The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread [Archive] - Page 86

MonctonRad

Apr 22, 2011, 4:04 PM

somewhat abridged from today's T&T

Dieppe (movie) theatre gets OK on renovation
Published Friday April 22nd, 2011

Cadillac Fairview Corporation seeking to reduce parking spaces in order to expand Empire Theatre
By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff

Cadillac Fairview Corporation's variance application to reduce the parking spaces in front of its cinema complex at Crystal Palace in Dieppe to allow expansion of the cinema was approved Wednesday by the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission but it wasn't quick or unanimous.

The commission was told that if needed, patrons could park in the adjacent parking area designated for use by the Champlain Place Shopping Mall also owned by Cadillac Fairview.

Commissioner Dale Briggs then asked if there was any type of written agreement allowing spill-over parking and was told no by the corporation spokesman, that it would be very difficult and time consuming and to do so would result in delays or scrapping the project. An agreement would have to be reached with each and every tenant in the shopping mall and that there is a de facto agreement now for spill-over use. The problem arose after Dieppe changed its bylaw a few years ago requiring more parking spaces per floor space in a building.

It's a pretty dramatic reduction in parking spaces, said Briggs. Other commissioners joined in saying they would prefer some sort of agreement allowing use of the mall parking lot as protection should new ownership of the mall occur, they argued.

The variance is for a reduction of parking spaces from 965 standard spaces and 20 mobility disabled spaces to 840 regular and 20 mobility disabled spaces, a difference of 125 standard-sized parking spaces.

The variance was passed with five nay votes. The commission also granted terms and conditions for the expansion.

in other GMPDC news.....

A proposed restaurant/drive-thru development for 1515 Mountain Rd. on a property already occupied by a gas bar/convenience business drew some criticism for not having complete specifications on the proposal.

Commissioners Briggs and Mike Sullivan took exception at being asked to approve terms and conditions for a project without knowing exactly what was planned for the site and after being told no agreement had been signed as yet with the unnamed restaurant chain. The request is to allow more than one main building on a lot.

The agreement is pending approval of application, said project spokesman Scott Fash.

Get the deal done first, said Sullivan, while Briggs argued that the commission was being asked to approve an application with all kinds of blanks. We need to know some answers before the commission can address terms and conditions, he said.

Fash said the proposal does set out the area of the planned restaurant as well as exits and drive-thru route, adding there is enough space to prevent spill out of drive-thru patrons onto traffic.

The commission granted terms and conditions with five nay votes.

Personal notes:

1) - This does sound like a major expansion to the Crystal Palace Cinemas. It would be a golden opportunity for an IMAX. No mention of this though.....

2) - I looked up 1515 Mountain Road on Google Maps, and it corresponds to the Irving gas station on the corner of Mountain and Trinity. I'm rather shocked by this. That Irving is only about five years old and is very busy. Admittedly it would be an excellent location for a restaurant, but I'm surprised Irving would give it up.....

mylesmalley

Apr 22, 2011, 4:15 PM

Maybe it's the old location across the street and on the other side of the Wheeler overpass?

porchmouse

Apr 22, 2011, 4:46 PM

josh_cat_eyes

Apr 22, 2011, 4:52 PM

I like that target is doing a "thoughtful review" of every single property. I do however think that they may want to build a "Super Target" in the Moncton Market, because by 2013 there will already be a "Super Walmart"

MonctonRad

Apr 22, 2011, 6:05 PM

Rumour confirmed!

Circle K/Irving currently has jobs posted and the location specifies Evergreen, NB. Further in the ad it reads: Location at the corner of Evergreen and Mountain Road to open this summer.

Here we go Moncton North...let the developments begin!

-porchmouse

Interesting porchmouse, the development plans for NW Moncton along Mountain Road this summer are coming into sharper focus.

1) - The Irving/Circle K at Trinity/Mountain will be demolished and replaced by a restaurant with a drive-thru (presumably the rumoured Moncton North Swiss Chalet.
2) - The Dental Clinic at Trinity/Mountain will be demolished and replaced by a retail plaza.
3) - The new Unisom strip mall at Hildegarde/Mountain will be built.
4) - The Irving/Circle K mentioned above will relocate to Evergreen/Mountain
5) - A Second Cup cafe and drive thru will be built next to the new Royal Bank at Gorge/Mountain.
6) - Because of the above two developments, Mountain Road at Evergreen and Gorge will be widened and traffic lights will be installed at the Evergreen/Mountain intersection.
7) - There is something being built just to the west of Wheaton's on the south side of Mountain. They have already removed the house occupying that lot and site preparation work has started. No idea what this is yet. Stay tuned..... :tup:

lukepaa

Apr 23, 2011, 1:50 AM

Any one have any idea on what is happening to the old royal bank location in front of the little Caesars, on Mountain road?

MonctonRad

Apr 23, 2011, 11:11 AM

:previous:

Nothing announced yet, but the rumour is that something is planned for this building so it shouldn't be vacant long.

Valhalla Place is a very successful little strip mall (especially with existing tenants like the NB Liquor Store, McBun's Bakery and Little Caesar"s). Traffic volumes on that part of Mountain Road are huge. development in the area is really taking off. The old bank building has a drive through so I think it would be a perfect set-up for a small retail food and drink outlet like a Starbuck's. It's about time they set up an outlet in Moncton North. We should know by the end of summer what's going on here.

MonctonRad

Apr 23, 2011, 2:38 PM

Codiac Transit builds new home
Published Saturday April 23rd, 2011

New $13M facility opens on site of former headquarters
BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

The old garage is gone and the shiny new mother of all garages can now be seen in its place.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=678697&size=800x0
GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
The new Codiac Transit facility on Millennium Drive in Moncton.

A gleaming new $13-million Codiac Transit bus storage facility and headquarters is now fully operational on the site of the old headquarters on Moncton's Millennium Boulevard, and general manager John Allain says the "best funded federal project in the city's history" will protect and extend the life of Codiac's fleet, cut down on the costs associated with winter operations and allow for the significant expansion of the bus system the City of Moncton has in the works.

The bulk of the money for the new garage, $10 million, comes from the federal government through the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on Public Transit.

