The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[magee_b]

I caught a glimpse of the Nigeria vs South Korea match from here in Southern Africa as it was being re-broadcast this morning on SuperSport, a major African sports network. Always fun to see my home province on TV when abroad.

[Monctoncore]

I think that the attendance numbers are actually not bad for the Under 20's, I think next year when its the actual Womens FIFA world cup, we will see larger crowds, more people travelling for abroad etc. You can see online that the Under 20's seem to draw a lot less than the actual Womens world cup of. I'm already planning on purchasing tickets for next year!

[habs33]

I agree and there's gonna be a lot more awareness about the World cup. The u20 wasn't advertised that much but they are already promoting next years event.
I think that the attendance numbers are actually not bad for the Under 20's, I think next year when its the actual Womens FIFA world cup, we will see larger crowds, more people travelling for abroad etc. You can see online that the Under 20's seem to draw a lot less than the actual Womens world cup of. I'm already planning on purchasing tickets for next year!

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T:

FIFA tourney a success in Moncton, officials say
Friday, August 22, 2014
Times and Transcript
By: Tess Allen
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=13658

Organizers and volunteers with the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 say Moncton has much to be proud of in the wake of Wednesday’s final local match, a semifinal between Nigeria and North Korea.

“From the facilities, competition and hospitality point of view… it was a resounding success,” said Codiac Soccer president and event volunteer Dale Briggs, who helped out with ticketing at the FIFA matches held in Moncton over the last month.“I’m very proud of the city and the ability to generate volunteers which give of their time freely and friendlily – that was one of the comments made with the wrap last night … Moncton does itself proud from that perspective.”

Briggs said he’d like to see promotion amped up for next summer’s 2015 Women’s World Cup in efforts to increase attendance, which he said floated just above 4,000 at each local match this year and would have liked to have seen closer to 6,500 or 7,000.

“I think what has to happen is there has to be a recognition that … the Moncton market is very different perhaps from Toronto or Montreal and our market is not the city but rather the Maritime region and likely the Atlantic region,” he said, adding that FIFA officials are anticipating around 20,000 to fill the stands at each match in Moncton next year.

“The promotion has to be done in at least the three Maritime provinces as opposed to just Moncton”

Norval McConnell, who helped man the transportation side of things at this year’s event, couldn’t agree more. He believes organizers will need to do more to promote not only the importance of such an event,but the sport itself in the region.

“Soccer is a growing sport in this area and we have to do more to let people know of the level of play and the excitement of the games,” said McConnell. He added that because soccer is not a large spectator sport in Canada,“there isn’t a following for it yet – at least here.”

McConnell doesn’t believe 20,000 people is an unrealistic goal, but said it will require a“focused plan”that will involve a wider scope of promotion.

“If the Maritimes are going to host something and it happens to be in Moncton because we have the facilities, it’s not really a Moncton event. It’s a Maritime event,” he said.“I think we have to set (20,000) as a target… (but) we need to start putting that plan in place now to be ready for next June.”

As they head into the debriefing period following the conclusion of Moncton’s share of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, venue general manager Stéphane Delisle said this is certainly something organizers will take into consideration.“We’re relatively happy with how things have gone. We’re excited that not only have we done a great job in Moncton with the volunteers, contractors, staff and everyone involved, but when you look at the big picture, this is one organization that has delivered an international tournament over four cities and we’re really happy as to how we came together as one big team”said Delisle.

“As with any event operator, whether it be (for) a festival or a rock show or a sporting event, we’d like to see more people in the stands. We will certainly, as part of our debrief this fall, (ensure) that people across the Atlantic provinces really understand the opportunity (of the 2015 Women’s World Cup)”

The 2015 Women’s World Cup will be held next summer from June 6 to July 5 with Moncton matches slated for June 9, 13, 15, 17 and 21. The official draw to decide which teams will come to Moncton is slated for Dec.6,but tickets for next summer’s tournament will begin going on sale on Sept. 10.

personal note - I went to several of the matches and I found the atmosphere surrounding the games to be quite neat. The management of the event by FIFA was very professional. I think an average attendance at the games of around 4,000 was decent, and given the size of our city, was respectable given the attendance levels at other host cities.

The article states that they want 20,000 people out to the games next year. This obviously means temporary end zone seating, which is a surprise. I think achieving attendance levels like that for the 2015 event will really be a stretch. While the senior Women's World Cup will be a more prestigious event, and should draw more people, I would imagine 10-12,000 attendance would be a more reasonable expectation.

As an aside, I'm sure that local retailers did benefit from having the event here. I was at the Jump+ store at Champlain Place last week and the entire Nigerian soccer team was there, essentially buying out the store. Sports tourism can be a powerful economic generator….. :yes:

[MonctonRad]

from the City of Moncton website:

July’s building figures in Moncton highest in a decade
August 29, 2014

MONCTON – A combination of residential and retail development, school repairs, and commercial construction combined to push the City of Moncton’s building figures to their highest month of July in the last 10 years.

A total of 128 permits valued at $21.9 million was a substantial increase over 2013’s total of $13.8 million. The second highest total in the last decade was $20.9 million in 2010.

It was welcome news to city officials. The year, up to this point, had been coming in below the last few years.“The big increase in July’s building permit figures signals a strong and continuing economic development of our city,” said Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc.

“What is encouraging is that it represents a good cross-section of interests, from residential to retail and from institutional to government. To grow confidently and prosper, a city needs all these sectors moving forward and this month shows what happens when they do,” he added.

Fuelling the growth was a total of 50 residential construction permits for 193 housing units at a total value of $17.4 million. That brings the year’s total in residential building construction up to $37.9 million.

Commercial and industrial construction combined amounted to $3.2million spread over 28 permits. The highest permit ($1.68 million) was issued to Mapleton Holdings Inc., 90 Wyse St. to construction a 1,453 square metre building for the future Goodlife Fitness. The same firm took out a $50,000 permit for an exterior retrofit and $130,000 for an interior fit-up to create retail space for Chaussures Pop Shoes along with two further shops for future tenants.

Renovations to the existing Pizza Delight restaurant at 1313 Mountain Road amounted to $177,555 while a $179,500 interior fit-up at 360 Elmwood Drive by Tier Too Properties Inc. will create retail space for a new Starbucks.

Total commercial construction permits topped $2.8 million while industrial construction amounted to $426,500.

The highest permit issued in the institutional category was $400,000 to the Province of New Brunswick, Department of Education to replace the metal siding, brick cladding, windows and three entrance doors for Bernice MacNaughton High School.
The Université de Moncton took out a $100,000 building permit to construction temporary partitions to accommodate FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Total institutional construction was valued at $850,000.Total building permits for the year to date are valued at $70,874,493, down from $140,289,597 at this point last year.

Building permit totals for June were $12,932,925, up slightly from June of 2013 at $11,135,197. In May of this year, the total was $13,181,869, down slightly from $15,754,256 in 2013.

[Monctoncore]

You can tell summer is coming to and end, the forum has become very quiet the past two weeks.

[mylesmalley]

You're right. But the end of construction season means the start of speculation season!

[MonctonRad]

Interesting stats about the greater Moncton area from the Colston Property Group website. They are a major developer of (mostly) warehousing and distribution properties in the metro area.

Why Moncton?

Fast-growing, business-friendly - Moncton, long touted as the Hub of the Maritimes, is the ideal place to locate your operation, and the Greater Moncton Area is an excellent place live and work in Atlantic Canada.

