[Taeolas]

It is in this city. :) First one in the city at least, and I've been itching for mexican lately... or at least cheap mexican with my budget.

[cl812]

'It's a wonderful design'
Published Tuesday November 9th, 2010
Renovations | Regent Mall unveils new look
A1
BY JODY NABUURS
FOR THE DAILY GLEANER

It's out with the old and in with the new at the Regent Mall.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=622290&size=500x0
Robert Carson, with Plasticraft, installs temporary lettering on what will be A&W in the food court at the Regent Mall.

After eight months of hammering, drilling and redecorating, the mall's $13-million makeover project came to an end Monday.

"We love the new look and the added amenities and the added services," Colleen Parent-Meade, general manager of the Regent Mall, said in an interview.

Gone are the traditional mall benches, the dim lighting, the drab flooring and the old-style food court.

"It's more inviting. It's more comfortable," Parent-Meade said.

New ceiling treatments allow for more light to flow through the mall's 100 skylights.

"The style pre-renovations was an open ceiling concept, so the light from the skylight was getting lost in the ceiling. Now the light is being directed down, so it seems so much brighter.

"It seems like we have more skylights when in fact we don't. We have the exact same number but the light is making its way down to the floor. The whole ceiling look is a brand new feature."

The benches have been replaced with soft-seating areas to provide more comfort and elegance to the shopping centre, she said.

"It's absolutely a new style of seating throughout the mall.''

"We've had such positive responses from our customers. They really love the new benches. They're much more comfortable."

The flooring has been replaced and now has a more modern look with warm colours.

The food court has been renovated and redesigned with symmetry in mind.

"It's a wonderful design. Everything is symmetrical. The skylight has an oval shape to it. The tile has an oval shape. The table has an oval shape. So it's very aesthetically pleasing," Parent-Meade said.

In addition, the mall features new and expanded washrooms and a baby & me room in the food court.

Parent-Meade said the owners of the mall, the Cadillac Fairview Corp., undertook the makeover to keep from becoming outdated and to stay competitive with other shopping centres.

"Cadillac Fairview needs to continue to invest and reinvent the properties so we stay current in the market," she said.

"Our goal throughout the entire process has been to enhance our shoppers' experience, and I think we've achieved that with our new look and our new amenities and our added services. And our hope is that ... when they shop they want to stay longer and are more comfortable."

The design was inspired by urban trends seen in shopping centres of leading international cities.

Officially opened in 1976, the Regent Mall is approximately 490,000 square feet (more than 45,000 square metres) and is home to 115 stores and attracts roughly seven million visitors each year.

[Taeolas]

Overall, I do like the new design. It is clean and surprisingly bright.

I was a little disappointed that they fenced in the Food court again; the time when it was open all around was nice, but I can live with that.

I do think that deciding to tile over the old tiles will prove to be a mistake eventually. It's a slight downslide, but I can already feel the slant going from the halls into the stores. That's probably going to be a maintenance nightmare in the years to come.

[OliverD]

The lineup at Taco Bell at lunch today was insane.

[mylesmalley]

It is in this city. :) First one in the city at least, and I've been itching for mexican lately... or at least cheap mexican with my budget.

I suppose, haha. Is El Burrito Loco still closed?

[cl812]

Was in the mall today and they now have signs up for the Pretzel maker and Timothy's Coffee along the expanded side of the food court.

[Smevo]

I haven't heard for sure, but has Teriyaki closed? I know the old manager is officially done with it.

[cl812]

I haven't heard for sure, but has Teriyaki closed? I know the old manager is officially done with it.

Its still open, atleast it was yesterday.

[cl812]

Business digest
Published Wednesday November 10th, 2010
D1

Taco Bell opens in Regent Mall

Fredericton's first Taco Bell opened Tuesday in the food court of the Regent Mall.

"We've been trying to bring it (Taco Bell) for about three years now," said Todd Abernethy, co-owner of the franchise.

He said he thinks there will be a strong demand in the capital for Taco Bell.

"There have been groups all over Facebook and people have been telling us they want us to bring it for a long time now," he said.

Demand on the first day seemed to support that sentiment.

"I've worked in the mall for 15 years," said Abernethy.

"I have never seen a line up as long as we had today."

"We had a line up all the way past A&W, all the way past Manchu Wok, all the way past KFC and into Subway."

Abernethy wouldn't rule out opening another Taco Bell in Fredericton.

"Not right now though," he said.

"We are going to concentrate on this one."

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1301361

[cl812]

Fresh coat
Published Thursday November 11th, 2010
A6

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=624226&size=500x0
Outside touch ups: A construction worker uses a roller on one of the wooden roof beams of the new Richard J. Currie Center on the University of New Brunswick campus recently.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/article/1303294

[cl812]

Property on Lincoln Road rezoned
Published Wednesday November 10th, 2010
A3
BY THE DAILY GLEANER

City council has given third and final reading to a bylaw to rezone a property at 1823 Lincoln Rd. to commercial from R-2 single family residential.

The rezoning will allow Andrei Master Tailors to construct a building and relocate to a larger premises.

The city received a letter of objection from one neighbour who opposes the construction of a business between two family homes.

[cl812]

Event to kick off centre opening
Published Thursday November 11th, 2010
Mayor | Former state of city address Jan. 13
A8
BY THE DAILY GLEANER

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside is going to hold the inaugural gala at the city's new convention centre complex.

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and the city will jointly present a Gala Event with the Mayor on Jan. 13.

A reception and tours of the facility will be offered between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Opening comments and the dinner will commence at 7:30 p.m.

The event, formerly called the mayor's state of the city address, is moving to a dinner function, rather than a breakfast.

Woodside will deliver his perspective of where the city is now and where it's heading.

At the event, Enbridge Gas New Brunswick will also be recognized as one of Fredericton's Green Business leaders.

[Taeolas]

I haven't heard for sure, but has Teriyaki closed? I know the old manager is officially done with it.

Previously in the thread, someone mentioned that Corporate was taking it over to keep it open. (Guess they liked how well the store does even if the manager wanted to leave).

There are signs up now saying they're looking for a Franchise owner to take it over now. When I ate there last weekend, they didn't have the noodles for some of the items on the updated menus yet.

[OliverD]

I suppose, haha. Is El Burrito Loco still closed?

I don't think it was ever closed, was it?

[cl812]

I don't think it was ever closed, was it?

I remember hearing something about that, but I didnt think it ever closed either.

[Smevo]

Previously in the thread, someone mentioned that Corporate was taking it over to keep it open. (Guess they liked how well the store does even if the manager wanted to leave).

There are signs up now saying they're looking for a Franchise owner to take it over now. When I ate there last weekend, they didn't have the noodles for some of the items on the updated menus yet.

Yeah, that was me that mentioned corporate might be taking over (I know the now former owner personally and used to work there), I just hadn't heard if they did or not. The one thing corporate could never wrap their head around was how many gyozas we sold compared to other locations (thank you "rice plate combo", which is now probably gone). If the new franchisee turns out to be a puppet of corporate, I can't see the store staying open for long as the old specials are what kept that place afloat when I used to work there. But as always, I could be proven wrong...let's hope that I am in this case because the standard Teriyaki store is still good food and a good alternative to the usual grease you find in a food court, just not as varied as we were in Regent Mall (corporate got after us a lot for that).

As for El Burrito Loco, I hope that place hasn't/doesn't close, as I'm supposed to be going back to Fredericton for a visit in January and I've always loved the food there (illegal immigrant rumours aside).

[Taeolas]

As far as I can tell, Loco is still open. I haven't been there lately, but last monday when I went by it had the Open sign lit up. It doesn't have many outside lights so its hard to tell when it is open or not outside of the patio season.

It seemed busy enough still when I was at Teriyaki last week. I think Gyoza's were still on the menu, as 3 or 6ers but there wasn't a meal with it. The only meal I saw was the old meat + rice + bottle water deal.

[cl812]

As far as I can tell, Loco is still open. I haven't been there lately, but last monday when I went by it had the Open sign lit up. It doesn't have many outside lights so its hard to tell when it is open or not outside of the patio season.

It seemed busy enough still when I was at Teriyaki last week. I think Gyoza's were still on the menu, as 3 or 6ers but there wasn't a meal with it. The only meal I saw was the old meat + rice + bottle water deal.

Was by there a bit earlier this evening and El Burrito Loco was open.

Also, I had Teriyaki last week for the first time and it was very good for fast food. Definately a much healthier option. I will be going again sometime soon as long as it is still open.

[OliverD]

As for El Burrito Loco, I hope that place hasn't/doesn't close, as I'm supposed to be going back to Fredericton for a visit in January and I've always loved the food there (illegal immigrant rumours aside).

No rumor about it: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:bd3uTIG6YVYJ:dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1182324%26p%3D1+el+burrito+loco+fined+5000&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=safari

For this reason, I refuse to give them my business and would encourage others to do this same. Their methods are inexcusable.

[cl812]

Johnson becomes sole owner of Kingswood
Published Friday November 12th, 2010
Changing | Fitness facility located on Hanwell Road
A1
BY BILL HUNT
HUNT.BILL@DAILYGLEANER.COM

The colours aren't the only things changing these days at Kingswood.

The fitness facility, located outside city limits on Hanwell Road, has a new owner.

Brian Johnson, the former general manager and minority partner in the entertainment enterprise, has completed a deal to take over as sole owner of the Kingswood facility and four office buildings from former majority owner Ernie MacFadzen.

It was 22 months in the making, and while Johnson won't talk about specific numbers, it's a multimillion dollar deal.

The major components are an 80,000-square-foot fitness/bowling and entertainment complex; an 300-acre tract of land, which includes a nine-hole executive golf course and an 18-hole luxury golf course; and an 16,000-square-foot lodge and restaurant.

Cosmetic changes have already begun, with a new sign at the entrance to the entertainment centre. The outside of the complex is also painted in more muted, earthy tones than before, to match the nearby lodge.

That's only the beginning of the plans Johnson has for the place. He's already extended an invitation to the Wostewea cross-country ski club to extend trails and use the clubhouse facilities when the season begins.

He's hired Andy Mabie of Fredericton as director of operations and is off to a trade show in Orlando, Fla., next week to look at "outdoor amusement options" - splash pads, outdoor equipment and the like - to develop the acreage around the entertainment complex as a summer destination for more than golf.

"There's a lot of room to do a lot of things," said Johnson.

Kingswood Ventures, as the new entertainment/real estate company is known, currently employs 200.

Johnson envisions employing as many as 100 more people when the project hits its peak over the next 12 months.

"I don't have a target in mind, but we'll hire as many as we need," he said.

The entertainment facility, which includes gymnastics, bowling, a fitness centre, and play and laser tag facilities, has been open for 14 years.

The golf course, coming off "our best year yet," said Johnson, will celebrate its 10th anniversary next spring. He hopes to attract a TELUS Skins Game.

As well, Johnson and Kingswood are major sponsors - he calls it a partnership - in the UNB athletics program, including the thriving V-Reds Prospects spring hockey program that operates 17 teams.

He estimated Kingswood has helped raise about $3.2 million in the community over its history.

Johnson is a 54-year-old Fredericton native and a UNB graduate.

He was one of the driving forces behind the 2004 "Friendship Series" hockey series between peewee-aged players from Fredericton and Brockton, Mass., which was later made into a television movie.

Much of the movie was shot here.

Johnson is also part of the steering committee for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey national championship tournament, which will take place in Fredericton in March and March 2012.

Johnson and Kingswood also support the Turnaround Achievement Awards, "a cause that is very close to my heart," he said, and provide a home for the Gallery Connexion in the Chestnut Complex on York Street.

Johnson was recently awarded the J.D. Irving Arts and Cultural Partnership Award.

[cl812]

City gives apartment building green light
Published Friday November 12th, 2010
Forest Hill | 151 units planned for new building
A8
BY THE DAILY GLEANER

Killam Investments Inc. of Halifax is planning to construct a 151-unit apartment building next door to an existing high-rise it owns at 700 Forest Hill Rd.

City council has approved the R-9 high density zoning needed to create the new building.

The building will incorporate environmentally friendly design features. As part of the company's overall construction plans, it will upgrade the indoor swimming pool and theatre-entertainment facilities contained in the neighbouring apartment building it already owns.

The new building will include a gymnasium complex accessible by all Killam tenants.

[cl812]

Tempers flare over downtown parking
Published Tuesday November 16th, 2010
Concerns | Convention centre has changed traffic patterns in downtown
A1
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

A crush of last-minute decisions on traffic patterns for the downtown convention centre and setting parking rates for the new $11.5-million parking garage is raising the collective blood pressure of city council.

"This has not been consultative. I'm not happy about this," Coun. Bruce Grandy said. "This is not the way we should be approaching this, not this way at all.''

He said the recent provincial election should be a reminder of what happens when a government doesn't consult with its stakeholders.

"This is just ramming stuff through," Grandy said. "This is not the way I envision consultation.''

Mayor Brad Woodside had to break a five-five tie Monday night to approve the traffic configurations surrounding the new multimillion dollar facility due to open Jan. 13.

Woodside's vote will see Queen Street remain one-way its entire length, parking will remain on the south side of King Street, but not on its north side and parking won't be returned to either side of Regent Street.

The city won't create a designated bus zone for either public transit buses or for buses that are hired during conventions to take delegates on tours, to hotels or other venues.

Instead, the city will cover off parking spaces on St. John Street on an as-needed basis to accommodate those pickup times.

Councillors Stephen Chase, Jordan Graham and Grandy were still unhappy with the three traffic scenarios put forward. Coun. Eric Megarity and Coun. Marilyn Kerton also questioned details of the traffic configurations.

Chase, Graham and Grandy want more open consultation with downtown businesses on the changes.

"If we're going to have any luck on getting stuff done that accommodates both traffic and the business people that operate our downtown, we both have to be at the table," Graham said.

Development services director Frank Flanagan said that will come as part of an overall review of downtown parking.

But Graham said he was certain council wanted city staff to hear the views of the business people prior to presenting its report to council Monday night.

"Either there's two options here. It's that you're invited to participate in decisions on parking except for this one, or that the decision that we just made will be under review as part of the holistic parking study, which I think is a great idea," Graham said.

Flanagan also asked councillors to set the parking rates for the new downtown parking garage.

One of the concepts suggested in that report was to negotiate with Downtown Fredericton Inc. for a repayment of the increased money it will collect as part of a special downtown business improvement area levy because it will be taxing the convention centre, parking garage and provincial government office building.

Council on Monday night voted to direct staff to proceed with those negotiations, but councillors weren't happy with putting Downtown Fredericton Inc. under the gun at the last minute.

Flanagan said city staff members are trying to find a balance between market level rates, which might be too onerous to the public, and reducing the overall subsidization of the parking rates by taxpayers.

Downtown Fredericton Inc., which lobbied city council not to pull out parking meters on Queen, King and Regent streets as part of its traffic change, had sought for its views to be weighed as part of the proposals brought forward Monday night by engineering and public works director Murray Jamer and the city's hired traffic consultant Don Good.

Grandy and Graham were both annoyed when in both instances - the traffic pattern concepts and the parking garage rates - the group wasn't at least invited to sit down with city staff before the report came to council.

Flanagan said reports to council aren't handed out until the Monday after councillors have been given it.

Downtown Fredericton Inc. was notified a couple of weeks ago about some of the concepts in general terms. But normal practice is for council to get reports first, Flanagan said.

Grandy refused to vote on a recommendation to start negotiations with Downtown Fredericton Inc. on revenue-sharing to underwrite the costs of the parking garage based on the process.

"I guess my feeling is that we should have had a discussion at that level (Downtown Fredericton Inc.) before it got here. I don't think in all fairness that Downtown Fredericton was given enough time.

"I think a few weeks ago you could have talked about this and discussed this."

Woodside agreed, saying, "We're not discussing enough. We're not getting outside our council chamber enough to talk to the stakeholders."

That prompted city administrator Paul Stapleton to spring to the defence of city staff.

"There's a courtesy here. Council is the one that needs to see this information first," Stapleton said.

Staff can't take options out for negotiation without council's knowledge and some kind of direction.

"We'd be getting ourselves in far more trouble by doing that," Stapleton said.

