[cl812]

I am inclined to agree. In the article it said, that if all goes well, they should be in full construction by late July.

NB liquor said they are planning on negotiating out of the lease with the Super Store. I wonder what will happen with that space? If they manage to negotiate out of the lease I wonder how much impact it will have on the Super Store being that a number of people prefer the 'one stop shopping' experience.:)

I was surprised that they were actuallly closing that store. In my opinion it is a mistake to close it. Like you say people like having the one stop shopping, plus they will likely have to pay a large penalty for breaking the lease. Im pretty sure that they still have atleast a couple years left in their agreement. It probably wont help the superstore since sobeys in the Fredericton mall has the much larger liquor store attached to it.

[Steeple Shanks]

I was surprised that they were actuallly closing that store. In my opinion it is a mistake to close it. Like you say people like having the one stop shopping, plus they will likely have to pay a large penalty for breaking the lease. Im pretty sure that they still have atleast a couple years left in their agreement. It probably wont help the superstore since sobeys in the Fredericton mall has the much larger liquor store attached to it.

I agree, the convenience of 'one stop shopping', especially in the wintertime, may have some people thinking about where they might shop.

[OliverD]

NB liquor said they are planning on negotiating out of the lease with the Super Store. I wonder what will happen with that space? If they manage to negotiate out of the lease I wonder how much impact it will have on the Super Store being that a number of people prefer the 'one stop shopping' experience.:)

I really don't think it will have that much of an impact. People tend to be pretty brand loyal when it comes to grocery stores.

That said, the liquor store at the Superstore is very convenient, but it's always so busy and they don't have a great selection of products.

[kirjtc2]

I don't get it either. I'm pretty sure there are cases in Halifax where there's a Sobeys across the street from a Superstore and they both have NSLC stores attached.

NB Liquor still hasn't mastered this whole "convenience" thing.

[cl812]

Was in by the Costco site at lunch, there is some equipment parked there now. Must be starting very soon since the building permits are all issued.

[Freddypop]

Was in by the Costco site at lunch, there is some equipment parked there now. Must be starting very soon since the building permits are all issued.

I didn't notice the equipment but did see several vehicles and personnel at the construction trailer.

[cl812]

I didn't notice the equipment but did see several vehicles and personnel at the construction trailer.

I guess it was probably a bit after lunch, more like shortly after 2 (took a late lunch today). Noticed on the way home after work it looks like they had been bringing more equipment to the site this afternoon. There were 2 bulldozers there and one large excavator.

[Freddypop]

I guess it was probably a bit after lunch, more like shortly after 2 (took a late lunch today). Noticed on the way home after work it looks like they had been bringing more equipment to the site this afternoon. There were 2 bulldozers there and one large excavator.

Yeh....It was about noon hour when I was by there. Approx 8 or so guys outside the construction trailer. Likely waiting for some of the equipment to arrive

[cl812]

noticed this morning that work has started at the Costco site, quite a bit of activity going on there this morning.

----

Lots of projects planned for airport
Published Tuesday June 22nd, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

A second storey for the Fredericton International Airport terminal, a rehabilitated runway and new flights to Ontario, New England and the Caribbean are all projects taxiing across David Innes' desk.

"With the increase in traffic that we've had we've got to really do something to expand the size of our terminal," said Innes, president and CEO of the Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc., on Monday.

"We've got to go up and out I think. We have to put a second floor on the terminal area and build it out onto the airfield a little bit."

The airport has applied to the federal Atlantic Gateway program for $30 million which includes $20 million for the terminal expansion.

"We have had a 30 per cent increase in passenger traffic between 2003 and 2009," said Innes.

"This summer we have 92 outbound flights per week and we have 3,650 outbound seats per day. Everything we have ever done in terms of building facilities was to give us capability to do more work."

The airport did a terminal renovation a few years ago but didn't increase the footprint of the building.

"What we extended was the departure lounge," said Innes. "We still have the same number of square feet that we had in 2001.

"Quite frankly we think the traffic can grow here pretty substantially over the next few years."

Innes knows that people love to watch airplanes take off and land and right now that is hard to do at the Fredericton airport.

Currently, there is only one small window facing the runway by the passenger arrival door.

It opens itself up to that kind of (viewing area) possibility," he said, about the proposed expansion.

"We are really tight for space right now as anybody knows."

The other $10 million in the Gateway application would go to rebuild the airport's older runway 15/33 which still has the original wiring and drainage dating back 50 years.

The runway is 1,800 metres or 6,000 feet long.

"It is like building a highway, a long, straight and very wide one," said Innes. "We really have to tear it apart and put it back together again."

He said the airport application is the only Gateway project from the Fredericton area.

"It has been endorsed by the New Brunswick Gateway Council," said Innes. "We would hope when the Gateway projects spool up again that the Fredericton Airport terminal would be part of that funding package."

He said the timing for a big airport project is perfect as the North American economy emerges from the deep recession of the last couple of years.

"Our traffic last month (in May) was nine per cent more than it was in the same month last year," said Innes. "Our traffic is 1.5 per cent over last year cumulative. We are starting to see a rebound."

He said he recently attended a major conference for airlines and airports in San Diego, California and the level of optimism across North America is very good.

"The level of optimism is there like it hasn't been in the past," said Innes. "It is better than it has ever been since I have been in the airport business and that is 2001."

Last week the airport announced a new daily Air Canada Jazz flight to Toronto. Innes said the airport is actively looking for new flights and new airlines.

"We are talking to all (three) Canadian carriers," he said.

Air Canada has a new team in Montreal that is looking in a new direction which would be better for Fredericton, said Innes.

"They are being aggressive in the marketplace and that is a good thing," he said.

Innes said there is also a new executive team at Westjet and Porter Airlines is also looking at expanding.

"Eastern Canada has become a place of interest for all Canadian carriers," he said. "We are talking to U.S. carriers as well."

The airport's wish list includes a business class flight to Ontario, service east to St. John's, Newfoundland and the return of a flight to New England.

Innes said he expects one of those to happen in the next year. "We are working on all of the possibilities and I would hope at least one of them would come to pass," he said.

He declined to hint which one, saying any announcement would come from the airline rather than the airport.

Caribbean winter charter flights from Fredericton have been one of the airports success stories in recent years.

"This year we had three: two to Cuba and one to the Dominican Republic," said Innes.

"We look to increase that by one more next year."

The new destination in the Caribbean is up to the airlines and charter operators, said Innes.

"They are the leaders on that issue," he said. "We just provide them a pretty good market place."

----

Motty: Work on aerospace park is expected to start this year
Published Tuesday June 22nd, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Work is expected to start on the new 500-acre aerospace park at the Fredericton International Airport as soon as this year, says Enterprise Fredericton CEO Doug Motty.

"I would think probably we should see some significant activity there within the next six to eight months for sure," he said Monday.

"We do have a couple of potential tenants for the park now which is what we didn't have a year or so ago. They are very patient. They are just waiting for us to start construction."

The names of those companies are still confidential but they have committed to the park both on the air service side as well as the road side, said Motty.

There has been talk about an aerospace park at the Fredericton International Airport for at least five years.

The planned site for the aerospace park is at the end of the main runway on the CFB Gagetown side of the airport.

"We are sort of at the point now of just trying to put together the funding model which will allow us to build the infrastructure," said Motty.

That includes roads, access ramps to the runways and water and sewer lines, he said.

The projected cost is several million dollars and the park is expecting that money to come from various government programs, said Motty.

"We've put the tenants before the infrastructure," he said. "Some groups have done it the other way around."

He said the park can't tell someone that space will be available in two or three months. "That is just not realistic right now," he said.

The aerospace park is a partnership between Enterprise Fredericton and Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc. and authority president and CEO David Innes said Monday the aerospace park is definitely not on the back burner.

"We think the opportunities are even more than they were here a year ago," he said. "We are looking forward to the development of it."

Innes said the airport authority formed a company with Enterprise Fredericton called ADP Park Inc. and has a board of directors that held their first meeting in May.

"It is going slower than we would like but it is going in the right direction," he said.

"Developing an industrial park is a little bit beyond our means so we have to work fairly carefully with our federal and provincial partners and see if we can get that going."

----

[Taeolas]

As I mentioned in a comment to the Gleaner article, it sounds like they may be considering a Jetway or two for YFC. That would certainly help lure more in I think.

And even without one, having a viewing gallery that you can watch traffic from would be a great addition. The current small window is horrible for plane watching from.

[Pugsley]

I am back...I have to be back whenever I read one of these airport comments...they get me going like a yak in heat...

So, I read this article and either the journalist did a poor job or the people at the airport are idiots. Not sure which but I think from previous posts I am going to go with the later.

"We've got to go up and out I think" was the first quote that shocked me...I understand the putting a second floor on an airport part but the "I think" troubles me as an answer. Are you sure? Have you folks thought this out? What are you doing it for? I then read that it is so people can look out the window. Are you kidding me? $30 million so people can look out the window? Maybe you should be a bit more specific here like..."we are adding a bridge for larger planes, a secure waiting area with a brighter feel, and enhanced food and beverage space"...that I can go for. A place to look out the window? This isn't a nursing home and stop wasting my taxes on gateway projects that don't drive growth! Oh but wait, "It has been endorsed by the New Brunswick Gateway Council", so that MUST mean it is a good thing...right???

Speaking of growth...I would expect nothing less than 30% growth between 2003 and 2009 - you have a new flight school and we were at war (still are). The number of scheduled commercial flights are back to where they were at that time if you add Ottawa and take out London and Boston. So, unless you started a war and the flight school personally Innis, please sit down..

They also say they are in talks (like they do every article) with many airline opportunities...yet none seem to be there. Quote: "Innes said there is also a new executive team at Westjet and Porter Airlines is also looking at expanding." That doesn't convince me that you have these people ready for your expanded terminal and they are ready to join your big plan for the future of this airport and its expanded $30 million plane viewing window. It sounds like fluff and it may work for the yocals but not me.

Sorry folks for the rant, but getting really tired of this BS from the old government desk watchers who have nothing better to do but spend money without really doing much planning and calling their "good intentions" the same thing as "mission accomplished" ... demand more!

[mylesmalley]

Amen to that, Pugsley.

Good intentions are fine, but don't spend millions on a plan unless you've got something concrete behind it. What concerns me is that they were only able to keep the flight to Boston because of a government subsidy. Is that the plan for the future? Seems rather ridiculous when you think about it. Justify an airport expansion because of the flights you're subsidizing to fly there.

[Freddypop]

Work on the Costco has begun. Full crew and equipment on site this afternoon

[corda]

Amen to that, Pugsley.

Good intentions are fine, but don't spend millions on a plan unless you've got something concrete behind it. What concerns me is that they were only able to keep the flight to Boston because of a government subsidy. Is that the plan for the future? Seems rather ridiculous when you think about it. Justify an airport expansion because of the flights you're subsidizing to fly there.

