolding is still up and the walls are still bare, but the signs of progress are everywhere as the three-storey building takes shape. The $4-million addition will give more space to the church's Christian education programs, Sunday school, nursery, library, Bible-study space, youth drop-in centre and community outreach services.

"There's lots of excitement in the church; this has been years in the making," said Paul Greene, a spokesman for the church and its about 1,000 members.

Members of the congregation get a sneak peek at the new section this weekend.

The project is the first of a two-phase expansion at the church.

The project came under public scrutiny last year when the church planned to demolish landmark York House to make way for the expansion. In the end, a city-brokered deal saw the church acquire neighbouring residential properties and the Knights of Columbus hall. The city bought York House and is renovating it for office space.

Three homes were torn down for the first phase. The Knights of Columbus hall and a non-historic section of the church will be torn down to make way for the second phase - an annex to house a multipurpose family room and a contemporary worship space.

Greene said a consultant told the church that the most viable option would have been to abandon the downtown and move to the city's outskirts.

The consultant told them the downtown location and lack of parking should be playing against them.

"But we've seen phenomenal growth," he said.

"It's not just for an hour and a half on Sunday mornings; it's during the entire week," Greene said, adding the church runs courses and meetings through most of the day and evening.

They opted to stay downtown because of the church's history there and to better serve the community.

----

Legion needs home; station needs TLC
Published Thursday June 11th, 2009
A1
By SHAWN BERRY and HEATHER McLAUGHLIN
news@dailygleaner.com

For many Second World War soldiers, the York Street train station was their last glimpse of home before they headed overseas.

Now, Branch 4 of the Royal Canadian Legion hopes the derelict train station can be given a new lease on life as the local legion's headquarters.

Legion president Jean-Guy Perreault said the branch has had preliminary discussions with J.D. Irving Ltd. about acquiring the train station.

He said they're far from formal negotiations, but the idea is capturing people's attention.

"A lot of our vets boarded there to go to war," he said Wednesday. "They have very strong memories of the station.

"We've talked to a lot of veterans, and a lot of them would like to take the front of it, finish it, put an old train there with 25 feet of rail, and at the back of it we would put the legion. That's our plan right now, and I think we could have quite a good thing."

Perreault said the idea is still in its early stages and there's been no decision as to what the legion might do, or how a deal might be worked out. That will be up to the legion's membership.

Perreault plans to meet with Mayor Brad Woodside on Tuesday to discuss the station's future.

On Tuesday, a frustrated Woodside said if a deal isn't worked out soon, he's ready to press Ottawa to grant approval for the station's demolition.

Under the Heritage Railways Stations Protection Act, the owner of the historic train station isn't obliged to fix it up, but must get a ministerial order from the federal Environment Department to alter the structure or demolish it.

J.D. Irving, which owns the train station and a chunk of the former railway lands surrounding it, has said it would try to salvage the heritage property, but it would need to redevelop it in the context of a larger business venture.

The last cost estimate on repairing the building was up to $2 million.

Several years ago, the possibility of a major call centre tenant had the company contemplating the construction of an office building that would generate the income to include the train station as a component of the development project.

The legion hopes J.D. Irving might part with the building for the symbolic sum of $1 because it made a similar offer to a local non-profit group.

"I think if they would sell it for $1 and we'd go from there," Perreault said.

The owner continue to pursue opportunities.

"We have offered the train station property to a non-profit organization in the past and that option remains a possibility. But we have always maintained that the site needs a commercial development to complete the estimated $2 million restoration costs," said J.D. Irving spokesman Geoff Britt.

The legion is located at the intersection of Queen and Westmorland streets.

Past president Ardith Armstrong said the legion executive began scouting new locations after the 2008 flood.

"We're in a 50-year-old building and its getting pricey to maintain," she said.

The train station caught the legion's attention, though.

"That is a heritage site. The fact that our troops left for service from there would tie in very nicely."

The Daily Gleaner first reported in March that NB Liquor is negotiating for the site.

A spokeswoman for the Crown corporation confirmed this week that it's discussing lease options with J.D. Irving.