- KPMG’s Competitive Alternatives 2012 & 2014 study found Moncton to be the most cost competitive city for business in Canada.
- Greater Moncton is the 5th fastest growing community in Canada with 17.8% growth 2001-2011.
- Bilingual - More than 47% of its population speaks both French and English
- Centrally located, more than 1.3 million live within 2.5 hours of Greater Moncton... more than 1.5 million within 3 hours.
- Convergence of the highway network, rail lines and regional air service positions Greater Moncton as the geographic transportation hub of the Maritimes.
- The excellent highway access is a major reason three of Canada’s ten largest trucking companies are headquartered in Moncton.
- Moncton is home to proven, successful industrial parks, and a broad range of local, national and international businesses.
- There are over 300 firms active in the transportation, logistics and warehousing sector in Greater Moncton.
- In total, these firms employ more than 5,100 people.
- There are more than a dozen mid-sized or large transportation firms, 27 regional distribution centres, as well as air transportation and rail cargo assets.
- Adjusted for the size of the overall workforce, there are more people working in the transportation, logistics and warehousing sector in Greater Moncton than any other metropolitan area across Canada

[MonctonRad]

RIP - Hub Meat Packers

This is apparently their last day of operations.

While this is a loss to the local economy, it is not insurmountable. The plant formerly employed about 1000 workers, but have gradually been cutting back on their workforce over the last 4-5 years so the current closure will only affect maybe 200 people.

Resurgo - we will rise again......

[josh_cat_eyes]

Just wanted to let's yas all know that I'm not a resident of this beautiful city! I'm usually a pretty regular contributor to the Moncton threads anyway as I love the city but I'll likely be more involved now!

[MonctonRad]

Welcome to Moncton Josh! :tup:

[Taeolas]

Just wanted to let's yas all know that I'm not a resident of this beautiful city! I'm usually a pretty regular contributor to the Moncton threads anyway as I love the city but I'll likely be more involved now!

I assume you meant "Now"? :) Welcome to the Hub city. I wish I could get down there more often, but I'll make due talking about Freddy instead.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Welcome to New Brunswick Cat_Eyes!

[MonctonRad]

from CBC:

Allied Fibre says Moncton the hub of fibreoptic superhighway
Giant fibre optic cable laid down in 2000 at a cost of $960 million
CBC News Posted: Oct 15, 2014 10:13 PM AT
Last Updated: Oct 15, 2014 10:13 PM AT

Moncton's position as a commercial hub in the Maritimes could once again give it a huge economic boost, but this time the boost would be in the form of a long forgotten underground cable.

The giant fibre optic cable was laid down in 2000 by a company called 360networks at a cost of $960 million.

The company went bankrupt and a new company called Hibernia bought it. It carries a lot of the internet traffic between Europe and North America as well as phone and cable service.

American company Allied Fibre looks for cables like this, in particular where two of these cables cross.

Turns out running underneath Moncton is a second cable from another company, placing the Hub City in the hub of a fibreoptic superhighway.

The cable has the ability to send terabytes of information back and forth between the two continents in less than 60 milliseconds and Allied wants to give local companies direct access to that cable.

George Donovan runs Gojii Games in Moncton, creating internet games that requires access to large amounts of secure bandwidth.

“So all of a sudden we're looking at terabytes of data in 24 to 48 hours that we never thought we would have to manage and if you don't have an infrastructure to deal with that, games go down, customers get frustrated and the opportunity is lost,” he said.

Two years ago he spent a lot of time and money trying to hook up to giant fibre optic cable and wishes he could have done it locally.

Allied Fibre says this would be the first in Atlantic Canada, allowing companies and universities to access multiple internet providers on demand.

Doug Robertson is with Venn and works to promote technology startups in the province. He says this kind of link would be a big attraction for Moncton.

“It's the next wave of our role in the region as a hub in this case a hub as a data centre as a connector for any company that relies heavily on the use of date and manipulation of big data,” he said.

Ben Champoux is with the economic development corporation, which has been renamed 3+.

He says the hook up to the super cable will allow him to recruit new companies he couldn't before.

“Over time we can flirt with the big players the Amazons, Googles, Facebook any one of these that for example have huge data centres,” he said.

Allied Fibre says it's in the final stages of closing on a $2 million building.

personal note - so Moncton could become the server farm capital of eastern Canada. That's great and all, but I don't think that server farms generate that many actual jobs. I could be wrong though.....

[tmacdougall]

I'm looking for a list of major developers here in Moncton and/or in the Maritimes? Could pay some $$ for Service New Brunswick records but....you know.

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T:

Moncton named one of best places to retire
Thursday, October 30, 2014
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=13966

A new report from Yahoo News suggests Moncton is one of the best places in Canada for cash-strapped retirees to live out their golden years.

Moncton was joined on the list by Halifax, Stratford, Ont., Brandon, Man., and Lacombe, Alta.

“It made the list because of its cheap real estate,” the report’s author said of Moncton.

“The average price of a home was $158,680 in September, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. The average price of a one-bedroom rental apartment as of April is $626, according to the CMHC.”

Noting the city will celebrate its 125th birthday next year, and mentioning that Reader’s Digest on separate occasions named Moncton the most honest and most polite city in Canada, the report noted, “New Brunswick has the second highest number of family physicians per 100,000 in Canada,” and that,“a monthly bus pass for seniors goes for $47, while gas was going for as low as $119.9 as of Oct. 25, Gas Buddy reports.”

It further said New Brunswick’s “consumer price index is lower than that of the country as a whole, and that the city is “great for walking: its four parks, including Riverfront, with a trail that follows the Petitcodiac River, have groomed trails that are open year-round.”

[MonctonRad]

Colour for the page:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10443005_844900828855895_3310037749945676717_o.jpg
Moncton City Hall on Coronation Day - June 2nd, 1953
From the Vintage Moncton Facebook Page.

[MonctonRad]

from CBC:

Moncton warned about future spending as economy cools

Moncton’s chief financial officer is warning city councillors that they cannot keep spending the way they have grown accustomed to in recent years.

John Martin will unveil the city’s proposed budget for next year at Monday night’s council meeting. He will use the presentation to remind city politicians that the local economy is not growing as fast as it used to.

The warning comes as the city is embarking on a $107-million future downtown sports and entertainment centre.

Martin said he is worried about the number of major projects on the city's wish list.

“So when your revenues are falling and your expenses are growing, you've got a problem that you have to deal with,” he said.

The city wants to build a new police station for an estimated $42 million, along with a new fire station, a recreation centre in the northwest part of the city and it wants to repurpose the Moncton Coliseum

But the city has lost $6 million in provincial grants, as well there is less property tax coming into city coffers because of a stagnant housing market.

He said there were only five subdivisions created last year as opposed to 15 the year before.

The cooling off of the city’s housing markets means revenues may not grow at the same rate as they did in previous years

“If you remember, seven or eight years ago we were seeing lots of growth in the city, fast, rapid growth. growth in the value of our homes, things like that,” he said.

“We're seeing that that is slowing down a bit. There's a large inventory of houses that need to be sold or moved. And until those things happen, the prices are going to be suppressed and that will suppress the amount that we'll receive as far as an assessment lift.”

On top of slowing revenues, Moncton has to dig deep to pay for a large, unexpected expense.

The city needs to pay $1.2 million for RCMP services after the June deaths of three constables.

Martin said he can just balance the budget for next year but that's it.

“We have a hole in our revenue that we have to fix,” the chief financial officer said.

“And until we do, I'm encouraging them to take the time to sit back and think about it strategically.”

Personal note - definitely some warning signs here. Of all the projects the city wants to undertake, probably the first to go would be the community recreational centre in the northwest end. This saddens me because this is the part of the city that I live in. The new police station might have to be sacrificed as well, although a new station downtown would be a potential stimulus to further growth in the core.

