Rural Atlantic Canadian Development Thread
I think its about time the lesser populated areas (outside of HRM, Moncton, Saint John, CBRM, St. John's, Fredericton and Corner Brook) of Atlantic Canada have a place for any developments they get.
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Might as well get this rolling...from today's Woodstock Bugle.
McCain's $65-million plant begins production Published Friday July 25th, 2008 New facility marks the end of an era, as it replaces the company's original potato processing plant D1 By Jon MacNeill A new $65-million potato processing plant began production on Tuesday at McCain Foods in Florenceville-Bristol. The state-of-the-art facility replaced the first factory ever built by the company more than 50 years ago. The new plant marks the end of an era and the blossoming of another for both McCain Foods and the Northern Carleton families whose roots have grown alongside the company over the years. Allen Tompkins of Florenceville ran the steam engine that peeled the first potatoes ever processed by McCain Foods back in 1957. On Tuesday, Allen's eldest son, Leon Tompkins, supervised production as the first fries came off the line at the new plant. "I plan to stay here till I'm done," said Leon, who started working with McCain Foods while just a young boy. "My father always said he'd never leave, and he never did," said Leon. "McCain was more or less his family." Operations have certainly changed since Allen Tompkins's co-workers hand-peeled potatoes and packed french fries into cartons by hand. "Our production and packaging functions are highly automated today," said company spokesperson Calla Farn. She said new technology at the factory will provide greater flexibility and improved efficiency in operations. Earlier this month, Farn acknowledged the business has suffered from the strong Canadian dollar. The new plant will run three shifts, five days a week. That's down from four shifts, seven days at week at the old factory. "We expect it will be running at full capacity, just not initially," said Farn, adding that even at reduced capacity the plant still has the ability to pump out more product than the old factory. She wouldn't offer specific figures, saying it might affect the company's competitiveness. Farn also declined to say how many people the $65-million operation would employ in the Town of Florenceville-Bristol. Around 10 people were laid-off when production stopped at the old plant in mid-May. Farn said those were "permanent lay-offs." The plant opened much sooner than expected, said Farn, as it was originally slated to open in the fall. An official opening ceremony will take place in September. |
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I was considering starting a Northern New Brunswick thread a while back, but figure I probably couldn't keep it going. This gives a place to put that stuff on the rare occasion I come across it now. |
I do agree that exurban areas should be discussed on both threads since logically it affects both. So to make it clearer how about anything non-suburban, a.k.a "exurban" (For example in HRM anything outside of Waverly-Tantallon-Preston can be discussed here). Because of the shear size of the area covered in this thread some sort of organization, like putting the community name and province before an article, will help figure out where we are talking about...:)
Lets keep this thread going: FORT LAWERENCE, NS: Quote:
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Can I request that this thread be a "sticky" since it is a projects thread in Atlantic Canada?
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MIRAMICHI, NB:
http://miramichileader.canadaeast.co...article/371205 Council gives go-ahead:Transit system by fall Published Friday August 1st, 2008 A1 by Darcey McLaughlin People in Miramichi will soon have a new way to get around town. The city has given final approval for the creation of a public transit system. City economics development officer Jeff MacTavish said he is hoping to have the system running by fall. The approval came at a special Finance and Administration Committee meeting Tuesday night. It was ratified at a special council meeting the same night. Coun. Derek Burchill said the system is being launched at a time when people are looking for alternative ways to get around. "I know this has been in the works for a while now … it seems that in this day of high cost of travel and aging population and so on, that there very well may be quite a need for the system. I understand the cost to the city to operate it first year would be one cent on the tax rate, which is around $100,000," he said. "And I also understand at any given point in time we can opt out of it," he said. The city has received capital funding from the province and has funding available from several other sources. The system will also depend heavily on revenue from advertising, which Coun. Rupert Bernard said could eliminate any costs to the city . "It appears as though the $95,000 cost to the city in the first year of operation may very well be called a worst case scenario," Bernard said. "It is also my understanding that funding will also be provided to erect some bus shelters and benches and there is a significant amount of projected advertising revenue as a result of those ... If 71 per cent