Not only was Delta brought in on government subsidies but from private companies in the area that contributed to the "travel bank". Too much fine print and a limiting expiration date cost several businesses a lot of money.
I hope this will never be a way to convince people the airport needs direct or more frequent flights again.

[cl812]

Not only was Delta brought in on government subsidies but from private companies in the area that contributed to the "travel bank". Too much fine print and a limiting expiration date cost several businesses a lot of money.
I hope this will never be a way to convince people the airport needs direct or more frequent flights again.

Yeah, I think that there could be demand, but the prices would need to be more reasonable just to keep people from driving 2.5 hrs to Bangor. I thought the Delta flights were quite pricey (I could be wrong on that though). I highly doubt that Fredericton could complete with Bangor on price, but if it were somewhat reasonable I would think that most people would fly here for convenience, especially business travel.

[Taeolas]

Granted I haven't been out there often, but it seems to me from the times I was out there, that YFC is getting near to that tipping point where they do need to expand the terminal (again). The current traffic may not quite warrant it, but they seem to be near that place where if they don't expand, they won't have the facilities and space needed to lure in more groups to expand the traffic to make the expansion worth it. That said, the interview in the Gleaner was awkward and could have been explained better.

IIRC in the Moncton or Saint John thread, someone linked to a Porter Airlines story that said they were looking at YFC as another destination at some point too.

[Freddypop]

I have it from an extremely reliable source that Porter Airlines to Freddy is a "done deal". Expect flights to Toronto to "take-off" Spring 2011.

[Pugsley]

I have it from an extremely reliable source that Porter Airlines to Freddy is a "done deal". Expect flights to Toronto to "take-off" Spring 2011.

Really? That is not what I heard from my Porter sources here in Toronto...I think it became a rumour when it was part of the text in their IPO, which the since chelved. If they do go, great...but I still think they should come up with a better plan to develop the airport than adding a viewing area to attract the likes of Porter.

I will have a vision entry for the airport later under the "Fredericton Project" Thread I started in a few weeks. Be gentle when I reveal it! LOL :)

[Freddypop]

Really? That is not what I heard from my Porter sources here in Toronto...I think it became a rumour when it was part of the text in their IPO, which the since chelved. If they do go, great...but I still think they should come up with a better plan to develop the airport than adding a viewing area to attract the likes of Porter.

I will have a vision entry for the airport later under the "Fredericton Project" Thread I started in a few weeks. Be gentle when I reveal it! LOL :)

I consider my source "solid" on this one. Have faith...

[cl812]

I think their expansion plans may be a bit ambitious here, considering it has taken several years just to have enough tenants for three buildings, another 14 in a similar time frame seems unlikely
--

Enterprise Fredericton helping businesses succeed, encouraging entrepreneurs
Published Wednesday June 23rd, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Enterprise Fredericton is about to open a nursery for new businesses in the capital's Knowledge Park.

It is actually called the business accelerator centre and it will let rookie entrepreneurs concentrate on their ideas and not worry about basic office operations.

"The centre will have eight offices and a small board room," said Enterprise Fredericton CEO Doug Motty Tuesday.

The first tenant is expected to move into the centre in a couple of weeks and the official opening is planned for the middle of July, he said.

Motty said there has been a lot of interest in the centre and it will expand based on demand.

The business accelerator centre is just one of the projects Enterprise Fredericton is working on.

On Tuesday the organization held its regular community advisory forum to explain those projects to the public.

"We usually do it four times a year so that way we can keep the community up to date with what is going on," said Kevin Kilbride, chair of Enterprise Fredericton.

He said the general community probably doesn't know all the services available through Enterprise Fredericton.

"We are kind of dominated here by the government and the university so business does its own thing under the radar," he said.

Kilbride said the goal of Enterprise Fredericton is to help business succeed, encourage new entrepreneurs, bring in immigrant entrepreneurs and grow the economy.

"Activity breeds activity," he said.

Kilbride said the attitude of the business community right now is positive. But there is a large demand for quality employees that is concerning many businesses, he said.

"Business can't grow without them," said Kilbride.

Motty also gave an update on the Fredericton Knowledge Park off Regent Street and its potential for future growth.

He said the park currently has three buildings and a new client is talking about leasing 30,000 square feet ,which would require a fourth building.

"We have plans to have a total of 17 buildings "¦ over the next 10 to 15 years," he said.

Enterprise Fredericton commissioned an economic impact of the Knowledge Park that shows three buildings generate $68 million a year in employment and taxation, said Motty.

The study also shows that 17 buildings would generate $414 million annually, he said.

"The impact of doing an initiative like this is significant," he said.

Enterprise Fredericton recently moved its office to the Knowledge Park.

Motty also said some private developers have asked about constructing a building in the Knowledge Park for clients.

The original development agreement for the park did not allow private buildings, he said.

But a new third party development policy has been reached which would allow it in the future, he said.

"The long-term vision is to have continuing growth based on demand," said Motty.

Enterprise Fredericton board member Mark Wies reported on the organization's attempt to attract new investment and businesses to the capital.

He said Enterprise Fredericton hosted 17 different companies to visit Fredericton last year and it is currently working with nine companies.

Two new companies, ING Engineering and Research in Motion, recently agreed to set up operations here, he said.

Board member Susan Alexander provided an update on the organization's population growth strategy and said it hosted 2,325 individuals last year, 874 of whom were from China.

She said in the past six years nearly 2,500 new residents came to Fredericton along with 814 temporary workers and 1,774 foreign students.

To help businesses and workers find each other Enterprise Fredericton is working on a new online resume and job posting tool that will be free and easy to use, said Alexander.

Enterprise Fredericton also named the Multicultural Association of Fredericton as the winner of its quarterly economic champion award.

"We are delighted to be the recipient of this award," said association president Dr. Baukje Miedema.

She said last year the association provided 610 newcomers to the region with employment services.

[corda]

Hey folks, here is a plan I found for the proposed Knowledge Park off ther Web site. Looks pretty nice. This is my first posting...former Frederictonian living in Toronto now. If this is built, then congrats!

http://www.knowledgepark.ca/en/pdf/knowledge-park-master-development-plan.pdf

Ambitious indeed. I'm reposting Pugsely's post from early 2009 so the plans may have changed a bit but by the sounds of the article this is the type of plan in store.

I think these buildings can only be built at this pace with the help of private developers.

[cl812]

Yeah I would think that where they have opened it up to the potential for Private Developers to build it would go quicker. I think part of the problem with the knowledge park is that the rent is quite high, at least that is what I heard.

[cl812]

Work on the Costco has begun. Full crew and equipment on site this afternoon

Looks like their moving along quite quickly, was by there this morning and they seem to progessing pretty well with the site work. Probably wont be too long before they are ready to start the building, most likely a couple months. It will be interesting to see when they install the engineered wet land along regent street.

[Freddypop]

Looks like their moving along quite quickly, was by there this morning and they seem to progessing pretty well with the site work. Probably wont be too long before they are ready to start the building, most likely a couple months. It will be interesting to see when they install the engineered wet land along regent street.

Yeh...I figure in the 8-10 week range for site work. That would mean building construction to start in September. Takes 4 months to build....followed by a couple of months of stocking and training. So likely a March 2011 opening at the earliest?

[cl812]

got out to take some photos of some of the larger construction sites around town.

Conventrion Centre/Office:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01205.jpg?t=1277432511

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01208.jpg?t=1277432643

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01234-1.jpg?t=1277432710

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01235.jpg?t=1277432773

NBCC Fredericton:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/comcol2.jpg?t=1277432881

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/comcol3.jpg?t=1277432921

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/comcol.jpg?t=1277433335

New YMCA on Albert St.

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/y.jpg?t=1277433389

UNB Currie Centre:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01225.jpg?t=1277433449

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01226.jpg?t=1277433479

Grant*Harvey Centre:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/ghc.jpg?t=1277433607

Southview condos (form the southside of the river):

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01236.jpg?t=1277433684

Downtown Skyline:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01238.jpg?t=1277433772

Costco:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/cc2.jpg?t=1277433861

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/cc.jpg?t=1277433902

Transit Garage:

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01252.jpg?t=1277433975

Development at Cliffe St and Two Nations (Ambulance NB, Seniors complex, Condos, etc.):

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01246.jpg?t=1277434043

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01247.jpg?t=1277434137

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01248.jpg?t=1277434177

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01249.jpg?t=1277434243

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/cl812/DSC01250.jpg?t=1277434296

[cl812]

Association to help city promote economic growth
Published Friday June 25th, 2010
A3
By The Daily Gleaner

The City of Fredericton will be joining the newly created Intelligent Community Association.

Formed by the Intelligent Community Forum, a New York-based think-tank dedicated to studying the use of information and communications technologies to build the 21st century community, the group will promote economic growth, social and cultural advancement.

The association was requested by the political and business leaders of communities honoured over the last decade through the forum's Intelligent Community Award program.

The association will create a sustained program of research and a best practices database to improve the ability of member communities to achieve their goals, as well as share knowledge with other communities around the world.

Waterloo, Ont., Mayor Brenda Halloran has been named chairwoman of the new group. John Jung, co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, was named president.

"What is most exciting for me personally is that this group wants to follow Intelligent Community Forum's path and to share our knowledge and best practices with communities around the world," Halloran said.

Membership in the association is limited to communities that have been named a Smart21 Community, Top Seven Intelligent Community or Intelligent Community of the Year by the forum.

Fredericton, Moncton and Waterloo are the only three Canadian cities involved.

"The launch of the Intelligent Community Association fulfills a vision that the founders of forum have had since the beginning," said Jung. "The members of that network demanded an ongoing platform for collaboration, and forming ICA was their answer."

----

Acadian to move bus depot Saturday
Published Friday June 25th, 2010
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Acadian Lines is moving its Fredericton bus terminal to 150 Woodside Lane effective Saturday.

The bus terminal has been temporarily located at 85 Hubbard Rd.

Originally, the bus terminal was at the lower end of Regent Street in rented quarters, but the company and its landlord couldn't agree on a new lease and the bus line opted to find a new home.

"Our terminal on Regent Street was no longer meeting our needs and our lease had expired. So we took the opportunity to temporarily relocate until we could design a new terminal that would meet our employee needs and, most importantly, that would be comfortable and welcoming for our passengers," said Manon Piche, vice-president of marketing and strategic development for Acadian's parent company Groupe Orleans Express.

"Safety was also an important consideration in making the move. We made sure we had sufficient parking space to safely accommodate bus, passenger and taxi traffic as well as allow for a safe pick-up and delivery area."

There will be no interruption in service for passengers or parcel express clients, although customers will have to adjust to a new location, she said.

"We do apologize for any inconvenience this move may cause our passengers and clients," Piche said. "We're committed to making this transition as smooth as possible."