[Taeolas]

Never read the comments. :P Of course the first CBC comment is to "Nix the Convention Centre", which would be extremely short sighted at this point. Yes, it is expensive. But cancelling it now would be throwing away everything that has been sunk into it now, along with all the growth it would bring, and literally leave a big hole in the downtown core which helps no one.

The rec centre and the police station seem to be ideal things to defer for a year or two at least, until things stabilize a bit. As is, until the Convention Centre is realized (and to a lesser extent until the Pipeline and other big provincial projects kick off to boost the overall economy and maybe restore some transfer payments), budgeting is probably going to be a bit tight and more guesswork than usual.

[MonctonRad]

They have completed the seeding for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Ottawa today.

France, England, Colombia and Mexico will be in Group "F" based in Moncton.

Not too shabby at all! :)

[habs33]

I went to the draw viewing party and there was a good turnout. These countries will also be playing a game here: Brazil, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire and Norway

They have completed the seeding for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Ottawa today.

France, England, Colombia and Mexico will be in Group "F" based in Moncton.

Not too shabby at all! :)

[habs33]

I went to the draw viewing party and there was a good turnout. These countries will also be playing a game here: Brazil, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire and Norway

They have completed the seeding for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Ottawa today.

France, England, Colombia and Mexico will be in Group "F" based in Moncton.

Not too shabby at all! :)

[josh_cat_eyes]

2 music festivals on Magnetic Hill this year! East 2 West Christian music festival, which was in shediac last year, has moved to the hill. It is July 2nd-5th and headlined by Newsboys, Thousand Foot Krutch and Switchfoot.

Also the Magnetic Hill Folk Festival, headlined by Fred Penner, is July 11-12.

[SaintJohner]

After a few concert less years, I don't know how many people they can attract with these events.. I would say the folk festival could attract more people, depending on who they can get.

Also those are very close together, I wonder if there will be more announcements for concerts?

[josh_cat_eyes]

After a few concert less years, I don't know how many people they can attract with these events.. I would say the folk festival could attract more people, depending on who they can get.

Also those are very close together, I wonder if there will be more announcements for concerts?

The Christian music festival will attract a lot more then you might think. I was at the first one last year on Shediac and they attracted a decent amount of people and this is a much better location and should hopefully attract more people. The positive thing is that they are both multi day festivals organized by outside promoters instead of one of show organized by the city.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton flood fixes not coming soon
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Times and transcript
By: Eric Lewis

Moncton flooding victims may have to wait a few more years for relief.

A series of inadequate culverts along Jonathan Creek, from Westbrook Circle down to the CN property south of Jones Lake, have been blamed for flooding along the creek since 1999.Last week, dozens of homes in Westbrook Circle were flooded during torrential rainfall, and many homes and businesses along Main Street at Jones Lake were also hit.

This week, one couple whose home off West Main Street has repeatedly flooded since 1999 went to Moncton council’s meeting this week to plead their case.

“We’re supposed to be putting up Christmas, not digging up garbage from our house,”said Daniel Richards.

Michelle Richards said the time for talking is over and she asked that the city, CN and the province move quickly on upgrading the culverts that have caused the problems.

For nearly 15 years, discussions have been underway between the City of Moncton, CN and the provincial government about how to solve the flooding issues. One of the culverts is on CN’s property south of Main Street, while the others – under Main at Jones Lake,under St. George Boulevard near Centennial Park and those located at Westbrook Circle – are the responsibility of the province.

Read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=14168

[Buck17]

Summerside has lost a major motorcycle festival that it's hosted the past three years to the city of Moncton.

Its contract to hold Atlanticade, which attracts as many as 12,000 bikers from all over North America, expired.

Both Bathurst, N.B. and Moncton, where the festival started, expressed interest in having it return to the province. It was also held in St. Andrews, N.B. in past years. Founder and organizer Dale Hicks says it was a great run on P.E.I.

"Everybody enjoyed it, the three years on Prince Edward Island," he said. "There's no doubt the Island is a beautiful spot for riding your bike. Probably one of my favourite spots to ride my bike."

On Tuesday, organizers announced the ninth edition of the festival will be held in Moncton July 1 to 5, 2015. It will be held at the same time the city holds its second annual Ribfest.

When the contract ran out, Atlanticade organizers said several factors would determine which city got the rally. They were looking for funding, local sponsors and volunteers.

"Moncton has some additional things to offer," Hicks said. "There's five motorcycle dealerships here that represent 13 motorcycle brands. It's just easier logistically."

Organizers estimate Atlanticade means $1 million to $3 million in business to the city where it's held.

[David_99]

:previous:

Does that mean the end of MotoMoncton?

[L'homard]

I heard from a good source in the moto community that MM is now toast.

[habs33]

Brunswick Square, Kings Place, Blue Cross Centre all for sale

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brunswick-square-kings-place-blue-cross-centre-all-for-sale-1.2889700

[MonctonRad]

Trail work on hold for this year, but still a big priority for Moncton
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Times & Transcript
By: Cole Hobson

While the final phase of the Northwest Trail is complete, the City of Moncton is only just getting started developing trails and bike lanes as part of the active transportation plan.

Michelle McAloon, the landscape project co-ordinator for the City of Moncton, said in locations around the world there’s a movement arising where people want ways to move about their cities with trails and alternative methods of transportation.

“They want to have a way to get out and enjoy nature that is not going to cost them – it doesn’t cost anything to put a pair of sneakers on and get some exercise,” she said, noting it’s a concept the city and citizens have embraced. “You see people out running, walking the dog, people are out spending time with their children and families and it’s a really great way to have a healthy, active lifestyle while living in the city. It builds communities.”

Ultimately, the active transportation links in the city will include roughly 145 kilometres (90.1 miles) of trails and 120 kilometres (72 miles) of bike lanes.

McAloon said they currently have the bike lanes about 90 per cent complete, while the city has around 75 kilometres (46.6 miles) of trails finished, with 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) left to complete.

read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=14248

[MonctonRad]

Here are the building permit values for the principal metro Moncton communities for 2014 (the 2013 figures are in parentheses).

Moncton - $130M ($189M)
Dieppe - $57.1M ($44.5M)
Riverview - $18.5M ($22.4M)

Total: - $205.6M ($255.9M) A decrease of 19.7%

The decrease in building permits in Moncton was mostly due to nearly absent activity on the governmental and institutional front ($15M vs $60M in 2013). Residential building permits in Moncton were actually up last year.

Commercial permits in Dieppe were up by 29% year over year and residential permits were up 23%.

Building activity in Riverview was almost entirely residential - 78.4% (quelle surprise).

[MonctonRad]

From CBC

Moncton and CN to replace ancient culvert blamed for flooding

After December's rain storm flooded parts of Moncton a deal has been reached to improve infrastructure
CBC News Posted: Jan 20, 2015 12:09 PM AT
Last Updated: Jan 20, 2015 12:09 PM AT

The City of Moncton announced Monday night that it finally has a deal with CN to replace the inadequate culvert from the late 1800's that has led to several floods in the city during heavy rain storms.

Jack MacDonald, Moncton's chief engineer, says the latest flooding happened in Dec., 2014 when 134 millimetres of rain fell within 24 hours.

"We were very close before the flood event to having a signed MOU [memorandum of understanding] but we now do have a signed MOU with CN," MacDonald told council.

He says the city has been working on the CN file for several years and now that there is a deal, work to improve other inadequate culverts on West Main Street, St. George Boulevard and Westbrook Circle can also go ahead.