"I guess we're all learning," Woodside said.

A preliminary rate structure for the parking garage won't see the city set fees like those charged if the garage were operated by a private-sector interest. Woodside said most city services bear some level of public subsidy.

Coun. Eric Megarity said the city has to be careful not to single out parking services for full cost recovery any more than public transit or recreation services can be priced to recoup their full costs.

"If you want full cost recovery, people would flip out in this city," Coun. Scott McConaghy said. "Don't kid yourself. Somebody's got to pay for this ...

"The downtown is going to be more vibrant, but there is a cost there."

Finance committee chairman Coun. Mike O'Brien said the city's decision to open up its budget process and discussion of financial issues is creating a learning curve for council.

"There's a lot of emotion here around the table," O'Brien said.

[cl812]

From grocery store to an eyesore
Published Wednesday November 17th, 2010
Downtown | Mayor wants property cleaned up pronto
A1
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside wants the city's building inspection department to go after the unsightly former Sobey's-TRA Cash and Carry grocery store on Queen Street.

"I would like staff to pursue the Unsightly Premises Bylaw that we have in place to deal with unsightly premises," Woodside said. "I want a time frame.

"If it's going to be sitting there for any length of time, I would like at the very least to have it cleaned up a bit."

Woodside said the building is located in such a prime spot in such a beautiful city that it stands out. Its windows are boarded up and it has been targeted by graffiti artists.

"I'm trying to get some answers for the public. I'd like to think we can meet with and come up with a solution with the people who own the property."

Woodside said people are starting to talk about the property in the same way they described the crumbling York Street train station before its transformation.

Development services director Frank Flanagan said discussions with the owner haven't resulted in much improvement.

Development committee chairman Coun. Stephen Chase is asking for an overall report from city hall staff on vacant and unsightly properties for the committee's January meeting.

[cl812]

New airline eyes city
Published Wednesday November 17th, 2010
A4
BY STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
LLEWELLYN.STEPHEN@DAILYGLEANER.COM

A new airline in Atlantic Canada may be coming to Fredericton.

East Coast Airways based out of Halifax is expected to start flying in a few weeks to Saint John, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Yarmouth, N.S., and Sydney, N.S.

But Mike Dana, head of Fredericton-based Capital Airways and one of the owners of East Coast Airways, said Fredericton might be next on the list.

"We are just in the planning stages right now," he said.

Dana said East Coast has been talking to the Greater Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc. about the possibility.

"We are looking at the viability of doing that," said the vice-president of East Coast Airways.

"I think there are some good possibilities of getting a flight in here."

Dana said it's too soon to talk about any details related to the service to Fredericton and a decision won't be made until next year.

The service might be a direct flight from Fredericton to Halifax, but there could be other flights, he said.

"There are no real routes set out in my mind," said Dana.

"If it was going to be a domestic run to Halifax, it would probably be daily," Dana said.

"There might be some charter flights and things like that as well during the winter months."

He also didn't rule out the possibility of a route from Fredericton to the United States. Fredericton used to have a direct flight to Boston.

"We would have to look at the numbers and the aircraft type," said Dana.

"The planes we are using right now may not be an airplane that really suits the longer hauls to a U.S. destination."

East Coast Airways, a subsidiary of Integra Air Inc. of Lethbridge, Alta., has five aircraft called Jetstream 31s, a 19-passenger, twin-engined tubo prop.

The airline is promising to charge a fixed price on its flights, regardless of whether a passenger books two weeks ahead of time or 24 hours in advance.

Dana said the airline is expected to start flying its previously announced routes in a few weeks.

More information on the airline is available at www.eastcoastairway.com.

David Innes, president and CEO of Greater Fredericton Airport Authority, said East Coast Airways would be welcome here.

"We are always looking for more services," he said.

"The aircraft type that they have chosen to provide service with is one that Air Atlantic used to use through here a number of years ago."

Innes said no changes would be required to the Fredericton airport to handle the new service.

"We have all kinds of capacity here to handle both the passengers and the aircraft themselves," he said.

"We would certainly welcome the service."

[kirjtc2]

Honestly....I'd just rather tear the TRA building down at this point. A vacant lot would be better than that eyesore.

Unlike the train station, nobody will care about tearing a 50s concrete-box ex-supermarket down.

[cl812]

City approves $2.4-M loan
Published Thursday November 18th, 2010
A6
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

The City of Fredericton has approved the final chunk of borrowing needed to complete its major capital projects spending of $120 million.

Council has authorized its finance department to borrow $2.4 million.

The provincial government's Municipal Capital Borrowing Board must approve the financing, but the city's debt ratio will remain at eight per cent of its total budget with the financing.

The borrowing board keeps an eye on municipal debt levels.

To date, the board has approved $117.7 million in financing costs for repairs to the Lady Beaverbrook Rink, upgrades to the city's outdoor pools and construction of Willie O'Ree Place. A total of $7.3 million was financed for the construction of the new fire station at Two Nation's Crossing.

Construction of the downtown convention centre, parking garage and provincial government office complex is on the books and so is financing of $20.6 million for the construction of the Grant * Harvey Centre on the south side of the city.

Finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien says the amounts being borrowed are all within the amounts that the city had set aside for its major capital projects.

[Taeolas]

Tearing down the TRA building is probably the best idea. Turn most of it into parkland, with a City parking lot for now, and wait for a developer to come in with a clean slate idea for it. IIRC from other comments previous in this thread, the land itself is infill/landfill, which means its not good land to build a big building on, so I doubt we'll ever see any largish buildings on the site anyways.

[Pugsley]

Honestly....I'd just rather tear the TRA building down at this point. A vacant lot would be better than that eyesore.

Unlike the train station, nobody will care about tearing a 50s concrete-box ex-supermarket down.

The issue with the infill and the cost of the development makes it a very difficult piece of land to develop. It will cost more than any other land and a suitable developer will not be found for several years. I have always suggested that the city demolish it and turn it into a west-end public plaza and access point for the waterfront trail....until a developer could be found to invest the money needed for a substantial structure.

Given the location, the addition of a bandshell would make it a great venue for outdoor concerts and Harvest Festival activities...bringing people further West into the downtown for recreational and entertainment purposes... potentially sparking the development of other parcels of land in the area with less complications and costs for development. It could, like the bridge by the library or the lighthouse, act as a "gateway to the waterfront" with less cost than constructing a major building. Further the city could ask for private naming rights for the attraction. McCain is the closest major global corporation to Fredericton and lets face it...needs to do more than finance an art wing in the capital. Irving, in scale, does so much more.

If anyone from McCain reads this, maybe a public park dedicted to the great business people and innovators of New Brunswick is in order... You can call it "Innovation Square" and have plaques and stories of famous NB entrepreneurs and innovators like Mayer, Irving, Baxter, Ganong, McCain and others...like you have sponsored at BCE Place in Toronto. Of course, you can have your brand everwhere as well as the lead corporate donor. A park where people can be entertained when special events occur and learn about some of the province's greatest minds during the day. Imagine the press of having an annual induction into innovation square, sponsored by McCain.

A bridge over St. Anne's Point Drive to the riverfront trail as well as some coin-fed binoculars to spot birds and other animals across the river would be a nice touch too while you are at it. :)

[Pugsley]

So, after thinking about my previous post, I thought I would do a quick mock-up of how the city could use the space where the current grocery store sits vacant. The concept is a three level park space consisting of an “innovators” wall promoting NB brilliance, a band shell, walking bridge, observation space, and winter skating space. The concept is the creation of a public space for gathering all season long.

http://united-thinking.com/Images/Innovation%20Square%201.jpg

In the summer, the space acts as a public park for concerts, and live events. The design allows for “gates” to be set up when needed (see the X diamonds) allowing it to be closed off for “paid events” like the harvest jazz and blues festival or event the new Fred Rock festival. The band shell would face towards the city to ensure that noise would not carry across the river to residential areas.

Adjacent to the park, the existing buildings along Queen would be restored OR have new ones developed. A Café, perhaps a Starbucks, would be the anchor next to the park and café seating would be provided for summertime workers and visitors to relax next to the fountains (the ice blue boxes). A large public art piece would also be present, perhaps a dedication to the history of manufacturing or discovery in the province.

Passing through the fountain gates the visitor is on the ground level. From the left, the park slopes down along a barrier wall down to the band shell area. From the right, it slopes upwards passed the wall of innovation to the observation area and the walking bridge to the riverfront. The entire area surrounding the park is landscaped with mature trees and flowers.

http://united-thinking.com/Images/Innovation%20Square%202.jpg

In the winter, the park’s amphitheatre would be designed with special water and draining to allow for the creation of a public skating area. Here, families can skate during the day and maybe even enjoy themed entertainment from the stage while doing so. It can also be a central point for the city’s Winterfest. Best of all, the nearby café is where winter skaters can pick up a hot chocolate to warm themselves up!

Do you think the city could develop something like this?

[cl812]

I think that is an excellent idea, it would be nice to see something like that downtown. The city talked about putting an ampitheatre in officer square in the past, but there really isnt enough room there, this is a much better way to go and they could get rid of the eyesore at the same time.

[Freddypop]

Noticed that the Legion downtown is for sale

[cl812]

Noticed that the Legion downtown is for sale

heres the article from todays paper:

For sale: Queen St. Legion facility
Published Saturday November 20th, 2010
Branch No. 4 | Membership looks to find new, one-level building as replacement
A3
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

Fredericton's Royal Canadian Legion property on Queen Street is up for sale for $1.3 million.

The Remax Group Four Realty sign on the property went up after Remembrance Day events.

Jean-Guy Perreault, president of Branch No. 4, which owns the property, said there's a number of reasons why the 1,100-member legion feels it's time to sell.

The building is 53 years old and requires a new roof, new windows and other upgrades.

If the legion tackled the upgrades, it would have to modernize the facility to building code standards and that could end up being quite costly for the membership.

The two-level building isn't elevator-equipped and that's a problem for aging veterans who find the stairs difficult to climb, he said.

"It's costly for us to maintain. So, we have to start somewhere. We have to sell this building; we would hope to be able to stay down here until we find something else," he said.

The legion would be looking for a one-level building, either an existing structure they could move into or a piece of property where they could build.

Branch No. 4 is managing to pay its bills and keep its head above water, but it's a constant challenge to do so, Perreault said.

A more modern building would probably be more energy efficient and less costly to heat and maintain, he said.

On the flip side of the coin, Perreault said, the legion owns the 0.76-hectares (1.9-acres) of land upon which the building sits. There's parking for 50 cars.

The brick building itself is 1,199 square metres or roughly 13,324 square feet.

The land is zoned for commercial use.

The property has two kitchens and a large upper open room that the legion has used for hosting banquets and other social events.

Perreault said the property has an ideal setting with its view of the St. John River.

"It's a beautiful place right downtown," he said.

"If somebody could build a complex there ... it would be the right place."

Perreault said the Branch No. 4 legion hasn't asked the City of Fredericton about its interest in the property, which abuts city-owned land which the municipality wants to see redeveloped.

City of Fredericton development committee chairman Coun. Stephen Chase said he'll raise the topic of the property sale with city councillors.

"We knew the legion property might come up because they're struggling. There's a wonderful opportunity there," he said.

Chase would like to see a major commercial-residential node in the downtown west end.

The city owns land next door to the legion.

Mayor Brad Woodside recently raised concerns about the deteriorated state of the former Sobeys property that is owned by Plazacorp.

"We should be doing what we can to encourage that type of development there," Chase said.

"The availability of the legion property creates an opportunity for a developer to develop a significant residential-commercial node in the west end of the downtown."

Chase said the city should encourage that type of development downtown.

"It's something that could impact the entire face of the downtown," the councillor said.

"It has potential to add to the attractiveness and ambiance of the downtown if it's properly developed."

The Branch No. 4 legion is the largest in New Brunswick.

It also has a women's auxiliary with a separate membership base that meets in the same building.

[cl812]

City | In brief
Published Saturday November 20th, 2010
A7

Parking to be removed

The City of Fredericton plans to remove parking from both sides of Claremont Drive.

Local residents raised a concern about safety with vehicles consistently parking on both sides of what is a narrow street on the city's north side.

"Claremont Drive was not originally constructed to city standards and as a result, the driving surface is narrow compared to a typical city street," said a report handed to city council recently.

During winter months the parking problem is even worse and residents worried about whether emergency vehicles could get through.

City council will be receiving a T-1 Bylaw amendment to ban parking on both sides of the street.

It will come forward to city council for three readings before the traffic change goes ahead.

Reservoir to be built

The City of Fredericton will construct a new 32-metre, 2.2-million-litre water reservoir tower northwest of Heron Springs development adjacent to Brookside Drive.

The construction of the water reservoir will allow the servicing of up to 1,500 new homes in that part of the city's north side.

The city will finance borrowing for the project through the Municipal Finance Corp. at an interest rate of 2.77 per cent over 10 years. Total project costs is estimated to be $1.1 million.

The construction will allow the construction of additional housing off Brookside Drive.

Briefs compiled by The Daily Gleaner

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/article/1316707

[cl812]

A job weld done
Published Saturday November 20th, 2010
A7

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=630898&size=500x0
The construction of the new York Street NB Liquor store and restoration of the Fredericton Train Station is progressing. Above, a welder works on the steel that will be part of the link between the two buildings Thursday.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/article/1316679

[Freddypop]

The following link provides a wide angle view of the restoration including the new building

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

[cl812]

Business group wants government office
Published Monday November 22nd, 2010
North side | Canadian Tire property on Main Street also an issue
A3
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

The president of Business Fredericton North wants a government office on Main Street.

Kent Brewer told Fredericton city councillors recently that their business improvement area is one of four out of 29 in the province that isn't home to a municipal, provincial or federal office building.

"We have the infrastructure, we have the services, but we don't have a government presence. Main Street is central and should be considered as an option," Brewer said.

Their business improvement area runs from the Westmorland Street Bridge along Main Street to the stone bridge at Sunset Drive. There are also associate business members who belong to Business Fredericton North in the Two Nations Crossing area.

Since 50 per cent of Fredericton's population lives on the north side, decentralizing more government office space would reduce the traffic burden on the city's bridge systems, Brewer said.

"All residents will benefit.''

Mayor Brad Woodside said the city's north side is home to three government offices: the province's Marysville Place, new offices in Brookside Mall and at Two Nation's Crossing.

Woodside said he's not certain if Main Street was considered when some of those office choices were made by the province.

Brewer said Business Fredericton North is anxious to see the former Main Street Canadian Tire property redeveloped.

As a business improvement area organization, Business Fredericton North doesn't have resources to purchase and redevelop the site, but it has tried to entice developers to take a look at the site and come up with redevelopment opportunities.

Brewer said they've also encouraged Canadian Tire Corp. to market the property for redevelopment.

Not only is the fact that the building is vacant an issue for the group, but Brewer said it represents a loss of revenue to the city's tax base and to Business Fredericton North.

"We've got to get that property filled and hopefully that will spur on development of some of these vacant properties.''

Business Fredericton North has received city co-operation in cleaning up some derelict properties on the street and Brewer expressed appreciation for the city's support in that regard.

Vacant properties remain another issue to be tackled and Brewer asked the city to step up the timing of updating the Main Street secondary plan.

"Main Street is at a crossroads and if we don't do something about it, the bus might pass us by," Brewer said.

During the past year, the organization updated its strategic vision and it has been asking the city for a review of its secondary plan since 2003.

"Discussions about the review began in 2003 and I'm here in 2010 asking you to look at the same thing. It's time to get it done," Brewer said.

Woodside said staff in the development services department are already stretched thin, but the plan revision is about fourth on the list.

"You are focused. You have a vision and you're passionate about making that north side a better spot to live, work and play," said Coun. Mike O'Brien, who sits on the board of Business Fredericton North.

Brewer said a business improvement area, where the merchants self-impose a tax on themselves to market and promote business, is the truest form of economic growth.

Brewer said the group is also seeking city support to have the business improvement area levy excluded from the provincial tax accountability mechanism.

"We, as a business improvement area, and our members impose a levy on themselves and in turn we ask the city to create a bylaw to collect that levy on our behalf," Brewer said.

It doesn't want the government to have the right to dictate the level of that levy that the members determine for themselves.