For those wishing the $10 million in federal dollars could have been put towards other municipal projects, the money was tethered to public transit. If Moncton didn't put it towards some aspect of transit, it would have gone to other communities who would.

The City of Moncton is paying the other $3 million toward construction, fencing and a bit of extra land at the back of the property. Moncton city council this week approved a $330,000 transfer from its general capital reserve to pay for land adjacent to the Codiac Transit property to provide a buffer with nearby properties and room for future expansion for Codiac.

Allain says the new building is large enough to house the current fleet of 40 buses and more, with a design that will allow an addition capable of holding 30 more buses down the road as the transit service grows.

"The critical infrastructure is not the building," he says. "It's the fleet. Every year, outdoors takes two months off a bus's life."

The old garage, whose demolition has just been completed, could only hold part of the fleet, and many of the buses were stored outside where they were exposed to the potential of vandalism.

In November, a wheel came off a bus as it travelled down Mountain Road. Luckily, the vibrations at the last minute made the bus's driver pull over just before the wheel fell off and no one was hurt, but the incident, 10 wheel nuts all coming loose at the same time, was highly suspicious.

It sounds odd to talk about protecting buses from the elements each night, when we of course expect them to operate most hours of the day in all types of weather, but Allain says keeping them in a garage in winter saves the labour hours and fuel of warming the diesel buses up each morning, cleaning the snow off them and plowing them out of their outdoor storage lot.

He said it wasn't always obvious that Codiac Transit would rebuild at the same site.

"Normally, you'd put a transit facility in an industrial park," but with the desire to keep the bus garage close to the heart of its operations - downtown Moncton - the fuel and travel costs made sticking with Millennium Drive the better choice.

"Right now it cost $120,000 a year (to ferry buses between their routes and Millennium), based on fuel at a $1.05 a litre. It would have been $380,000 for a site in the Moncton Industrial Park and $690,000 for Caledonia."

He says they briefly thought of bringing a new garage to Vaughan Harvey Boulevard on the 15 acres that start opposite the Sobeys store and wrap around to the west between Prince Street and the CNR main line.

They quickly realized, however, that a transit garage would not be the highest and best use of such prime downtown land, even if it would be closer to the single transit hub Moncton expects to have in the heart of downtown wherever it eventually builds its downtown multi-purpose events and community centre. (The goal is transit buses could take advantage of the events centre's central location and the events centre would have both a built-in means of bringing people to its events and retailers).

Nor was it initially obvious Codiac Transit would build a new facility at all, Allain says.

"We looked at expanding the old building, but it would have extended its life by only five years. It was a 40-year-old building that was close to being condemned."

Codiac Transit also looked at some existing buildings available in the city, but none met their needs.

Allain says fire safety and suppression is a key concern. When the buses are all inside, the building houses 11,000 litres of fuel.

The building contains a number of green technologies and is built to an R35 rating. It also allows them to recycle the oil from the buses. Besides storage and administration space, the new facility has maintenance and wash bays.

Codiac Transit carries about 1.8 million passengers per year on 18 routes

Personal note - From the sounds of this article, it seems that the city is really committed to the idea of incorporating the downtown transit hub into the proposed new arena/events centre. This is really exciting and shows good foresight on the part of the city planners. As mentioned, it would allow lots of people to take public transit to events held at the centre.

Freddypop

Apr 23, 2011, 6:18 PM

josh_cat_eyes

Apr 24, 2011, 4:39 AM

He says they briefly thought of bringing a new garage to Vaughan Harvey Boulevard on the 15 acres that start opposite the Sobeys store and wrap around to the west between Prince Street and the CNR main line.

They quickly realized, however, that a transit garage would not be the highest and best use of such prime downtown land, even if it would be closer to the single transit hub Moncton expects to have in the heart of downtown wherever it eventually builds its downtown multi-purpose events and community centre. (The goal is transit buses could take advantage of the events centre's central location and the events centre would have both a built-in means of bringing people to its events and retailers).

Thats awesome news. Did anybody notice what they called it this time though. "The downtown multi-purpose events and community centre." Since when did the community centre part get added in? I think this is going to be a lot bigger than just an Arena. I am thinking something like the Metro Centre or bigger. With lots of trade space, connected to a hotel, with shops and such. I really do believe that the city is working on a deal right now, but they can't say anything because it will ruin the deal. The entire block where highfield square is, I think in 5 years, will make Moncton an entirely new city.

MonctonRad

Apr 25, 2011, 3:26 PM

Moncton building permit values up
Published Monday April 25th, 2011

New Sobeys, other major projects lead to best March numbers for the city in a decade
BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

It looks like Moncton is holding its own even as many parts of North America continue to struggle with the lingering effects of recession.

The number of building permits in the city are down from last year, but their value is up.

The City of Moncton issued 65 permits valued at over $17 million in March. The number of permits is 33 less than March 2010, however, the total value of the permits has increased 63 per cent from the same time last year. The year-to-date for total value permits is greater than $55 million.

"We're pleased the total value of permits for March is the best of the past 10 years", said Mayor George LeBlanc. "The first quarter of the year has shown positive construction and development in Moncton and the residential activity has started to increase."

A total of 13 permits were issued in March for commercial and industrial construction valued at over $9 million. Total residential permits for the month were 42. The number of permits for the year to date are less than last year at the same time.

Helping to drive the permits up in March were the construction permits issued for a new Sobeys store on Elmwood Drive and a 23,000-square-metre (75,000-square-foot) warehouse on Desbrisay Avenue in the Moncton Industrial Park.

LeBlanc said he was pleased to hear Sobey's continues to increase the number of stores in the Moncton area and also welcomed development in the Moncton Industrial Park.

Sherry Sparks, the director of building inspection, confirmed the number of building permits for residential dwellings, accessory buildings, fences, pools and heritage properties is on the rise in Moncton.

Speaking of heritage properties, the city Heritage Property Grant Program's application deadline date of April 30 is fast approaching.

The maximum grant will be up to $10,000 and the minimum grant will be $500. Heritage Properties Grants will not exceed 50 per cent of the project and the number of grants per property is limited to one per year and two in any four-year period.