MacDonald says the proposed solution for the CN culvert is a new pipe that is 3.6 metres or 12 feet in diametre which will replace the ancient culvert that sits under the train tracks, between Main Street and the Petitcodiac River.

Work will begin in the spring of 2015.

"The hope would be the CN issue would be out of the way by the fall of 2016," MacDonald said.

Other culverts to also be replaced

MacDonald says now that there is a deal, work to improve other inadequate culverts on West Main Street, St. George Boulevard and Westbrook Circle can also go ahead.

He says representatives from the provincial Department of Transportation have always said they are prepared to help the city replace the other culverts along Jonathan Creek.

He hopes they will all be replaced by 2017.

City council voted on Monday night to begin talks with the province.

There have been six major floods in Moncton in the past 90 years with the first one on record in 1927, and the worst flooding in 1999.

[ErickMontreal]

According to Radio-Canada, Invescor is moving their financial services from Moncton to Montreal which is already listed as headquarter on their website. (Registered and records office). The company will relocate the downtown office in a more cost effective location.

In other word, they are about to move the whole thing to Montreal and keeping a regional presence in Moncton.

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2015/01/20/006-pizza-delight-siege-social-imvescor.shtml

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1474691/imvescor-restaurant-group-announces-reinforcement-of-its-management-team-and-corporate-office-consolidation

[NBNYer]

According to Radio-Canada, Invescor is moving their financial services from Moncton to Montreal which is already listed as headquarter on their website. (Registered and records office)

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2015/01/20/006-pizza-delight-siege-social-imvescor.shtml

This is unfortunate. The founder, New-Brunswick businessman Bernard Imbeault has not been involved with the company for several years now but has said that when he was, he made a point to always keep the headquarters in NB. Too bad the new management doesn't think the same.

[Acajack]

This is unfortunate. The founder, New-Brunswick businessman Bernard Imbeault has not been involved with the company for several years now but has said that when he was, he made a point to always keep the headquarters in NB. Too bad the new management doesn't think the same.

Yeah, that sucks for Moncton for sure. The truth is that the company's business is increasingly concentrated in the Montreal area and in Quebec in general, where they have multiple chains (Bâton Rouge, Scores, Mikes) that are very, very big players on the restaurant scene now.

[MonctonRad]

Metro Moncton experiencing a ‘pretty solid mix’ in net population growth
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Times & Transcript
By: Cole Hobson

Key Quotes:

A senior market analyst with the 3+ Corporation said the Metro Moncton area continues to see consistent population growth due to the region’s being attractive to people from within the province, elsewhere in the country as well as for international immigrants.

“Our basket of goods, as I can call it, is quite well balanced in that sense,” said Frédéric Gionet.“It’s not just a one-pony show.”

Gionet said that since 2008, the Metro Moncton area has had an average population growth of about 2,500 people a year.

Last year alone there were almost 1,100 new additions to the region through inter-provincial migration.

The birth rate has also being going up, especially since 2007, which he said is another positive sign that’s “a reflection of the younger families being brought in here.”

International immigration of course is also a factor. Gionet said immigration was nearly negligible in the early 2000s, but now Metro gets around 700 to 800 new immigrants each year.

read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=14308

Personal note - This article does further damage to the popular misconception that the only reason why metro Moncton is growing is because of displaced francophones from the north of the province. On the contrary, there is a healthy balance of intraprovincial, interprovincial and international migrants.

If annual population growth continues to be stable in the range of 2,500 per year, then given a current CMA population of about 145,000, it's reasonable to speculate that Moncton's population by 2025 might be 170,000 people.

[NBNYer]

International immigration of course is also a factor. Gionet said immigration was nearly negligible in the early 2000s, but now Metro gets around 700 to 800 new immigrants each year.


Is anyone aware of stats regarding the retention rate of these international immigrants?


Personal note - This article does further damage to the popular misconception that the only reason why metro Moncton is growing is because of displaced francophones from the north of the province. On the contrary, there is a healthy balance of intraprovincial, interprovincial and international migrants.


Yes, I've heard this quite a bit also, but there has always been a fairly healthy mix of immigration sources for the region. These stats have been posted before. Northern NB's economic decline has led to an out-migration to several regions including Southeast NB, but there is also a significant proportion that leave for Montreal, Ottawa, Alberta and Quebec city. Montreal and Ottawa in particular have substantial Acadian populations.


If annual population growth continues to be stable in the range of 2,500 per year, then given a current CMA population of about 145,000, it's reasonable to speculate that Moncton's population by 2025 might be 170,000 people.


Shediac is also growing at a pretty decent pace (fastest growing town in NB) and I wouldn't be surprised to have Shediac and part of the Beaubassin region (approx 8-10,000 people) added to the CMA by 2025.

We'll be needing significant infrastructure upgrades if this pace is sustained through then. Lets start planning! :tup:

[Mattyyy]

Moncton was estimated to be at 145,000 as of July 1, 2013. If growth has continued I would estimate that by July we should be approximately 150,000. See statscan link for information. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo05a-eng.htm

[pierremoncton]

How likely is it that we would get an additional population boost with expatriates coming home from the oil patch if these low oil prices start hitting Alberta industry hard? I would think that someone coming back to NB would more likely move to one of the three biggest cities than back to northern ghost towns.

I remember reading an estimate of how many NBers are working in AB/SK but a quick search turned up nothing. Does anyone know?

[MonctonRad]

Moncton was estimated to be at 145,000 as of July 1, 2013. If growth has continued I would estimate that by July we should be approximately 150,000. See statscan link for information. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo05a-eng.htm

Good point. If we will be at 150,000 this year then we will be at 175,000 in 2025. :D

Of course, if NBNYer is correct, and that by 2025 Shediac/Cap Pele becomes part of the CMA, then this should boost the 2025 CMA population to at least 185,000.

Really, Shediac should be part of the CMA anyway. The economic and commuter ties between Moncton and Shediac are just as good as they are between Moncton and Memramcook (which is part of the CMA).

[mylesmalley]

Here (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92-195-x/2011001/geo/cma-rmr/def-eng.htm) are the rules for how and what gets included in a CMA.

Basically, Shediac would / will be included in Moncton's CMA if >50% of it's population commutes in, or if >25% of Moncton's population centre commutes out to Shediac, or if Shediac were to be completely surrounded by areas included in the CMA because of the previous rules or other ones.

[Nashe]

I'd frankly be surprised if 50% of Shediacians (heehee) WEREN'T commuters to Moncton.

[mylesmalley]

Well point is, at least for now, that hasn't been the case. I've never been able to find on Statcan's website where they break down who commutes to what CSD. It'd be really interesting to see that if anyone has access.

For everyone's information, the Moncton CMA map looks like this (http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/thematic/2011-98310-001-305-013-01-00-eng.pdf)

[Fischbob]

Well point is, at least for now, that hasn't been the case. I've never been able to find on Statcan's website where they break down who commutes to what CSD. It'd be really interesting to see that if anyone has access.

I was using that dataset for work this past summer - it's very cool! You can access it here (http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/global/URLRedirect.cfm?lang=E&ips=99-012-X2011032) (use the drop-down menus to select your CSD of interest and switch between flows in and out).

Unfortunately, owing to the data source being the 2011 NHS, commuting flows for CSDs with high non-response rates are unavailable (e.g. Simonds Parish east of SJ).

EDIT: According to the above, 805 people who live in Shediac commute to Moncton and 135 commute to Dieppe, while 300 people from Moncton and 320 people from Dieppe commute to Shediac.