"We're asking for the city's support to make sure that we have the right to impose the levy on ourselves to grow our business district the way we want to do it without outside interference from government," Brewer said.

[cl812]

George's development to be ready next year
Published Monday November 22nd, 2010
Project | Many apartment units spoken for
A4
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

If you want to blame someone for the rain in November, don't look developer Tony George's way.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=631799&size=500x0
Growing higher and higher: Developer Tony George is pleased with the progress on the construction of his high-rise apartment building on Victoria Street but a little less rain would be helpful. Above, George speaks with Mathieu Leger, site supervisor, left, and Carl Smyth, architect, on the fifth floor as they look over some plans. In the background behind George is the old Hartt Shoe Factory.

He's been shaking a fist at the sky as he tries to get the last three floors of his Victoria Tower apartment project poured.

George is working on the sixth floor and it takes about two weeks each to climb another level.

His development will be eight storeys high.

"We're shooting for December (to finish pouring the floors) if the weather is going to co-operate. When it's raining you can't work.''

George said he's had one complaint from his neighbours about working late on the project, but when you have wet concrete on the go, you can't stop working.

Even at that, he said, they were able to finish work before midnight.

"It wasn't the noise, but we had the lights on.''

George is constructing a luxury high-rise with 44 units which he hopes to open by the late summer-early fall of 2011.

As winter descends on the city, George expects to be able to close in the structure's lower floors and keep his subtrades working throughout the colder weather.

The building will have steel studs and be sheathed in brick and stucco. His company will do the interior finishing work.

"It's going to be a one-of-a-kind in Fredericton.''

Most of the units are already spoken for.

The building will have two and three-bedroom units, electric heat, central air conditioning, wraparound balconies and upscale finishes.

A Lebanese immigrant, who left his homeland for Fredericton at the age of 18, George has slowly built up his reputation as a first-class builder in the city.

He said he can still remember sitting in the London airport, barely able to speak English, awaiting his flight to Montreal and then to Fredericton when he was approached by prominent New Brunswick businessman, the late Harrison McCain.

"He saw me sitting down there, feeling sad. I came with $20 in my pocket. I had to borrow money for my ticket."

He had just turned 18.

"I couldn't speak English. He came to me out of the blue. I was sitting in the airport waiting for the plane and he came to me and asked me if I needed help," George said.

"He asked my name and where I was going in Canada. He said come with me to a restaurant and we'll have a dinner."

George said McCain bought him a steak dinner and beer and tried to help the young man, even making sure he led him to the right gate to catch his plane.

"That was 1971.''

They travelled together on the same flight from London to Montreal, although McCain was in first class and George in economy, McCain came back to check on him during the flight.

In Montreal, McCain was going onto Toronto, but he handed his card to the young man and told him to call him anytime if he needed help or a job.

"A big, important man like this. About 15 years later, I saw him downtown at the art gallery and I told him what he did for me.''

George started working for Maple Leaf Homes and bit by bit learned the construction trade and then went out on his own.

"I bought a few dumps, fixed them up and sold them. I worked 12 to 14-hour days," George said.

Today, 38 years after arriving in Fredericton, the married father of four is still seldom home before 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.

[cl812]

City stuck between 'rock, hard place'
Published Thursday November 25th, 2010
York Arena | Grant*Harvey delays force city to ponder upgrades at York
A1
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

The fate of the York Arena is under discussion as city councillors wade through details of their proposed 2011 general fund budget.

Budget preparation guidelines given to finance department staff call for a status quo budget with modest increases for inflation and wage settlements.

The city's plan for its old arenas has always been to demolish them once new facilities opened. The Nashwaaksis Arena was torn down when Willie O'Ree Place opened.

The same fate is likely in store for York Arena once the Grant*Harvey Centre is finished, although council hasn't formally approved its demolition nor called for tenders to remove it.

Community services director Wayne Tallon has requested $147,982 to shore up the arena's retaining walls, add lateral supports, and repair its ice-making compressors in 2011 because of delays associated with Grant*Harvey's opening.

The new sports facility at Alison Boulevard isn't expected to open until January 2012.

That prompted a discussion about whether it's wise to put money into a facility that might not be kept open.

"I don't know why you would intentionally go out and put that money into a building if you're going to consider closing it later on anyway," said deputy mayor Dan Keenan.

But Tallon said if the ice plant conks out, the city would have only three ice surfaces and that wouldn't meet community demands.

"These are expenditures because we need to keep the building for an extra year because Grant*Harvey will not be operational until January of 2012," Tallon said. "We're stuck between a rock and a hard place."

South Devon Coun. Eric Megarity is supporting the expenditure to keep the York Arena in operation.

"We've got a whole rink out of the system now. That's trouble (a closure of York Arena) we don't want," said Megarity. "We haven't made a decision whether to close it (York Arena) or not."

Finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien urged community services staff to try to find ways to mitigate the $147,982 cost.

Tallon has also handed councillors an updated report on the costs of bringing the arena up to a modern-day building code standard.

He said ADI Ltd. estimates it will cost $2.9 million to bring the building up to code.

"This would just strictly be for the structure itself and to meet building code issues, no enhancements," Tallon told councillors this week.

"They've looked at the building and provided us with the immediate need."

Updated figures peg operating costs for the arena at $367,903.

Keenan said that figure doesn't include the revenue offsets.

Tallon estimated ice rentals and earnings from the arena would come in at about $180,000.

In February 2004, ADI Ltd., which conducted an audit of all city arenas and pools, said it would cost $1 million to bring York Arena to modern building-code standards and another $2.3 million to refurbish it.

Copies of the ADI Ltd. study were given to councillors this week.

A Save the York Arena citizens' group has petitioned the city not to demolish the facility, saying the demand for ice time is growing and the rink is needed.

Last February, councillors passed a motion instructing Tallon's department to prepare a report on the work needed to bring the facility up to code, the cost of doing so and the costs associated with continuing to operate the facility.

The citizens group has argued that even when the Grant*Harvey Centre opens, the city will still need 148 hours of additional ice time per week, which equates to two additional ice surfaces.

Tallon said it's his recommendation to council that it extend the life of York Arena for at least a full year and probably into the 2012 season as well.

[cl812]

City says province not paying fair share
Published Thursday November 25th, 2010
Life isn't a highway | City maintains provincial roads
A1
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

Should the City of Fredericton cut the level of road maintenance on provincially designated highways?

That's one of the budget decisions councillors are discussing as part of preparing the 2011 budget.

It's been a long-standing gripe of the city that while its crews do the work for the province on roads that traverse the city - which are the provincial government's responsibility - the province doesn't reimburse the city for the full amount of the maintenance.

Last year, Fredericton spent almost $800,000 keeping provincial roadways through Fredericton in good shape but only received $300,000 back from the province.

"What if we didn't actually do it? We've never not done that. What if we don't do it for a year? We don't spend the money," Coun. Tony Whalen said at a recent budget meeting.

Coun. Bruce Grandy said some cities have chosen to do that, but they end up with roads that are pretty tough to drive on.

"We're going to keep fighting the political fight. I'm sure we all will," Grandy said.

He said he would like to see an accounting of all the expenses that the city picks up for the province.

The city contends, for instance, that it isn't properly reimbursed under mutual fire aid agreements for the cost of going beyond its borders to fight fires.

The city is expecting to be reimbursed $444,427 in 2011 for mutual aid firefighting, but the actual cost could be closer to $1 million.

Coun. Stephen Chase said the province also takes an unfair share of fine revenue for offences that Fredericton police officers enforce and for court services, and that should be addressed.

"I think we owe it to the people to outline what the costs are, what we're shouldering, what we've tried to recover and we aren't so that people understand our position," Chase said.

Grandy said councillors could opt to reduce spending on provincial roads within city limits.

Mayor Brad Woodside issued a caution about exercising that option.

"It's our people who are travelling on those roads. They're not going to look at it and say ... 'Oh that's the province's pothole.' They're our roads,'' said Woodside.

"We're doing it as well for selfish reasons, but it's costing us money. There's no doubt about it. We have gone to the government consistently and we haven't had any success. This government knows about that issue ... We've been fighting that one for a long time."

Engineering and public works director Murray Jamer added a note of caution to the budget debate, saying there's a cost to inaction.

"Some municipalities have chosen not to do the work, but what they actually end up doing is they actually raise their own costs because the maintenance becomes more expensive,'' Jamer said.

"We haven't felt that that's a very wise thing to do. It's worthwhile to say that we're actually at the situation now with our designated highways that we're able to keep them in fairly good shape by shave and pave. If we let them deteriorate that's no longer an option for us.''

Technically, the province is 100 per cent responsible for the cost of upgrading provincially designated highways, be they regional or provincial routes, 100 per cent responsible for maintenance on designated highways and 50 per cent responsible on regional highways.

"The problem is they haven't increased their upgrading money for more than 20 years, so there just isn't enough money. They're not budgeting enough," Jamer said.

Provincial MLAs have urged the city in the past to undertake improvements to Hanwell Road, but the city has been reluctant to take that project on, Woodside said.

"If you want to fix it, you pay for it," Woodside has told MLAs.

To repair Hanwell Road would take all of the city's capital money from the province for the next four years at the least.

Coun. Stephen Chase maintains that the city should continue to pursue the chronic underfunding issue because it's unfair for city taxpayers to shoulder the province's financial burden.

[Taeolas]

Just a thought that's been kicking around in my head for a bit.

Is it just me, or did Brookside Mall shoot itself in the foot all those years ago when it turned over so much of its space to Call Centers and the like?.

It's a good sized mall, with some decent anchors, and in a fairly accessible place. But it doesn't have the smaller filler stores that other malls do, and doesn't really have the ability, IMO, to get them.

It seems to me that they were probably between a rock and a hard place when they did start turning the space over to the call centres. On the one hand, those centres and such provide steady income and bodies in the mall. On the other hand, they take up a lot of retail space, leaving little to no room for other stores to come in and fill in. I would think it might have been better to have built an office tower nearby (maybe where the minimalls are across the road now), and leave the mall devoted to retail. I doubt it would be as big as Regent is now by now. But it would probably have been a good anchor to continue retail development in the area, and may have pulled some of what is now Two Nations Crossing up to the Brookside area.

Then again, maybe without the call centres, the entire mall would have gone bankrupt and we'd just have a big empty building on that lot now instead of the minimal mall we have now.

Thoughts?

Oh and on a side track, anyone else a bit ughed that the Superstore's new colours seem to be Construction Orange... and I don't mean just the temporary colours for the "Excuse our Construction" signs. The "Atlantic" on their new sign looks to be very close to Construction Orange to me. Hopefully I'm wrong and they're going to repaint the currently-orange flashing they have across the front, like they've repainted their sign frame on Smythe.

[cl812]

I think the nasty orange color is permanent, the new sign on the building has the same orange on it.

wrt to the brookside mall, it has been like that for quite a while, even before the call centres. Not too long after they expanded it, the small stores gradually closed up and it was mostly vacant except for Sobeys, K-Mart, Zellers and a few small stores. I remember going in there when I was a kid and K-Mart and NB liquor were the only stores in there, this would have been after the dominion store closed and before Sobeys moved from St. Marys St. It is interesting it hasnt been more successful retaining stores, I think it is because most people who live on the northside did the majority of their shopping on the south side (other than maybe groceries and other necessities) in the past atleast. It may be different now since there are more and more stores opening over there all the time. It is kind of sad really, I even remember not too long after the northside Walmart opened the mall advertised they were just a short drive from Two Nations X-ing. Hopefully since the Brookside area is really taking off in terms of residential development things will change for the mall. Im sure since the government offices have opened up in there atleast most of the existing stores there will likely survive.

[cl812]

Also, heard recently that the Fredericton Costco store has been delayed 6 months due to the Saint John store not performing as well as expected. I wouldnt be terribly suprised if the Saint John store doesnt attract many people from Fredericton since it isnt that much closer than Moncton and people likely continue to go to Moncton for other shopping as well (not just Costco). Also I doubt they attracted that many new members from Fredericton since the store in Saint John is still over an hour away and it probably doesnt attract too many people from up river either. I do however think the Fredericton store will do well once it opens.

[Taeolas]

That's sad to hear about the Costco store. The thing I hope they consider is that the Fredericton Costco store will be pulling from a good portion of the Northern part of the province; at least the River valley from Edmundston to Freddy. I doubt there's all that much traffic to the Moncton store from Edmundston currently, but with the Freddy store, that would be on the edge of day travel (especially with the highway going all the way up).

I was in the Superstore last night and saw the Orange seems to be extending inside, meaning it probably is permanant. Ugh... Who thought that was a good idea? It looks ugly to me... hell it reminds me of the old SaveEasy colours actually. Retro may be 'in' in some places, but Orange is never good IMO.

[Freddypop]

Word was that the Freddy Costco was to be the 2nd one in the province built with Saint John to follow later when conditions were right. However the "Energy Hub" hype persuaded Costco to move ahead with both Saint John and Freddy stores. We know what happened to the "Energy Hub".

[cl812]

Word was that the Freddy Costco was to be the 2nd one in the province built with Saint John to follow later when conditions were right. However the "Energy Hub" hype persuaded Costco to move ahead with both Saint John and Freddy stores. We know what happened to the "Energy Hub".

I kind of figured thats what happened there, because I thought the Fredericton store was supposed to open first as well. Geographically it makes more sense thats for sure, for the reasons I stated above in my last post.

[MonctonRad]

I would say that the opening of the SJ Costco has not made much difference to the Moncton store. It's still "covered with people" on the weekends and finding good parking spaces is difficult.

Our catchment area is mostly eastern NB, northern NS and PEI. Any business from SJ and Freddy I think is just gravy.

[Taeolas]

Moncton has the advantage of more shopping in general, and a 4 lane highway going direct between it and Freddy, so most Freddy shoppers will tend to go to Moncton and have a safe drive down and back, as opposed to the 2 lane highway it takes to get to Saint John.

I know mom and I are planning our annual XMas shopping, and Moncton edges out Saint John as our destination target mainly for those two reasons.

[cl812]

Portion of Queen Street to reopen to traffic Monday
Published Saturday November 27th, 2010
A2
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

After a three-month closure to upgrade services and the street network in the area around the $78-million Fredericton Convention Centre complex, Queen Street will reopen to one lane of traffic Monday at 10 a.m.

The street, which was closed between St. John and Regent streets, will reopen to one-way traffic only. St. John Street will reopen the same day.

The majority of parking will return along both streets, says a city hall news release. Right-hand turns onto Queen Street from Regent Street will no longer be allowed.

"I know our residents will be glad to get this section of Queen Street open again," said Coun. Bruce Grandy, chairman of the city's transportation committee.

"It is an important part of our traffic network and a vital link for many to access both the downtown and the Westmorland Street Bridge. I want to thank the travelling public for their patience during the street closure."

The closure and upgrade of Queen Street and St. John Street were necessary to allow for water and sewer upgrades to serve the eastend development and to widen Queen Street to handle the anticipated increase in traffic volumes expected in the area from the new projects.

The city's traffic consultant, ADI Ltd., had recommended that Queen Street house two-way traffic in the convention-centre block, but city council vetoed that recommendation and asked for an alternative traffic pattern configuration in order to meet Downtown Fredericton Inc.'s request to maximize on-street parking.

Motorists are advised that construction will continue in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and that the area around the convention centre and office building continues to be an active construction site.

Motorists are urged to be aware of equipment working in the area and watch for construction signs.

The new convention centre will officially open in mid-January. The office building is expected to be complete by the spring.

[kirjtc2]

That's sad to hear about the Costco store. The thing I hope they consider is that the Fredericton Costco store will be pulling from a good portion of the Northern part of the province; at least the River valley from Edmundston to Freddy. I doubt there's all that much traffic to the Moncton store from Edmundston currently, but with the Freddy store, that would be on the edge of day travel (especially with the highway going all the way up).

How much traffic do Fredericton stores actually get from Edmundston? Quebec City is almost as close, there's less of a language barrier and it goes without saying that the shopping is better.


I was in the Superstore last night and saw the Orange seems to be extending inside, meaning it probably is permanant. Ugh... Who thought that was a good idea? It looks ugly to me... hell it reminds me of the old SaveEasy colours actually. Retro may be 'in' in some places, but Orange is never good IMO.