of all the ads are sold, it would be a $36,000 surplus. I actually believe we'll end up somewhere in the middle." Coun. Robert Trevors said he thinks the service is important, but he's concerned about the cost in the future. "The numbers, the figures and the partners that we have right now are probably the reason I'm going to support this motion, because we want to really strive at getting citizens of this city, and hopefully the developers of this city, the opportunity to attract new business, new customers," he said. "I know in two years time that we'll be sitting here discussing this, because I'm really concerned about the cost after that." Meeting chair Mike McCoombs also raised concerns over cost. "It's a little concerning we're taking on new endeavors here when we're not sure where we're going in the next year or so and what services we may have to curtail. The other thing is, we're going to have to look at our budgetary process very closely … because we're not sure exactly what we have to spend with," he said. Coun. Joan Cripps raised concerns about the schedule, the number of buses and the placement of bus stops and said careful consideration must be given to those details. However, overall, she said, she is in favour of the system because it will be a benefit to seniors. Coun. Michael (Tanker) Malley agreed with Cripps that seniors will benefit from the system. "This is a worthwhile venture. It provides a service to our citizens, our seniors especially who are tied to their homes, who would like to get out to the malls and get to the doctor's appointment. Also to our citizens in general where we see the high cost of fuel rising each and every day and it's going to continue to rise," he said. "I've talked to a lot of our seniors and they're telling me it's long overdue." But, Malley warned, it is up to the citizens to ensure the system is a success. "You either use it, or lose it," Malley said. While the primary reason for the service is to help people move around, Burchill told council, there are other benefits to having the system. "There are a number of corporations and companies out there that will consider different municipalities to invest in and one of the qualifications is whether the city or municipality has a transit system. [There is one company] we're aware of that may come here with as many as 600 employees, but if we don't have a transit system, we wouldn't be in the running for it," he said. The transit system will operate separately from the city and employees will not become union members. Plans call for a staff consisting of a manager, an administrative assistant, four full-time drivers and four part-time drivers. |
I guess this might fit in generally with the development topic:
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http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=158806&sc=82 |
Good call...there's tons of stuff going on in towns all over atl. canada...
the expanding US / NB border crossing & new bridge at St. Stephen / Calais and the improved highway infrastucture on both sides of the border should help promote better business ties between new england and atl. canada... Travel The rerouting of Highway 1 poses new challenges - and new opportunities B9Mary-Ellen Saunders Telegraph-Journal ST. STEPHEN - The twinning of Highway 1 is racing ahead of the construction schedules for the third border crossing and international bridge, says Alan Kerr, district transportation engineer for the Department of Transportation. Instead of waiting for the border crossing from St. Stephen to Calais, Maine, to be ready, Kerr said a portion of the highway will be opened. The new portion of Highway 1 from Church Street in St. Stephen to Waweig will be open this fall. Kerr said there will be a detour through Church Street and signs leading traffic from the old border crossings on to the new highway. The detour around the St. Andrews exit will continue until the new highway is opened. Kerr said portions of Union and Hawthorne Streets in St. Stephen are also closed. full link: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.c...article/378995 |
Could wind-farm project drive boom in northern N.B.? Published Thursday August 14th, 2008 D1 By MATT MCCANN Canadaeast News Service SAINT JOHN - Two proposed wind farms in northern New Brunswick could become an extension of the southern energy hub, says one expert. Shear Wind Inc. announced Tuesday it's studying two sites in the province, one in Benjamin River near Campbellton, and another at Mann Siding, between Campbellton and Grand Falls. Both projects, which could bring $2 billion into the province, would begin as 150-megawatt farms with the potential to expand up to 500 megawatts each. The estimated cost of both projects is $585 million. "It's good that they're targeting the north," said Anne Hebert, executive director of the Conseil Economique Nouveau Brunswick. "You hear about projects coming in, but they usually end up coming to the south." But Hebert said there needs to be a partnership so that northern communities can get something out of the project, either through jobs or money flowing back into the community. "At first glance, of course, it could be a great thing," she said. "But who's going to benefit from it the most? Where is the dollar going to go? "Is it going to go mainly to a company that