The Daily Gleaner has learned that the legion and NB Liquor aren't the only ones in talks with the owners. An individual with knowledge of NB Liquor's negotiations said a third group has also expressed interest in the site.

Woodside said he's received support for his comments calling for either renovation or demolition.

"I think a lot of people are getting tired of the situation."

He said any group that wants to get involved should be ready for the financial burden of refurbishment.

"I hope they have some deep pockets, there's a good chunk of change involved."

----

Airport wants to expand defence sector
Published Friday June 12th, 2009
Trade show | Tenants sought for aerospace defence park
D1
By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

A hub for aerospace defence companies could soon be coming to the Fredericton International Airport.

David Innes, CEO of the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority, will be attending the Paris Air Show this weekend for a trade mission sponsored by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Innes said he hopes to meet with as many as 30-40 major aerospace defence companies in Paris, with the objective of convincing them to operate all or part of their business on a new development planned for the 400 hectares of undeveloped land surrounding the airport.

Innes said the airport has already done preliminary design work on a 40-lot facility intended for use by aerospace defence companies. He said construction could begin with one major company expressing interest.

"Our aerospace defence park is shovel-ready. We have environmental approvals, we have gone through the preliminary design phase and we are just looking for that first tenant and the justification to develop it," he said.

"(At) a world show like this you meet everybody in the industry and it is a great opportunity to see who is around (and) perhaps find out what opportunities will be open to us."

Innes said the airport has long been interested in renting part of its undeveloped land to companies in aerospace defence.

He said the nature of work done on the land could range from rebuilding military aircraft engines to maintaining military aircraft or even training military personnel in aircraft maintenance.

"It really depends on the client. It could be small or it could be large," he said. "We kind of believe in an incremental approach, but depending on who signs up it could be a few jobs or it could be a whole new enterprise coming in with literally hundreds of jobs."

Doug Motty, executive director of Enterprise Fredericton, said he has partnered with Innes and the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority to attract aerospace defence companies. He's also a part of the trade mission.

"A lot of these kinds of clients are huge and we wouldn't be able to satisfy all of their needs, but the spinoff would be significant," he said.

"It's really one small piece at a time, though. It is not going to be 1,000 jobs right away or a million square feet of hangar space; it is going to be one step at a time."

This will be the second time Innes and Motty have attended the Paris Air Show, with their first trip coming in 2007.

Innes said he has high hopes for the trip, adding the airport's proximity to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown should make it attractive to many companies.

"We have a good story to tell and a good value proposition. Our advantage is that we sit next to (CFB) Gagetown, so we will be talking to companies that have an interest in (CFB) Gagetown as a customer."

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Housing starts in May down from 2008 tally
Published Wednesday June 10th, 2009
D1
By The Daily Gleaner

Housing starts in New Brunswick's three southern cities are lagging behind 2008 and the largest decline is in the new single-family-housing sector, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s latest figures.

Fredericton had 165 housing units started in May, down from 189 in May 2008.

Saint John had a total of 295 housing units built in May, down from 302 in May 2008.

Moncton had 246 housing starts of all types in May, down from 403 in May 2008.

"Total urban starts for the month of May were down from last year's monthly level due to an overall decrease in both single and multiple starts in provincial urban centres," said Claude Gautreau, senior market analyst for New Brunswick with the housing corporation.

Housing starts for single-family homes in the three provincial urban centres were down 38 per cent to 138 units in May.

Elsewhere in Canada, total housing starts in May dropped 46 per cent down to 10,368 from last year's total of 19,222.

Single-detached starts decreased 42 per cent to 4,939 units, while multiple-unit starts were down 49 per cent from 10,654 units last year to 5,429 units this year.

In the Atlantic region, 760 new units were started in May 2009 compared to 1,094 units during the same period in 2008.

cl812

Jun 15, 2009, 12:41 PM

Developer wants to build affordable housing
Published Monday June 15th, 2009
A3
By The Daily Gleaner

A public hearing of objections will be held June 22 to an application from Moncton-based Tannery Court Co-operative Ltd., on a rezoning application.

The company is asking Fredericton city council to change a R-2H residential holding zone to a high density R-9A zone to permit the construction of a 41-unit apartment building.