I like the green and yellow design they use for the Real Canadian Superstores in the rest of the country - why can't they do that here?

[mylesmalley]

Because we aren't 'real Canadians'. (said with a Sarah Palin voice, don't'cha know).

[cl812]

Northside rec centre delayed
Published Monday November 29th, 2010
A1
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

Business Fredericton North has hit some funding snags that are delaying an ambitious recreation development planned for the site of the former Nashwaaksis Arena.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=636847&size=500x0

Kent Brewer, president of the business improvement area organization, has told city councillors that Regional Development Corp. funding of $500,000 for the project remains secure until March 2012.

"Unfortunately, we ran into a little snag. The tenders came back well over original estimates, so we've gone back to the drawing board," Brewer said.

He said the business group is looking for some solutions to the obstacles.

"We're certainly committed to a phased approach, and at the current time, we're working with various levels of government, service groups and our member businesses to raise those funds that we're going to be short," he said. The $1-million concept plan is for an artificial ice skating rink in the winter, which can be converted to an outdoor ball hockey court in summer along with a basketball court, skateboard park, walking trails, fitness stations, a warming hut and washroom and changing rooms. Among other things, there would have to be a garage built to house a Zamboni.

Brewer said with Nashwaaksis Memorial School near the Johnston Avenue site, it's an opportunity to give those students access to a skating surface.

"Everybody's proud of Willie O'Ree Place and the opportunities it presents to sports and recreation, but unfortunately, for the kids at this school, the home and school (association) just couldn't afford to bus those kids up to that new facility," Brewer said. "They were left without an opportunity to participate in outdoor sports such as skating. They came to us to see if we could put in a natural ice surface for them."

Business Fredericton North began planning the development in 2009 with $9,000 to fund a concept plan. The city has agreed to in-kind support and will help with landscaping.

Trina MacDonald, general manager of Business Fredericton North, said the organization is now in the process of scouting partnerships.

"We're not going to turn anyone away who wants to participate."

[cl812]

Grand-opening plans afoot for convention centre
Published Monday November 29th, 2010
A3
BY THE DAILY GLEANER
BYLINE 2

A city hall organizing committee is working on a grand opening plan for Fredericton's new Downtown Convention Centre.

A committee made up of two Fredericton Chamber of Commerce representatives, a local restaurant owner, the capital commission, convention centre staff, tourism personnel and the Crowne Plaza Hotel has been working on planning the official Jan. 12 ribbon cutting.

On Jan. 13, Mayor Brad Woodside will deliver his state of the city address at a dinner hosted by the chamber. Between Jan. 14-16, the building will be open to the general public for tours.

The organizing committee for the opening week has a few surprises in store for the event, but Woodside told city council recently that he's sworn to secrecy.

"It will be a huge moment in our history," he said. "We wanted the wow factor

[Taeolas]

How much traffic do Fredericton stores actually get from Edmundston? Quebec City is almost as close, there's less of a language barrier and it goes without saying that the shopping is better.

That I don't know. Though with more options coming to Fredericton (slowly, oh so slowly....), plus the fact that it's just a 2 hour trip down four lane highway, it may be increasing. Plus while it may not necessarily be Edmundston, there's still everything else in the valley (Grand Falls, Florenceville, Hartland, Woodstock, etc...); Grand Falls and Woodstock being the bigger two pull points.


I like the green and yellow design they use for the Real Canadian Superstores in the rest of the country - why can't they do that here?

I know. :( I loved the forest green "market" colours we had. I'm thinking they're having some second thoughts on the Pumpkin colour now too, now that they're seeing a full store decked out in it. The sign on Smythe was originally orange painted but they redid it in white. I hope they'll redo the roof facing back to white too.

And I already miss the "Fredericton Market" sign. Don't care for the Pumpkin "Joe" one already.

[Pugsley]

And I already miss the "Fredericton Market" sign. Don't care for the Pumpkin "Joe" one already.

It is most likley going to be like the NEW LOBLAW Fresh Market concept stores they have here in Toronto. Believe me, the interior is going to be amazing when it is done...give it time. And the JOE is their branded clothing store they attach to the newer stores...a pretty decent line of clothes and decent prices...great for families.

[cl812]

I guess they just finished similar renovations in the Oromocto Superstore, I would assume the northside one will follow suit. Saw in the paper on saturday they had their grand re-opening.

[OliverD]

I guess they just finished similar renovations in the Oromocto Superstore, I would assume the northside one will follow suit. Saw in the paper on saturday they had their grand re-opening.

I think the northside needs a new store altogether. They should put one in the Two Nations Crossing area.

[Freddypop]

I guess they just finished similar renovations in the Oromocto Superstore, I would assume the northside one will follow suit. Saw in the paper on saturday they had their grand re-opening.

I've heard from more than one source that the Northside store would be relocating to Two Nations and expanded in size. Current size is now considered too small for current market and will only get worse. I am a bit skeptical about this rumour because it would put them directly up against Walmart should Walmart decide to go the Super Walmart route at that location. Not sure if Walmart has an exclusivity contract with Smart Centres or not. Loblaws could purchase their own piece of land in the vicinity.

Time will tell....

[cl812]

I've heard from more than one source that the Northside store would be relocating to Two Nations and expanded in size. Current size is now considered too small for current market and will only get worse. I am a bit skeptical about this rumour because it would put them directly up against Walmart should Walmart decide to go the Super Walmart route at that location. Not sure if Walmart has an exclusivity contract with Smart Centres or not. Loblaws could purchase their own piece of land in the vicinity.

Time will tell....

I havent heard that rumor, but I think it would be a good idea for them move and open a larger store. Although I have heard that store doesnt really do that well, but it always seems busy, not as busy as smythe street but that store must be atleast three times the size of the northside or Oromocto stores. But like you say, with Walmart likely opening a supercentre up there at some point it might not be the best for them. Also, I'm sure when costco opens that will affect their business as well. From what ive heard now that will likely be late summer or early fall next year. Speaking of Costco, I noticed that some equipment was dropped off at the site there today (an excavator and bulldozer) not exactly sure what for, because I did hear from a reliable source they wont be starting the building until the spring.

[cl812]

You think it's tough clearing snow at your place?
Published Tuesday November 30th, 2010
A4

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=637537&size=500x0
A construction worker is hooked to a safety harness as he shovels the snow away from the edge of the roof of the Richard J. Currie Center on Monday.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/article/1330068

[cl812]

Moving up at work
Published Tuesday November 30th, 2010
A6

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=637556&size=0x400

The sunny weather was welcome on the construction sites around the city Monday. Above, labourers are shown working on the second level of the new YMCA facility on Albert Street.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/article/1330111

[cl812]

Tennis centre construction to begin in spring
Published Tuesday November 30th, 2010
A4
BY GLENNA HANLEY
FOR THE DAILY GLEANER

Construction of the city's new indoor tennis centre will begin in the spring and there will be indoor tennis in Fredericton, a spokesman for the Capital Region Tennis Association promised.

Association board member David Clark gave an update on the indoor tennis facility to the association's annual general meeting Monday night.

The tennis association began planning and fundraising for the facility four years ago and has been working closely with the City of Fredericton to make it a reality.

The six-court, indoor centre will be built next to the Grant*Harvey Centre under construction on Knowledge Park Drive and Alison Boulevard.

"Currently, we have broken ground, and the site is being prepared," with construction to begin when the ground thaws in the spring, said Clark, who chairs the indoor tennis centre committee.

The cost of the project is between $1.6 million and $1.8 million, and the association has funding commitments of $1.5 million from donors and from the federal and provincial governments.

Annual operating costs are estimated at $158,000.

As one of few indoor facilities in the region, Clark and other members at the meeting said, the facility is attracting a lot of attention around the province and beyond.

Tennis New Brunswick is a partner and Tennis Canada has come on board "in a big way," Clark told members.

The national organization is supplying the services of an American consultant who has worked on more than 600 tennis facilities.

"They are seeing this as a pilot project to roll out across Canada, where it is a tennis infrastructure by a community-based, grassroots methodology as opposed to the traditional private tennis club," said Clark.

He praised the city for its support.

"We have a wonderful partnership with the City of Fredericton, who are supplying the land on a land lease," Clark said.

The city will also supply geo-thermal heating through the Grant*Harvey Centre project, as well as parking and snow removal.

The centre will be run by a non-profit organization, either the association itself or a related but separate non-profit company, with representation from Tennis NB, Tennis Canada, the city and various community stakeholders.

"It will be a members' company, but the facility will be open to the public," said Clark.

"It will be a community-based tennis facility. It is unique, in that it will be self-reliant, sustainable and run by the user group ... It will be managed so that people can play tennis at the lowest possible cost."

The tennis association wants to see more people in the sport and will focus on families and kids, with an emphasis on tennis as a healthy and affordable sport, cheaper for families than other sports.

[Pugsley]

From today's Daily Gleaner On-line....

The president and CEO of the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority Inc. will urge the federal government to make air travel more competitive with the United States when he appears before the federal standing Senate committee on transport and communications in Ottawa this morning.

"We are going up to talk about our region and we are going to talk a lot about competitiveness and getting a better deal from the government of Canada with respect to air transportation than the one we are getting," David Innes said Monday.

"It is costing Canada in terms of not being competitive with the United States."

Innes is the treasurer of the Atlantic Canada Airports Association and he'll be in Ottawa with association president Keith Collins.

"We are losing a lot of traffic to Bangor, and we are not the only ones," said Innes.

"Every airport across the country is losing traffic to the closest airport in the United States."

He estimates that a third of the passengers from this area who fly to the United States are driving to Bangor International Airport in Maine to enjoy cheaper fares.

"That is a loss of jobs for Fredericton," said Innes.

"That is a loss of revenue to the airport."

The federal government turned most airports in Canada over to non-profit operating companies in the 1990s, but it charges larger airports rent on the land.

The Fredericton airport isn't scheduled to pay rent on the land for another five years, said Innes.

But the Fredericton airport does have to pay tax on the airport improvement fee it levies on every ticket, he said.

"They consider it part of our revenue," said Innes.

While the airport doesn't pay rent, those charges still affect the cost of a ticket for every traveller who flies from here to Toronto or Montreal, he said. Those airports pay federal rent, he said, and to pay it they collect revenue from airlines in what is called landing fees which are three times higher in Canada than in the U.S., he said.

"Those rent charges are huge," said Innes. "It is $140 million last year from the Toronto airport authority.

"That is $10 for every passenger that uses the airport. That's ridiculous."

In contrast, American airports are heavily subsidized at the federal and state level and don't pay taxes. The Montreal airport, by comparison, had to pay $50 million in municipal tax to the city last year, he said.

Innes said Canadian passengers also pay higher taxes and fees for their airplane ticket than their American counterparts.

"The deal is so different between the U.S. and Canada. It is shocking," he said.

The federal government collects $1 billion a year from the aviation sector, he said.

While the federal government doesn't subsidizes the aviation sector, Innes said, it does subsidize marine transport, rail transport and highway transport.

"I think they should stop treating aviation as a cash cow," he said.

"It is huge amount of money."

Innes said he hopes the Senate committee will listen to their concerns.

The airports, airlines and the tourism industry are all making a concerted affect to get the federal government's attention, he said.

He noted there was a major story in The Globe and Mail business section Saturday about the problem.

"There is nothing like newspaper ink to remind them that this issue is alive," he said.

SO, SEEING HOW MUCH I LOVE THE OLD SCHOOL TAXPAYER SUCKING BAFFOONS AT THE AIRPORT AND OTHER PLACES....LETS DISECT THIS ARTICLE AGAIN FOR THE FREDERICTON TAXPAYERS WHO HAVE HAD A LITTLE TOO MUCH OF THIS LATELY....

"We are going up to talk about our region and we are going to talk a lot about competitiveness and getting a better deal from the government of Canada with respect to air transportation than the one we are getting," WHICH TRANSLATES TO...We cannot make this thing work as it is and it is easier to ask for more omoney than to actually do our job or replace ourselves with someone more qualified to run an airport. Say, someone from abroad who has 20+ year in the field of successful airport management with new and fresh ideas.

"It is costing Canada in terms of not being competitive with the United States." WHICH TRANSLATES TO...we clearly don't know who our market is and how the airlines work. Otherwise we would know that the Canadian Airline industry is performing far better than the US market and that if Fredericton was a market in the US, it would probably have less service than it does now as none of the US-based or subsidiary regional carriers would fly more than one flight a day to a market that size in these tough economic times.

"We are losing a lot of traffic to Bangor, and we are not the only ones," said Innes. "Every airport across the country is losing traffic to the closest airport in the United States." WHICH HE CONTRIBUTES TO LOWER FARES...AND REALLY MEANS that he does not get the reason people are flying out of these US-based centres. Again, he has a lack of knowledge and I doubt any stats to back up his claims. First, the cross-border air market for consumers is focused on two major hubs...Buffalo to Toronto, and Plattsburgh to Montreal. Two major issues here. Buffalo is 45 minutes from Toronto AND for most far-western suburban commuters is easier to get to than Pearson. Plattsburgh is 35-40 minutes from Montreal...again, not a far commute. Bangor is over 2 hours away from Fredericton! It is not convenient. And nobody is flying out of Houlton. As I posted before, I have a crisp $100 bill for this guy if he can produce stats that Frederictonians travel to Bangor and drive 2 hours to save a little money. It is not the fares, it is the Bangor Airport's ability to attract more direct flights to more destinations. They run the airport like a business in the USA, and well, they are pretty good busienss men in Bangor by the looks of it.

"The Fredericton airport isn't scheduled to pay rent on the land for another five years, said Innes. But the Fredericton airport does have to pay tax on the airport improvement fee it levies on every ticket, he said." WAIT A MINUTE, rent, or in this case, the cost of goods sold, is always one of the biggest costs in running a business. You don't have these in your business model and you still cannot make the airport work?? Essentially, you are claiming that the "tax" is killing you? Wow, I think the room of small business owners in the room just got up and left.

While the federal government doesn't subsidizes the aviation sector, Innes said, it does subsidize marine transport, rail transport and highway transport. WHICH MEANS, We don't know how to run the airport like a business only as a government bailed-out service like NB Power...so maybe we are not qualified to do the job?

SORRY FOLKS, you know I like to rant about the airport...I gets my blood boiling!

[OliverD]

I havent heard that rumor, but I think it would be a good idea for them move and open a larger store. Although I have heard that store doesnt really do that well, but it always seems busy, not as busy as smythe street but that store must be atleast three times the size of the northside or Oromocto stores. But like you say, with Walmart likely opening a supercentre up there at some point it might not be the best for them. Also, I'm sure when costco opens that will affect their business as well. From what ive heard now that will likely be late summer or early fall next year. Speaking of Costco, I noticed that some equipment was dropped off at the site there today (an excavator and bulldozer) not exactly sure what for, because I did hear from a reliable source they wont be starting the building until the spring.

I wonder how many northsiders travel to the southside store. I usually shop at the northside location but the Smythe Street store definitely has a better selection and I prefer to use the self checkout.

I think that if they were to open a new store at Two Nations Crossing it could spur further development in that area. It would be a great place for a TD branch (since we don't have one on the northside), perhaps a Shoppers, some restaurants, etc. Eventually get a hotel up there (would be a great location for people going to hockey tournaments at Willie O'Ree).

In fact, I think they should build out the road that goes beside WalMart with this sort of stuff, and then in behind that they should build a new exhibition centre/racetrack. That opens up the downtown land for some nice mixed use development (street level retail/higher density residential).

It would benefit everyone in the city, IMO.

[Freddypop]

I havent heard that rumor, but I think it would be a good idea for them move and open a larger store. Although I have heard that store doesnt really do that well, but it always seems busy, not as busy as smythe street but that store must be atleast three times the size of the northside or Oromocto stores. But like you say, with Walmart likely opening a supercentre up there at some point it might not be the best for them. Also, I'm sure when costco opens that will affect their business as well. From what ive heard now that will likely be late summer or early fall next year. Speaking of Costco, I noticed that some equipment was dropped off at the site there today (an excavator and bulldozer) not exactly sure what for, because I did hear from a reliable source they wont be starting the building until the spring.