comes from outside, or is there going to be community involvement?" The economic development in the south is a cycle that perpetuates itself, she said. Good roads and four-lane highways mean it's easier to get goods in and out, and that kind of solid infrastructure is attractive to companies. Hebert said a wind farm in the area would help the north, hopefully by having firms working as suppliers, service providers, maintenance crews or construction crews. "Not just windmills," she said, "but value-added, so we have an industry that supports it." However, Yves Gagnon, the K.C. Irving chair in sustainable development at the Universite de Moncton, said a wind farm typically doesn't create a lot of jobs. There are initial construction jobs when it's built, he said, but the turbine, which represents about 75 per cent of the cost, will probably be purchased from outside of Canada. The other 25 per cent would be local expenses, but Gagnon said only a few dozen jobs would be created. "When you look at the big picture of the cash flow of wind farms, the money is quite small," he said. "The most significant proportion of money is in the profit generated by the wind farm, and therefore the owners of the wind farm. "The benefit is through land-lease agreements, fees paid to landowners to put the turbine on their land. Or to government if the wind turbines are installed on Crown land." That is, if the project moves from proposal to reality. For that to happen, two major obstacles need to be overcome. "One is getting a contract for people to purchase the electricity," said Gagnon. "Then there's a barrier to bring that electricity to the consumer, because of the limitation of transmission lines from New Brunswick to New England, and that's a real problem right now." Though Energy Minister Jack Keir has previously acknowledged bottlenecks and legal irritants in New England, he remained confident New Brunswick could compete in the New England market. |
Amherst, NS:
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great to see the momentum with tidal energy. . . so much untaped potential in the bay of fundy. . . hopefully NB forges ahead with it's own tidal projects as well |
Ingonish, NS:
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Chester, NS;
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MTA building makeover focuses on students
Mount Allison Student Centre will have official grand opening Sept. 27 BY NICK MOORE TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF Mount Allison's Trueman House may look the same on the outside, but changes made inside have shaken the 63-year-old building to its core. For starters, the building is now being called the Mount Allison University Student Centre. A change in title is just the beginning. What used to be a men's dormitory now houses the school's admissions office, the university bookstore, a student health centre, a physical fitness complex, student council administrative offices, the school newspaper and campus radio station, an international student centre, a student cafe and a pub. Located on the York Street part of Mt. A's campus, the 700,000 square-foot (6,500 square-metre) building's renovations began in 2005 and when completed in less than a month's time, the cost will total about $14.4 million. Some of the costs were covered by university fundraisers. The provincial government also chipped in $3 million for the project. The centre is already operating with just a few finishing touches to be made before its official opening on Sept. 27, during Sackville's Homecoming Days. "It's kind of like the ultimate recycling project," sayd Laura Dillman Ripley, spokeswoman for the university, with regard to the building's transformation. In fact, recycling, and to a larger extent the environment, were major considerations taken while revamping the building. A new multi-storey atrium has been constructed in the centre of the building to introduce natural daylight into its core while administrative lighting has been switched over to an energy efficient fluorescent source. Daylight sensors and motion sensors have been installed to provide automatic control of lighting in areas which aren't continuously occupied such as washrooms, service rooms and closets. Also, all plumbing inside the building is now of the low flow type. As an alternative to using potable water, a rainwater collection system will harvest rainwater for use with urinals and toilets. The building's environmental plan, in addition to the centralization of student services, have made the university's student administrative council president a fan of the new set up. "I think it's fantastic because we have so many services now in just one building," says Michael Currie. "Our hope this year is to make it the social hub of Mount Allison." Personal note - I was really torn as to whether to post this in the Moncton thread or here. If Sackville was 10 minutes closer to Moncton it would be considered a suburb. Mount Allison is about as distant from downtown Moncton as Halifax Stanfield Airport is from downtown Halifax. |
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Grand Manan
Saw a news story today that Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy (population, if I recall correctly around 3000 people) was just handed over $250,000 from the gas tax revenue recently.