Two Brookside Drive residents have already voiced concern about the development, which will be developed in the middle of single-family and townhouse developments across the street from the upscale West Hills subdivision.

Tannery Court Co-operative Ltd. is proposing to build affordable housing units, each consisting of a one bath and kitchenette unit in a single room.

The company has already constructed a similar development on the lower end of Cliffe Street.

The city's planning advisory committee has reviewed the company's application for Brookside Drive and sent it forward to city council for consideration with a positive recommendation.

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Heritage legislation not protecting buildings
Published Monday June 15th, 2009
Historic | Gaps in act mean owners don't have to maintain train station
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The executive director of the Canadian Heritage Foundation says Fredericton's York Street train station experience highlights the gaps in Canadian law that should protect historic structures.

Natalie Bull said the point of the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act should be to save railway buildings designated under the law, not permit them to crumble away.

"The whole intent of the act was to keep buildings standing. From our perspective, what's really frustrating is that there's clearly a huge flaw in that legislation that by not requiring even minimal maintenance, you basically put a building on the list and then watch it fall apart," Bull said in an interview from Ottawa.

"If, in this country, we had a substantial tax incentive for rehabilitation like they do in the United States, a developer or the current owner would have been interested in doing something with this building a long time ago.''

The York Street train station is protected under the law, but its owners J.D. Irving Ltd. are under no legal obligation to maintain the structure.

The property owners have repeatedly said they're prepared to restore the building if they can find a commercial development on the surrounding downtown railway lands they own that would prime the financial pump to repair the building.

The structure has gone through engineering assessments and while its roof is collapsing, the brick work and foundation are sound. It could take as much as $2 million to fix the building.

NB Liquor Corp. and Branch 4 of the Royal Canadian Legion are communicating with the Irvings about possible uses for the building. There's also word of a possible third interest.

"Ultimately, the gap is money," Bull said.

Last year, new legislation was created to protect federally owned lighthouses in Canada, but included in that law is a provision requiring minimal maintenance, Bull said.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside has said the deterioration of the York Street train station is unacceptable and if the latest round of talks between private interests and J.D. Irving don't lead to a successful conclusion, it's time to get rid of what he calls an eyesore in the city's downtown and tear it down.

That gets into different jurisdictions federally.

The Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act is administered by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada under the auspices of Parks Canada.

The board, which is made up of federal government appointees from across the country, advises the department.

Julie Dompierre, executive secretary of the board, said any request for demolition would have to come directly from the property owner, not a third party such as a city government.

"It has to be the owner who files the request with the minister," Dompierre said.

"Parks Canada in consultation with our colleagues at Public Works and Government Services Canada would review the request and make a recommendation to the minister (of Environment) on whether that should happen or not.''

The federal environment minister is responsible for Parks Canada.

The environment minister would request an order-in-council of cabinet, which would have to be signed by the Governor General.

"I should point out that it's highly unlikely that we would recommend demolition because, of course, our mandate is to preserve and protect heritage buildings," Dompierre said.

Included in any demolition review process would be a 60-day public notification period and publication in public forums of the request entitling the public to comment.

After that, there's a six-month period for Parks Canada to collect information and prepare a report.

corda

Jun 15, 2009, 1:39 PM

Interesting sketch of the building in front of Sobeys. Looks like a mini-Sobeys. It took a while but at least the city gets an extra building on that lot then they would have if this wasn't negotiated.
Hopefully the York St. side of the old railway lands will have buildings with more height... speaking of... does anyone know if there were any plans the bottle exchange site when it was torn down or just done so in anticipation?
That area has a lot of potential with or without the old train station.

mylesmalley

Jun 15, 2009, 2:59 PM

I'm happy to see Fredericton council being proactive in dealing with big-box retailers and maintaining streetscapes. While there's nothing particularly special about the building being proposed, it'll do a lot to fill in the weird gap made by the Sobeys store along that stretch of Regent. I just wish that Moncton council had worked out a similar arrangement for their store(s) here.

kirjtc2

Jun 15, 2009, 5:18 PM

City council was basically forced into it. The original plan was for a much larger store (like the Superstore on Smythe), but the NIMBYs in the area knocked the size down and got a lot of concessions like the office building. I think (and I may be wrong) that the faux-brick look was one of the concessions they made, which was obviously a success since they're changing all their other stores over to it.