For more information on the City of Moncton Heritage Property Grant contact building inspection at 853-4375 or visit the city website www.moncton.ca.

Construction highlights from March include a permit approved for a strip mall at 1612 Mountain Rd. in the value of $341,250. (personal note - this address corresponds to the Unison strip mall at the corner of Hildegarde and Mountain)

Sobeys Land Holdings Ltd. has a permit approved for a new Sobeys store at 553 Elmwood Dr. in the amount of $3.9 million.

John C. Chamberlaine Holdings Inc. had a permit approved for the 23,000-square-metre warehouse at 33 Desbrisay Ave. in the amount of $4.25 million.

Also, a permit was issued to New Brunswick's Department of Health and Wellness for a smoke control upgrade at The Moncton Hospital for the amount of $717,880.

mmmatt

Apr 26, 2011, 12:03 AM

That new "warehouse" is the new headquarters and flagship store of Action Truck Caps and Accessories...they will be moving from west main.

Has anyone posted the render for it yet? Its pretty massive...It will be at the new set of lights at horseman and berry mills.

porchmouse

Apr 28, 2011, 3:01 AM

Hello everyone, here's some pics of some new construction starting in Moncton North. It should get a little more interesting once ground is broken. I look forward to keeping you all up to date on everything.

Mountain Road next to Wheatons across from Barnaby & Co. Does anyone know what is going in here? As you can see the lot is very deep.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5662257915_e6aa0bf3d1.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5662826492_ba93d96c0f.jpg

Future Circle K/Irving site - Corner of Mountain Road and Evergreen, across the street from the new RBC location.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5662258399_18093a9d1a.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5662826756_c0f587895f.jpg

Future site for Action Truck Caps and Accessories - At the set of lights at the corner of Horseman Road and Berry Mills. (@mmmatt hope you like these ones).

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5029/5662258485_335b20ae04.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5662258735_a276dc99c2.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5662258861_070854703f.jpg

On a side note, Kings Ice Cream, formerly located at the corner of Hildegarde and Mountain Road, is back this summer with a location a little further down Mountain Road on the Jean Coutu side of the street heading towards Gorge Road (for all you ice cream lovers in Moncton North).

Cheers,

MonctonRad

Apr 28, 2011, 3:01 PM

:previous:

Nice pics. :tup:

I have no idea what's being built next to Wheaton's. As you have pointed out, it is a peculiar shaped lot. The depth of the lot could facilitate parking I suppose. I presume it will be retail of some form.

JasonL-Moncton

Apr 28, 2011, 3:43 PM

MonctonRad

Apr 28, 2011, 4:26 PM

:previous:

To my understanding, Second Cup is building next to the new Royal Bank; facing Gorge Road but close to the intersection with Mountain Road. That's also a rather peculiar lot, so I could be wrong.

mmmatt

Apr 28, 2011, 7:08 PM

Thanks for the pics porchmouse! Glad to have someone keeping up with the pace around here! :)

MonctonRad

Apr 30, 2011, 2:45 AM

Moncton honoured for track event success
Published Friday April 29th, 2011

IAAF World Junior Championships, head organizer recognized by Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance
BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

OTTAWA - Moncton has won big - twice - at The Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance's Prestige Awards in Ottawa.

The national tourism industry association has named last year's IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton Canada's International Sport Event of the Year for 2010.

As well, Larry Nelson, the head of Moncton 2010's local organizing committee, has won the CSTA Community Service Award at the organization's luncheon gala held yesterday in Ottawa.

The youth track and field championships, which drew teenaged competitors from 170 countries, was held in Moncton last July 19-26.

The Moncton event was up against some exceptionally good competition, the 2010 Rogers Cup in Toronto, and the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, held in Saskatoon and Regina.

Vying with Nelson for the Community Service Award were Amanda Jacinthe Hamel of Charlottetown and Bill Schenck of St. Catharines, Ont.

Hamel was a key organizer of the World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown in 2009. Schenck has, among other things, been a force behind the annual Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance is a tourism industry-led organization that promotes sport tourism as an economic development initiative at the community level.

The Prestige Awards were established to "celebrate the people, places and events that make the Canadian sport tourism industry so dynamic and important to the economic fabric of our communities."

Yesterday's gala, hosted by TSN broadcaster Rod Black at the Westin Ottawa, was attended by about 300 of Canada's sports leaders.

Nelson said he accepted his award knowing he wouldn't have been recognized without the work of a vast team who made Moncton 2010 the most successful junior championships ever in the eyes of the International Association of Athletics Federations, who initially believed they were taking a risk when they awarded the games to what was by far the smallest city to ever host the event.

"The two are certainly connected," Nelson said from Ottawa. "We're especially surprised to have won both. It was a thrill just to have been nominated."

Accompanying Nelson was his Moncton 2010 vice-chairman, Bill Whalen.

Whalen said, "it's pretty exciting. We hoped we'd win one of them, but we were up against very tough competition. Those aren't slouch events."

Saying how impressed he and Nelson had been with the entire conference of sports decision makers that happened around the awards gala, Whalen said the recognition from the sport tourism body is "the cherry on top of the cake for the community."

Back in Moncton, Mayor George LeBlanc got the news, fittingly enough, as he was attending an event connected to the 2011 Baseball Canada Cup, to be held at Moncton's newly renovated Kiwanis Park from Aug. 10-15.

That simply underscored the importance of sports tourism to Moncton, which is aggressively pursuing the economic niche the same way it is pursuing becoming a major entertainment centre.

Of the prestigious twin awards, the mayor said, "it's fantastic news. First of all, it's a recognition well deserved. It validates the tremendous work done by our team, our army of volunteers, led by Larry and Bill."

NBNYer

May 1, 2011, 2:44 PM

Seems like dev. news is slow lately. In spite of the occasional "building permits up!" headline from the T&T.

mylesmalley

May 1, 2011, 5:34 PM

There's generally less fanfare around private-sector developments other than a mention of receiving permits, as opposed to big public projects which get written about ad nauseum. There's still all kinds of retail and industrial development going on around town, and I'm sure we'll see a healthy number of new apartment buildings this summer as well. Let's not forget either that construction season really only just got started.