Critics of Acadian's move said relocating the bus terminal out of the downtown would hurt seniors, university students and low-income travellers.

The proposal to relocate to Woodside Lane, off Hanwell Road, was reviewed by New Brunswick's Energy and Utilities board. It determined the location didn't violate the company's operating licence.

"The board finds that both Hubbard Road and Woodside Lane can still be reasonably accessed by the residents of Fredericton and placing a terminal in either of these locations would be in compliance with the licence issued by the board to Acadian," the utilities board said in a January ruling.

"The complainants have not demonstrated that low-income residents of Fredericton, as a group, would no longer be able to access Acadian's services."

Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and Maven New Media filed complaints with the utilities board, which is the regulator of the province's motor coach business.

The location at Woodside Lane is on a Fredericton Transit route. The City of Fredericton is also planning to construct a sidewalk along Woodside Lane for pedestrian traffic.

Acadian Lines provides services to Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Group Orleans Express is 75 per cent owned by Keolis, a private company that provides public transportation services in France, and 25 per cent owned by Sylvain Langis, president and CEO of Orleans Express.

[Pugsley]

Now that Acadian is moving, has anyone heard any news on what they will be developing on the site? Hope it is somethign substantial, it is a prime piece of real estate...the entire King frontage (parking lot) and the Regent side. Would begreat mixed-use office/hotel/condo development...as per my previous post a few months back.

[cl812]

Now that Acadian is moving, has anyone heard any news on what they will be developing on the site? Hope it is somethign substantial, it is a prime piece of real estate...the entire King frontage (parking lot) and the Regent side. Would begreat mixed-use office/hotel/condo development...as per my previous post a few months back.

I dont think there has been anything mentioned. I know they currently have for lease signs up in the back portion of the buidling where National Rent-a-car and the bus station formerly occuppied. Quizno's is still in the front portion of the building. Would be nice to see something done with the property though, the building is kind of an eyesore, at least the back side of it.

[Freddypop]

Now that Acadian is moving, has anyone heard any news on what they will be developing on the site? Hope it is somethign substantial, it is a prime piece of real estate...the entire King frontage (parking lot) and the Regent side. Would begreat mixed-use office/hotel/condo development...as per my previous post a few months back.

Nothing planned that I am aware of but drove by this morning and noted how bad the back of the building looks. Based on what happened in other cities ie Moncton/Saint John, I would expect Irving to sit on this property
until they are good and ready to do something.

[Steeple Shanks]

Noticed that they have begun to take down the old Luna Pizza Place. Does anyone know what is going to replace it? Also noticed that they have poured a large footing on the Victoria street apartment site. Looks as though it may be for the crane.

[cl812]

I could be wrong but I thought the former Luna site was contaminated and required clean up?

[Steeple Shanks]

I could be wrong but I thought the former Luna site was contaminated and required clean up?

You are right, they did at least part of the cleanup last fall. They dug out a large portion of the parking lot and replaced the soil at that time.

[cl812]

YMCA reaches goal, raises bar
Published Saturday June 26th, 2010
A1
By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton YMCA volunteers have a lot to celebrate these days.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=527709&size=500x0
Co-chairs of Your New Y campaign Karina LeBlanc and Bud Bird stand at the site of the new YMCA on Friday.

Not only is construction for the YMCA on Albert Street on schedule, but the group reached its fundraising goal of $3 million early.

David Sansom, a longtime volunteer, said he's proud of the way volunteers, staff and the community have pulled together to make the dream of a new facility a reality.

"When we started out we thought of it as a monumental task to ask the community to help us raise $3 million," he said. "But here we are, before our deadline, not only meeting that goal but surpassing it. It's incredible and gives me a very special feeling to see how much support there is out there for the YMCA."

The new building, which will replace the 50-year-old YMCA on Saunders Street, is a $19-million project.

The provincial government made a 2.6 hectare (6.5-acre) site - valued at $2.8 million - available for the building. The federal government approved a $5.3-million grant through its national stimulus program, the city contributed $250,000 and the YMCA contributed $3 million from its savings and endowment.

A loan and the sale of the Saunders Street facility will cover about $4 million of the cost.

The remainder was needed from the Your New Y Campaign, which began in November and is made up of corporate and community donations.

Bud Bird, campaign co-chairman, said once the $3 million was secured, the committee decided to increase the goal to $4 million.

He said they've already raised 90 per cent of their new goal.

"The more money we're able to raise, the less money the YMCA will have to borrow," he said. "This way we're covering any shortfalls in funding from the city - where we were hoping for closer to $1 million from them - and it also means we're more financially secure when the building is ready to open."

Karina LeBlanc, campaign co-chairwoman, said fundraising will continue into September with the help of school groups, community barbecues and other activities.

"The reason we've made it to this point is because of really unprecedented volunteerism that made this campaign a success story," she said.

"It was a combination of an executive committee of dedicated volunteers and their teams, which included about 190 volunteers, and, of course, generous donors in the community.

"We went into this campaign with a lot of confidence, but when we actually reached the goal, I have to admit I got a bit emotional.

"Now we want to keep going because the momentum is strong from the community and the building is coming along right on schedule. It's definitely an exciting time."

The new YMCA will be about 5,574 square metres (60,000 square feet) and will contain an elementary gymnasium, 25-metre lap pool, a warm-water instructional pool, two squash courts and local rooms.

It will also have a wellness centre, exercise and dance studios, community meeting rooms, a kitchen, a teacher training room, a child development centre and an outdoor playground.

It's expected to open in 2011.

----

Session for objections to height variance set
Published Saturday June 26th, 2010
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A public hearing of objections will be held Monday, July 12 at city hall as the city contemplates a height variance for a proposed Hilton Garden Inn in the city centre.

The 126-room hotel is slated to be built at 634-644 Queen St. provided it clears the city's zoning approval process.

The planning advisory committee has already given its support to the proposal to allow the (11-storey) hotel.

Dora Construction is the contractor, and the hotel operator would be D.P. Murphy Inc. of Charlottetown.

The Island firm's most recent partnership with the Hilton chain was to construct the Hampton Inn in Moncton. It has developed the Charlottetown Super 8 Motel and two Holiday Inn Express hotels in Charlottetown and Saint John. The Hilton Garden Inn is expected to have a 60-seat restaurant and 30-seat cocktail lounge. It's expected to take 12 to 14 months to build, excluding design time.

The city issued a public proposal call to solicit the construction of another downtown hotel property as part of its $78-million convention centre, parking garage and provincial government office building project.

The development is tracking toward a late 2010/early 2011 opening.

----

[cl812]

You are right, they did at least part of the cleanup last fall. They dug out a large portion of the parking lot and replaced the soil at that time.

Would be nice to see seomthing done with property. I havent heard anyhting but I would think that where the building is coming down there could be something going in there.

[OliverD]

Would be nice to see seomthing done with property. I havent heard anyhting but I would think that where the building is coming down there could be something going in there.

That would be a prime location for townhouses or something along those lines.

[mylesmalley]

I can't believe how fast the parking structure at the E-Centre went up.

[cl812]

Yeah, I think it only took 2-3 weeks

[OliverD]

Yeah, I think it only took 2-3 weeks

So the main structure is done? I expected it to be a bit bigger.

[cl812]

So the main structure is done? I expected it to be a bit bigger.

Not sure, its hard to tell by looking at the back side of it. I guess it may not be done yet.

[cl812]

Centre to 'trim repair time, improve service'
Published Tuesday June 29th, 2010
North side | New facility welcome addition to Ambulance NB
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

Ambulance NB officials say opening a new fleet centre and regional office on the city's north side will reduce the amount of time some ambulances are parked for maintenance and cleaning.

The 994-square-metre facility, which is located off Cliffe Street on Harold Doherty Court, will provide space for system officials to perform minor repairs and cleaning processes in Fredericton, instead of at the main fleet centre in Moncton.

It will also house the system's regional administration offices and provide paramedics from the region with new work quarters.

Ambulance NB CEO Alan Stephen said the state-of-the-art facility will improve service in the region and will trim the amount of time vehicles from the western part of the province are pulled from the system for maintenance.

"What this now allows us to do is that the vehicles from the northern tip of the province through to Fredericton can now come (here)," he said.

"We're cutting a lot of mileage on the vehicles, a lot of driving time and, of course, the (maintenance) time to get a vehicle in and turned around and back into service rapidly."

Stephen said several reserve ambulances will also be stationed at the site, allowing paramedics to switch vehicles and return to service while the repairs or a decontamination process is completed.

He said the new site provides a great operations centre for the five ambulances based on the city's north side.

"It's strategically located - from both an operational point of view and from a fleet maintenance point of view," he said.

"To be so close to another first-responding unit - the Fredericton (Fire Department) - is great and over time I think we'll see the synergies develop as the two services work together in what we do, and that's providing the best pre-hospital care that we can for the people of New Brunswick."

Ambulance officials provided a tour of the leased facility Monday afternoon to several provincial cabinet ministers, city councillors, representatives from the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick, paramedics' union CUPE Local 4848 and members of the fire department.

Health Minister Mary Schryer said the facility will create new efficiencies in the maintenance process and address backroom needs in the system.

"We've spent a lot of money on the actual ambulances. Now we're looking at the infrastructure in which to house those ambulances," she said.

"They'll have three here for an ambulance bay, plus there will be the ability to do minor repairs on the ambulance."

Mayor Brad Woodside said the facility should make life easier for the paramedics who work in this region, giving them a new home base to use while carrying out their duties.

"It's good for the morale of those that are involved in the industry," he said.

Woodside said Ambulance NB has made considerable progress since turning the more than 50 individual provincial ambulance operations into one universal system in 2007.

"It's never been, in my memory, something that's been easy to do," he said. "In just the short time that I've been here in this new facility, to talk to the staff about refurbishing and cleaning and maintaining ambulances and being connected and having a provincialwide system, certainly indicates to me that we've come a long way."

----

City hall, developer reach compromise on subdivision in Lincoln Heights
Published Tuesday June 29th, 2010
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

City council has reached a compromise on a hotly contested subdivision application by developer Edouard Gebreal at 1530 Lincoln Rd.

The developer agreed to subdivide five lots. His first proposal was for seven lots, but changed it to six. The city won't take land, but will take an eight per cent cash contribution in lieu of land for public purposes.

An eight per cent land dedication, or cash in lieu, is required of every subdivision developer in the city. It's a way for the municipality to ensure that it has either enough property in a new area to build a park or that it gets a financial contribution to enhance a community park.

Lincoln Heights residents have fought a pitched battle against the proposed housing development because, they said, Adams Street at Lincoln Road is a busy corner.

Ward Coun. Scott McConaghy thanked his constituents for making presentations, writing letters and for patiently pursuing their concerns through the planning approval process.