[mylesmalley]

I was using that dataset for work this past summer - it's very cool! You can access it here (http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/global/URLRedirect.cfm?lang=E&ips=99-012-X2011032) (use the drop-down menus to select your CSD of interest and switch between flows in and out).

Unfortunately, owing to the data source being the 2011 NHS, commuting flows for CSDs with high non-response rates are unavailable (e.g. Simonds Parish east of SJ).

EDIT: According to the above, 805 people who live in Shediac commute to Moncton and 135 commute to Dieppe, while 300 people from Moncton and 320 people from Dieppe commute to Shediac.

You have no idea what having that link means to me.

[Fischbob]

You have no idea what having that link means to me.

Oh, you can do some awesome stuff with that dataset. Like mapping urban commutersheds:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53511869/SSP/nbcommutersheds.png
Source (http://www.unb.ca/research/institutes/urban/_resources/usci_roadworriers.pdf)

Enjoy! :cheers:

[MonctonRad]

from the City of Moncton website:

City of Moncton welcomes Fibre Centre, becomes first customer
February 6, 2015

MONCTON – The City of Moncton has agreed to transition some of its networking operations into Fibre Centre, a new data interconnection facility located in Moncton’s west end. The move, which will enhance the municipality’s disaster-recovery capabilities, represents an approximate $40,000 investment in new equipment and connectivity. Over time, this expanded capability is expected to help the City accommodate new growth, and to have a host of new competitive services at its disposal as tenants begin to occupy a digital presence within Fibre Centre.

“The City of Moncton is very pleased to be the first official customer of Fibre Centre”, said Moncton Mayor George Leblanc. “While it adds value to our own business processes, we believe that our deployment will also send a message to other companies that this is a value proposition worth looking at.”

The new facility - located at the corner of St. George and Milner - will bring new opportunities to businesses already located in the Moncton, as well as attract new ones to the area. With Moncton’s strategic location that also happens to be a major junction for key high-speed fibre lines, Fibre Centre is tapped into an intercontinental backbone that accommodates the bulk of network traffic between North America and Europe.

“The addition of Fibre Centre will definitely lead to some conversations that weren’t available to us before”, explained Kevin Silliker, director of Economic Development for the City of Moncton. “There are companies that look for this type of facility as a starting point in determining where to go next. We have effectively become a very viable option for an emerging market of firms that have more sophisticated connectivity needs.”

Apparently the Fibre Centre is located in the old Atlantic Lotto data centre on St. George Blvd. This is an excellent repurposing for this building. Hopefully this connectivity hub will be a stimulus for new high tech jobs in the city........

[L'homard]

Can anyone here explain to a no-nothing dummy like me (apparently I'm in the majority) exactly why this gives us a competitive advantage? Say, compared to Toronto or Boston?
Not being sarcastic here. I just don't understand it.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I certainly don't profess to be an expert but I think this is the essential takeaway:

Moncton sits at one of the few places in NA where major fibre op pipelines intersect. One of these lines extends to Europe. Moncton has a competitive advantage because since we are sitting on a node, this allows data managers choices as to how to direct their data flow and thus some leverage in terms of negotiating price. As such, it might be cheaper for data farms to set up in Moncton. Also, since Moncton is a node, access to the fibe op pipelines is physically close, which means that there are speed advantages in terms of data access. This advantage might only be microseconds, but apparently this might be a big deal.

It remains to be seen if Moncton can leverage these advantages into an improved ability to draw business, and this hype may all be for naught. Moncton's relative geographic isolation might mitigate the advantage of sitting on a node. It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the next few years.

[L'homard]

Sounds like a good opportunity - doubly so if we could marry this with discounted power rates for certain types of companies.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton hotels miss the draw of Crystal Palace
Thursday, March 05, 2015
Times and transcript
By: Alan Cochrane

Hotel owners in Metro Moncton like to see people coming into the city for sports tournaments and trade shows but are worried that business might be slow during the first March break without Crystal Palace.

Ron Toogood, treasurer of the Greater Moncton Hotel Association, says the Crystal Palace indoor amusement park became a very important tourist draw during March break over the last 20 years. Crystal Palace closed down last fall and the building is now being renovated to become the home of a new Bass Pro Shops franchise, scheduled to open later this year. He’s hoping the new store will live up to expectations and become a tourist attraction in itself, drawing visitors from around the Maritimes who will use hotel rooms.

“Crystal Palace had a good 20-year run and it was very important to other hotels. It’s going to be hard to replace it with something that will draw young families with children pre-teen and younger. Perhaps that’s something for the city and private enterprise to think about. We’ve got the zoo and beaches and national parks during the summer but we need something for the winter months,” says Toogood, who operates the Coastal Inn in Dieppe.

read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=14475

personal note - It is as we feared, the loss of the Crystal Palace amusement park will indeed have an impact on the retail and hospitality industry in greater Moncton, especially during the March Break period. This is most unfortunate and might affect the survivability of some marginal operations. It's time for us to find out what is going to happen to the salvaged rides from the amusement park. Are they going to Magic Mountain or will they be going to PEI? It's been over six months now. Surely some type of plan has been formulated........

[L'homard]

Odd story. There is a massive Ringuette tourney in town and the huge Farm Mech Show, yet the reporter concludes hotels are suffering because Crystal Palace is gone.
I see no quotes in the story from any hotelier complaining about a lack of business at March break, just one quote from Mr. Toogood saying CP will be missed and was a good attraction, which of course it was. He doesn't say he's hurting for business.
No info on what the hotel vacancy rates are this March break, and how they compare with years past, either.
I call BS.

[Monctoncore]

My brother tried to get a hotel room this weekend coming and there was barely any rooms left and another member tried to get one during the week of PEI March break and there were very few rooms left outside of some of the gross hotels. So im finding that hard to believe.

[P Unit]

Breaking news: The guy who runs the hotel across the street from Crystal Palace not happy that Crystal Palace closed

[L'homard]

LOL!
He'll be much happier next year when BPS is across the street.

[benvui]

As of today GTECH (formerly Spielo) has finalized the acquisition of IGT, the largest casino slot machine manufacturer in the world, to become the largest end to end lottery/casino/VLT vendor in the world. What this means for jobs in the Moncton location is yet unknown.
Here is the press release (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gtech-spa-completes-acquisition-of-us-based-international-game-technology-300061823.html)

[josh_cat_eyes]

I started responding to a post on the Events Centre thread, but thought I'd put it here since its about Moncton as a whole.

Brian Gallant has not done a single good thing so far. Actually the Province has made some huge bone head moves in Moncton since Bernard Lord left office. They started to replace the causeway, only to stop the project before it finished. They moved Moncton High to the middle of nowhere. They built a new school on Ryan Rd. but failed to make it large enough. They build an overpass to get to Scoudouc but not the airport. The new jail was built in Shediac. Even building the casino not down town is shafting the city. The only good thing was the new Courthouse.
Meanwhile while Lord was premier the new Bridge was built, the Trans-Canada highway was twinned, the 4-plex was built and the surounding CN lands were developed, the new Moncton airport terminal was built and phase 1 of the Hospital expansion was started. Those are pretty huge investments to Moncton.

Think about this. What if the new Moncton High was built off Shediac Road. What if the government realized Moncton's need for a new arena 10 years ago and built an entertainment complex downtown combining the Casino project with the Events Centre project. What if the new jail was built on Caledonia Road in the industrial park. If the causeway was removed completely, they could also have solved the flooding & traffic problem at the traffic circle.
Instead political jousting has caused all these projects to get half assed or partially completed.