(As an aside: One of my favourite quotes back then was from some Sobeys suit that said something like "we think people want us to be downtown". This was only 3-4 years after they closed the store on Queen St.)

mylesmalley

Jun 15, 2009, 5:29 PM

Where were they located on Queen? Towards Smythe street?

kirjtc2

Jun 15, 2009, 9:43 PM

Lamespotting

Jun 17, 2009, 12:35 AM

I'm talking about the old Lofood/TRA that was between Westmorland and Northumberland. Sobeys owned the Lofood chain....if they could have renovated that into a Sobeys instead it would be a lot better. But no, they decided to build from the ground up on Regent instead, and to this day we have a giant red eyesore on the waterfront.

I was told that was a Sobeys. It looks bigger than the one on Regent, but the problem with it is that the city owns the parking lot so they would have to lease that from the city, increasing the cost. I have a feeling that the city is waiting for a really good proposal for that lot.

cl812

Jun 17, 2009, 12:59 AM

it was a Sobeys at one point I believe, but a quite a while ago.

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Local firm to boost workforce
Published Tuesday June 16th, 2009
PQA | Province to provide funding to company
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Professional Quality Assurance Ltd. will increase its workforce from 91 to nearly 400 over the next three years with financial assistance from the provincial government.

The cost of creating the 300 jobs will be announced by Premier Shawn Graham and other senior government officials at a media conference in Fredericton today.

"This is excellent news, not only for New Brunswick but certainly for the IT sector," said acting Business New Brunswick Minister Jack Keir on Monday.

"Like we normally do it (the funding) will be to provide assistance for help and training, equipment and expansion.''

Keir declined to say if the government's financial assistance will be in the form of a grant or a loan.

"Primarily it is in Fredericton and Moncton,'' he said about the job growth.

PQA, which was created in 1997, sells software, quality assurance and learning solutions to clients in North America and Europe.

The Fredericton-based company was among the business delegation that accompanied Graham to New York this spring for the Intelligent Communities Forum, in which Fredericton competed, and a provincial trade mission to western Canada last winter that encouraged New Brunswickers to come home to work.

PQA also funds three scholarships worth $3,000 each at the University of New Brunswick for computer science.

In a media release, company CEO Keith McIntosh said he appreciates the provincial government's confidence in his company as it grows.

McIntosh was recently named one of the Top 50 CEOs in the region by Atlantic Business Magazine.

The company also has satellite offices in Moncton and Dartmouth, N.S.

The support is part of the government's ongoing assistance program to help successful New Brunswick companies expand and maintain jobs.

----

kirjtc2

Jun 17, 2009, 4:12 AM

It definitely was a Sobeys in the 60s and 70s (I've seen pics)...not sure exactly when it became Lofood, but I think all they did was change the sign above the door. It sure hadn't seen any renovations in decades by the time it closed.

The Price Chopper on Main St is also an old Sobeys-turned-Lofood of about the same vintage. And if you want to go really far back, the Beaverbrook Centre (the Greco/Mail Boxes Etc building) was also a Sobeys once upon a time.

In any event, Sobeys still owns the Queen St building. And I have no idea why I know so much about old supermarkets in this city.

cl812

Jun 17, 2009, 12:23 PM

Dont forget the Pizza Delight/Worralls Furniture on the northside (also a Sobeys before it moved to the Brookside Mall) haha. I believe they still own that building as well along with the Fredericton Mall (or Uptown Centre or whatever its called now).

mylesmalley

Jun 18, 2009, 2:32 AM

I'm coming to town this weekend. If anyone's interested, we should do the supper and beer thing at the Lunar Rogue again.

cl812

Jun 19, 2009, 1:55 PM

Shared left-turn lane planned for north side
Published Friday June 19th, 2009
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

They're not passing lanes.