"They were completely engaged in the process ... They faithfully came to these meetings and wrote many letters and they presented their position quite well and quite clearly," McConaghy said.

"Basically, what we have here is somewhat of a compromise between some of the citizens that got together and the developer.

"Maybe everyone isn't quite as happy as they would want to be, but it's something that many of the citizens can live with."

The developer wanted to maximize the use of the property he purchased by trying to convince the city to rezone a property zoned R-2 single family to allow seven lots.

Since it was a rezoning, councillors could reject it based on neighbourhood concerns about the risk of accidents at the Lincoln Road and Adams Street intersection.

But when Gebreal came back to the planning advisory committee with a request for six lots, the committee erred in attempting to block the development. Since he had enough land, could meet the city's required lot sizes and had the correct zoning, denying him approval could have landed the city at the New Brunswick Assessment and Planning Appeal Board or in the Court of Queen's Bench.

After obtaining internal legal advice, city council had to send the application back to the planning advisory committee with instructions to only deal with the question of whether the city would take cash or land.

Frustrated residents said nothing altered their arguments that the housing development would be too close to what they contend is an already dangerous T-intersection.

McConaghy said lessons have been learned through the Lincoln Road subdivision that the planning advisory committee will consider in future applications.

"Hopefully, you're a little more pleased than you would have been when this process started," said Mayor Brad Woodside.

[Freddypop]

Published Wednesday June 30th, 2010

A1 By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN

llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Aerospace giant CAE will announce today that it's bringing up to 45 jobs to a new operation in the capital.

"It's good news for Fredericton," said Finance Minister and Fredericton-Lincoln Liberal MLA Greg Byrne on Tuesday.

"It certainly enhances Fredericton's reputation as the smart city and an intelligent community."

He said the jobs will be high paying and will require skilled workers.

"To get a company that is a world leader like this is certainly a coup," said Byrne.

He said CAE already has a relationship with Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Byrne said more details will be released today.

CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modeling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe.

The company has annual revenues exceeding $1.5 billion.

It employs more than 7,000 people at more than 100 sites and training locations in dozens of countries.

CAE was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Canada.

Earlier this month, CAE announced it had won several new military contracts worth more than $100 million.

The company's website said one of the contracts it won was a contract to design and manufacture a C-130H transport aircraft, also known as the Hercules, full-mission simulator for an undisclosed customer.

CAE said it has delivered more training systems and services for the C-130 Hercules aircraft than any other company.

The other contract was to perform a major upgrade to the Puma helicopter training program at CAE's Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility in the United Kingdom.

[Freddypop]

Published Wednesday June 30th, 2010

Big role | Base injects millions into economy

A1 By MICHAEL STAPLES

staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

Canadian Forces Base Gagetown is here to stay, says the man charged with overseeing its day-to-day operations.

Col. Michael Pearson said the multi-purpose facility plays a huge role in the Canadian army and its future remains solid.

"It's been here for 50 years," Pearson said in an interview. "I think you can expect Canadian Forces Base Gagetown will be here for another 50 years."

The base, home to 5,000 permanent soldiers, officially opened in 1958 and covers 1,100-square kilometres, making it one of the largest in Canada. It injects around $200 million into the local economy annually.

Around 700 civilians are employed at CFB Gagetown.

Pearson said the base will continue in its role as the training hub of the army.

The base is also home to the Combat Training Centre's Infantry, Artillery, Armour and Tactics schools. The Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering is also located at Gagetown.

These schools play an important role in maintaining the army, Pearson said.

"Therefore, this place will continue on - performing its hugely valuable function - far into the foreseeable future," Pearson said.

"I can't imagine as the army cycle goes up and down in the coming years and decades that the base will not be affected by that. If the army shrinks, I am sure the base will shrink somewhat. If the army expands, than I am sure we will expand somewhat."

Regardless of what happens, Gagetown will continue to be a "hugely important" place for this country's ground forces, Pearson said.

The base commander said next year's scheduled pullout of Canadian troops in Afghanistan will not impact activities on the base, as training will have to continue in one form or another.

"The Canadian army, whether it is in Afghanistan or not in Afghanistan, will prepare itself for whatever new mission comes," Pearson said.

"I don't see any realistic scale of change here. The recruiting system continues to work ... I expect the schools will continue to operate and, certainly, all the base functions that we do here on behalf of the army, whether it's in support of training or in support of the local reserves or other institutions, will continue."

The nature of Gagetown isn't dependent on any war or particular operation being performed by the Canadian military, the commander said.

There are about 2,000 extra soldiers on base, engaged in various levels of training - bringing the total of uniformed personnel at Gagetown to more than 7,000.

Recent and ongoing training includes June's exercise in support of the navy, as well as other activities designed to assist the curriculums of the various schools.

Units from Quebec have also been here but no U.S. troops are scheduled to make a trip to Gagetown this year.

[cl812]

'It's an attractive place to live'
Published Wednesday June 30th, 2010
N.B. | Largest influx of people since 1990
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

New Brunswick's population grew for the 13th consecutive quarter, Statistics Canada has reported.

That's a net increase of 6,393 people since January 2007, the largest influx of people into the province since 1990.

Statistics Canada places the province's population at 751,300, which is up 0.08 per cent for the first quarter of 2010 over the last quarter of 2009.

Donald Arseneault, the minister responsible for the Population Growth Secretariat, said Statistics Canada's report measures the increase in interprovincial migration.

"Growing our economy and bringing our kids home have been two of our main objectives as a government," Arseneault said.

"People living in other provinces have noticed what is happening in New Brunswick, with our plan for lower taxes and the incentives we have put into place to encourage young people to stay."

The province's tuition cash rebate program is enticing students to New Brunswick universities and Arseneault is working with university leaders on an international student recruitment strategy.

"If we can get someone to come here and study for four years, that's four years that we can work with those individuals to try to convince them that New Brunswick is a place to be," he said.

"Hopefully, that will have a tremendous impact by retaining those young international students in our province."

In northern New Brunswick, the province is working with the federal government on francophone immigration, the minister said.

Arseneault said there's a unique quality of life here.

Having attended an event in Boston for expatriate Maritimers, he said Massachusetts residents are entitled to four-weeks maternity leave, rather than the one year of parental leave available here.

"That's a huge, huge bonus," he said. "It's an attractive place to live and raise a family. We've got small things that we sometimes take for granted. You can have your lunch at home during your work day. You can't do that in the big urban areas."

Arseneault said New Brunswick has to grow its middle class and it has to grow the economy to sustain the population growth, but the province is headed in the right direction.

The government set a goal of boosting the provincial population by 6,000 by the end of 2009.

"We are proud to have surpassed our first population growth target, even though it may have taken one more quarter to do it," Arseneault said.

By 2015, New Brunswick wants to bolster the provincial population by another 25,000.

"We have a lot of work to do, but that's why we're looking at different initiatives," he said.

Arseneault said the achievement is noteworthy when you consider

that New Brunswick's population had been declining year-over-year since 2002.

The provincial population dropped by 4,121 people in the 13 quarters before January 2007.

----

A lot of work to do at base - colonel
Published Wednesday June 30th, 2010
A6
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

It's a busy place.

The commander of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown says a lot of work is taking place on base this summer - both in the garrison and in the range and training areas.

"We have money coming from the army, the Canadian Forces and from our own base (in the) Atlantic area," Col. Michael Pearson said. "It's all designed to do different level projects. The obvious projects are the good-news ones: new accommodations (and) fixing up the heating plant. It is finally being upgraded in a way so that we can preserve the base into the future."

Much of the latter involves digging up heating pipes, which were buried when the base opened more than 50 years ago.

"It's one of those issues that it's hard to get excited about ... but it has cost millions of dollars," Pearson said. "These are the kind of scale projects that are underway."

In September, the federal government announced that CFB Gagetown was receiving $20 million for three infrastructure projects: an extension to the Health Services Centre; and building a Light Armoured Vehicle III training facility and a forward operating bivouac.

In the training area, the base has received $13.5 million from the environmental side of the Forces to prevent sedimentation in accordance with federal Fisheries Act regulations.

"A lot of it is very non-dramatic stuff," the commander said. "It's things like fixing the culverts, which (are) out there with all the streams that run through the training area."

Pearson said the base is also working with Ducks Unlimited Canada to build wetlands.

"We're actually building swamps here in Gagetown."

In May, the base announced it had signed a 15-year wetland stewardship agreement with Ducks Unlimited Canada to restore and conserve hundreds of acres of wetlands at Gagetown.

The two groups have been working together for about the last six years on wetland-related projects.

Ducks Unlimited Canada has been assisting with waterfowl monitoring and helping develop wetland sedimentation ponds in order to reduce sediment reaching watercourses during restoration of previously disturbed sites.

"It's a mutually beneficial deal," Pearson said.

"They give us practical and technical advice and we get to actually become compliant with federal laws and regulations."

Pearson said environmental activity at Gagetown will continue for at least another 10 years.

Regular military training, however, won't be affected, he said.

----

[cl812]

Published Wednesday June 30th, 2010

A1 By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN

llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Aerospace giant CAE will announce today that it's bringing up to 45 jobs to a new operation in the capital.

"It's good news for Fredericton," said Finance Minister and Fredericton-Lincoln Liberal MLA Greg Byrne on Tuesday.

"It certainly enhances Fredericton's reputation as the smart city and an intelligent community."

He said the jobs will be high paying and will require skilled workers.

"To get a company that is a world leader like this is certainly a coup," said Byrne.

He said CAE already has a relationship with Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Byrne said more details will be released today.

CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modeling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe.

The company has annual revenues exceeding $1.5 billion.

It employs more than 7,000 people at more than 100 sites and training locations in dozens of countries.

CAE was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Canada.

Earlier this month, CAE announced it had won several new military contracts worth more than $100 million.

The company's website said one of the contracts it won was a contract to design and manufacture a C-130H transport aircraft, also known as the Hercules, full-mission simulator for an undisclosed customer.

CAE said it has delivered more training systems and services for the C-130 Hercules aircraft than any other company.

The other contract was to perform a major upgrade to the Puma helicopter training program at CAE's Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility in the United Kingdom.

Wonder if they will be locating in the "Aerospace Park"? Its good news either way.

[OliverD]

The CAE news is definitely interesting. My uncle is their CTO.

[cl812]

Noticed this morning there is some activity at the site of the new apartments at the corner of Victoria and York. Looks like they are gettting ready to set up the crane.

Also looks like they are starting to build the retaining at the back of the Costco site.

[cl812]

So the main structure is done? I expected it to be a bit bigger.

Was by there today and it isnt finished yet, they have continued to add to it

[cl812]

$500,000 loan for company
Published Thursday July 1st, 2010
CAE | 45 jobs to be created in capital
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Liberal government is giving aerospace giant CAE a $500,000 forgivable loan to set up an office in Fredericton and create up to 45 well-paying jobs over three years.