[MonctonRad]

from CBC:

Jacques Dubé plans to retire as Moncton city manager
Senior managers and city councillors have been informed of plans to leave by year's end
CBC News Posted: Apr 16, 2015 9:24 AM AT|
Last Updated: Apr 16, 2015 9:24 AM AT

There's a big change coming to Moncton City Hall as CBC has learned city manager Jacques Dubé is planning to retire.

Dubé broke the news to senior managers and city councillors this week, telling them he plans to step down either by July or the end of the year.

A For Sale sign went up in front of Dubé's house on the weekend.

Dubé was hired five years ago after an extensive across-Canada search by city council.

One of his main tasks was to get federal and provincial funding for the city's proposed $107-million downtown centre, which still has an uncertain future.

Dubé has close ties to the federal and provincial Tories.

Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/jacques-dub%C3%A9-plans-to-retire-as-moncton-city-manager-1.3034282

Personal note - Yet another indication the events centre is in very deep trouble???

Dube was to act as the lead proponent on this project. Is his impending retirement related to a stark realization the events centre is not going to happen??? His Tory affiliations might have been a distinct liability given the intense partisanship of the Gallant Liberals. Maybe Dube knows it is time to go........

[Good2go]

Dube tells T&T he's not going anywhere soon.

[L'homard]

In this case, the T&T reporter accepted what Dube said without checking any other sources.
To me, if several councillors and others tell the cbc that Dube told them he's retiring, I doubt that they were all llying or somehow misunderstood what Dube told them himself.

[MonctonDowntown]

I started responding to a post on the Events Centre thread, but thought I'd put it here since its about Moncton as a whole.

Brian Gallant has not done a single good thing so far. Actually the Province has made some huge bone head moves in Moncton since Bernard Lord left office. They started to replace the causeway, only to stop the project before it finished. They moved Moncton High to the middle of nowhere. They built a new school on Ryan Rd. but failed to make it large enough. They build an overpass to get to Scoudouc but not the airport. The new jail was built in Shediac. Even building the casino not down town is shafting the city. The only good thing was the new Courthouse.
Meanwhile while Lord was premier the new Bridge was built, the Trans-Canada highway was twinned, the 4-plex was built and the surounding CN lands were developed, the new Moncton airport terminal was built and phase 1 of the Hospital expansion was started. Those are pretty huge investments to Moncton.

Think about this. What if the new Moncton High was built off Shediac Road. What if the government realized Moncton's need for a new arena 10 years ago and built an entertainment complex downtown combining the Casino project with the Events Centre project. What if the new jail was built on Caledonia Road in the industrial park. If the causeway was removed completely, they could also have solved the flooding & traffic problem at the traffic circle.
Instead political jousting has caused all these projects to get half assed or partially completed.

Just a heads up that it was Lord's government who decided to move MHS out to Royal Oaks. Cheers.

[Franco401]

Just a heads up that it was Lord's government who decided to move MHS out to Royal Oaks. Cheers.

And it wasn't Lord who promised to twin the TCH, it started and finished under Liberal goverments Hail McKenna and I don't think Lord would have dared start a massive project like that.

[MonctonRad]

from City of Moncton website:

Building permits buried under heavy snow during first quarter of 2015
April 17, 2015

MONCTON – The first quarter of the year was not particularly kind to development activity in Moncton, due in large part to the unrelenting snow which was a prominent newsmaker in February and March. The value of permits taken out in the three months ending March 31 was just above $8.5 million. This compared with $15.6 million last year and $24.2 million in 2013.

Interestingly, despite the decline in permit value, the relative number of permits remained strong at 109 (compared to 100 in 2014 and 120 in 2013). This suggests that more interior fit-up / renovation work was carried out than in past years during the same period.

“We are encouraged that there is still a wide range of activity and that it is not simply a handful of projects propping up our numbers” offered Mayor George LeBlanc. “There is no doubt some pent-up demand that we hope to see come through in the second quarter.”

The largest single project brought forward during the first quarter of 2015 was for a new 28,000 square foot warehouse by Moncton Industrial Development on Frenette Avenue, valued at over $1.5 million. Some other notable projects included a refitting within the Tim Horton’s at 1166 Mountain Road ($800,000), a new cat exhibit at the Magnetic Hill Zoo ($406,250), and renovations to a call centre on Edinburgh Drive ($322,135). The construction of residential units continues to be sluggish due to a healthy supply that has not been fully absorbed.

Two national retail chains within the Moncton market are undergoing transformative change, which is expected to impact building permits in the current second quarter: Target and Future Shop. While there has been no announcement regarding the future of the space that was occupied by Target, inevitable movement is likely to spur renovation activity as different brands make the necessary changes to occupy both prominent locations.

“It has been a difficult winter, but there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel,” explained Kevin Silliker, Director of Economic Development for the City. “We are confident that there will be many exciting projects to break ground as things continue to thaw out.”

personal note - I have no doubt that the hard winter slowed and delayed construction activity in the city but it is telling that over the first four months of the year, the only significant issue to come before the PAC was a proposal for an Irving gas station/Tim Horton's combo. That hardly suggests a robust economy! This might end up being the most anemic year for new construction in the last 20! The only salvation might be 55 Queen, but I was kind of hoping for shovels in the ground already. The city really needs the events centre....... :(

[CdnEh]

I started responding to a post on the Events Centre thread, but thought I'd put it here since its about Moncton as a whole.

Brian Gallant has not done a single good thing so far. Actually the Province has made some huge bone head moves in Moncton since Bernard Lord left office. They started to replace the causeway, only to stop the project before it finished. They moved Moncton High to the middle of nowhere. They built a new school on Ryan Rd. but failed to make it large enough. They build an overpass to get to Scoudouc but not the airport. The new jail was built in Shediac. Even building the casino not down town is shafting the city. The only good thing was the new Courthouse.
Meanwhile while Lord was premier the new Bridge was built, the Trans-Canada highway was twinned, the 4-plex was built and the surounding CN lands were developed, the new Moncton airport terminal was built and phase 1 of the Hospital expansion was started. Those are pretty huge investments to Moncton.

Think about this. What if the new Moncton High was built off Shediac Road. What if the government realized Moncton's need for a new arena 10 years ago and built an entertainment complex downtown combining the Casino project with the Events Centre project. What if the new jail was built on Caledonia Road in the industrial park. If the causeway was removed completely, they could also have solved the flooding & traffic problem at the traffic circle.
Instead political jousting has caused all these projects to get half assed or partially completed.

Its almost as if Lord cared more about his home riding than any other part of the province. What a thought.

[mikeohara]

What's going on at the old Jail on assumption blvd?

[MonctonRad]

Here's the link to the May monthly meeting of the Moncton PAC. Not too much special really.

http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Residents+English/May+27$!2c+2015+Agenda.pdf

[MonctonRad]

from the City of Moncton website:

Public Consultation for RCMP Memorial
May 12, 2015

MONCTON – The City of Moncton would like to invite the public to a consultation session regarding the RCMP permanent memorial project on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. on the 6th floor of City Hall. During the session, all five short listed artists will present their proposed concept for the permanent memorial.

The retained short listed artists are:

• Byers Harrison Studios (Darren Byers and Fred Harrison), New Brunswick
• Morgan MacDonald, Newfoundland
• Illarion Gallant, British Columbia
• Peter Powning, New Brunswick
• James C. Smith, Ontario

The site for the permanent memorial will be along the riverfront behind the Press Club.

[MonctonRad]

In the T&T today that Cooperators Insurance will be adding 70 new jobs to their customer contact centre in Moncton. This will more than double the size of their office here.