They were digging up some dirt on the the Costco site today. Not sure what thats all about but they are working.

[cl812]

City's jobless rate holds at 5.7%
Published Saturday December 4th, 2010
Labour | Provincial unemployment rate jumps to 10.3 per cent
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's unemployment rate in November held steady at 5.7 per cent for the third month in a row, says Statistics Canada.

The capital also continues to have the lowest unemployment rate of New Brunswick's big three cities, according to the Statistics Canada labour survey for November released Friday.

Fredericton's unemployment rate this year peaked in August at 5.9 per cent.

"I'm not surprised to see that it stayed stable at the same rate it has been through the fall," said Susan Holt, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

"What we are feeling from members of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is a bit of a wait-and-see feeling still."

She said there's optimism in the business community that is leading to some hiring.

"But there is also some consideration of what may be in the budget as we hear about program cuts and funding cuts from the provincial team," said Holt. "There is a sense that we want to see what is coming in the new year."

Saint John's unemployment rate for November was seven per cent, down from 7.8 per cent in October, said Statistics Canada.

Moncton's unemployment rate was also seven per cent, up from 6.9 per cent in October.

Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of Fredericton's development committee, said the city's economy is doing well.

"We've been very stable in recent years, and the latest figures are just proof of that," he said Friday.

Chase said that helps the city when it comes to luring companies to the capital.

"People that want to invest in a city, whether it's to build a business or raise a family, like the idea of stability," he said. "Fredericton has demonstrated stability in spades."

Chase also said that Fredericton's value of construction is strong in 2010 at $143 million, compared to $124 million last year.

New Brunswick's unemployment rate rose to 10.3 per cent from 9.8 per cent in October, which is also up 1.6 per cent from the same month last year.

"These results are concerning," said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Martine Coulombe. "We will monitor the figures closely over the coming months."

Full-time employment in New Brunswick fell to 304,400 jobs from 306,700 jobs in October, said Statistics Canada.

Part-time employment in the province rose to 57,300 jobs in November, compared to 55,500 jobs in October.

"Our government will continue to address New Brunswick's fiscal situation, which will help encourage future business growth and investment in our province and create jobs," said Coulombe.

Holt said it doesn't go unnoticed that the provincial unemployment rate is increasing even though that impact isn't felt in Fredericton.

"We don't take it lightly when there are people in our province who are unemployed," she said.

"I trust that a number of smart people are thinking about how we deal with the facts that some of my members can't find the folks they need while some New Brunswickers can't find the work they need. We hope to make progress on that kind of a skills-matching problem in the future."

Canada's unemployment rate fell to 7.6 per cent in November.

[cl812]

Regent Mall is home to new businesses
Published Saturday December 4th, 2010
A4
By MOLLY CORMIER
For The Daily Gleaner

The existing stores in the Regent Mall recently got a few new neighbours.

The mall's $13-million expansion and renovation project made way for new retailers and restaurants to set up shop.

The renovation has helped attract popular stores and restaurants, said Colleen Parent-Meade, mall general manager.

"We wanted to make it more inviting for market retailers to choose us as a first option, and it has done that," she said. "If we look old and dated, then new retailers coming into the market aren't going to be excited about locating here, so it's very important that we remain current."

Myrna Brideau, marketing director for the Regent Mall, said the update is helping the mall stand out to potential new retailers who are more familiar with other markets.

"Especially when you're attracting brands coming from the States, sometimes they're not as willing to come into our market. But if your mall represents a high-end centre, they'll look at us a lot quicker," Brideau said.

One of those brands from the U.S. is Aeropostale, a casual clothing store aimed at teenagers and young adults.

Local shoppers who had been travelling elsewhere to shop seemed to welcome the recent opening of Aeropostale. The store is now filling those local shopping needs, while keeping customers in Fredericton, Parent-Meade said.

"They are a big draw. They bring in customers who were going out of town to shop for that brand. Now we're going to keep them in our centre," Brideau said, adding other stores in the mall also benefit from increased traffic.

She said the mall updates its strategic plan yearly, and targets new retailers that will complement existing stores.

Parent-Meade said the mall has fulfilled that section of the plan.

"That's a big part of the strategic plan, to improve the experience for our customers, but also to keep our mall current so we attract market retailers, and we feel we've done that," Parent-Meade said.

Lately, the Regent Mall food court is seeing a lot of new faces as people sample the various foods offered by businesses there.

The first Taco Bell in Fredericton is now open in the food court, with A&W and Timothy's Coffee coming soon.

The Taco Bell has caused a lot of excitement and plenty of revenue, Parent-Meade said.

"They're doing very well; they're telling me they're exceeding their budgets."

There are plans for new stores on the horizon, but Parent-Meade said she can't release any more details at this time.

[cl812]

Regent Mall gets $13-M new look
Published Saturday December 4th, 2010
Modern design | Bright lights, new flooring, new food court make shopping experience comfortable for customers
A2
By MOLLY CORMIER
For The Daily Gleaner

The Regent Mall recently got a facelift that will help Christmas shopping move smoothly for shoppers.

The mall completed a $13-million renovation and expansion project that took place over eight months, as part of the mall's strategic plan.

Colleen Parent-Meade, general manager of the Regent Mall, said the goal was to finish the renovation in time for the Christmas season.

"That was always the intent. We prefer not to build through November and December. We know our stores need to get on with their business. It's a very important time of the year for them, and we don't want to interfere with that," she said.

The mall now boasts a modern design, which is consistent with other Cadillac Fairview shopping centres throughout Canada. The biggest aspect of the project was the ceiling work, expansion of skylights, and new flooring.

But the updated food court is Parent-Meade's favourite part of the project.

"The most exciting update is the food court. The whole look of it, the design and the seating. The fact that the skylight was changed into an oval, and then the floor reflects the oval and the tables reflect it, too. The complete design," she said.

The new Regent Mall logo also reflects the oval that can be seen reflected in the design of the food court.

The number of seats in the food court was increased, and shoppers now have a variety of chairs from which to choose. A banquet-style table with high stools was also added.

"They're all loose chairs; they're not a hard-style chair. I had a customer say to me that the seating in the food court is so comfortable, it feels like home. That's what we were going for; that's what we wanted it to feel like," Parent-Meade said.

The new washroom located near the food court was built in response to requests from customers for a more convenient location for those facilities.

"That was the biggest request we received from the shoppers - closer proximity for the washrooms. We were glad to be able to finally provide that. We relocated a washroom, but we did increase the washroom facilities because we also expanded the one beside Tip Top Tailors," Parent-Meade said.

Now that the construction is complete, Parent-Meade said, staff can look back and be pleased with how smoothly the project went. Some customers even said they didn't notice the renovations were going on.

"Most of the work was done at night, and every morning the mall was cleaned up so it didn't look like a construction site. The tenants were very patient. We really didn't get a lot of complaints, it went really smoothly for a project this big," she said.

All in all, Parent-Meade said it was time for the mall to make some changes, and the outcome is worth the wait.

"The mall hadn't been renovated since 1990, so it was time to help with our shopper experience, and to make it more inviting for our shoppers," she said.

[cl812]

YMCA gets construction completion date extension
Published Saturday December 4th, 2010
A3
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Construction of Fredericton's $21.5-million YMCA building on Albert Street won't have to be rushed through the winter to meet the federal government's March 31 deadline for stimulus spending projects.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=641051&size=500x0
Tobique-Mactaquac MP Mike Allen was on the site of the new Fredericton YMCA on Friday to make an infrastructure announcement.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that deadline has been extended until Oct. 31.

Tobique-Mactaquac Conservative MP Mike Allen visited the construction site Friday. He said the change will avoid potentially costly winter construction for the project.

"Today is a pretty important announcement for New Brunswick and especially the project at the Y," he said.

"We had originally set a hard date of March 31, 2011, for all the (stimulus) projects to be done and in, and all the cost to be completed.

"We wanted shovel-ready projects, things that could be done during the economic stimulus time."

The YMCA received $5.3 million in federal stimulus money.

Kathy Russell, chief operating officer of the Fredericton YMCA, said the extended deadline announcement is good news.

"We're ecstatic," she said.

"It certainly has created pressure having that deadline always in front of us."

Russell said the completion date for the building is the end of May.

"We knew we were already behind," she said.

"Having the extra time will certainly allow us to do a better job and make sure to take care of all of the details of construction.

"In terms of purchasing, we will be able to do a better job in terms of shaving some dollars off here and there."

Allen said the federal government has kept a close eye on the country's stimulus projects for the past six months and it became obvious that some needed extra time.

He said the weather in the 2010 construction season was an issue, especially in western Canada.

The Belledune project in New Brunswick will also benefit from the extension, said Allen.

The other 60 federal stimulus projects in New Brunswick look like they will be done by March 31, he said.

Rushing a construction project through the winter can drive up costs. Allen said heating a project in the winter when the exterior shell isn't finished or pouring concrete in very cold weather can be expensive.

"The Y doesn't look like we would be in that situation," he said.

"The walls are up."

Allen also said there are checks and balances in the deadline extension.

"The projects that are approved for extension will be required to start their expenditures prior to March 31," he said.

"But they will also be required to actually submit their invoices for costs incurred up to March 31 by April 30."

Allen said the goal of those restrictions is to avoid projects starting after March 31. He said that should not be a problem for the YMCA.

"We are really looking forward to this new complex being open in Fredericton," said Allen.

[cl812]

Mall has long, successful history
Published Saturday December 4th, 2010
34 years old | Shopping centre has seen many changes over the years
A7
By MOLLY CORMIER
For The Daily Gleaner

Do you remember when Regent Mall first opened its doors?

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=640197&size=500x0
The mall has a comfortable new design.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=640198&size=500x0
Shoppers like the new look.

If you do, chances are you remember the mall as it was in 1976, when it first opened to serve as a shopping centre for the city of Fredericton.

Back then there were 30 stores, and the mall was 184,000 square feet.

The Regent Mall has grown over the years, with the addition of big stores such as Wal-Mart, Sears, and Chapters, and Empire Theatres, which joined the mall in 1996.

In 1990, there was an expansion that included construction of the food court.

Wal-Mart expanded in 2001 and a new mall entrance was built.

In 2007, the new guest services booth was added.

"It wasn't an expansion, but it changed the traffic flow and gave us the opportunity to add services," said Myrna Brideau, Regent Mall's marketing director.

This year's expansion and renovation project marks one more important moment that mall staff can look back on as a game-changer, said Colleen Parent-Meade, Regent Mall's general manager.

She worked at the mall in 1990, and remembers the impact that expansion had.

"When we expanded back in 1990, it certainly made us into a regional mall, and it made us very current. I know comments we got from people (were) that they could walk into a mall in Toronto and walk into the mall in Fredericton and feel like they were in the same type of metropolitan area. I think it's achieved that for us again," she said.

She adds the 2010 renovation was more challenging than the one completed in 1990.

"They were two totally different projects, because this one was more of a renovation with a small expansion, and in 1990 it had a large expansion component. So the smaller original mall was able to function and the building went on separately. It was easier that way.

"In order to get the work done this year, the mall had to still be open and it was a little more challenging. But I think it was a challenge we were able to meet."

This renovation brightens up the mall, and brings the outdoors in.

Parent-Meade said customers often remark that skylights were added during the renovation, but that's not the case.

"The skylights are another one I get a lot of comments about, because people think we've added a lot of skylights. But it's not that we've added skylights, we've redirected the light," she said.

"With the design of the ceiling it actually brings all the light down so the mall seems much brighter."

[cl812]

Real estate market expected to return to traditional cycle
Published Wednesday December 8th, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Fredericton housing market had a good year in 2010, says Sean Daly, president of the Real Estate Board of the Fredericton Area Inc.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=643669&size=500x0
Carpenters with Cummings Builders work on a house on the north side of the city Tuesday. From left are Alex Harris Jeff Smith and David Dakin.

"We are pretty much even from where we were last year in terms of total sales, in terms of dollar value," he said.

"We are down a little bit in overall sales, but we are up in volumes in terms of dollar value of those sales.

"That means less homes were sold but they were sold for a higher average price."

Daly said as of the end of November, listings were up 17 per cent and the total sales in dollar value were up two per cent for the year.

"We have more inventory (homes and land) on the market, which is good," he said.

"More inventory means more choice for buyers.

"It means more competition, therefore it helps to keep the prices relatively in check."

He said Fredericton's economy is stable with government and university-based employment and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown nearby.

"We don't have those big employment swings," said Daly.

"When it comes to reporting real estate here it is not overly interesting simply because it stays so constant.

"The sale of property is a real litmus test for what is going to be happening trend wise in the entire economy."

He said he isn't expecting any change in 2011.

There's a traditional seasonal slowdown in the winter and the market normally picks up in the spring, said Daly.

He said it will also depend to some degree on what happens with interest rates.

Nationally, a new report states that although improved economic fundamentals will have a positive impact on Canadian housing markets. The forecast for residential real estate sales remains static in most major centres in 2011.

The Re/Max Housing Market Outlook 2011, examining trends and developments in 26 major centres across the country, found that home buying in 2010 fell short of 2009 levels.

But housing values continued to climb with almost all areas reporting an upswing in average price, ranging from just under one per cent to 15 per cent this year, said the report.

Re/Max said the average price of a home in Fredericton in 2010 was $179,600, compared to $159,219 in 2009, an increase of 13 per cent.

The report said residential unit sales in Fredericton were 2,150 in 2010, compared to 2,166 in 2009, a one per cent decrease.

The forecast for 2011 for the capital is 2,200 units sold, or a three per cent increase.

Nationally by year-end, approximately 441,000 homes are expected to change hands nationally, a five per cent decline from the 465,251 sales reported in 2009.

Housing values in Canada are forecast to continue to climb, up an estimated seven per cent to $340,000, compared with $320,333 one year earlier.

"In terms of resale housing activity, what many are talking about as the new normal is actually a return to the traditional real estate cycle," said Michael Polzler, executive vice president, regional director, Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada.

"The past decade was truly unprecedented. Never before have we experienced a run up that was as strong or lasted as long."

[cl812]

New pictures of the inside of the Currie Centre are posted on the UNB website

http://varsityreds.ca/news/2010/10/8/GEN_1008100035.aspx

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Building slump part of natural cycle - city
Published Thursday December 9th, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

As soon as this year's provincial election campaign started talking about big deficits, budget restraint and cutting the civil service, Fredericton's housing construction market started to slow down, says Eldon Toner, president of the Greater Fredericton Homebuilders' Association.

"Most people's prognosis of the situation is that it is because of the election here in the city," he said.

"There were unknowns in all of the platforms, especially the new Conservative government.

"They are going to do some cutting on the civil service. It's a civil servants' town we have here."

Toner, a veteran builder who operates E and R Toner Renovations Ltd., said he isn't attacking the government, but the situation has created a lot of uncertainty.

"As soon as the election was called and all the platforms started coming out, that's when we felt the economy here in Fredericton was just at a standstill," he said.

"I know guys with nine, 10, 12 houses for sale, new houses."

New figures for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. seem to support Toner's perception.

In Fredericton, there were 40 new single family homes starts in November compared to 47 in 2009, a decrease of 14.9 per cent, said CMHC.

The number of multiple residential construction projects in the capital was four compared to 10 in November last year, a drop of 60 per cent.

For the year to date, Fredericton has 355 new singles, compared to 375 in 2009, a drop of 5.3 per cent. Multiples were 311 versus 334 last year, which is down 6.9 per cent.

Residential construction in Fredericton for the year to date is 666 units compared to 709 in 2009, down 6.1 per cent, said CMHC.

"My personal experience is that building is down," said Toner.

"There are still people building, but there are quite a few new products for sale."

Toner said 2007, the year before the recession, was an excellent year in home construction in the capital and it has been gradually decreasing since then.

He said he's seeing a lot of renovation work and that's the trend.

"I've been at this for 28 years and when the economy goes down people instead of selling their house ... they will just fix up the house they've got," he said.

Alex Forbes, assistant director of development services in Fredericton, said the city measures housing differently from CMHC, but its figures are also down.

The city statistics are based on issuing building permits while CMHC counts units that have started.