Premier Shawn Graham, who made the announcement Wednesday, said CAE will act as a high-profile anchor company to help grow New Brunswick's advanced learning sector.

"CAE is a signature company. When they do business in a community, other businesses take notice."

Graham also said he won't hesitate to drop CAE's name when he's promoting the province abroad.

CAE is promising to set up an office in Fredericton and provide $15 million in contracts over the next three years, which is expected to create up to 45 jobs.

The provincial loan will be forgiven if the company keeps its commitment.

CAE president and CEO Marc Parent said Wednesday his company and the province have been working on the Fredericton deal for months.

But he said he first heard about New Brunswick two years ago at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.

Parent also joked that Graham mentioned more than once that hand-held device giant RIM has an office in Fredericton when the premier was wooing CAE.

Parent said CAE is coming to Fredericton because the capital has a great base of companies, some of which are already company suppliers. He also said CAE won several important federal defence contracts because it promised a pan-Canadian solution.

"We are very pleased to participate with the government of New Brunswick in this program which will provide highly skilled jobs in the advanced learning sector," said Parent.

"This alliance will help develop opportunities in the field of aviation simulation technologies and training."

The employees in Fredericton will develop computer courses related to CAE's contracts with the federal government for the training of C-130J Hercules and CH-147F transport helicopter air crews.

Parent said the air crews will not only learn how to pilot the aircraft but how to execute their missions.

"It will revolutionize how you learn," he said.

There will also be work related to CAE's contract awarded earlier this year by Lockheed Martin Corp. for comprehensive C-130J maintenance technician training.

"A technician will be able to learn how to troubleshoot an aircraft using very sophisticated simulation-based modeling of an aircraft's complete systems," said Parent.

The new workers will be located in the National Research Council building at the University of New Brunswick.

Parent said the plan is that CAE will win more contracts and maintain and expand its presence in Fredericton.

"Hopefully, the Canadian government is going to buy other aircraft," he said. "We will be working very hard."

Parent said CAE is also involved in health-care training, which is a growing sector and could be the source of future contracts for the Fredericton office.

CAE is a Canada-based world leader in simulation and modeling technologies and integrated training solutions for civil aviation and defence forces.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said the announcement was a huge day for the capital and the province.

"This is just the beginning," he said Wednesday.

"This is the kind of business and association and relationship that smart cities want to have.''

Woodside also said he was glad to see the deal will take advantage of Fredericton's proximity to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Enterprise Fredericton CEO Doug Motty said CAE is a world-class company and it builds on Fredericton's capability.

"We are very strong in our education and training capabilities with our universities and our great school system," he said.

Motty said Fredericton won't hesitate to mention CAE's name when Enterprise Fredericton is marketing the capital to other companies.

"For companies that want to be connected with them, want to be suppliers to them, want to participate in some of their new opportunities they are exploring, they want to be close to where the action is," he said.

----

[cl812]

Community college near completion
Published Friday July 2nd, 2010
A4
By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com

Construction of the New Brunswick Community College's Fredericton campus has entered its final phase.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=532032&size=500x0
A construction worker uses a nail gun to fasten wood to the edge around the top of the building for the New Brunswick Community College’s Fredericton campus recently.

Sheri Strickland, a Department of Supply and Services spokeswoman, said the project is on schedule and the building is expected to be completed by the spring of 2011.

"We're in our third and final phase of the project," she said. "Right now, the crews are finishing the walls and the building is really starting to take shape."

The new community college will be a two-storey building designed to hold about 400 students - twice as many as the facility on Smythe Street.

It will be 40 per cent more energy efficient than an average building, Strickland said.

"This building follows the provincial government's new green building policy and it will have LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)," she said.

The $15-million, 4,552-square-metre (49,000-square foot) building is being constructed with local materials and fixtures designed to conserve water.

It will have an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, and lots of windows to reduce the amount of time when lights are needed.

Simpson Construction Ltd. is working on the third and final stage of the building.

Philson Ltd. completed the site preparation or Phase 1 of the project, and Castle Rock Construction Services Inc. completed Phase 2, which included the foundation and structural steel work.

Phase 3 includes the walls, roof, windows and flooring.

Total cost of the project is $15 million. The building will accommodate programs in health, business administration, information technology, engineering technology and social services.

Mayor Brad Woodside said he's looking forward to the project being completed.

He said the city pursued the idea of having a full-fledged community college in Fredericton for many years.

"(Premier) Shawn Graham, when he was running during the last election campaign, made the promise in front of city hall to me and to the city that we would have a community college here. He made the announcement and he fulfilled and kept his promise," Woodside said.

"It's something that has been needed for a long, long time. There's certainly a demand there and it will make a lot of people happy."

Locating the community college on the campus of the University of New Brunswick is a smart move, Woodside said.

He said the city will look forward to welcoming more students to study here and enjoy Fredericton's surroundings and lifestyle.

With files from The Daily Gleaner reporter Stephen Llewellyn

----

[OliverD]

Was by there today and it isnt finished yet, they have continued to add to it

I noticed that as well.

[Freddypop]

Noticed Irving setting up a crane next to the Train Station. Must be getting ready for next phase of reconstruction.

[Freddypop]

Noticed this morning there is some activity at the site of the new apartments at the corner of Victoria and York. Looks like they are gettting ready to set up the crane.

Also looks like they are starting to build the retaining at the back of the Costco site.

Yep....the retaining wall materials have been at least delivered to the site. I am surprised as to how quickly they are progressing with the site prep.

[Steeple Shanks]

They appear to be setting up a crane at the railway station.

[cl812]

Yep....the retaining wall materials have been at least delivered to the site. I am surprised as to how quickly they are progressing with the site prep.

Yeah definately since they've only been at it for about a week and half.

[cl812]

They appear to be setting up a crane at the railway station.

Its about time.

Have they set up the crane yet at the apartments on the corner of york and victoria?

[Steeple Shanks]

Its about time.

Have they set up the crane yet at the apartments on the corner of york and victoria?

No, but the footing for the crane has been poured and they have started to put it together. Also noticed today they have started the excavation of the site.

[cl812]

Sound berm coming for Skyline Acres
Published Saturday July 3rd, 2010
Noise | Residents say roar makes it difficult to enjoy yards
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Bruce and Carolyn Atkinson of 105 London Ct. are looking forward to enjoying some newfound peace and quiet in their beautiful backyard garden.

But they can't enjoy it just yet.

Although it's not visible because of all the lush plants, the Atkinsons' garden backs onto the busy, noisy Vanier Highway.

The provincial government has announced Skyline Acres residents are finally getting a sound-deadening berm to block traffic noise from that highway.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry and Finance Minister Greg Bryne, who's also the Liberal MLA for Fredericton-Lincoln, said the contract for the berm has been tendered.

The new barrier will be 1,300 metres long and include a 1.7-metre earthen berm with a 2.8-metre wall on top. It will be built this summer.

"It's about time," said Carolyn Atkinson in an interview in her garden Friday afternoon. "I've been trying to get them to do that for about 15 years. I was promised it by several representatives, but it didn't happen."

The Atkinsons built their own berm in their backyard and planted trees to try to muffle the roar of the traffic.

"There were times we came out and we couldn't speak to each other," she said. "You couldn't call and speak to anyone because of the traffic noise and the (truck) jake brakes and the gears."

Bruce Atkinson said they can still hear motorcyles passing on the highway and the construction noise from the site of the new southside arena being built nearby.

But that construction noise is only temporary, he said.

"It will be a great noise suppressor," said Atkinson of the new barrier.

Landry said the Department of Transportation has completed a review of various sound barriers and options.

"This combination of an earth and structural material berm should help to reduce traffic noise for many residents adjacent to the highway," he said in a news release.

"The competitive bid process is now underway and interested firms can submit bids until July 15."

The new berm will run along the northern side of the Vanier Highway from Kimble Drive to the exit for Route 8.

"I'm pleased to see the construction of the Skyline Acre sound berm moving forward," said Byrne.

"The Vanier Highway has a high volume of traffic and this project will provide residents with relief from traffic noise."

He said the berm is estimated to cost more than $1 million to build.

Landry said the final cost of the project will be released after the competitive bid process is finalized and a contract has been awarded.

"The residents of Skyline Acres living in subdivisions adjacent to the Vanier Highway will be pleased that their concerns are being addressed," said Byrne.

He said the project has been in the budget for several years but required a lot of engineering work because of a power transmission line in the area.

Ward Coun. Tony Whalen said the announcement of the contract tender is good news for residents.

"I heard from the people (about the traffic noise) during my election campaign back in 2004," he said Friday.

"I have been working with the people from the province for the past several years to try and get something done with that."

Whalen said the berm will improve quality of life for people living along the highway.

"It can make a huge difference in mitigating the sound and allowing people to enjoy their backyards," he said.

----

[OliverD]

No, but the footing for the crane has been poured and they have started to put it together. Also noticed today they have started the excavation of the site.

The crane is up now.

[cl812]

The crane is up now.

noticed that today too. Is that building supposed to be 7 or 8 floors?

[Freddypop]

noticed that today too. Is that building supposed to be 7 or 8 floors?

I thought it was originally 7 but due to the NIMBYs was reduced to 6 floors. Could be wrong but seem to recall such.

[cl812]

I thought it was originally 7 but due to the NIMBYs was reduced to 6 floors. Could be wrong but seem to recall such.

Yeah i thought it was 7 as well. I thought I saw someone mention 8 floors a while back on here. I never heard about the reduction but that very well could be, I remember them complaining about the height when it went through council. The funny thing is they are probably the same people who complain about sprawl. It would be nice if more developers were to build higher more frequently, but land is still relatively cheap and in abundance in this part of the country so im sure it likely wont be a frequent thing anytime soon. It will be interesting to see what the building turns out like either way.

[cl812]

New residence for seniors opens
Published Tuesday July 6th, 2010
A4
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Shannex retirement home in Fredericton has opened.

The 69-suite retirement home is called Governor Hall and is part of a $30-million complex, which also includes a 72-bed nursing home and a 60-suite special care residence.

"Our first retirement home is open," said Jason Shannon, chief operating officer of Shannex Health Care. "We are very pleased with that."

He said there has been a lot of public interest in the residence.

"It going very well," he said.

Shannon also said work has finished on the space for the Shannex New Brunswick Centre for Excellence in Fredericton, where future staff for the company's facilities in this province will be trained.

"Training for each site has happen on each campus as we open them," he said. "Now the future training will happen through the centre. We do a lot of video conferencing with the other campuses."

The company still has to hire more training staff, said Shannon.

----

[fredfan]

I thought I remembered that apartment being reduced from 8 to 7 floors actually... of course I could be wrong too.

[cl812]

I thought I remembered that apartment being reduced from 8 to 7 floors actually... of course I could be wrong too.