That's the first rule Fredericton drivers must memorize if they're going to get used to shared two-way left turning lanes.

The city's public works and engineering department is going to designate a shared left-turning lane as a pilot project this summer.

The street it has picked is Main Street between Sunset Drive and Terra Nova Court because left turns off that street can back up through traffic.

Furthermore, the street is being resurfaced and will be given a fresh coat of lane stripes when the work is done.

"It improves the efficiency and the capacity of the street," said city traffic engineer Darren Charters as he explained the concept to the city's transportation committee Thursday.

"It keeps cars flowing."

While new to the capital city, Oromocto's Restigouche Road has a centre lane for left turns. The concept is used in many larger centres as well.

The concept is simple: on a street that's three lanes wide, the centre is marked for a lane that is reserved for left-turning movements only.

For instance, cars driving east on a street could slide into the centre lane to make a left, as could cars driving west on a street.

By shifting the turn movements to a dedicated turning lane, through traffic isn't held up.

A driver signals and slides over to the centre turn lane almost directly opposite the point where he or she wants to execute the left turn.

Charters said the centre turning lane cuts down on rear-end collisions and improves traffic flow.

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Bus company can keep downtown home, but does it want to?
Published Friday June 19th, 2009
Change of plans | Acadian ponders location options
A1
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

Owners of the downtown bus station are slamming the brakes on their decision to tell Acadian Coach Lines to hit the road.

Commercial Properties Ltd. of Saint John has told the bus line that it doesn't have to find a new home and can stay at its current downtown location.

"The owner is basically backtracking on the decision," Manon Piche, vice-president of marketing, sales and strategic development for Acadian's parent company, Group Orleans Express, said Thursday from Montreal.

Acadian continues to mull its options though.

Piche said Acadian is talking with Commercial Properties, which is operated by John Irving and isn't owned by J.D. Irving Ltd., the company that sold the bus service in the Maritimes to Orleans Express.

But Piche, whose company is looking at moving its service to a commercial building at the intersection of Woodside and Serenity lanes off Hanwell Road, said Acadian isn't committed to any option right now.

"Nothing is fixed in stone," she said.

Piche said her company has come back with its own demands for the aging property it occupies at 101 Regent St.

"It doesn't meet our needs. The terminus is very large and we don't need that much space," she said.

The company also wants the lease costs to meet its budget.

Piche said the Conservation Council of New Brunswick has contacted the company with concerns that a move to Hanwell Road area will impact people who walk to the bus station.

But she said that's not the reality.

"Most people are not walking to the bus station, you have to get that out of your head," she said.

People taking the bus are travelling from one city to another and they're going for several days or weeks and carrying the luggage with the necessities to last them that long.

"The people who come are dropped off by taxi, or by family or friends."

The company's move to the suburbs in Quebec City several years ago was met with raucous opposition, Piche said.

"In the end, that terminus now has more sales than the one downtown," she said.

Officials from Commercial Properties in Saint John couldn't be reached for comment.

cl812

Jun 20, 2009, 1:01 PM

AUC renovations progressing
Published Friday June 19th, 2009
B1
By BILL HUNT
hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

Renovations to the Aitken University Centre are approximately two weeks ahead of schedule, says building and events manager Kim Norris, meaning the project is on target for a scheduled Sept. 1 reopening.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=314548&size=500x0
No ice in sight: The floor of the Aitken University Centre has been removed so a new concrete floor with new piping can be installed. Here, a worker stands in the middle of the dirt floor. Renovations are on target for a Sept. 1 reopening.

"So far, so good," Norris said. "That's all I can say without jinxing the program."

Norris believes project engineers picked up time because "we didn't have to cut out the cement (floor). They peeled it back just like a lasagna, with a backhoe."

Simpson Building Contractors will begin pouring the first layer of cement around the perimeter of the ice surface as soon as today.

Meanwhile, workers will be using discs to smooth the sand on the arena floor and begin digging trenches for the installation of the network of two-inch pipe - approximately five miles of it, said arena foreman Ken Carr - which will carry warm brine.

Then the sand has to be levelled again.

It's just like gardening," Norris said. "The surface has to be perfectly smooth. There can't be any wrinkles."