"From the end of November last year to the end of November this year, we're down 10 per cent," Forbes said about overall residential construction.

The city is down 25 per cent in single family dwellings, he said.

"That may look significant, but that is a relatively small number of houses," said Forbes.

He also said the drop is the trend across the country.

"We are no different than anywhere else," said Forbes.

"The market is cooling a little bit and there are all kinds of reasons for that.

"Markets go up and markets go down, and we look at this as a natural part of the cycle."

The construction of new homes was down across New Brunswick in November compared to the same month last year, according to CMHC.

During the month of November there were a total of 211 starts recorded in the province. There were 249 starts for the same period in 2009, a drop of 15.3 per cent.

There were 111 single starts in provincial urban centres with a population of 50,000 or more this year. Last year there were 138 units, a drop of 19.6 per cent.

Multiple starts in main provincial urban centres were also lower in November, with a 10 per cent decline to 100 units.

"The year-over-year decline in total starts for the month of November was mainly the result of fewer single-detached starts in both Fredericton and Saint John," said Claude Gautreau, CMHC's senior market analyst for New Brunswick, in a release.

On a year-to-date basis in New Brunswick, multiple starts are up 32 per cent to 1,550 units.

"Year-to-date multiple starts, particularly in the greater-Moncton area, continue to bolster total residential construction activity in New Brunswick," said Gautreau.

Moncton had 39 single family residential starts in November compared to 38 for the previous year, an increase of 2.6 per cent.

The hub city had 94 multiple starts versus 83 in 2009, an increase of 13.3 per cent.

Saint John had 25 single starts in November, compared to 40 last year, a drop of 37 per cent. The port city had two multiples versus 14 last year, a decrease of 85.7 per cent.

For the year to date ending in November, Moncton had 1,314 total residential starts compared to 884 in 2009, up 48.6 per cent.

Saint John had 626 starts compared to 625 last year, an increase of 0.2 per cent.

In the Atlantic region, 653 residential units were started in November, compared to 706 units during the same period in 2009, said CMHC.

In urban centres across Canada, housing starts recorded in November were up five per cent to 14,746 units, compared to last year's total of 13,989. Single-detached starts fell 21 per cent to 5,551 units, while multiple starts rose 33 per cent to 9,195 units.

[cl812]

Business digest
Published Thursday December 9th, 2010
D1

More city employers plan to hire in next quarter

A new survey of Fredericton area employers shows 23 per cent plan to hire more employees, while 10 per cent anticipate cutbacks in the upcoming quarter, says Manpower Canada.

"Another 67 per cent of employers intend to maintain their current staffing for the first quarter of 2011," said Mindy Stoltz of Manpower's Moncton office, in a release.

"Fredericton's first quarter net employment outlook of 13 per cent is an increase from the previous quarter when area employers reported an outlook of six per cent.

"It is also a three percentage point increase from the outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a steady hiring climate for the first quarter of 2011."

Wholesale and retail trade and transportation and public utilities are the two sectors with the most favourable hiring results for the first quarter of 2011 at plus 17 and 16 per cent respectively.

They are followed by finance, insurance and real estate at plus 14 per cent.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1344060

[cl812]

Porter Airlines eyes N.B. expansion
Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton in running for new flights
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 8, 2010 | 7:15 PM AT .CBC News


Porter Airlines is considering the expansion of its New Brunswick service next year, but it hasn't decided whether new flights would land in Saint John, Fredericton or Moncton.

Porter, which is known for low fares, free snacks and flights to downtown Toronto, started service to Moncton in the summer and company officials say it's been successful.

However, expansion isn't guaranteed.

The airline could beef up its Moncton service without moving into the other two cities, and company spokesman Brad Cicero said three Ontario cities — Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins — are also being considered.

Bernie LeBlanc, president and CEO of the Saint John Airport, believes Port City is a strong contender for the Toronto-based airline.

"We have very heavy corporate traffic to centres like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa as well as the U.S., so I think that's a real benefit we have to offer," he said.

Porter began flying from Greater Moncton International Airport in late June. Two daily roundtrips to Toronto with a stop in Ottawa were available until Sept. 7.

The current off-season schedule includes four weekly flights.

It's unclear when Porter will make its expansion decision, but airport officials in Saint John say they're hoping to hear by February.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/12/08/nb-porter-expansion-moncton-fredericton.html#ixzz17cFiqkyX

[cl812]

York Arena's future is on thin ice
Published Saturday December 11th, 2010
Recreation | Councillors balk at $3.9-M price tag to bring building up to code
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton city councillors are starting to divide over what to do with York Arena.

City council recently approved in principle a plan to spend $147,982 to keep the arena's doors open for the next year and a half. A recent report said the building will need $3.9 million just to meet building codes.

There has been robust debate about how much money should go into a structure that the city might tear down.

Some councillors wanted to halve the proposed capital spending to only $38,500 for repairing the rink's ice-making compressor and $23,000 to deal with ammonia leaks that could pose a safety concern, but a motion was defeated. Another $85,698 is needed to reinforce the roof of the structure and to shore up masonry walls.

Community services director Wayne Tallon told council that if it doesn't direct him to push ahead with roof reinforcements, the city will have to come up with policies on snow loads and keep a close eye on the building to ensure it's safe.

Tallon said ADI Ltd., which was asked to undertake an update of its 2004 analysis of the condition of the arena, identified the lateral support/masonry wall reinforcement issue as an immediate need. The rink's ice-making compressor is being held together with Band-Aid solutions, Tallon said.

"We can't afford to have the ice plant go, because that will reduce our inventory (of rinks) to three ice sheets," Tallon said.

Deputy mayor Dan Keenan suggested the repair money be put into the budget, but that council make a determination of when to spend that money.

"My intention and my hope would be that we can address the York Arena issue so that we can continue to operate that facility ... I'll be clear, my hope would be that we continue to operate York Arena after (the) Grant * Harvey (Centre) opens," Keenan said.

The Grant * Harvey Centre's dual-pad indoor arena is under construction, but isn't likely to open before the spring of 2012.

Coun. Scott McConaghy said without the repairs, there might be times when York Arena would have to be closed to the public.

Finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien has stated he doesn't support keeping the arena over the long term.

"In the future, I think we've spent enough on ice facilities and there's other pressing needs for recreation," O'Brien said.

He said keeping York Arena open would cost about $250,000 per year more than it collects in revenues. It has always been the city's plan to build new ice rinks, demolish the old ones and put the resulting budget savings on capital repairs and operating expenses into the cost of running the new indoor ice hockey rinks.

"I prefer not to spend on renovating an old ice facility, and instead start saving (and) planning for an aquatics facility that will be used by many more taxpayers," he said.

O'Brien said he doesn't dispute arguments that extra ice time would be used, but there are other taxpayers who favour non-ice sports and as the city ages, there will be more demand for water and court sports, along with walking and biking trails, than for ice hockey arenas.

Coun. Stephen Kelly, who said he plays hockey twice a week at York Arena, said he's not in favour of the city keeping the arena.

"We've made a lot of commitments capital-wise for two major arenas and then the York Arena pops up and we have to look at what we want to do - pools, turf fields, soccer and all these kinds of things. As much as I'd like to see us accommodate an extra ice sheet ... the key thing is how is the city going to find another $4 million to keep the York Arena going?" Kelly said.

He said he doesn't have a problem with halting the rink's future demolition, provided a community group takes ownership of the building.

"In terms of the taxpayers forking out another $4 million after we've already gone well over what we planned on rinks and it's such a disproportionate amount of capital spending on ice-related sports, it's really going to hurt our ability in recreation to do other things that are in catch-up mode," he said.

For instance, Kelly said, the north side needs an artificial turf field.

"I really don't think it's fair that just because we need the York Arena ice and the building is there and we intended to remove it from our system, that we have to find another $4 million. I'd like to see us look at a different owner," Kelly said.

If council decides the arena should be kept, then user fees such as ice-rental charges should be set to recover any capital investment the city has to make rather than putting the burden on taxpayers.

"The users should absorb the extra cost," Kelly said. "It can't be borne by the taxpayers generally."

A Save the York Arena group has put together a report for the city showing that there's high demand for ice time, and that without the York Arena the city will be in an ice-rink deficit just to meet current sports demands.

The city's plan has always been to tear down York Arena once the Grant * Harvey Centre opens, but the citizen group's presentation had strong arguments about the need for ice time in the city.

Tallon said ADI's revised figures on the cost of bringing York Arena up to building code - and excluding any other upgrades - would be $3.9 million. Part of the reason for the higher cost compared with ADI's 2004 estimate is that a new building code has come into effect, which sets different standards on the public building, Tallon said.

There are new snow-load requirements and seismic requirements in case of earthquakes contained in the updated building code.

The $3.9-million figure for repairing York Arena is the amount the consulting firm said it will cost just to meet the building code.

"This ADI report does not contain any enhancements to the building," Tallon said.

[cl812]

Councillors back spending plan
Published Saturday December 11th, 2010
A10
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

City council has approved in principle the city's 2011 capital spending plan.

The capital budget will be just more than $14 million, and about 76 per cent of the proposed spending plan will focus on reinvestment, repair and replacement of services. The budget will have to be formally approved when council considers its completed 2011 budget.

Acting city treasurer Tina Tapley said the budget focuses on the city's infrastructure deficit because that's the long-term financial plan that city council approved in September.

As a result of new accounting rules for municipalities, the city had to valuate all its assets, from vehicles and buildings, to pipes in the ground.

Fredericton has $1 billion in infrastructure, of which $485 million is invested in water and sewer systems.

Tapley said the city has conducted an assessment of its assets and put them into three categories: the newest requiring little to no repair; a mid-term group that will require at some point; and those in poor condition that need to be tackled.

"The keys to that policy is to provide adequate, stable and sustainable reinvestment in existing infrastructure ... It's all about spending the right amount of money on the right things at the right time," Tapley said.

For instance, the city has identified the need to replace the roof on the York Street fire station ($210,000) and rebuild the lower portion of McLeod Hill Road ($300,000) as urgent projects. A plow truck and loader also have to be replaced ($460,000).

A hoist used by the fleet division has to be replaced because it's unsafe. That will cost $90,281. The boiler at the police station has to be replaced at a cost of $62,500. The roof at the St. Mary's depot is leaking and that will cost another $175,000.

City engineering and public works director Murray Jamer will spend $680,000 in 2010 to continue replacing storm sewer pipes. Corrugated metal, which was the material of choice for culverts in the past, rusts quickly. The city is yanking out the worst of the pipes and replacing them with longer-lasting concrete pipes.

Jamer told city council that focusing on maintaining what the city owns is the right way to go.

"We do have a big wave of this infrastructure that's coming through that was created in the '60s and '70s," Jamer said.

The city engineer said he's also focused on trying to keep pace with new development in terms of sidewalk construction.

That's the approach the city has taken on Brookside Drive, where new housing of all types has taken off, Jamer said.

Two years ago, the city also began micro-surfacing secondary roads to try to extend their lifespan.

Some items where councillors have chopped from the capital budget include spending $10,000 to buy 20 executive style chairs for their council-in-committee meeting room.

Coun. Jordan Graham also introduced a motion to cut $20,000 from the information technology division capital budget.

If the idea is finding ways to save money, then the city shouldn't have to spend $20,000 to do that, said deputy mayor Dan Keenan.

Graham also wants stricter reporting on the results of pilot projects undertaken annually by the information technology division to see if they are producing results.

Information technology manager Maurice Gallant said his department looks at ways to better track data, improve reporting time or save time for city employees.

The city also cut $41,057 from an account that was intended to fund a base for the Robert Burns statue, which has been located on the riverfront green. Because of the weight of the bronze-coated statue and its location near the St. John River, the base has to be reinforced and flood-proofed.

The city has a quote for $81,057, but community services director Wayne Tallon said that's a special price that the contractor has been holding for the city and if it expires, the price will go up.

The city has also eliminated $25,000 in funding it used to give to the Botanic Garden.

[cl812]

Vacancy rates, rent up - report
Published Friday December 10th, 2010
Increase | Capital had smallest increase between three big cities
D1
By The Daily Gleaner

Fredericton's residential vacancy rate was up this fall but remains the lowest of the three main cities in the province, says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

Fredericton's vacancy rate was 2.6 per cent in October, which was up from 2.3 per cent for the same time last year, according to CMHC's fall 2010 rental market survey.

The capital also had the smallest increase in vacancies amongst the three big cities, it said.

"Strong employment levels and steady in-migration have kept the vacancy rate low in the provincial capital," said Claude Gautreau, senior market analyst with CMHC in New Brunswick, in a news release.

Employment through the first three quarters of 2010 remained at a record level in Fredericton, due mostly to the strength of the local service and public administration sectors, said CMHC.

Moncton's vacancy rate was 4.2 per cent in October, up from 3.8 per cent last fall.

Saint John's vacancy rate was 5.1 per cent in October, compared to 3.6 per cent last year, said CMHC.

"In 2010, housing market conditions have remained favourable to those seeking homeownership, contributing to reduced rental unit demand and higher vacancy rates in both Moncton and Saint John," said Gautreau.

CMHC said that in three of New Brunswick's four smaller urban centres, the vacancy rate also increased this year.

Edmundston was the only centre that posted a lower vacancy rate in 2010, declining 2.3 percentage points to 8.6 per cent.

Miramichi matched Fredericton with the lowest vacancy rate in the province at 2.6 per cent, while the highest overall vacancy rate in the province was in Bathurst at 9.9 per cent.

Average rents in all of New Brunswick's urban centres increased 2.3 per cent in 2010, said CMHC.

In urban centres, the year-over-year increase varied from a low of 1.1 per cent in Bathurst to a high of 2.9 per cent in Saint John.

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Fredericton rose to $734 a month, up 3.47 per cent from the same month last year.

[cl812]

Porter Airlines eyes expanding to Fredericton
Published Friday December 10th, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Porter Airlines is looking at Fredericton as a possible destination in 2011.

The four-year-old, downtown Toronto-based airline flies out of Moncton, Halifax and St. John's, N.L.

Fredericton "is an airport that we have had discussions with at times," Brad Cicero, a spokesman for Porter Airlines, said Thursday

Porter Airlines is also looking at Saint John, he said.

"We're getting four new aircraft next year in the second quarter," said Cicero.

"We will be making some decisions in the new year about how we will take advantage of those extra planes and how we are going to use them.

"We do have a number of possibilities that are under consideration as far as how that expansion may occur.

"We are still working through all of those possibilities."

Porter Airline started flying out of Moncton this year as its first New Brunswick destination and Cicero said that service is doing well.

"It's actually following a similar pattern to what we've seen in our other Atlantic destinations in Halifax and St. John's, N.L.," he said.

"They are often amongst the busiest routes that we have in the entire network.

"We definitely see Atlantic Canada as a place where we can grow."

He said the factors that help the regional airline make a decision on a new route include: a location within two hours flying time of Toronto; enough traffic demand; and room for competition in the market.

The airport in Fredericton is served regularly only by Air Canada.

Porter Airline operates 20 modern Q400 turboprops made by Bombardier, which seat 70.

The company is also reportedly looking at three centres in Ontario for possible expansion: Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins. The airline is also considering a new service to the United States.

Porter Airlines is popular because it flies into the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which is located a few hundred metres from the downtown core of Toronto.

That makes the airline much more convenient for travellers headed for Toronto than the much farther away Pearson International Airport.

Porter also gets good marks from travellers for its complimentary in flight food and beverages and seats that are larger than average.

David Innes, president and CEO of the Fredericton International Airport Inc., couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.

[cl812]

City committed to public library
Published Monday December 13th, 2010
Upgrades | Project delays raise questions
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton city council is planning to honour its commitment to a $1.3-million renovation of the Fredericton Public Library on Carleton Street.

City councillors, meeting in a budget session, have approved in principle spending $250,000 in their 2011 budget to start the project.

But there's still a hitch with moving ahead on construction because the York Regional Library, which is a tenant in the city-owned library building on Carleton Street, still hasn't been able to find new digs.

The regional library occupies about 30 per cent of the space in the Fredericton Public Library building.

The Fredericton Public Library wants to reclaim that 900-square-feet or 10,000-square-metres of room in order to expand its operations.