MonctonRad

May 1, 2011, 11:52 PM

Seems like dev. news is slow lately. In spite of the occasional "building permits up!" headline from the T&T.

I won't be contributing much to the forum for a while as I will be in Chicago all week. My internet access here is spotty at best. :)

David_99

May 2, 2011, 3:32 PM

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/05/02/nb-moncton-event-tax-0502.html

The mayor of Moncton is asking the provincial government to allow the city to impose a tax on hotel rooms to help pay for a new downtown metro centre.

George LeBlanc said it is the next step towards building a new complex for concerts and sporting events, and would help the city to earn a better return on big events.

LeBlanc said the provincial and federal governments earn millions through the HST when concerts such as the Rolling Stones or sporting events such as a CFL game come to town.

"Although we take the lion's share of the risk, we don't get the same return on investment," he said.

LeBlanc is joining the Greater Moncton Hotel Association and asking the province to give the City of Moncton the power to impose a three-per-cent levy on hotel rooms.

In March, Ray Roberge, president of the Greater Moncton Hotel Association, said his group would contribute one-third of a hotel tax to the City of Moncton for a new metro centre. Roberge expects it would mean at least $500,000 annually for the facility, and would increase tourism in the long run.

"We support it and we want it to happen and we know that it can have a positive impact on tourism," Roberge said in March.

LeBlanc expects a hotel tax would generate about $700,000 for a new metro centre. He said officials with the Alward government have told him they will deal with the issue in the fall.

josh_cat_eyes

May 3, 2011, 3:38 AM

Moncton finally elects someone on the same party as the government! This could be HUGE in order to get funding for big projects.

mylesmalley

May 3, 2011, 4:56 AM

Don't kid yourself.

MonctonRad

May 3, 2011, 5:23 PM

Don't kid yourself.

It won't hurt, but I tend to agree with Myles, there won't be any special funding for the arena/events centre. The best we can hope for is $25M through the public/private partnership fund. We just need to identify affiliated private partners willing to take part in the project (with a hotel/convention component etc.)

Having said this, I'm certainly glad that we'll have some political stability (both federally and provincially) for the next four years.

Don't fret Myles, I take this election result as more of a spanking of the Liberals for forcing an unnecessary and unwanted election than anything else. The vote for the NDP I think was more of a vote for Layton himself rather than the party. I have a suspicion that Layton won't be leading the party in four years time and the Quebec vote is fickle. I think the next time round we'll be back to status quo ante bellum, especially if the Liberals have a new leader (Justin Trudeau or Dominic LeBlanc).

JHikka

May 4, 2011, 1:14 AM

Quebec vote is fickle.

Pretty much all you had to say. Another separatist party will be around to replace the Bloc and the NDP will be back to the 40s in 2015. It just depends on which parties pounce and take up those seats again.

As for the funding, it's tough to say. Depends on how much the Tories want to pump into the area, if any at all. Being on the right side of government is something that Saint John had great difficulty doing for the past decade before the last year or two.

Lrdevlop

May 4, 2011, 8:16 PM

I saw today on Relish Gourmet Burger's twitter that they will open in June. Finally! :banana: Exept they will be located on 239 St. George (not on Main st. anymore). I believe it's where Crazy Mango studio is right now.

mylesmalley

May 4, 2011, 11:50 PM

I'm not upset about the election. It is what it is. I'm disappointed with the outcome, but c'est la vie.

As for Moncton actually seeing benefit from being 'on-side'... that's just not the way it works. M-R-D had a good chance before the election of going Conservative, but there were no special promises made here. In fact, when Harper was in town, he did everything but refuse to fix the RCMP subsidy issue. Logic would dictate that the governing party would shower money on an opposing riding with a good chance of swinging the other way just to bribe people over.

MonctonRad

May 5, 2011, 12:12 AM

Charles Lutes Road, Ryan Street to be expanded
By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff

Moncton city council approved a $3-million tender to rebuild and widen Charles Lutes Road and Ryan Street this summer, continuing development in the area northwest of the city prompted by construction of the Northrop Frye High School last year.

The tender, totalling $3,081,662.25 including taxes, was awarded at this week's city council meeting to Cherryfield Contracting Ltd., one of several bids received by the city.

The tender award raised some questions as to why three other bidders were rejected and how much the province had contributed to the estimated $13-million total cost to extend infrastructure to the new school build on Ryan Street.

Councillor Daniel Bourgeois wanted to know if the province had put any money on infrastructure and was told it had contributed $466,000 for sidewalks and curb fronting the school property. The rest has come from city coffers.

That led councillor Kathryn Barnes to demand the city have some say in where schools were located. She said she was told at the outset that the school project would cost somewhere between $4 and $5 million. "I was dumbfounded" to learn the project hit the $13-million mark and that taxpayers are on the hook for most of it, she said.

Following the meeting, Jack MacDonald, general manager of engineering and environment services with the city, explained that the chosen site away from existing infrastructure forced the city to spend now instead of gradually as development crept further out along Ryan Road. The approved project includes sidewalks on both sides of the street.

Councillor Merrill Henderson asked why the other tenders were rejected and was told that they failed to meet requirements set out by the city in its tender call.

The tender for water main and sewer renewal along Killam Drive from Ayer Avenue to Purdy Avenue was awarded to Dexter Construction Ltd. for $1,260,854 including taxes.

A public meeting will be held June 6 in council chambers to hear an application from Genivar on behalf of Waterstone Developments and Magnetic Hill Golf and Country Club Ltd. to amend the conditional zoning agreement for a major housing project adjacent the golf club to change from single family dwelling to multiple dwellings.

Council wanted to know if there was sufficient water pressure to accommodate the new development project without affecting existing development.

A booster station to pump water to the area would be needed and would be the responsibility of the developer along with installation of utility infrastructures to the site, council was told.