You are correct (see attached story from CBC). But I guess 6 is a possibility as well. Too bad it isnt going to be 8 floors, hopefully they atleast keep it at 7 though.


Fredericton committee approves downtown apartment building
Last Updated: Thursday, August 21, 2008 | 12:56 PM AT.
CBC News


A highrise apartment building in downtown Fredericton was been given the go-ahead by the city's planning advisory committee on Wednesday night.

The committee approved a plan by developer Tony George to build a 44-unit apartment complex near York and Victoria streets in the capital's downtown.

The project met opposition from some area residents, who argued that the building would block the sun and cast long shadows onto their yards.

The building was originally slated to be an eight-storey complex but in a letter sent to the city's planning advisory committee, George stated he would be willing to lower it to seven-storeys with underground parking.
The change was meant as a compromise to appease the opposing residents.

The advisory committee was also told that constructing a six-storey building with surface parking was an option the developer was willing to look at. But members of the community who attended the meeting were opposed to the idea because it would take up green space.

Despite the compromise that's been met, residents still aren't happy the building will be constructed in their community, said Jeanette Robertson, who spoke on behalf of 12 local residents at the meeting.

"I just really feel that we've been threatened with some nasty kind of parking lot if we don't say yes to this building," Robertson said. "I mean it is a nice building — I just don't want it behind my house."

Robertson said the building was too big for the mostly residential area and described it as a "beast."

A warehouse currently occupies the property, and its zoning allows for commercial or residential development.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/08/21/nb-highrise.html#ixzz0sv63aksx

[Freddypop]

Site preparation on the Brookside Drive Tannery Court apartment building continues in full force.

Also the Hill Bros have started construction today of Phase III of their West Hills Village commercial complex. Heard that it includes a gas bar.

[cl812]

Convention centre on track - director
Published Wednesday July 7th, 2010
A5
By ALEXANDRA DAVIS
davis.alexandra@dailygleaner.com

The construction of Fredericton's convention centre is on schedule, according to the city's director of special capital projects.

Greg Cook said he's optimistic the $79-million project that includes a convention centre, provincial government office building and parking garage will be completed by the projected end date.

"We've got about four months still to go," he said.

"It could be a rush to the finish ... but we're hoping to finish the conference centre for the end of October. We're booking from January on, and we also have a couple Christmas parties scheduled that we're hoping to get in.

"Probably in two months we'll have a really good idea whether we'll be able to finish by the end of October, but I'm hopeful now that we will."

Cook said the convention centre will open first, but he anticipates work on the office building will also be finished before the end of 2010.

He said things are moving along well, and signs of progress can be seen every day.

"We've got the exterior on the east and west walls, and we're getting ready to put the glazing on the north wall," he said. "Inside, most of the drywall is on the ground floor level, and they're doing crack filling and painting. On the upper level, we're getting the ballroom wall studded and we'll be starting drywall there probably this week."

Cook said he feels the construction has gone relatively smoothly to date.

"It's like any construction job," he said. "Some days there are a few bumps, but nothing that's not manageable one way or another."

Bruce McCormack, general manager of Downtown Fredericton Inc., said the construction has presented a few challenges for downtown business owners. With the end now in sight, however, he said he's confident the long-term benefits of the convention centre will outweigh the short-term issues.

"Any construction is difficult for downtown businesses because people tend to avoid construction," he said. "We've tried to work with the developers and all of the consultants that are doing the project to make it as smooth as possible.

"I think right now they already have somewhere in the order of 35 bookings into the convention centre. That will assist the food and beverage industry a lot ... We're thinking that with the new convention centre and the additional parking with the parking garage that things will be very different in the downtown and very busy, not just at normal peak times."

McCormack said he hopes business owners will continue to be patient while waiting for construction to wrap up.

He said the additional pressure of the Princess Margaret Bridge closure could lead to an increased impact on downtown businesses over the next few weeks.

"We're kind of getting a double whammy now, because we've got the construction of the conference centre"¦and now we've got the bridge closure," he said.

"We're in the midst of removing some of the parking and waiting for the parking garage to open. There's about a four-month delay there that will have a direct impact on some businesses."

Patrick Wilson, the owner of Triniteas Cup, a café on Regent Street across the street from the convention centre, said he's worried that the potential for increased business once the facility opens won't be enough to make up for the problems he's experienced during construction.

"The construction vibrated the entire downtown core," he said. "It was to the point where things were falling off my walls over a three-month period. The traffic situation has also been quite negative.

"I've heard there's going to be at least one restaurant in (the convention centre) and a café as well, so I don't know yet whether it'll be good for us or not once it opens."

Derek Gallant, the owner of M and T Deli on Queen Street, said he hasn't noticed a negative impact from the construction.

He said he hopes the convention centre will lead to an increase in customers at his deli.

"Everything has been running like it should, as far as I'm concerned," he said.

"I believe it's going to be good, because there's going to be more pedestrian traffic on the east end of (downtown) Fredericton."

----

Water problems to recede
Published Wednesday July 7th, 2010
Tower | Wells will feed into new system
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Centimetre by centimetre, workers began the long task of hoisting the steel water reservoir cap for New Maryland's new water tower into position Tuesday.

Using jacks, the top of the tower - which was built around its central poured concrete supporting column - was raised 17 centimetres, or seven inches, per boost.

Contractors estimated it would take just under three hours to hoist it into place.

A large centre core, which is the hollow access port to the tower containing a steel walkway for workers to go up inside and perform maintenance, was slated to be hoisted with a huge crane.

It will then be lowered into the centre core of the poured concrete tower.

Once the top is jacked into position, it will be locked down onto a concrete lip and be sealed to prevent water leaks.

New Maryland Mayor Frank Dunn said the completion of the water tower will be a major step, but still only a step in enhancing the village's water supply system.

"That's just the beginning. It's like a baby learning to walk. Once that's up, the various wells that we've drilled will start to come on line,'' said Dunn.

"The one in Applewood (Acres) that we built will come online right away, but we have two or three others that will be costly to get on. There's two or three wells that we're looking at, all on the west side here, that will eventually go into that tower."

Worth more than $4.5 million with associated piping and improvements to the village's water distribution system, the tower has been sited at a high point in the village just outside of Fredericton.

That means the flow of water from the reservoir will be by gravity, eliminating the need to pump water from the reservoir into the distribution lines.

The construction work is intended to increase the capacity and water pressure for residents who are on the village's system.

Most of the community's residents have private wells, but one-third of residents in subdivisions on the west side of the community are on a system run by the village.

The reservoir won't only improve water supply, pressure and distribution, but will enhance fire fighting capability.

Located at the rear of Pine Ridge Estates toward the back of New Maryland Elementary School, the tower will stand just over 30 metres, or 100 feet, upon completion, said village public works supervisor Rockland Miller.

Painted a dark ocean blue with New Maryland emblazoned across the tower, the village hired Landmark Structures of Ontario to design and build the water storage tower.

"They're an experienced company," Dunn said. "They're the general contractor. It's a design build, so they design it and build it.

Miller said the company looks after pouring the concrete, doing the metal fabrication work and hiring contractors to do tasks.

"It's pretty much standard design. The only thing different between the City of Fredericton's and ours is that ours isn't as wide and doesn't flare out as much, but it's vertically higher," Miller said.

"Ours is a 500,000-gallon (2,273-cubic-metre) tank. Theirs are 750,000 gallons."

Miller said the tower has to sit on a 0.914-metre- (three-foot) thick base of rock and concrete.

The centre column that supports the water reservoir top is about 18-metres tall (61-feet) and the tank is 12-metres (40-feet) tall, bringing the total height of the structure to about 30 metres, or just more than 100 feet.

[Steeple Shanks]

Passed the Victoria construction today. Looks like they are setting up the forms to pour the footings. They haven't excavated much, so I am not sure whether they plan to put in underground parking.

[cl812]

Passed the Victoria construction today. Looks like they are setting up the forms to pour the footings. They haven't excavated much, so I am not sure whether they plan to put in underground parking.

Hopefully that means they are still going with the original 8 floor plan. I would think that they probably wouldnt set up the fixed crane if it were only 6 floors, but I guess its possible.

[Smevo]

Hopefully that means they are still going with the original 8 floor plan. I would think that they probably wouldnt set up the fixed crane if it were only 6 floors, but I guess its possible.

A fixed crane for 6 floors is definitely possible (I've worked on several sites with fixed cranes for 4 floors, and the new office building in the E-Centre is only 6 floors), however, I do hope this means they stayed with the 8 floor plan.

[cl812]

Hearing of objections planned
Published Thursday July 8th, 2010
A2
By The Daily Gleaner

A public hearing of objections will be held July 26 at city hall on a developer's proposal to rezone property at 195 Brookside Dr. to R-6 from R-2.

Residents who surround the vacant piece of property fronting on Brookside Drive have already registered objections to the proposal from DRC Developments Ltd. to build two 18-unit buildings and 12 single-detached dwellings on the property.

Residents said the intensified density from the two apartment buildings is too much for the area, considering surrounding homes are mainly single-family dwellings.

The hearing of objections will be held at the regular city council meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the second floor council chamber.

---

[rh12]

Was talking to a plumber friend who will be a contractor at the Costco Development. He says he's on a hard deadline to complete his work by December. Does this sound too ambitious to anyone. I know the site prep is going in earnest.

[cl812]

Was talking to a plumber friend who will be a contractor at the Costco Development. He says he's on a hard deadline to complete his work by December. Does this sound too ambitious to anyone. I know the site prep is going in earnest.

I think that is quite reasonable, at least from what I have heard. At the rate they are going with the site prep it wouldnt be unreasonable to assume 1.5 to 2 more months for that portion of the work to be complete and I dont think it takes too long to put the building up (couple more months) so December seems quite possible.

[mylesmalley]

Construction started on my employer's new building in late may. We're planning on moving in by late October. a huge amount of time was spent clearing and levelling the lot. Where Costco is going on a pretty flat piece of terrain, and where it's basically just a warehouse, a December opening seems pretty reasonable.

[Steeple Shanks]

Noticed a small front end loader working around the train station, it appears to be cleaning up the rubble. The crane we saw at the station last week was the one they used to erect the larger crane at the Victoria street site.

[cl812]

Noticed a small front end loader working around the train station, it appears to be cleaning up the rubble. The crane we saw at the station last week was the one they used to erect the larger crane at the Victoria street site.

THey must still be waiting for Federal Approval.

[Freddypop]

Was talking to a plumber friend who will be a contractor at the Costco Development. He says he's on a hard deadline to complete his work by December. Does this sound too ambitious to anyone. I know the site prep is going in earnest.