Although city council directed staff last May to issue a notice of termination of lease, it looks like the regional library will go beyond its lease into 2011 because it hasn't yet found new digs.

That library service runs the bookmobile in York County and it needs not just administrative office space, but storage for the bookmobile bus.

Coun. Stephen Kelly, who sits on the library's board of directors as the city council appointee, said he's disappointed that it's taking so long to get the funding in place and to get the project started.

"I'm very disappointed that they couldn't take on the schedule that was originally intended because of issues with the York Regional Library and their tenancy there being extended and it looks like they may not be able to vacate there for awhile, possibly into the summer of 2011," Kelly said.

"The city has been working with them and with the Department of Supply and Services to find them a property. Council is still supportive of the library, but it's regrettable that they can't get at it until the fall (of 2011)."

Fredericton Public Library director Brian Steeves, in a budget update to city council recently, said delaying the project is driving up costs.

The project architect has cautioned that every year of delay adds a minimum of seven per cent inflationary increase in construction costs, he said.

"But the architect assures me that Phase 1 can be done in a 14-week period," Steeves told council.

The original construction plans for the library renovation called for completion of Phase 1 by the spring of 2010.

The library is doing some upgrades now. For instance, it's working on elevator improvements this month.

In order to work around the delays, some work has been shifted from one phase of the project to another, Steeves said.

The city is looking to spend about $299,700 in 2012 on the library with the remainder of the funding coming in 2014.

"The need is definitely there. The library has probably had its busiest year in the last five years. Visitation is up by seven per cent. Circulation is up by eight per cent. Program participation up by 12 per cent so far this year," Steeves said.

Coun. Stephen Chase also supports funding the library, which he said is a tremendous asset to the city.

With demand for library services on the rise, Chase said it's a good investment on the part of the city.

[cl812]

Phoenix Landing building wins Mayor's Award
Published Tuesday December 14th, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Phoenix Landing, the new 14-unit apartment building at the corner of George and York streets, is the winner of the Mayor's Award at the 11th annual Fredericton 2010 Developers Awards.

The project, owned by A and R Rentals, was one of 11 honoured in the awards ceremony, which was held in the council chambers Monday.

"The annual development committee awards reception provides an opportunity to come together and thank those who have shown leadership in their development projects," said Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of the development committee.

Mayor Brad Woodside said Phoenix Landing, which was built on the site of an apartment building that burned down in 2009, is an architecturally significant building in the city's downtown core directly across from St. Paul's United Church - which is a national historic site - York House and the Brunswick Street Baptist Church.

It's adjacent to the Webb Associates building, which is one of the finest examples of a former Gothic revival home in the city, he said.

"It was in a very important part of Fredericton, so when we had the fire, we knew that we had to do a special project," said Neil Brown of A and R Rentals.

"We couldn't just build ... a simple suburban building.

"A lot of thought process had to go into keeping with the heritage and context of where the building was situated."

The building also has six units that are designated for affordable housing.

"We felt that was just the right thing to do," said Brown.

"It provides an opportunity for people that need a chance and a little assistance."

The building is in the downtown and close to parks, doctors and schools, he said. Sometimes affordable housing is built on the edge of the community off by itself, and that's not the right way to go, he said.

Brown said city hall was helpful when it came to rebuilding on the site.

Project architect John Leroux said once the building was finished, it quickly filled up.

He said Premier David Alward wanted to live there but it was full.

Leroux said the new building reflects the colours, materials and roof lines of the surrounding historic properties. A building design needs to delve into the history of a site, he said.

Woodside said that traditionally the people of Fredericton have been afraid of designs that are out of the ordinary.

But there's a lot more diversity in housing in the city now, he said.

"I would like to thank all of the developers for their innovative thinking," said the mayor.

Other winners include:

* the medical office of Dr. William Cook on Sunset Drive, which received the environmentally sensitive redevelopment award for protecting a natural wetland;

* Northrup Holdings Ltd. won the subdivision design award for its Northbrook subdivision on Brookside Drive, which includes single, detached homes; semi-detached dwellings, townhouses, apartment buildings and mini-homes;

* The John Howard Society's new office and 12-unit affordable-housing project on Main Street won the affordable housing award;

* DJM Development Ltd. won the design award for its 35-unit, six-storey condominium development called One South View Lane on the north bank of the St. John River in which all the units face the river and the landscape integrates the river front trail;

* the contribution to development award went to Fernco, which built the NB Ambulance Building at 24 Harold Doherty Court;

* the environmental design award was presented to E and R Toner Renovations for its project at 654 Riverside Drive, which reclaimed and developed a contaminated site using green building techniques, including a roof made of recycled car tires from Minto;

* the comprehensive townhouse design went to Colpitts Development for its Willow Valley project on the former CBC communications tower land on Kimble Drive;

* the cultural community award went to landlord Brian Johnson of Kingswood, who helped Gallery Connexion find a new home in the Chestnut Complex at 440 York Street, including free rent while the space was renovated;

* Jeff Harris and Ellen MacIntosh won the Victorian paint scheme award for their property at 92 Waterloo Row, a 21/2-storey Gothic revival dwelling of 1840s construction;

* and the comprehensive planning design award went to Shannex Inc. retirement complex on Patience Lane.

[OliverD]

Flood levels are set to reach 7.6 M tomorrow morning in Fredericton.

Lots of roads already closed. I came home over the PM and then down Riverside Drive. Water was over the road just before the Nashwaak motel at that time and now it's closed completely. Some of the Westmorland ramps are closed too.

[cl812]

Sounds like the Aitken Centre is getting some upgrades over the next few months.

'Young Ambassadors' for university hockey
Published Wednesday December 15th, 2010
Nationals | V-Red Prospects part of ticket-blitz for CIS tourney in March of 2011
B1
By BILL HUNT
hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

They're selling hockey, but it will seem more like football.

With 98 days remaining until the drop of the puck for the opening game of the Cavendish Farms University Cup men's hockey tournament. the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds are planning a blitz. They're enlisting members of their four female and 14 male V-Reds Prospects teams - to be known as "Young Ambassadors" - to tap into the Fredericton business community for support.

The approximately 200 families aligned with the spring-hockey program will try to supplement the 60-70 corporate sponsors already involved with the nationals by selling $500 packages to local businesses.

The $500 will buy the business owner one pass to the 2011 University Cup tournament, a business-card sized ad in the souvenir program to be sold at the tournament, a "thank you" from the organizing committee on video screens which are to be installed at the Aitken Centre early in the new year, an invitation to the "Young Ambassadors Recognition Award Ceremony" on the Saturday of the championship, and the option of the player putting the name of the business on the back of their Prospects team jersey.

The ambition, said tournament co-chairman Roger Shannon, is to involve 100 more businesses in the championship.

"That would be phenomenal," he said. "There are no quotas. There are optimistic targets. That's very realistic.

"Members of the Prospects program will have the opportunity to work as young marketers for the nationals," said Shannon.

Any "Young Ambassador" who sells a business pass will earn two season-passes for his or her parents for the remainder of the hockey season, a $100 voucher to Prospects Summer Hockey Camps, recognition at the closing ceremonies of the University Cup, and admission to a special Young Ambassador business reception in the Colter Room during the University Cup. The player who sells the most will earn a $250 voucher from MacTavish for Sports.

"When the nationals kick off, these kids are going to be front and centre," said Shannon.

"We're excited about this because it gives the players an opportunity to be involved," said co-chair Lloyd Henderson. "We're excited because it gives us an opportunity to raise money from a different source and a different base than we would normally raise money from," he said. "It allows two-way support," said Henderson. "It's a great package for the advertiser."

UNB marketing manager Dave Morell said the Prospects represent a powerful network which will hopefully allow UNB to tap into the more than 600 or so businesses registered with the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

"We just can't get to them all," he said. "This is a nice little package, it really is. And as a total sum, it makes a big package for us. And it creates the Young Ambassador legacy for the CIS nationals."

Monies raised from the program will be distributed in three areas - capital improvements to the Aitken Centre itself, enhancing or creating scholarships for UNB hockey players, and investing in the hockey program itself.

"Gardiner (coach MacDougall) as you can imagine, has a long list of things he'd like to have. We're trying to offset some of that long list by money we raise out of the net proceeds of the tournament. This will build the net proceeds."

"There are going to be some legacy items that will be unveiled that will be the first of their kind in the city of Fredericton," said Shannon. "This program will go a long-way toward helping us pay for them. This arena will be transformed over the next three months into something we've never been fortunate enough to have. It's really going to spice things up, and it's going to make coming to this arena to watch a hockey game an event."

The deadline for the campaign, said co-ordinator Maureen Sparks, is March 1 in order to get the business card ad into the souvenir program.

Andrew Brewer, who is in charge of the social media aspect of the championships for the nationals committee, announced the unveiling of a new e-letter to be distributed by e-mail each Monday and Thursday to members of "V-Red Nation."

It's similar to the "e-blast" launched in Lewiston Sept. 15, a newsletter which has built to some 2,700 e-mail subscribers. Shannon figures it "will grow exponentially," in Fredericton. The first edition will be sent to subscribers Thursday. Brewer said it will be a central source of information on the V-Reds, the V-Reds Prospects, including game previews and reviews, alumni updates and profiles and the like.

"Anything that people suggest, we'll put in it," he said. Subscribers can sign up by going to the Varsity Reds site at vreds.ca and clicking the appropriate links which will allow you to "Join the V-Red Nation."

"We're pretty excited about it," said Brewer, the editor of the project. "We'd like to get as many people involved as possible. E-mail is a very powerful tool, and we want to use it to reach all of our fans."

UNB hosts the Cavendish Farms CIS men's hockey championship for the next two seasons. This year's tournament runs March 24-27, 2011.

[cl812]

City can't afford to tear down rink - York Arena advocate
Published Thursday December 16th, 2010
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

It would be a mistake to give up the York Arena ice surface, says Coun. Eric Megarity.

Save the York Arena spokesman Chris Mabie agrees and said he's disappointed and surprised to hear two members of city council calling for the closure of the rink.

Finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien and Coun. Stephen Kelly have both said they won't support retaining the rink.

In February, city councillors voted to put the demolition of the arena on hold at least until the completion of the Grant * Harvey Centre. The dual-rink arena is under construction, with completion expected by the spring of 2012.

"We rescinded the order to demolish York Arena," said Megarity, the Ward 4 (South Devon) councillor. "The thought was that we would not do anything with York Arena until two years after Grant * Harvey was opened to determine the need."

Mabie and the citizen members of the Save the York group did a fantastic job pulling together statistics that show the city needs to keep six ice surfaces in Fredericton, Megarity said.

Girls hockey and girls ringette is developing, but participants have to leave the city to practice and compete, the councillor said.

He said the city doesn't need to look at a lavish retrofit of the York Arena, nor should it view the facility as a spectator venue for ice sports.

All that's needed is the ice, Megarity said.

"We don't need stadium seating; it's a playing surface. It's just to provide a place for people to play hockey or figure skate," he said.

Mabie said that's all that the group has asked for.

"It appears as though a couple of councillors have made their decision, and I'm disappointed because what they told us in front of a room full of people is that they wanted us to come back. One councillor indicated that they wanted to hear ideas that we might have based on the research we had done in terms of saving money and there would be no decisions until we got back," Mabie said.

Not only does demand exceed the city's present and future means, but losing the York Arena will aggravate a situation where young people have to travel outside the city to participate in ice sports, he said.

"We've got young girls that are travelling to Chipman to play ringette in winter conditions. We've got teenage girls travelling to Perth to practice hockey in winter conditions. We've got disabled children who were only able to secure one ice slot in all of last year. This is Fredericton, this shouldn't be happening," Mabie said.

"I have real concerns for the kids' safety. When your kid plays sports, you realize there's a risk involved, but you're doubling and tripling the risk when you force them to practice and play home games away from town," he said.

O'Brien and Kelly have suggested the city needs to give equal funding to other sports in the city.

Mabie said he doesn't disagree that those needs are there, but he said the Save the York Arena group isn't asking the city to build a new arena, but merely to keep one that currently exists.

A new ADI Ltd. report said it would cost $3.9 million to bring York Arena up to building codes.

But Mabie said the York Arena was virtually rebuilt in 1971 and has been well maintained. Even ADI noted in its study that the building is in good physical condition for its age.

While the city is looking for cost savings on its budget every place it can, Mabie said it doesn't make good fiscal sense to tear down a building that has been well-maintained.

"We're short rinks and they (councillors) know that," Mabie said. "Even after Grant * Harvey is built, we're going to be into those ice surfaces to the cost of $40-$50 million. That's about $11-$12 million a surface. They've got one here (York Arena) that they can get for a fraction of that. They need it and they do recognize that."

Few municipalities are constructing ice rinks with only a single skating surface and Fredericton has already shown that it doesn't intend to build facilities with less than two skating surfaces.

Mabie said the arena needs to be a safe place for the public to use, but repairs can be spread out over an extended period of time.

"Who knows, there may be more federal money available down the road," Mabie said. "The City of Fredericton will never get another ice surface this cheaply again."

Megarity said a lot of building-code issues won't apply if the city doesn't change the use or occupancy of the building.

"All we're looking to do with that arena is have it as a playing surface ... We don't have to get fancy," he said.

When the Grant * Harvey Centre is completed, the city will have two rinks there. Willie O'Ree Place has two ice surfaces. The Lady Beaverbrook Rink has one.

There's a rink at The Coliseum on the Fredericton Exhibition Grounds, and the University of New Brunswick has the Aitken University Centre.

[cl812]

Noticed today the foundation for the fifth building in Knowledge park appears to be almost finished.

[EricFrost]

Anyone know why they changed the name on the city's website for the new convention centre to "Chancery Place"?
http://www.fredericton.ca/en/webcams.asp

[mylesmalley]

News to me.

Welcome to the boards, EricFrost!

[cl812]

STU signs Grant * Harvey deal with city
Published Saturday December 18th, 2010
A7
By The Daily Gleaner

The Grant * Harvey Centre will become home ice for St. Thomas University's hockey program.

A formal agreement between the city and university has been approved by city council.

The agreement also covers use of the artificial turf athletic field.

The 20-year deal includes a $140,000 lump sum from STU to the city at the beginning of the agreement.

STU will pay $20 per hour for use of the field over the lifetime of the agreement and it will pay the city's prime rate for its ice rental.

The agreement also gives STU booking preference for its activities.

The lease is renewable at the 10-year point of the 20-year deal.

[cl812]

Anyone know why they changed the name on the city's website for the new convention centre to "Chancery Place"?
http://www.fredericton.ca/en/webcams.asp

Could that the name of office building I wonder?

and welcome!

[cl812]

City sells property
Published Saturday December 18th, 2010
A6
By The Daily Gleaner

City council has authorized the sale of a 1,440-square-metre property at 214 Dunns Crossing Rd. to NDR Development Corp. for $85,000.

The land is zoned R-5 for higher density apartments, but the amount of bedrock on the site has caused issues with possible future development.

The city property is part of what was a larger piece of land that included a single-family home on the land at the same address. In 2006, the city bought the house and land in order to undertake street improvements and to correct sight lines at a blind hill at that part of the street.

The property it sold to NDR Development is being sold on an 'as is' basis.

[mylesmalley]

Either way, the name Chancery Place is growing on me. It has a very imperial ring to it.

[EricFrost]

News to me.

Welcome to the boards, EricFrost!

Thanks, I've been lurking the forums every now and then for a while.

I just came back to Fredericton for the Holidays and noticed the conference centre/chancery place is coming along quite well now. Is the Hilton hotel that's suppose to be going beside it still a go?

[mylesmalley]

I don't recall hearing anything otherwise. I've been a bit out of the loop since moving back to Moncton in May though.

[Smevo]

Is the Hilton hotel that's suppose to be going beside it still a go?

I think the last update was that it's still a go, but delayed for a year because of soil conditions on the site creating a complication they didn't initially expect and design for.

Welcome to the board. :cheers:

[cl812]

2011 budget coming down tonight
Published Monday December 20th, 2010
Cuts? | City faces tough decisions
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's 2011 general fund and capital budget will be on the desks of city councillors tonight in its final form.