Once the sand is levelled, it will be covered by a layer of vapour barrier, a layer of insulation and another sheet of vapour barrier, to be followed by the pouring of a thin layer of cement. Then comes installation of the network of approximately 10 miles of piping to carry the cold brine. After that comes the pouring of the concrete floor.

"Everything's going well," Carr said. "So far, it's ahead of schedule. But the plumbers, the electricians ... they don't have to start until a certain date. So if they're on another job..."

"With a little luck, we should stay on course," Norris said.

He pronounced both he and Carr "very happy" with the progress on the project. So is UNB hockey coach Gardiner MacDougall, who, of course, has an interest in getting his team and his national championship hockey program back into the building quickly. The team's state-of-the-art weight room has been temporarily transplanted to a dressing room on the north side of the arena.

"I think Gardiner is pretty pleased, because he sees the progress," Norris said.

Norris is not concerned with the status of roof renovations.

"They're taking it from the rock down to the actual steel top," he said. "They're replacing the insulation and so on. But I'm not too worried about that. They can go right to the winter. As long as the metal is on, I don't care. I think they'll be done within the time frame they've asked for, as long as it doesn't rain five days a week."

The building, which also houses the offices of UNB athletic director Kevin Dickie and support staff and the box office on the main floor and the offices of marketing and promotions manager Dave Morell and others on the lower level, has been closed "one or two days" due to vibration and noise in the building when compactors were in use.

In those scenarios, staff has worked from home.

Norris said he'd like to begin making ice in the new facility Sept. 1, but there's a five-day grace period built in to accommodate events around the beginning of the school year.

Carr also hopes to bring in technicians who will conduct a seminar on ice maintenance for the Aitken Centre staff.

"It doesn't hurt to refresh everyone's memory on refrigeration," Carr said. "There are going to be some changes on our floor and in our plant room, so that will bring us up to date."

The ice system being replaced now was the original plant, in place when the building opened in 1976.

----

Next move up to Acadian, says downtown landlord
Published Saturday June 20th, 2009
A6
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com
The ball is in Acadian Coach Lines' court, says a spokesman for the company that owns the bus terminal property in downtown Fredericton.

"We'll let them make their own decision," said Kevin Harris, properties manager for Saint John-based Commercial Properties Ltd.

The bus company has come under fire for a proposal to move its Fredericton terminal out of the downtown core and up to the corner of Woodside and Serenity lanes, off of Hanwell Road.

Acadian said it was pushed to look for another location after Commercial Properties told the firm it would have to leave its current location at 101 Regent St.

Manon Piche - an executive with Group Orleans Express, the company that owns Acadian - told The Daily Gleaner on Thursday the property owners have informed the bus company it no longer has to move its operations.

She said the company continues to explore the possibility of the move as it also tries to negotiate a better deal at the Regent Street location.

Harris said his company won't release details of what's going on.

"We don't want to negotiate in the media," he said.

The issue of relocating the bus station is bound to stir plenty of debate at Monday's city council meeting.

Councillors are to hear first and second readings Monday of an amendment to allow a bus service at 150 Woodside Lane. Third reading and a vote are to be held at a later date.

Freddypop

Jun 23, 2009, 6:12 PM

Was driving around downtown this AM and noticed that they are erecting the big crane at the Convention Centre site.

Also the foundation work on the professional building in front of Sobey's on Regent Street has begun

The foundation has been completed for the Southview Condominium project on the Northside. Expect to see a crane erected there soon

So there are now 3 large cranes hoisted above the city...Currie Centre, Convention Centre and the Shannex development with the 4th soon to be up at the Southview complex.

On another note...The Costco/Tim Horton's construction at the Corbett Centre will begin by mid-July according to reliable sources assoctiated with that project.

cl812

Jun 23, 2009, 6:49 PM

Thats gotta be a record for number of fixed cranes at any given time in the city. Also good to hear Costco will be starting soon.