Personal note - Geez, I'm doing this from my IPad in a restaurant in Chicago, isn't anyone else minding the shop!! :haha:

Seriously though, I think it unconscionable that the province left the city on the hook for $13M for roadwork for the new school. It did not have to be built where it is. It could have been constructed closer to the built up sections to the west of Kingswood, in an area where these services already existed. This is truly shameful!

kwajo

May 5, 2011, 1:05 AM

You sound like you're surprised :haha:
This is exactly the type of thing the province does all the time because they've always done a horrid job of having open dialogue with municipalities. Like last year when they announced the [now cancelled] 6-lane highway through Saint John and no-one in City Hall had been informed ahead of time that they were even considering it.

pierremoncton

May 5, 2011, 1:26 AM

And we can probably forget about a new bridge for a few years too:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/05/04/nb-mps-wont-promise-petitcodiac-bridge.html

icetea93

May 5, 2011, 10:27 AM

I didn't know if you guys knew about this or not, but "Opa! Greek taverna" (Halifax's Greek restaurant chain) is opening their first out-of-Halifax location in downtown Moncton with the next 10 months...

From Opa! to ela! for local Greek restaurant
Trademark battle forces business to change name
By CHRIS LAMBIE Business Editor
Thu, May 5 - 4:54 AM

Costa Elles and Chris Tzaneteas, owners of ela! Greek Taverna. (Darren Pittman / Staff)
Costa Elles and Chris Tzaneteas, owners of ela! Greek Taverna. (Darren Pittman / Staff)

They will still be smashing plates and yelling "Opa," but the name has got to go.

A Calgary-based quick service restaurant chain has forced Halifax’s Opa! Greek Taverna to change its moniker.

"We became aware for the first time about four years ago that there was this infringement on our trademark," Patrick Gibbons, president and chief executive officer of Opa! Souvlaki Franchise Group Inc., said Wednesday in a telephone interview.

"So we approached them and we explained our situation. They were reluctant to give it up. So we got our two lawyers involved. And, end of the day, we agreed to a three-year-period transition. And that was three years, two days ago."

Gibbons said his company, which has 85 outlets spanning from British Columbia to Ontario, thought it was being extremely fair "by giving them three years to cease and desist the use of our trademark."

The agreement to let Opa! Greek Taverna temporarily use the name expired May 1, he said.

Opa! Greek Taverna has full-service restaurants in downtown Halifax, Bayers Lake Business Park and Dartmouth Crossing.

"They elected not to do anything about it," Gibbons said. "I met with them last week, gave them three options, none of which they thought were acceptable, and so we need to take back our name.

"They’re great people, but as you know, one has to aggressively defend their trademarks. We’ve spent 14 years with that brand name and we are Canada’s largest Greek . . . restaurant chain and we are coming out east."

Gibbons said his company, which is now moving into Quebec, thought Chris Tzaneteas and business partner Costa Elles of Opa! Greek Taverna may be interested in being its franchisee in the Maritimes.

"We thought we could work something out with them, but they just asked for another extension," Gibbons said.

Tzaneteas said Wednesday that he and Elles had worked out a six-month-extension deal earlier this year with the Calgary company’s founder, Nikos Tiginagas.

"The owner of the place said, ‘We’ll give the extension,’ then (Gibbons) said, ‘Yeah, we’ll give you the extension if you give us six per cent of your sales and $25,000 a location," Tzaneteas said.

So, instead, the Halifax operation is changing its name to ela! Greek Taverna.

"Ela in the Greek language is one of the most endearing invitations," Tzaneteas said. "It’s an invitation to come eat, come dance with me, come have a drink with me. . . . The translation of ‘Opa’ is really like yahoo."

The Halifax restaurant group discovered the name problem when it applied for a trademark on the name in preparation for expanding outside the province.

"They had registered their (name) in 1999 and we had registered ours in 2000," Tzaneteas said of the Calgary Opa outfit.

With plans to open restaurants in St. John’s, N.L., Charlottetown, Moncton and Saint John, N.B., they abandoned the trademark spat and decided on ela.

"Some would-be franchises, others are in like a partnership agreement situation where we would remain partners," Tzaneteas said.

"We’re really still in the infancy stages of this."

The Moncton location, expected to cost $1.1 million to buy a property and set up, should open within 10 months, he said.

"We’re looking at some real estate in downtown Moncton that we’ve made an offer on."

All told, he suspects the trademark fight, changing signage and rebranding the new name will cost about $50,000.

"We’re sad to see our old name (go), but at the end of the day, it’s not the name that makes the place, it’s the place that makes the name," Tzaneteas said.

"We’re still going to have the great food, the great service, the great atmosphere. People are going to know that it’s us, the same owners. Nothing has really changed."

People will still break plates and yell "Opa," at the Halifax restaurant, he said.

"We’re never going to stop," Tzaneteas said. "That it a Greek word that is in our vocabulary. It’s part of who we are. Nobody can take that away from us."

There is not so much plate-smashing going on at the Calgary-based chain, which locates its restaurants in food courts and strip malls.

"We yell, ‘Opa,’ " Gibbons said. "Hard to break Styrofoam, though, isn’t it?"

( clambie@herald.ca)

Sony500

May 5, 2011, 10:31 AM

If they are not going to build a bridge right away, then they should close the gates for now. The lake looks terrible.

mylesmalley

May 5, 2011, 10:48 AM

Sunnybrae

May 5, 2011, 2:12 PM

Great to hear we're getting a Greek restaurant!

As for the bridge. The lake looks bad because it's full of silt. It's not going to look any better until that silt is flushed out, which it appears to be doing slowly. Closing the gates is onl going to undo the improveents we've seen over the last year and will only embolden the lake-side property owners that are so eager to protect 'their lake'.

I can't see the silt leaving the lake. If anything it will build up more on the sides until marsh grass can take hold and then it will look just like the other side of the causeway. The channel will get wider and deeper though but the whole lake will not empty of silt. Its going to take time people and eventually, I think, it will look like.... well..... the Petitcodiac. Like it or hate it, it's not called the "Chocolate River" for nothing. :)

macas539

May 5, 2011, 2:35 PM

N.B. seeks Route 11 funding from Ottawa
By Adam Huras
times & transcript staff

Transportation Minister hopeful that majority Tory gov't will be willing to chip in

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick has approached the federal government to help finance the twinning of one of New Brunswick's major north-south corridors, a project estimated to cost more than $900 million.