Councillors last week wrapped up a budget preparation process that was mostly done in public.

That means the public hasn't had to wait until tonight's formal budget meeting to know what the 2011 tax rate is likely to be.

For the first time in two decades, council has decided to drop the rate by a half cent.

The decision was hotly debated with five councillors suggesting the city should hold the bottom line to try to insulate itself against future funding cuts by the provincial government.

Forecasts for assessment growth from 2012 to 2015 are below the 4.88 per cent tax base increase the city saw over the past year.

The tax base is the total value of all taxable property in the city. In 2015, the city suggests growth will drop off to 3.50 per cent.

The city's tax rate is $1.4261 per $100 of assessed property value. The rate went up 0.85 cents in 2010.

The proposed 2011 tax rate reduction will shave between $7 and $8 of the total tax bill on a $150,000 house.

However, given that assessments went up 2.37 per cent for most homeowners, property owners are still going to be paying higher taxes in the spring of 2011.

Finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien said the budget will maintain most services and show the public that the city is running a tight ship.

"We'll be bringing down a budget that we can maintain the services that people expect and deserve and also show them that there's some fiscal restraint.

"We tried our best to keep costs as low as possible. There is a slight tax decrease. It's not a large amount, but it's the responsible thing to do," O'Brien said.

"We did have to raise some fees and some fares to generate revenue. That was unfortunate, but some of those hadn't been visited for years and we'll rectify that in future.''

The city is planning to schedule more frequent reviews of fees so that it doesn't have to implement large hikes in cases where fees haven't been adjusted for years.

Councillors took a hard look at where the city spends its money and was able through the combination of fee hikes and belt-tightening, to trim $1 million out of the budget, while still accounting for next year's cost-of-living adjustments.

The province cut one per cent of $58,000 from the city's $5.8-million unconditional grant. The effect of the Tory government's pledged three per cent cap on assessments also resulted in $576,939 in less revenue coming to the city.

The public will find out whether the city has significantly cut any of its core services tonight.

Those discussions were held by council behind closed doors due to personnel implications and some decisions made at those sessions will be revealed in tonight's budget.

Last week, councillors clawed back some city programs.

For example, the funding for green initiatives such as Green Matters and Green Shops was sliced by $60,000.

The cut will mean the city will have to re-evaluate and figure out ways to keep existing programs in place. There will be no funding for any new climate change initiatives.

Coun. Jordan Graham wanted to chop more from the program by eliminating $120,000 in spending on green measures.

His motion was defeated and council voted to reduce funding by $60,000.

Coun. Tony Whalen said the program is a worthy one and he wanted to see the funding kept in place at $120,000.

Councillors also put a temporary freeze on funding for a proposed program to replace centralized recycling blue bins with an apartment recycling pickup.

The city's engineering and public works department wanted to negotiate the program during 2011 for 2012 implementation, but the $220,000 needed to launch the service hasn't been included in the budget.

[cl812]

Hotel hopes expansion will be done by March
Published Thursday December 23rd, 2010
A4
By ALEXANDRA DAVIS
davis.alexandra@dailygleaner.com

The Best Western Fredericton Hotel and Suites has plans to complete its expansion early in the new year.

The hotel on Bishop Drive has been undergoing renovations for the past few months. The facility has 90 rooms and 21 suites, but by the time the expansion is finished, it will have an additional 20 standard rooms and 33 suites.

Madeleine Levesque-Toner of Best Western said it's an exciting time for the hotel.

In addition to the extra rooms, she said the upgraded facility will include a larger fitness centre, an expanded breakfast area, a new business centre, a second entrance and a second elevator. The parking lot will also be larger.

She said the decision to expand stems from a desire to better meet the needs of guests.

"We decided to do this expansion when we noticed there were a lot of evenings where we turned away business," she said. "We had a feasibility study done that recommended we build 50 rooms, and with the design of the building it gave us a total of 53 more rooms."

Levesque-Toner said she can't confirm the cost of the expansion. She said the tentative opening date for the extension is March 1.

So far, she said construction hasn't led to any disruptions in service for hotel guests.

"We're striving to offer the best services possible," she said. "Up to now we've been able to do that, but we would like to apologize if there's any inconvenience to our guests while the renovations are happening."

She said the Fredericton hotel is also getting a rebranding in the new year.

"Within a few weeks we're going to become a Best Western Plus," she said. "That's a new descriptor system that describes Best Westerns in three categories. There will be Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier."

The new categories are intended to create a standard across the map, so travellers know what to expect at each Best Western location.

[cl812]

Historic Places Register adds a chapel and a church
Published Thursday December 23rd, 2010
A3
By The Daily Gleaner

St. Anne's Chapel of Ease and St. Anne's Anglican Church, adjoining places of worship at 245 Westmorland St., are the latest historically significant properties to be added to the City of Fredericton's Historic Places Register.

City council approved the two buildings for inclusion in the register, along with two distinctive homes in the St. Anne's Point Heritage Preservation Area in Fredericton South: one at 162 Winslow St. and the other at 127 Lansdowne St.

St. Anne's Chapel of Ease is a small Anglican Gothic Revival-style church, which opened in 1847. It was originally called St. Anne's Parish Church. The name was changed to St. Anne's Chapel of Ease when an adjoining church was built in the 1960s.

St. Anne's was planned by Fredericton's first Anglican Bishop, John Medley to fulfil a need during construction of Christ Church Cathedral. St. Anne's is the earliest North American structure completed by Frank Wills, a young British architect who immigrated to Fredericton to assist Bishop Medley.

St. Anne's has survived virtually unchanged in its 163-year history. It's regarded as the finest small North American parish church of its date in the English Gothic Revival style. Based on 13th century parish churches, St. Anne's Chapel of Ease was designated a Canadian National Historic Site in 1992.

St. Anne's Anglican Church is a modern stone and concrete-clad church and opened in 1962. The original church could no longer meet the demands of parishioners. Designed by Stanley Emmerson of Saint John and John Feeney of Fredericton, the church was built to a similar height, size and materials as the original church.

St. Anne's Parish Church is one of the few distinguished pairings in New Brunswick of modern and historic architecture. The structurally expressive, open and light-filled modern church accentuates the darker, more enclosed and ornate qualities of its Gothic Revival ancestor.

The 11/2-storey wood-frame house at 161 Winslow St. was built in 1934 for the University of New Brunswick dean of forestry J. Miles Gibson, who helped create the Maritime Forest Ranger School at the university. One of the first houses built on Winslow Street, the house features a gambrel roof, a balanced front facade, large, rectangular windows and a central front door surmounted by a transom flanked by sidelights. It has an open portico supported by slim columns, topped by triangular pediment.

Built in the early 1920s, the concrete-block, two-storey house at 127 Lansdowne Street was built on a portion of a significant Loyalist land grant near the corner of Waterloo Row. Concrete block was an affordable building material, and houses constructed of this material often reflect a response to the local economic climate or a shortage in building supplies.

The home features a low-pitched hip roof, a central dormer and regularly spaced rectangular windows. Its open front porch is supported by cast columns and it has a triangular pediment surmounting porch entrance.

The addition of the four buildings brings the number of properties listed in the Local Historic Places Register to 93. All the listings are of local historic interest and were placed in the register with the permission of the owner.

City council approved the establishment of the Local Historic Places Register on July 21, 2003, with $35,000 in funding provided by the Government of Canada's Historic Places Initiative and administered by the provincial government. The goal of the program is to raise awareness of historic places and encourage conservation. This is the last series of properties to be listed under the program.

[cl812]

N.B. population growth best since 1976 - report
Published Thursday December 23rd, 2010
Numbers | 1,100 people came to province in July through October
A3
By CHRIS MORRIS
The Daily Gleaner

Population growth advocates in New Brunswick got an early Christmas present from Statistics Canada on Wednesday: another increase in the province's population, thanks largely to immigrants.

According to third quarter figures released by the national statistical agency, New Brunswick's population grew by 1,100 people from July to October, 700 of them immigrants - the most since the second quarter of 1976.

The province's population was 752,800 as of Oct.1, a 0.1 per cent increase from the previous quarter.

"Our province's economic and population growth are closely linked," Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Martine Coulombe said Wednesday when asked about the increase.

"That's why we'll continue working to attract skilled labourers and entrepreneurs to become a part of New Brunswick's labour market."

However, at 0.1 per cent, the increase was one of the smallest growth rates in Canada. Nationally, the population grew by 129,300, or 0.4 per cent, during the third quarter of 2010.

Canada's population was estimated at 34,238,000.

"During the third quarter, 84,200 immigrants arrived in Canada, 8,800 more than in the same quarter of 2009," the Statistics Canada report stated.

"The increase in immigration was experienced by most of Canada's provinces and territories. Some of them had the highest quarterly immigration levels since 1971, the first year covered by the current system of demographic accounts."

In Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador had the worst showing. The population declined despite a net gain in international migration. Its population was estimated at 509,200 on Oct. 1.

The best performer in the Atlantic region was Prince Edward Island, which posted the nation's highest third-quarter growth rate. Its population increased by nearly 1,000, or 0.7 per cent, to 143,200.

"The increase was largely due to immigration, as the province received 1,200 immigrants, the highest number since 1971," the report stated.

Nova Scotia's population grew by 1,400 or, such as New Brunswick, 0.1 per cent, to 943,900. The increase was in part attributable to a net inflow of non-permanent residents (1,400).

This is the 15th consecutive quarter of population growth in New Brunswick, indicating that the province's efforts to boost growth, especially through immigration, are having an effect.

But observers say more needs to be done.

"If New Brunswick was to receive just our share of Canada's immigrants (based on our population), we would attract over 5,500 immigrants per year, or 2.5 times more than the province received in 2008-2009," business leader David Ganong said in a recent commentary.

"Retention of immigrants is another issue. Between 30 to 40 per cent of immigrants that settle in New Brunswick leave within five years."

[cl812]

Local wood pellet business heating up
Published Thursday December 23rd, 2010
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Nashwaak Valley Wood Energy Inc. is getting ready to add a second shift of workers at its wood pellet manufacturing facility 35 kilometres outside Fredericton.

"We have been operating on one shift for the last month," said company president Peter deMarsh.

"We will be going to two shifts ... after the holidays.

"When we are at two shifts, we will be employing 12 people."

The company - which is owned by 125 shareholders from the area, most of whom are local woodlot owners - is finishing its first year of operations.

"Startups are always rife with challenges, but ours is finally going well," said deMarsh.

"The plant is running very well and we will be producing at our full capacity rate of 15,000 tonnes a year fairly consistently."

As Nashwaak Valley Wood Energy gets ready to increase production, the Canadian Bioenergy Association is ramping up its Go Pellets Canada promotional campaign.

"We believe that Go Pellets Canada will help pellet use grow in the Atlantic region at about 20 per cent a year for the next 10 years," said Bruce McCallum, vice-president of the Canadian Bioenergy Association in a news release.

"Increasing our pellet use at such a rate will be a great benefit for Atlantic pellet producers and it will shield pellet users from increases in the cost of heating oil that are bound to come in the future."

The association, also known as CanBio, is a national, industry-driven, non-profit organization of individuals, businesses and non-governmental organizations interested in the development, promotion and use of bioenergy.

Wood pellet production is rising steadily in Atlantic Canada as new pellet plants come online, said the association.

Pellet production capacity in the Atlantic region is at about 450,000 tonnes a year and it's growing rapidly as new plants start up, said CanBio.

There are 10 pellet plants in the Atlantic region: six in New Brunswick, two in Nova Scotia and two in Newfoundland. Those operations employ at least 500 people.

Most Canadian wood pellets are being exported to Holland, Belgium and Sweden.

Pellet consumption in Atlantic Canada is only about 50,000 tonnes per year, most of which are burned in pellet stoves, said the association.

"Exporting wood pellets to Europe can be a good business for pellet producers in the Atlantic region, but putting all of our eggs in one basket is risky, as recent history has shown," said McCallum.

"It does not make sense for us to sell our green and economical pellets to Europe and then turn around and buy more expensive imported oil to heat our homes and larger buildings.

"We should be using a lot more of our pellets here at home."

A tonne of pellets displaces about 490 litres of heating oil in an efficient pellet furnace, he said. That's equal to about 55 per cent of the price of heating oil.

In an interview, McCallum said boosting domestic consumption of wood pellets will be good for everyone, especially companies such as Nashwaak Valley.

"They are a small producer and they don't really have the opportunity to play on the international market," he said.

"They need the domestic market and at the moment the domestic market is very small."

McCallum estimated that the money invested in new wood pellet plants in New Brunswick in the last couple of years is worth between $50 million and $100 million.

"Wood pellets are a very good-news story for New Brunswick," he said.

"We need these plants to be successful and be producing to capacity," he said.

DeMarsh said his company has received good support from businesses and customers in the Fredericton area.

"We have people coming directly to the plant to buy from us," he said.

"The local market in the Fredericton area is expanding very quickly and very steadily."

People see pellets as a green, renewable alternative to oil and electricity, said deMarsh.

"They also like the fact we are a local supplier owned by local people in the Nashwaak Valley and using wood from local wood lots as our source of raw material," he said.

"So it is kind of combing renewable green energy with a very secure source of energy."

Nashwaak Valley makes wood pellets using machinery produced by Nakawic-based Pellet Systems International Inc., which boasts of using less energy than traditional pellet-making equipment.

DeMarsh also said the equipment makes better, denser wood pellets, which means it has less dust in the pellet bag and higher heat content.

Their pellets also have a low ash content as required by a premium pellet, he said.

When the company was being planned five years ago, it expected to export pellets to Europe, said deMarsh. But the value of the Euro has declined and the cost of shipping has gone up, he said.

"The reality has been that all of our sales have been in the Maritimes and, increasingly, in the Fredericton area," he said.

"That is where we see the future."

That will mean lower transportation costs, building on the local brand image and taking currency exchange concerns out of the equation, he said.

Nashwaak Valley supports the Go Pellets Canada campaign, said deMarsh. That campaign is providing good background information for consumers who want to know about home heating savings, what furnaces and stoves are available and how efficient they are, he said.

"People like to have a third-party source of information," he said.

[Freddypop]

It's finally official.

Fredericton's long-awaited Costco store will be built in 2011 with a tentative opening date of August.

Ron Damiani, spokesman for Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., confirmed the company's construction plans for the capital city in a telephone interview.

It will be the third location in New Brunswick for the members-only wholesale grocery and household goods chain. Moncton had the first Costco store in the province. Saint John's opened last year as the largest in the province and Fredericton's store will rival the Saint John location.

The store will be between 12,600 square metres and 13,500 square metres (140,000-150,000 square feet).

"It's very similar to Saint John's (store)," Damiani said.

"We'll have the full gamut of services there is no doubt. There's going to be a bakery, meats, a photo and optical area and a pharmacy," Damiani said.

The store has approval to construct a gasoline bar as part of the project. A final decision has yet to be made on that part of the project, he said.

Final design of the building is to be determined, although the store will follow Costco's typical model of having an angled main entryway.

Some Frederictonians are big fans of the wholesale grocery outlet, with many travelling to Moncton and Saint John to shop. There's even a Facebook page, supported by fans of the outlets called Are They Ever Gonna Open a Costco in Fredericton?

Damiani said typically eight to 12 weeks ahead of a Costco store opening, there will be a membership drive both to sign up business customers and individual members.

"We start canvassing for memberships. We visit small businesses because they're a really important part of our base. We have a lot of small business members that shop at Costco and leverage our buying power to enhance their profitability," he said.

There will likely be a portable on-site office set up to sell memberships. Shoppers can also buy a membership from the Moncton or Saint John stores just prior to the Fredericton store's opening.

Costco members can shop anywhere in the world with their membership, Damiani said.

Memberships costs $55 per individual, $50 for a business and $100 for an executive membership.

"It's 100 per cent guaranteed. If after 364 days you're not happy, we're going to give you the entire money back. We have an absolutely great return policy and member satisfaction policy," he said.

Costco has 582 warehouses, including 425 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 80 in Canada, 22 in the United Kingdom, seven in Korea, six in Taiwan, nine in Japan, one in Australia and 32 in Mexico.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1365357

[mylesmalley]

Can't be cheap operating a single outlet in Australia...