Totally reasonable. Costco has developed a model for their store construction timeline and it is 110 days...not including site prep. So a rough calculation of 8-10 weeks for site prep which would take you to the first of September. Once completed the site is turned over to Costco to build. Add on the 110 days for building construction, etc then you are talking December. I don't believe however that the store would be ready to open until at least a few months later due to stocking, training, etc but could be wrong. They may want to try for the Xmas shopping rush.

[cl812]

Totally reasonable. Costco has developed a model for their store construction timeline and it is 110 days...not including site prep. So a rough calculation of 8-10 weeks for site prep which would take you to the first of September. Once completed the site is turned over to Costco to build. Add on the 110 days for building construction, etc then you are talking December. I don't believe however that the store would be ready to open until at least a few months later due to stocking, training, etc but could be wrong. They may want to try for the Xmas shopping rush.

I agree about the opening date, it probably wont be open until the spring, but it definatly seems likely they would have the store almost finished by December. It sounded like the store in Saint John was done (building) for a while before they actually opened.

[Freddypop]

I agree about the opening date, it probably wont be open until the spring, but it definatly seems likely they would have the store almost finished by December. It sounded like the store in Saint John was done (building) for a while before they actually opened.

I seem to recall the Saint John building was complete in January or February and only opened in late May.

[cl812]

Giving back
Published Saturday July 10th, 2010
A1
By CHRIS MORRIS
Canadaeast News Service

Standing on the top floor of the dazzling new university building named in his honour, Dick Currie reflects on a lifetime of philanthropy designed to move New Brunswick toward a brighter future.

Currie, 73, a Canadian business legend, has just revealed that he has personally donated more than $20 million for construction of the Richard J. Currie Center, a stunning multi-purpose facility that will help the university attract leading athletes and researchers.

It's the largest private gift UNB has ever received, and it comes from a man who already has given back an enormous amount of money, time and support to his alma mater and his native province.

Currie, who went from the grimy south end of Saint John to the gleaming towers of Canada's corporate elite, says there's no use having money and influence if you can't put it to good use.

"I don't want to be the richest guy in the graveyard," says Currie, UNB's chancellor since 2003.

"There's just no point to accumulating wealth and some level of influence without making use of it. I can make use of it in my home province with a building like this and being the chancellor of the university."

The Currie Center on the Fredericton campus of the University of New Brunswick is in the final stages of construction - a gleaming, five-storey structure with state-of-the-art gymnasiums, research facilities, fitness and conference centres.

Currie can't hide his emotion and pride as he gazes at the area that soon will be transformed into a high-performance gym for varsity and professional athletics. It also will be the venue for convocations once the facility opens next spring.

"It's a marvellous building," he says in an interview.

"I'm happy to be associated with it. It fills me with pride, in the proper sense of the word 'pride.' "

Wealth and success have not altered the fundamental humility and good nature of Currie, whose distinguished career includes 25 years at the helm of Loblaw Companies Ltd., and a stint as former chairman of the board of Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) Inc., the country's largest communications company.

He's credited with helping boost Loblaw's market value to $14 billion. He was named Canada's CEO of the Year in 2001.

The $20-million-plus donation for the Currie Center is in addition to a scholarship program for undergraduates that's one of the most prestigious in Canada.

What drives his generosity? Currie says he believes that higher education in a strong institution such as UNB is the key to New Brunswick's future success.

"The reason I'm interested in the building and the scholarship program is I am completely committed to the idea that New Brunswick's future is entirely tied to grey matter, if you will," he says.

"I think New Brunswickers are awesome people, particularly awesome once they are trained. The more they get trained and the more education in an institution like this, the better off the province will be. I have no doubt about that and if I had any doubts, I wouldn't do it."

Currie's ties to the University of New Brunswick reach back to his student days.

Starting his studies in chemical engineering at UNB in 1955, Currie received a Beaverbrook Scholarship. Back then, a Beaverbrook Scholarship covered between $500 to $1,000 worth of a student's expenses - enough to pay tuition and room and board for the year.

It was a great boon to students who might otherwise struggle to make ends meet while they attended school.

Currie has never forgotten the advantages given to him through the scholarship. It's the main motivation for his decision to endow the Currie scholarships today.

The scholarships, for engineering and other undergraduate programs, are worth $50,000 each.

"This is such a great university," he says, pointing out that at 225 years of age, UNB is the oldest public university in Canada.

"The future is not going to be related to the hewing of wood and the drawing of water. The future is going to be related to what's on peoples' shoulders. Let's make this an even better university. That's why I'm strongly committed to the university and this province."

Currie is overwhelmed by the new building that bears his name.

One wall of the five-storey structure is all glass, affording breathtaking views of the capital city and the St. John River.

Workmen are preparing to finish the interior, including a high-performance gym surrounded by bleachers for 1,500 that will support varsity and professional-level athletics.

"It's a wow," Currie says.

"If you're going to do something, you should do it right and this has been done right. There's an expression that I've used for many years and that is, 'Score if you're going to play.' This building has been done right."

Construction is running over budget and behind schedule, but nothing can diminish Currie's pride in the building and what he believes it will mean for New Brunswick.

"The important thing to me is that I've done something for my home province and didn't leave it and forget about it," Currie says.

"In some ways one could think of it as an ego trip. But there are lots of ways to get an ego trip and the proper way to get it is with the building blocks of your life. This is part of it."

Bob Skillen, UNB's chief advancement officer, said that while it's not unheard of to see such large personal donations in Central and Western Canada, it's unusual in Atlantic Canada.

"Clearly, Dick lives in Toronto and $20-million gifts there are numerous. But in New Brunswick, it doesn't happen."

Currie won't reveal the exact amount of the donation.

"The best way to express the amount I have given is to say well in excess of $20 million," he says with a smile.

The price tag for the Currie Center is now around $62 million and fundraising is continuing to cover the costs. The provincial government has donated $10 million and the federal government has added $8 million.

Officials hope more money will be coming.

"We have received a reasonable level of support for the building and I would hope there will be more support, particularly from New Brunswickers," Currie says.

"The provincial government and the federal government have been helpful and I feel very confident that will continue."

Scheduled to be open by next spring, the Currie Center will offer state-of-the-art facilities for university athletes, recreational gym users at the school and in the community, and researchers.

It will have two gyms, an elevated running track that circles the building's interior, conference facilities, locker rooms and a human performance lab unlike any other in Canada.

The lab will take body motion research to a new level by providing clinicians with data that will help treat patients, whether it is through therapy, bracing or surgery.

A running track that bisects the lab will allow researchers to study human gait.

"We're building a unique facility in Canada and we believe that will help us attract quality researchers over time as well as research dollars," Skillen says.

Currie describes himself as being a so-so athlete when he was a student. He says the new gyms and facilities in the centre will help attract top student-athletes to UNB.

"I think I'm correct in saying UNB has the highest percentage of academic all-Canadians in the Atlantic region. They're not just jocks."

Currie says his belief in the importance of giving back to your community stems from the Beaverbrook scholarship he received.

He still remembers the difference the Beaverbrook scholarship made to a young man coming from a family of modest means on Duke Street in Saint John's south end in the mid-1950s.

"That's all part of the so-called giving back. In my opinion, that's what life is all about."

Like another renowned New Brunswick philanthropist before him, Lord Beaverbrook, Currie is leaving a sizable legacy of donations, endowments, chairs and other acts of generosity.

The part-time Rothesay resident has endowed education chairs at Ontario's University Health Network, the University of Toronto's Joseph L. Rotman School of Management and - along with his wife Elizabeth - the Art Gallery of Ontario.

----

Capital jobless rate still lowest of three big cities
Published Saturday July 10th, 2010
Unemployment | Fredericton Chamber of Commerce president said rates may ease pressure on businesses
A7
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's unemployment rate is up for the third month in a row.

But at 5.3 per cent the jobless rate in the capital is still the lowest of New Brunswick's three big cities.

The latest figures from Statistics Canada released Friday also show the capital's unemployment rate is still well below the June, 2009 rate of 5.8 per cent.

The May jobless rate in Fredericton was 5.1 per cent, and in April it was 4.7 per cent.

Mike Toole, president of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said he's surprised by the increase in the monthly unemployment rate here.

"I can't really put my finger on why that would be," he said Friday.

Toole said he's still hearing a lot of optimism amongst Fredericton businesses.

"It sounds like people are hiring," he said.

"I am glad that (the unemployment rate is) still better than last year."

There could be a bright side to the rising unemployment rate.

Toole said when unemployment gets too low then businesses have a hard time finding employees.

"We just recently conducted a survey of our members and that was one of their big challenges, finding skilled labour," he said.

"It may ease the pressure."

The unemployment rate in Saint John was 7.3 per cent in June compared to 4.9 per cent for the same month last year.

Saint John's unemployment rate for May was 7.1 per cent, and for April was 6.9 per cent.

Moncton's unemployment rate fell to 6.2 per cent in June compared to seven per cent in June, 2009.

The Hub City's unemployment rate in May was 6.7 per cent, and seven per cent in April.

New Brunswick's overall unemployment rate rose to 9.3 per cent from 8.8 per cent in May.

That is also 0.4 per cent higher than the same month last year.

"Although I am disappointed with the labour statistics this month, we have to look at this survey over the long term," said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault, in a statement Friday.

He said there are 10,000 more people working in New Brunswick today than when the Liberals came to power in the fall of 2006.

"I am confident that we have put the fundamentals in place to support strong employment growth and produce long-term results for the people of our province," said Arseneault.

He also said the provincial and global economies have been going through one of the worst recessions in history.

To fight that recession, the Graham government has invested $1.6 billion in the provincial infrastructure over two years, which created 16,000 person-years of work.

The labour survey shows the province's labour force was 398,700 in June, and the employment level was 361,600, down 4,400 from May.

Provincial employment in construction was up 11.9 per cent, in trade was up 8.9 per cent and in transporting and warehousing was up 8.2 per cent, stated a labour department press release.

----

Housing starts up in Fredericton
Published Saturday July 10th, 2010
Construction season | Single family dwelling construction up 21 per cent
A4
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's residential housing starts are up 4.9 per cent for the year to date, says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

By June, there were 297 new houses and apartment building units started compared to 283 for the same period last year, according to the latest CMHC figures released Friday.

"If you look at the Fredericton market, it is doing very well," said Claude Gautreau, senior market analyst for New Brunswick with CMHC.

"Last year, Fredericton was one of the only major centres in the province that had a strong year.

"When you go from a strong year last year and you are still above this year ... that is a clear signal that market is doing quite well."

There were 149 new single family dwellings started in the capital in 2010 so far compared to 123 in the same period last year, an increase of 21 per cent.

There were 148 new apartment units this year compared to 160 last year, a decrease of 7.5 per cent.

Mike Toole, president of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said for the last few years Fredericton has enjoyed strong growth in residential housing.

"The fact that we are up ... doesn't surprise me at all," he said.