Transportation Minister Claude Williams said yesterday that twinning Route 11, which traverses the province's Acadian Coast from Shediac to the Acadian Peninsula, is a priority for the provincial government.

"Since we have taken government six months ago, Route 11 is one of our priorities in as far as building new highways," Williams said. "It was a surprise to me when I talked to the federal minister of transportation that there was no formal application to the federal government from the province of New Brunswick.

"We need to build up a business case and we will be going to Ottawa to discuss with them to reach a cost-sharing agreement."

The former Liberal government announced in April 2009 it planned to twin the route in three stages, starting from Shediac Bridge to Bouctouche. Stage two would run from Bouctouche to Richibucto, while stage three would cover the last stretch up to Miramichi.

Preliminary work costing $2.1 million has already been completed from Shediac Bridge to Bouctouche.

The original estimated price tag was around $942 million.

The former Liberal government was unable to secure the needed federal funding before Alward's Conservatives ousted the Liberals in September.

Interim Liberal leader Victor Boudreau brought up the issue of twinning the highway in question period in the legislature yesterday, pressing the Tories to commit to a timeline on the project.

Williams said the project would remain in three stages and could begin in 2012, pending that a funding arrangement is in place.

"We will be going to Ottawa in the very near future to start discussions," he said. "We are looking forward to an agreement as soon as possible because we want to get on with that project."

The twinning of Route 11 was raised several times in the eastern part of the province in the lead up to the May 2 federal election. Miramichi MP Tilly O'Neill-Gordon said that Ottawa was aware of the need for Route 11 funding.

"I would definitely like to see more work done on that route because it's such a busy route," O'Neill-Gordon said. "It needs to be done; it's something we should be looking at soon, and hopefully with the new government of the province something can be done."

Williams said a federal majority Conservative government will aid in the project going forward.

"We are quite happy to see that the new majority government in Ottawa," he said. "This will help accelerate negotiations for twinning the route."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks like the new majority government could finally help get this long needed project started! I hope it works :)

josh_cat_eyes

May 5, 2011, 6:42 PM

MonctonRad

May 5, 2011, 10:13 PM

Good news about the Opa (Ela) Greek Taverna. The restaurant scene in Moncton isn't bad, but one thing we don't have is Greek food. I'm glad to see that they are going to open downtown.

I wonder why Relish Gourmet Burgers is going to open on St. George rather than Main? This could be a good thing however, St. George is gradually coming back to life and this will be a good thing for the streetscape. :tup:

Regarding the river, I always expected that the (former) lake would silt in somewhat and revert to marshland. As Sunnybrae said, the river upstream will eventually look like the river downstream. If we want to maximize the river channel, we have to remove the obstruction of the causeway with a bridge. This should be done as soon as possible to reduce siltation in the lake. :yes:

lukepaa

May 5, 2011, 10:54 PM

I was looking at the "skydive moncton" website tonight (don't ask why) but I noticed that they have a new location and are not using McEwen Airstrip anymore...anyone have any details as to why they are vacating there? could it be for future development....it would make a great location for a new Moncton High.

C_Boy

May 5, 2011, 11:35 PM

:previous:

Well I can't say I agree with you on that site being a good spot for Moncton High because that school should be nowhere else than downtown (even though it is unlikely the government will do so). Skydive Moncton moved because the cost to operate out of McEwen Airfield was too expensive. The owners have their own land and built a strip in Notre-Dame I believe...outside the city anyway.

ithree

May 6, 2011, 1:28 AM

Good news about the Opa (Ela) Greek Taverna. The restaurant scene in Moncton isn't bad, but one thing we don't have is Greek food. I'm glad to see that they are going to open downtown.

Graffiti??

benvui

May 6, 2011, 12:25 PM

Graffiti??

We go there often, they have really good Greek food. Its a shame that more people don't realize that is what they offer.

JasonL-Moncton

May 6, 2011, 5:46 PM

We go there often, they have really good Greek food. Its a shame that more people don't realize that is what they offer.

If you've never eaten at Opa (Ela)...I can understand you saying they (Graffiti) have really good Greek food...but Opa is 'amazingly' good. I cannot wait for it to open here, I've been waiting for years. Graffiti doesn't even compare...

JL

PS> What's this about "Relish" opening on St. George instead of Main St...when did this happen?

icetea93

May 6, 2011, 7:06 PM

I agree, Opa! (Ela!) has great food!

Lrdevlop

May 6, 2011, 11:03 PM

PS> What's this about "Relish" opening on St. George instead of Main St...when did this happen?

The franchisees that had the Main location had to back away so they found new ones which have the St George location.

Lrdevlop

May 8, 2011, 3:21 PM

St. George Street becoming a hot new destination
Published Saturday May 7th, 2011

On a sunny Friday lunch hour, downtown Moncton takes on a life all its own that is somehow different from other times of the day or night.

The warmth of the noonday sunshine, together with the vibrant energy that emanates from sidewalk cafés, is very appealing, very 'Maritimes' if you will. Patrons of Main Street establishments can be forgiven for thinking this reference is for that area of the downtown core. Actually, the description is becoming equally suitable for the burgeoning section of Saint George Street that runs from the intersection of Botsford Street all the way to Cameron Street.

That particular stretch of the downtown Moncton experience dotted with elements of residential, social, spiritual, service and hospitality has shown itself to have immense improved lifestyle potential and may very well be destined to be one of Metro's more desirable destinations, whether folks are seeking to live, rest or play.

This realization was the result of a sign indicating a favourite live music venue, Plan B, had become the strip's latest daytime café.

In only its second day offering a brand new breakfast and lunch menu, venue owner Tracy Petukhov has already noticed some brand new faces stopping in and says she is hopeful the neighbourhood, which has received a great deal of criticism in recent years for attracting a less desirable element, will continue to improve.

"I notice it's gotten better since they raided and shut down the massage parlour across the street. We don't see much riff-raff around like before."