Here's the official government press release:

Co-operators Insurance expansion to create up to 70 new jobs in Moncton
13 May 2015

MONCTON (GNB) – A nationally-known company is once again expanding its operations in Moncton, creating up to 70 new jobs in the insurance sector.
“Creating jobs is our priority as a government,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “We are excited to see this expansion as it will bring new jobs to Greater Moncton and the province.”
Opportunities NB is providing the company with a payroll rebate of up to $490,000. The new jobs will be created over the next two years.
The expansion is expected to increase the provincial GDP by about $17 million annually when fully implemented.
“We are very proud of the work our staff does here in Moncton to support our operations across Canada,” said Pierre Maurice, manager of the Moncton agency contact centre for the Co-operators. “The quality of our people is unmatched, and we are thrilled to be in a position to significantly grow our operations and create new jobs in our community.”
“Our government’s job creation model is focused on building a skilled workforce for a stronger economy and a stronger province,” said Social Development Minister Cathy Rogers, who spoke on behalf of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB.
The Co-operators General Insurance Co. is a leading Canadian-owned, multi-product insurance and financial services organization. It has 688 retail outlets and employs about 4,300 staff serving more than one million clients across the country. The company provides various types of insurance to individuals and businesses including home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance as well as investment products.
The Co-operators currently has 64 staff at the Moncton customer service centre.

[Buck17]

Was at the zoo today and noticed they were clearing land at Magic Mountain. Iwould say that is where they will put some of the rides from Crystal Palace!

[MonctonRad]

Was at the zoo today and noticed they were clearing land at Magic Mountain. Iwould say that is where they will put some of the rides from Crystal Palace!

Interesting. If true, I wonder why they haven't announced anything??

[Buck17]

Interesting. If true, I wonder why they haven't announced anything??

Not sure but there are about 10 Armour trailers parked by the site and I know some of the rides were put in armour trailers

[mmmatt]

Maybe they are building a silo to store them in until they figure it out (by which point they will be rusted) :P

Kidding aside I was at the zoo this weekend and its looking great! The new big cat exhibit is really going to kick the whole place up a notch...adding rides to Magic Mountain would be icing on the cake!

[gehrhardt]

Not sure but there are about 10 Armour trailers parked by the site and I know some of the rides were put in armour trailers

I drove through there on my lunch break and they seem to have built two new enclosures north of the parking lot. Behind that (and next to the Armour trailers) there are definitely disassembled rides. It was obvious they were rides, but I couldn't recognize which ones for sure.

[josh_cat_eyes]

I drove through there on my lunch break and they seem to have built two new enclosures north of the parking lot. Behind that (and next to the Armour trailers) there are definitely disassembled rides. It was obvious they were rides, but I couldn't recognize which ones for sure.

Could be something temporary to make use of the rides until they come up with a mor permanent solution.

[MonctonRad]

Could be something temporary to make use of the rides until they come up with a mor permanent solution.

Doubt it. Most of those rides can easily be taken down in the fall and put in storage. I think we're going to see a small permanent outdoor amusement park to complement Magic Mountain - dismantled in the fall and resurrected in the spring.

The only (former) Crystal Palace ride that really deserves a full time enclosure is the Tivoli Swing. I will be interested to see what they end up doing with that marquis attraction.

[MonctonRad]

from the City of Moncton website:

Public Consultation for RCMP Memorial
May 12, 2015

MONCTON – The City of Moncton would like to invite the public to a consultation session regarding the RCMP permanent memorial project on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. on the 6th floor of City Hall. During the session, all five short listed artists will present their proposed concept for the permanent memorial.

The retained short listed artists are:

• Byers Harrison Studios (Darren Byers and Fred Harrison), New Brunswick
• Morgan MacDonald, Newfoundland
• Illarion Gallant, British Columbia
• Peter Powning, New Brunswick
• James C. Smith, Ontario

The site for the permanent memorial will be along the riverfront behind the Press Club.

Here's a link to a CBC article where you can see the renderings of the proposed memorials:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-rcmp-memorial-proposals-unveiled-1.3081450

[NBNYer]

Here's a link to a CBC article where you can see the renderings of the proposed memorials:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-rcmp-memorial-proposals-unveiled-1.3081450

The proposed central plaza on Downing street probably would have been a more prominent and visible location for this memorial. Although the grassy field and trees surrounding the waterfront location is a nice touch.

[MonctonRad]

Codiac Transpo getting 11 new, accessible buses worth $5M
All 3 levels of government contributing to replace aging fleet
CBC News Posted: May 21, 2015 1:06 PM AT|
Last Updated: May 21, 2015 1:06 PM AT

Codiac Transpo will be getting 11 new, fully accessible buses worth about $5 million, government officials announced on Thursday.

The provincial government is contributing $1,825,443 toward the project, which will improve access to public transit for people with disabilities and assist in attracting new users, said Moncton East MLA Monique LeBlanc

The federal government will give up to $2,738,164, while the City of Moncton is investing $912,721 in the new vehicles, which will also improve the reliability of the aging fleet

read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/codiac-transpo-getting-11-new-accessible-buses-worth-5m-1.3082124

Personal note - If I recall correctly, this was one of those "in kind" projects that the federal government was muttering about in order to free up municipal funds for the events centre. Hmmmmm...... :rolleyes:

If so, that's the first $2.7M towards the federal contribution of $24M for the events centre.

[BlackYear]

Can someone tell me if Codiac Transpo has ever cleared a profit? I can't imagine it ever has.

Again, I've lived in Moncton all of my life and I've never seen more than a hand full of people in any one of these buses, at any given time, day or night.

:shrug:

[mylesmalley]

Can someone tell me if Codiac Transpo has ever cleared a profit? I can't imagine it ever has.

Again, I've lived in Moncton all of my life and I've never seen more than a hand full of people in any one of these buses, at any given time, day or night.

:shrug:

Outside of big cities, it's very common for transit services to get subsidies to operate.

Moncton's car-culture doesn't help. Nor does the huge footprint of the city. We're at a point where we probably need to greatly increase the operating subsidy to expand service to actually offer good coverage. As it stands now, a lot of the routes are basically just shuttles to the malls.

Edit - OC Transpo in Ottawa gets half of it's funding from the city. Even the TTC in Toronto is subsidized to the tune of 1/3 of their operating budget.

I don't imagine there are many services at all that operate completely independently, i.e. self-funding their own operating costs as well as capital expenditures. Any way you cut it, transit is an expensive proposition and needs to be a loss-leader if you have any expectation for people to pay to ride it.

The flip side is that transit saves a lot of money in infrastructure that doesn't need building like wider roads, improved congestion etc.

Edit Edit - Even New York City has a $1.03 per fare subsidy on their network and they operate one of the most heavily used systems in the world. And that's operating, not including capital.

[pierremoncton]

Magic Mountain is expanding

Found on Radio-Canada:

http://img.src.ca/2015/05/22/635x357/150522_9f8g1_magic-mountain-expansion_sn635.jpg

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2015/05/22/009-expansion-magic-mountain-moncton.shtml

Fairly good translation from Google:

Rides again soon publicly available in the Moncton area

The aquatic theme park Magic Mountain in Moncton, New Brunswick, is expanding with, among others, rides that would appeal to regulars of the old Crystal Palace in Dieppe.

The construction of new facilities is underway. Work is carried out in three phases. The first will be completed this summer, in mid-July and the last in 2017, says the company.

As and when the work progresses, visitors will stand next to Magic Mountain several rides, a ticket, restaurants. It also provides for the construction of a laser tag, miniature golf, an arcade and multipurpose rooms.