Does anybody know how many floors the Shannex complex is supposed to be, I know they have reached the third floor and appear to be starting the fourth now.

magee_b

Jun 23, 2009, 7:57 PM

emergency response crews are at the convention centre site. Seems like someone is hurt up on top of the new crane. Using the Irving crane to hoist the stretcher up to the firemen at the top...

cl812

Jun 23, 2009, 10:53 PM

Yeah I saw the firetrucks and poilice cars there after work, and was wondering what was going on

Smevo

Jun 23, 2009, 11:31 PM

That's not good, hope it's not too serious. I just lost a friend to a construction accident not too long ago up here in Calgary.

cl812

Jun 24, 2009, 12:37 AM

I saw about the mishap on the CBC news, i guess a guy working at the top fell (120 ft up), luckly he was wearing fall protection, apparently the guy broke a couple ribs and now at the DECH.

xxFamilyGuyxx

Jun 24, 2009, 3:31 AM

I wonder if you could have seen him fall frmo the webcam lol. No just kiding.

How is the Currie centre coming along?

cl812

Jun 24, 2009, 11:45 AM

N.B. population rises for ninth straight quarter, minister says
Published Wednesday June 24th, 2009
A5
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

New Brunswick's population rose by more than 500 in the first quarter of this year.

That's the ninth quarter in a row that the province's population has increased, said Victor Boudreau, the minister responsible for the New Brunswick Population Growth Secretariat.

"This is very exciting for me to be able to report this news on my first full day as minister responsible for this important file," said Boudreau.

"Increasing our population by 100,000 is critical to our achieving self-sufficiency by 2026 and this shows that we are well on track."

The latest figures from Statistics Canada show New Brunswick led Atlantic Canada in population growth, with an increase of 547 residents from Jan. 1 to April 1.

New Brunswick's population is now 748,866.

Prince Edward Island had 236 new residents, while the populations of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland declined.

Boudreau said the increase is New Brunswick's second best quarter since 2002.

He said most of the province's new citizens came from Canada rather than outside the country.

"There is some immigration involved, but I don't have an exact breakdown," he said.

In the nine quarters before the Liberals came to power in 2006 New Brunswick had a net loss of 4,313 people, he said.

He said normally the first quarter is slow for population growth. The third quarter often has the best growth statistics, he said.

"As word spreads around the country about our plan to lower taxes and, particularly, the doubling of the tuition rebate for our youth, we hope that that will boost growth even further," said Boudreau.

"If this trend continues, we could be on course for record growth later this year."

Boudreau said he doesn't expect the population increase from repatriation to reverse if the economy in the rest of Canada picks up.

"Hopefully the economy is going to be growing in New Brunswick and we will have plenty of jobs to keep these people," he said.

Since September 2006, New Brunswick's population has grown by 4,036.

The Liberal election platform calls for population growth of 5,000 a year by 2015.

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Northsiders oppose affordable-housing project
Published Wednesday June 24th, 2009
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Brookside Drive residents say they don't want a four-storey affordable-housing development on their street because the building will be out of place in an area of single-family homes and townhouses.

Eleanor Sherwood presented city council with a petition signed by residents of Brookside Drive and nearby Terrance Street who are opposed to rezoning property at 543 Brookside Dr. from a single-family residential zone to a zone that would permit a 41-unit, four-storey building.

The city's planning advisory committee has recommended the development be approved. City councillors gave first and second reading to a zoning amendment at a meeting Monday.

Third and final reading will come up at a councillors' meeting in July.

Sherwood told city councillors recently that the size and scale of the building don't fit the neighbourhood.

"It's going to look hideous," she said. "There's a place for everything. Put it in a place where it should belong, where it fits. This does not fit here."

There's insufficient parking for a 41-unit building and the rezoning is occurring in an area that for nearly 50 years has been zoned for single family residential, Stewart told city councillors.

Richard Sullivan said residents need more information about the project in order to be comfortable with the proposal and to be better informed before a decision is made.

Tannery Court Co-operative Ltd. runs a similar affordable-housing development on Cliffe Street. A spokesperson for the Moncton-based developer said 18 parking spaces is ample for the building.

Amanda Dupuis said there's a piece of property nearby that's zoned for a three-storey building.

She said the development will have a live-in superintendent and a property manager.