Commercial construction is also up this year, said Toole.

He said the housing market is vital to the city's economy.

"You are seeing a number of businesses benefiting from growth in the housing industry," said Toole.

That includes banks and financial companies, insurance companies, contractors and landscapers, and furniture and appliance businesses, he said.

CMHC statistics show that Fredericton's housing starts fell slightly in the month of June to 112 compared to 118 in June, 2009.

Overall, New Brunswick had 1,202 starts in the first half of 2010 compared to 1,075 in the first half of 2009, an increase of 11.8 per cent.

Saint John's housing starts in the first half of this year fell to 264 from 358 in 2009, a decrease of 26.3 per cent.

Moncton's housing market increased to 580 from 349, a jump of 66.2 per cent.

Gautreau said CMHC is projecting that the housing market for Fredericton will remain stable for the rest of the year and be comparable to 2009.

There could be a slight decline in apartments because there were so many new units added last year, he said.

"Fredericton will probably have another very strong construction season in 2010 and (in) 2011 (with) economic conditions and everything else we should see a gradual increase."

Gautreau said Fredericton's housing market benefits from a well-balanced economy.

"It is not dominated by one particular industry," he said.

Fredericton and Moncton are also the only two big cities in New Brunswick that have growing populations, said Gautreau.

"As long as you have people coming in ... it is creating demand for housing," he said.

----

[Freddypop]

First and second readings of the Municipal Plan and Zoning Law amendments for the new downtown hotel are on this evenings city council agenda.

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygovernment/resources/Agenda-CC.pdf

[cl812]

First and second readings of the Municipal Plan and Zoning Law amendments for the new downtown hotel are on this evenings city council agenda.

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygovernment/resources/Agenda-CC.pdf

Hopefully construction will start this year. In one of the articles in the Gleaner a while back it sounded like they were quite eager to get started on it

[LeBouthillier]

Does anyone know when the new "Southview" condo project on the northside will be complete (i.e. when owners will move in)? I'd love to own a unit there but they are quite expensive. Even the base model starts in the mid 250s.

[Freddypop]

Does anyone know when the new "Southview" condo project on the northside will be complete (i.e. when owners will move in)? I'd love to own a unit there but they are quite expensive. Even the base model starts in the mid 250s.

Last I heard from a neighbour who owns one of the condos there that it was early October for the first condos to be ready

[Freddypop]

Hopefully construction will start this year. In one of the articles in the Gleaner a while back it sounded like they were quite eager to get started on it

A strong bet that things are moving forward in either September or early October just as the Convention Centre construction winds down.

[cl812]

Hilton project gets green light
Published Tuesday July 13th, 2010
Downtown | Some people opposed to development
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A smattering of objections to the height of a proposed Hilton Garden Inn for the downtown didn't give city councillors pause Monday night as they gave first and second reading to the zoning changes needed to clear the way for the hotel to be built.

Third reading will come forward in two weeks.

The proposed Hilton hotel will be 36 metres tall, about the height of the Bank of Montreal building, but its west-facing wall has only a narrow band of windows illuminating a stairwell.

That blank wall is too stark and will dominate their view, said 13 residents of the Regency Condominium development whose east-facing units will look out at the west wall of the proposed hotel.

"This severe prospect will greet us every day and in addition to blocking the easterly view will presumably have a significant effect on the amount of sunlight reaching our homes in the winter months," the condo owners said in a group letter to the city.

Mayor Brad Woodside said the hotel design isn't a fait accompli.

"It's still in negotiation in terms of what is going to transpire there. As far as the wall, we'll have to wait for the architectural renderings," Woodside said.

The design concept for the hotel, which shows the hotel's windows facing north toward the St. John River, was in its early stages when it went to the city's planning advisory committee.

"They're very preliminary during the phase where we put it out to a call for proposals ... There has to be a re-initiation of that (design) and something a little more firm and staff are negotiating that right now," the mayor said.

The city acquired the DiGiacinto property when it decided to construct a $79-million Queen Street convention centre, parking garage and government office building with the intention of calling public proposals for a hotel to be constructed alongside the buildings.

"Allowing such a tall building will take away from the classic feel of downtown and why some of us live downtown,'' said condo resident Rosella Melanson in a letter to council.

"Allowing such an ugly wall on the side that most people downtown will see seems to show that too little attention has been paid to date to what is good for Fredericton and its citizens.''

Another downtown resident, Tim Rattenbury, estimates that at 36 metres, the hotel will be about 45 per cent higher than the new office building and twice the height of the new parking garage.

"That sounds very big to me, standing head and shoulders above anything around it," Rattenbury said in his letter of opposition.

"A 45 per cent increase in the height limit is a lot. If council raises the bar to 36 metres on this site, won't this also set the standard for other large developments in the future?" he said in his letter to city council.

"The fact that a previous council has approved a 36-metre limit in the past is not a reason for this council to repeat the mistake."

But Woodside said the building isn't going to be 45 per cent higher than any other building in the downtown.

"It's going to be very comparable to the Bank of Montreal," Woodside said after the meeting.

The mayor said the hotel is going to provide employment to local workers and it's going to provide rooms for the convention centre.

"When we bought the DiGiacinto property, we bought it with the full intention of razing that building and putting it out to a call for proposals for a hotel," the mayor said.

The convention centre development will be open by January.

The Prince Edward Island-based company proposing to build the Hilton Garden Inn has said it will proceed swiftly if it obtains its approvals and the hotel could be built and ready for guests in less than two years.

----

[corda]

If it is going to be as tall as 36m it will look tall and narrow. I'm not complaining, it's great to see a lot of development downtown... good for Fredericton in general.
:tup:

[Freddypop]

If it is going to be as tall as 36m it will look tall and narrow. I'm not complaining, it's great to see a lot of development downtown... good for Fredericton in general.
:tup:

I agree. I believe the biggest concern is the west facing wall which will have little if any character...based on the renderings. This is being discussed so look for an update to the exterior design within two weeks before 3rd and final reading.

[corda]

Do any of you cross the bridge daily too? and surprised at low amount of traffic so far? Some days seem to have fewer cars then when both bridges were open. Maybe the strong suggestion of flex time and alternate transportation actually helped. I took the free bus to Brookside Mall yesterday with only one other rider so that option doesn't seem to be popular.

Some future arguments for a third bridge can look back at this to showcase the demand is nowhere near full capacity... I think a third bridge will be built in 20 years at the earliest. Next year's closure should be more telling... overlapping the end of the school year and after classes resume again in the Fall.

[corda]

I agree. I believe the biggest concern is the west facing wall which will have little if any character...based on the renderings. This is being discussed so look for an update to the exterior design within two weeks before 3rd and final reading.

I suggest getting Frank Gehry to design the wall. lol
Then people at Regency Condos will really have something to look at.

[OliverD]

Do any of you cross the bridge daily too? and surprised at low amount of traffic so far? Some days seem to have fewer cars then when both bridges were open. Maybe the strong suggestion of flex time and alternate transportation actually helped. I took the free bus to Brookside Mall yesterday with only one other rider so that option doesn't seem to be popular.

I cross daily and it has been surprisingly good. However, there are a lot of factors at play that are reducing traffic, like people being on vacation and school being out.

Some future arguments for a third bridge can look back at this to showcase the demand is nowhere near full capacity... I think a third bridge will be built in 20 years at the earliest. Next year's closure should be more telling... overlapping the end of the school year and after classes resume again in the Fall.

I think it is difficult to use this as an argument for not having a third bridge in the near future. The Westmorland bridge can be a nightmare in the winter months due to higher levels of traffic and winter weather.

Also keep in mind that a properly placed third bridge will be able to shift a lot of traffic out of the downtown core, which could make that area more appealing as a destination rather than just something we drive through.

[OliverD]

Does anyone know when the new "Southview" condo project on the northside will be complete (i.e. when owners will move in)? I'd love to own a unit there but they are quite expensive. Even the base model starts in the mid 250s.

I'm really hoping that this development can spur some renewal in this area. As nice as this building may be, it's sitting between a Giant Tiger, a vacant lot, and some rundown rental housing. Then across the street you have a gas station and a strip club. Hopefully this stretch of Union Street will get nicer over the next few years.

[cl812]

Do any of you cross the bridge daily too? and surprised at low amount of traffic so far? Some days seem to have fewer cars then when both bridges were open. Maybe the strong suggestion of flex time and alternate transportation actually helped. I took the free bus to Brookside Mall yesterday with only one other rider so that option doesn't seem to be popular.

Some future arguments for a third bridge can look back at this to showcase the demand is nowhere near full capacity... I think a third bridge will be built in 20 years at the earliest. Next year's closure should be more telling... overlapping the end of the school year and after classes resume again in the Fall.

Next year will definately be different since the closure goes into september which will coincide with the start up of school and more importantly University. I always found the traffic really drops off when unversity is done for the year. School being in definately makes a difference as well. I think traffic for the first of September will really be an issue atleast much more so than what it was this year.

[cl812]

I'm really hoping that this development can spur some renewal in this area. As nice as this building may be, it's sitting between a Giant Tiger, a vacant lot, and some rundown rental housing. Then across the street you have a gas station and a strip club. Hopefully this stretch of Union Street will get nicer over the next few years.

It would be really nice to see that area cleaned up with more highrise condo/housing developments. It is a perfect location for that type of development. There is a fair bit of vacant land around there (along the river) and it would be great too see more developments similar to the southview one.

[OliverD]

It would be really nice to see that area cleaned up with more highrise condo/housing developments. It is a perfect location for that type of development. There is a fair bit of vacant land around there (along the river) and it would be great too see more developments similar to the southview one.

It would also be great to see more of the historic homes in the area restored. There's already a large white house on Union undergoing a $600k renovation.

[cl812]

It would also be great to see more of the historic homes in the area restored. There's already a large white house on Union undergoing a $600k renovation.

Yeah I noticed that, right before the green there on the river side of Union street. There are some nice houses along there for sure.

[Steeple Shanks]

They have begun taking down the baggage section of the train station.

[Pugsley]

Does anyone have any images of the proposed Hilton? Sorry, Hilton "Garden Inn"? Curious to see this wall everone is upset about. Agree, a bland wall would be unsightly. The least they could do is use some faux curtainwall reflective glass to make it look like it has windows...as opposed to plain concrete...just a thought.

[mylesmalley]

There are some pretty funny NIMBY comments on the CBC with regards to the 11 storey hotel. Some people just can't handle the thought of change.

[cl812]

There are some pretty funny NIMBY comments on the CBC with regards to the 11 storey hotel. Some people just can't handle the thought of change.

The one about downtown is the place for this type of development is pretty good. They actually sugguest that it should be uptown :haha:

What a joke.

[mylesmalley]

because an 11 storey hotel would stand out downtown, but would blend right in at the top of the hill at the edge of the city - in a business park.