The decision by Petukhov and business partners to expand their food and drink menus, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, should be seen as a strong vote of confidence that social conditions along St. George Street are improving, setting the stage for a rebirth of sorts. Taking a stroll along the busy thoroughfare, it is easy to see how it could be transformed into a desirable destination for pedestrian traffic, and with continued beautification efforts and attention to detail together with the right amenities, it is conceivable this could become an attractive tourist stop also.

Far be it for a lowly daily columnist with a background in broadcasting to try and suggest what changes should occur - there are talented town planners and business owners who are better qualified in that department. However, it has been said that big dreamers never sleep and with so much to offer, it just seems like things could be happening faster to gain and maintain momentum needed to ensure sustainable long-term progress.

Moncton city council, together with Downtown Moncton Inc. and other agencies, have committed in recent months to continue building on improvements for the area in order for it to live up to expectations and in the summer months ahead, residents and visitors alike will probably notice that the attitude on St. George Street has taken an about-face, from one of despair to positive growth.

The recent announcement regarding the Hockey Night In Canada 4 on 4 Sports Festival that will be held between Archibald and Cameron Streets on June 5-6, together with another busy calendar of events sure to take place at the Centre Aberdeen Cultural Centre Summit Park, should enhance the area's image as a destination where people can frequent safely and often.

MonctonRad

May 8, 2011, 6:53 PM

Well, I'm back from Chicago (it's a lot like Moncton, only larger :haha:). I noticed today driving up Mountain Road that the construction site next to Wheaton's is destined to be (wait for it), another strip mall. It's a rather peculiar shaped lot for this, and the plaza will be oriented in an oblique manner, somewhat perpendicular to the street. No idea yet what will actually be in the strip, but there is a for lease sign on the lot, so presumably it is being built at least partially on spec.

Lrdevlop

May 9, 2011, 8:29 PM

Would Moncton's Main St. work as a pedestrian mall?
Published Monday May 9th, 2011

Some say closing off Main would liven up downtown, while others argue it is impractical
A1
By Colin McPhail
Times And Transcript Staff

As a warm summer breeze gently brushes your cheek, you nurse a cold, perspiring glass and watch passing shoppers while you enjoy no traffic, no smoking and the sun beating down on the street patio.

GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Many have long suggested that creating a pedestrian mall on Main Street in Moncton would liven up the downtown.
Where is this place? Could it be Main Street, Moncton?

This relaxing imagery is brought to you by those who feel transforming a portion of Main Street into a summertime pedestrian mall would offer a lively bar and restaurant scene, with shops galore.

The notion, proposed by a variety of parties on many occasions throughout the years, would close down Main from Lutz Street to Assomption Boulevard. There have been a number proposals varying on distance and times of closure, but the potential forerunner would lead to a 10-minute stroll down Main. The pedestrian mall would be home to renowned locations such as the Capitol Theatre, the Moncton Public Library, City Hall and all the bars, restaurants and cafes along the street. Assomption Boulevard and St. George Street would act as major roadways, compensating for the excess traffic.

For anyone who takes a minute to appreciate their surroundings, they would realize Main Street is full of stunning architecture encompassing the point where modernity and history meet. It also plays host to a vibrant social atmosphere that rivals any Atlantic city, especially during street closures for major events.

These major events is what prompted the idea for a permanent closure of Main Street. The desire is to continually replicate the same environment, specifically in the summer months.

Despite its beauty and charm, undertaking an extreme urban planning shift in the downtown core would be a mistake, some say.

According to Louis Léger, president of Downtown Moncton Centre-ville Inc. (DMCI), closing the street to traffic would not be smart for the sake of the downtown core and its 15,000 workers.

"We want more people to come downtown," said Léger. "We want lots of traffic downtown. So, that's a bit of a contradiction to closing downtown permanently.

Heidi Gregoire, manager of Timothy's World Coffee, disagrees and suggests creating a pedestrian mall would be a positive move.

"It would probably bring in different kinds of people, like tourists. I do know, in some places where they have a closed-down road, it brings in more people, there's more things do and there's more events more often. It becomes more open to having stuff like that down here," said Gregoire.

"You would have a little more freedom to walk around open space and not have the disruptions and street noises."

The ability to walk freely and peruse the street at will is an inviting thought. It would, in matter of speaking, create a social community on Main Street, something Melissa Bourbonnais, manager of Mexicali Rosa's, would like to see.

"It would it make Main Street be an actual main street," said Bourbonnais.

"As opposed to right now where it is not sure what it is and a lot of stores are closing down, and I think (closing Main) would bring them back."

The downtown Mexican restaurant is one of the many locations that offer a street patio in the summer, which is quite popular with patrons. She said the ability to expand into the street would do wonders for business.

Her eyes light up at the thought of the new tourist attraction. Her smile faltered slightly, however, with thought of how increased property value would affect her lease, but remained positive the city would not hinder the new development.

"There's always that fine line where they aren't going to break you. They want to keep you there and they want to keep that vibe going."

A small business' ability to cope with the drastic economic change in such markets has long been scrutinized. In similar pedestrian malls, for a variety of reasons, business plummeted forcing the departure of many small businesses.

Another issue in closing down Main Street is the potential traffic and accessibility problems. Roughly 12 per cent of the Metro Moncton population works in the downtown core, not to mention the thousands of citizens who visit Main Street daily. Eliminating 600 metres of a high-traffic street could pose potential problems, including safety issues.

City Councillor Pierre Boudreau cited access issues for police, ambulances and fire trucks at the forefront of the conversation against the pedestrian mall.

"When you're fighting a fire in one of those major buildings, every second - not minute - counts. It's just not one fire truck going down there," said Boudreau.

He believes the city should take more of a permissive attitude in closing down the street and focus primarily on major event closures. He also added how the current planning of a $100-million multi-use centre in the area overshadows any discussion for a pedestrian mall.

Stephen Clerke, manager of Gifts Galore and former DMCI president, said he never wants to see the road closed and cited high traffic as the key to his 26 years of success.

"We choose to be downtown because of its accessibility. Cars come and go very quickly. We have convenient parking on the corner of Lewis and Main that fits 70 cars, so people can run in and get their gift and get out really quick. It's because of that accessibility we are so successful," said Clerke.

"Whatever is in our window tonight is sold the next day and it's because of the hundreds and hundreds of cars that go by downtown. If you have that accessibility taken away from you, you have your business taken away from you as well."