i have often wondered if there are any wind turbine projects in the works for the fundy isles . . . more exposed to the ocean in my mind = more predictable winds. . . i know at least for grand manan there was talk of a wind farm at one time, but i'm not sure where that project currently stands. . . . |
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N.B. Liquor to close Salisbury agency store
Liquor corp. uses out clause in 10-year deal, to build new corporate outlet at highway intersection By James Foster Times & Transcript Staff SALISBURY - Alcool NB Liquor will yank its agency store out of downtown Salisbury in favour of a corporate outlet to open in May at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 2) and the Old Fredericton Road (Highway 112) on the village's northern outskirts. The move comes about four years after public outrage scuttled ANBL's earlier attempt to do the same thing. The Crown corporation also signed a new 10-year contract with the current agency store less than four years ago but is using an "out" clause to bail on the deal. "We put our life's savings into this and they're going to bankrupt me if I can't come to some agreement with them," Albert Rogers, owner of The Right Stop with his wife Kim, lamented yesterday. Rogers didn't want to say too much at this point for fear of making the situation even worse. ANBL spokeswoman Nora Lacey says the move is a done deal. The contract to build a new 7,500 square foot store (by comparison, the new Vaughan Harvey Boulevard store is about 11,000 square feet) has already been awarded and once it opens on or before May 31, the strongest drink available at The Right Stop will be chocolate milk. The new store will be located beside the Ultramar service station, right at what Lacey calls "the busiest intersection in New Brunswick." That's the main reason for the new location, she says, as the store will capture the attention of the thousands of vehicles that pass by the location every day far better than The Right Stop ever could, since it is located several kilometres off the highway in the heart of the village. With sales of $2.5 million last year, Rogers' store was the top-producing agency store in the province and one of the very first agency stores. The liquor agency's guidelines say that once a store reaches $2.6 million in sales, that community could be better served by a corporate outlet and Lacey argues a company store would actually be less expensive, despite the fact agency stores don't cost the corporation for unionized staff, warehouse space, a building and more. "But we pay commission to the agent based on his sales," Lacey says, noting that with sales that high, the corner store cannot offer the level of service that is being demanded by customers. "This community now has a need for a larger store with more products and enhanced service," she said. The provincial government has demanded that ANBL increase profits and keep its expenses-to-sales ratio at about 11.5 per cent, which it has and which is something no other government liquor corporation has managed to achieve. The corporation also notes that experience has shown that moving stores like Salisbury's from the downtown core to the TCH has resulted in a boost in sales. Other stores they've moved to nearby major highways include their stores in Sackville, Perth, Oromocto and Woodstock. Salisbury-area residents responded with renewed outrage when they learn the news. "Don't they care that this guy and the previous owner built up their sales to number one in the province and not the liquor corporation," Gerry Wright says. "We already told them four years ago; we want our agency store in the village. We don't want to drive half-way to hell just to get to the store." Others decried the decrease in service that a corporate store entails, with its shorter operating hours and holiday closures. "Rogers' store was open every day," area resident Tim Roach said. "So now if we get unexpected company on a holiday, we have to drive all the way to Petitcodiac or Hillsborough." Other residents say the intersection is indeed the busiest in the province -- far too busy to add a full-scale liquor store to the plethora of gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, ice cream vendors, an RV dealership and, most recently, a hotel, and they demand that the intersection be upgraded. Petitcodiac MLA Wally Stiles couldn't be reached yesterday but in an odd twist, it was Stiles, as a Tory MLA, who came under fire in 2004 when the corporation tried to close the agency store, since the provincial government decides where ANBL's capital spending will take place. Stiles has since switched to the Liberal party and residents here draw a parallel with the fact that now that the Liberals govern the province, along comes a renewed plan to attack The Right Stop's perch atop ANBL's approximately 70 agency stores. Mayor Terry Keating also could not be reached yesterday. However, in 2004 he and his council voiced their approval of the idea of a new liquor store on the village's northern outskirts, saying it would create good paying jobs and boost the village's tax base. Lacey says the new store will likely feature between 1,200 and 1,600 products, far more than The Right Stop can handle, with ample parking, about quadruple the space of the agency store and far better customer service. That and its busy location will serve to boost business and recoup any added expenses, and more, that are associated with a corporate store as opposed to a non-unionized mom-and-pop agency store, Lacey says, although now firm figures are available on sales and profits estimates for a new store. The corporation was able to get out of the remaining six years of its lease with The Right Stop thanks to a mutual "out clause" which allows either party to bail out of the agreement for any reason within 90 days. |
Further to Kawjo's last post -
there's an interesting 6+ minute audio news article on: www.cbc.ca/nb re: the US company "First Wind" that is proposing to put a 13 wind turbine farm in Dark Harbour on Grand Manan (with proposal to add another 50) . . . |
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