Mark Jelly, company president, said that this expansion will lead to the creation of 30 full-time jobs.

The closure of the Crystal Palace Amusement Park, last year, had saddened many people who loved its rides. A camping equipment trade, sports and outdoor is being moved into the building.

[mctnguy]

Here's an English article regarding the rides at Magic Mountain:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/magic-mountain-expansion-to-bring-more-rides-and-games-year-round-1.3085542

[pierremoncton]

Vacancy Rate Update

Spring 2015 CMHC Housing Market Outlook for Saint John, Moncton & Fredericton: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/esub/64275/64275_2015_B01.pdf?fr=1432652272996

October Vacancy Rate (Moncton)

2012: 6.7%
2013: 9.1%
2014: 8.7%
2015: 9.5% (forecast)
2016: 9.2% (forecast)

Nationally, Moncton's vacancy rate (recent & forecast) is only surpassed by Saint John's.

In 2014, Ottawa (6.5%) and Charlottetown (5.9%) were the highest after NB, and just about everything west of Atlantic Canada is below 4%. The national CMA average was 2.8%.

4-5% is a balanced market, so we can expect to wait until 2020 before the current supply is absorbed and construction starts again.

[MonctonRad]

This is the design selected for the new memorial to the three slain RCMP members. It will be placed on the riverfront.

http://i.cbc.ca/1.3081459.1432170132!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/4x3_460/the-fallen-moncton-rcmp-officers-will-be-remembered-with-one-of-the-five-proposals.jpg
CBC

[Scarface]

Drove up Elmwood Drive, and seen some brush removal, and signs up just passed the highway across from Caledonia Industrial Park. From the images it looks like they are planing to build a grocery store Gas bar, and maybe more.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Welcome to the forums. :)

You'll find that most discussions about Moncton developments are neighbourhood specific, and will be found in different neighbourhood threads. This particular topic (Elmwood Centre) has been discussed in the [Moncton] East thread. Yes, this development will include a grocery store (small format Superstore, the relocated Elmwood Home Hardware and a bunch of highway services (service station, convenience store, fast food etc).

The general Moncton thread is now used mostly for topics of a more general nature, or that do not fit well in a specific neighbourhood thread.

Please feel free to contribute anytime.

[MonctonRad]

Screen capture from the Fox Sports channel as they try to tell their American audience about Moncton, New Brunswick just before this afternoon's televised games........

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Screen%20Shot%202015-06-09%20at%208.35.04%20PM.png

:haha: :haha: :haha:

[trev71]

Moncton Friends. I always seem to stay at the Future inn in Moncton or the casino. But when did the Future inn change to a Sheraton. Was looking tonight to book it and its gone

[NBNYer]

Moncton Friends. I always seem to stay at the Future inn in Moncton or the casino. But when did the Future inn change to a Sheraton. Was looking tonight to book it and its gone

The new sign went up on the building last week I think.

[Taeolas]

Screen capture from the Fox Sports channel as they try to tell their American audience about Moncton, New Brunswick just before this afternoon's televised games........

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Screen%20Shot%202015-06-09%20at%208.35.04%20PM.png

:haha: :haha: :haha:

LOL. I think the entire city could fit in 2 or 3 of the towers on the left there.

That's Vancouver right? They didn't even get the coast right, let alone anything else. :)

[David_99]

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Screen%20Shot%202015-06-09%20at%208.35.04%20PM.png



What's that? An artist's conception of what Moncton would look like if all of our proposed building projects actually happened!? :D

[trev71]

The new sign went up on the building last week I think.


Interesting thanks. I noticed the deals were not as good then I looked and saw on hotels.ca it was Sheraton. That explains it some what :)

[trev71]

What's that? An artist's conception of what Moncton would look like if all of our proposed building projects actually happened!? :D


LOL. I haven't been to Moncton since April wow did it ever change

[kwajo]

Outside of big cities, it's very common for transit services to get subsidies to operate.

Moncton's car-culture doesn't help. Nor does the huge footprint of the city. We're at a point where we probably need to greatly increase the operating subsidy to expand service to actually offer good coverage. As it stands now, a lot of the routes are basically just shuttles to the malls.

Edit - OC Transpo in Ottawa gets half of it's funding from the city. Even the TTC in Toronto is subsidized to the tune of 1/3 of their operating budget.

I don't imagine there are many services at all that operate completely independently, i.e. self-funding their own operating costs as well as capital expenditures. Any way you cut it, transit is an expensive proposition and needs to be a loss-leader if you have any expectation for people to pay to ride it.

The flip side is that transit saves a lot of money in infrastructure that doesn't need building like wider roads, improved congestion etc.

Edit Edit - Even New York City has a $1.03 per fare subsidy on their network and they operate one of the most heavily used systems in the world. And that's operating, not including capital.
I never understood why people think transit systems are supposed to either make a profit or pay for themselves, yet are usually 100% opposed to tolls on roads. It's the same thing. Transit = Infrastructure. We pay taxes for infrastructure and services and transit is an essential piece of that. As you mentioned, even a city like New York subsidizes transit, because if they didn't the city simply wouldn't function, same as if you started charging actual unsubsidized usage rates for sewage or drinking water. Spending a tax dollar on transit almost always saves more than a dollar in infrastructure costs elsewhere (everything from reduced traffic management to fewer road repairs to policing costs to stormwater management), yet much of the NB public thinks it is a luxury that should be amongst the first budget cuts when times are tough.

[josh_cat_eyes]

I like funding transit. Actually if moncton had about 400,000 to 500,000 people, I would suggest a subway or something, from the airport (gave the stop be at the bottom of the stairs you go down to get to the parking lot, and have it follow the tracks through the industrial park, and stop at Dieppe city hall, champlain place, and then loop up across the traffic circle to the former rail right of way connecting to the existing right of way, and then have continued stops until you reach highfield. Or the other option was to use the old old right of way in front of assumption place. Either way I think a connection from the airport straight into downtown is a good idea. Maybe more along the lines of Ottawa's bus roads.

[Scarface]

I like funding transit. Actually if moncton had about 400,000 to 500,000 people, I would suggest a subway or something, from the airport (gave the stop be at the bottom of the stairs you go down to get to the parking lot, and have it follow the tracks through the industrial park, and stop at Dieppe city hall, champlain place, and then loop up across the traffic circle to the former rail right of way connecting to the existing right of way, and then have continued stops until you reach highfield. Or the other option was to use the old old right of way in front of assumption place. Either way I think a connection from the airport straight into downtown is a good idea. Maybe more along the lines of Ottawa's bus roads.

This would be a great idea if 2 things 1. the city had 4-5 times+ the amount of citizens it has now, and 2. The convention center, and possibly new hotels developers are talking about for downtown... But otherwise would be a serious waste of money.

[josh_cat_eyes]

This would be a great idea if 2 things 1. the city had 4-5 times+ the amount of citizens it has now, and 2. The convention center, and possibly new hotels developers are talking about for downtown... But otherwise would be a serious waste of money.

Yeah that's why I suggested it could only be done if moncton had around half a million people.

[habs33]

Anyone kow what the Province will be announcing at 10am this morning?

Here's a tweet from a CBC reporter saying that it's a "recreational infrastructure funding announcement"
https://twitter.com/mchardie/status/611504571144400898

[Mattyyy]

Anyone kow what the Province will be announcing at 10am this morning?

Here's a tweet from a CBC reporter saying that it's a "recreational infrastructure funding announcement"
https://twitter.com/mchardie/status/611504571144400898


That's a great question - but I can certainly tell you what it isn't!