While some citizens and store owners would enjoy closing the street to the city transit buses, Clerke embraces them.

"You want that bus to pull up, full of people, and see your street cafe and say 'hey, I got to go back there and buy their sandwiches there because I just drove by and saw it'. You wouldn't have seen it if that bus didn't come through."

Eliminating traffic would require a complete revamp of the city's transit map as 11 out of the 26 routes travel on this particular section of Main Street.

"You take away that energy," said Clerke in reference to traffic, "you take away the heart and soul of your downtown."

Parking concerns are also prevalent in the discussions. However, Clerke said there's ample parking to support the traffic.

"We have more parking spaces per capita than any city in Canada.

"They are sometimes around the building and you don't see the door, but we have more parking space per capita and anyone who is downtown educated knows of those spaces too."

Stephen Downes of the National Research Council of Canada, despite supporting the pedestrian mall, argued Moncton isn't structured to sustain it at the moment. He described how Moncton's low-density downtown core does not create the financial foundation for a pedestrian mall to flourish.

"City finances typically operate where the high-density core subsidizes the rest of the city. The tax values are higher, the tax returns are much higher and the money that needs to be spent on infrastructure is much lower per capita in a high-density area," said Downes.

"A pedestrian mall in a low-density downtown probably doesn't make sense, but a pedestrian mall in a high-density downtown makes a lot of sense and will provide a better return on investments and better city finances in the long-term."

He said designing the street to be closed in the summer and open to traffic in the winter to be the optimal solution in the short term to support the strong social and entertainment atmosphere.

However, Louis Léger asserted, again, that downtown Moncton is not just a place for entertainment - it's a place of work.

"We have 800 hotel rooms downtown. We have businesses downtown. We have restaurants downtown. It's a place of commerce. It's a place of trade. It's a business centre. Fundamentally, that's what downtown is."

The difference between other Atlantic pedestrian malls, such as Granville Mall (Halifax) and George Street (St. John's, N.L.), is their business cores are located in different sections of the respective cities.

These streets are relatively small and filled with restaurants, bars and specialty shops. Their business core is not hindered by a lack of traffic or accessibility issues. Unfortunately for Moncton, the two cores are intertwined - and, in the eyes of many, mutually beneficial.

----
Personally, I would not like to see Main St. close... I Love downtowns with high traffic, lots of city buses (lol), it creates an atmosphere like you see in big cities. Also, I fear that it would become desertic... which means business, shops, restaurants, and everything, gone. Nope, I don't like that idea :yuck:

MonctonRad

May 9, 2011, 9:13 PM

:previous:

This is a trial balloon that the T&T trots out every six months or so. I wish they would stop. This sort of mischief is a nuisance at best and somewhat dangerous at the worst. There is no justification for closing Main St. It is the major crosstown arterial. A closure of Main Street would impair access to downtown hotels and to all the downtown restaurants and pubs. It's precious difficult to convince city residents to travel downtown as it is. If you close Main, all you would end up doing is shifting all the traffic volume to Wheeler Blvd as people shuttle back and forth between Champlain Place and Trinity Drive. Downtown would just become a ghost town.

It's an asinine idea. The Transcript should let this particular sleeping dog lie!! :shrug:

BlackYear

May 9, 2011, 10:04 PM

Closing part of Main street for a summer pedestrian mall is a bad idea.

Closing part of Main street for festival days during the summer is a great idea. ie: car show, bike festival, summer concert events, CFL events, Canada day, etc.

One of the reasons why sidewalk patios like Mexicala Rosa are so attractive to consumers is because of Main st traffic. People like sitting there watching cars go by. Hot rod owners, motorcyclist and every else on wheels love to cruise downtown Main st. It's a cruising zone.

Take away the slow moving traffic of cars off Main st. and you'll end up having a dead downtown Main st. with inevitable rolling tumbleweeds.

mylesmalley

May 9, 2011, 10:53 PM

Metro Center, close down Main St, mega-concert at the Hill. Rinse. Repeat.

ithree

May 10, 2011, 1:47 AM

BlackYear

May 10, 2011, 2:11 AM

I always thought turning Main into a pedestrian mall was a bad idea as well, but what do you guys think of turning Main into a one way street with parking on one side? I think it would drive more people to shop downtown.

I don't see this being a big enough of an advantage that it will do much for increasing patrons downtown.

Vehicle traffic coming from the East is huge. Vehicle traffic coming from the West is also huge.

If you're going to make it a one way street, which way would you choose? Main St between Lutz and Assumption/Leslie is 2 lanes. So I assume one of these lanes is to be converted to a parking lane. How many cars can be parked between this space? 50 cars maybe, I don't know, I'm just guessing but I'm pretty such it's a pretty good guess.

Loosing an extremely high volume traffic lane to gain only 50 parking spots doesn't seem to worthy.

mylesmalley

May 10, 2011, 2:17 AM

More to the point, you'd need to offset a one way road with another one going in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, unlike Fredericton's Queen and Brunswick Sts, Moncton doesn't have several parallel arterials with the same level of access as Main.

The only road you could do that with would be Queen/Gordon, but it isn't built to the same standard, and has terrible access at either end. The only other real alternative would be St George, but that's far enough away that all you'd do is screw up the traffic patterns for the entire core of the city.

BlackYear

May 10, 2011, 2:23 AM

Shutting down vehicle traffic on Main St is not the answer to reinvigorate the downtown core. If you cut off the blood flow, you'll only end up destroying the cells, then the limbs.

MonctonRad

May 10, 2011, 3:08 AM

Shutting down vehicle traffic on Main St is not the answer to reinvigorate the downtown core. If you cut off the blood flow, you'll only end up destroying the cells, then the limbs.

Your atherosclerosis analogy is very appropriate! :tup:

More to the point, there is already ischemia downtown with Main Street being the only direct east-west route through the core. Mountain Road, St. George Street and Assomption Boulevard are merely collateral channels that provide only marginal circulatory support to the city centre.

By turning Main Street into a pedestrian mall, you would be converting a transportation network experiencing chronic ischemia (angina) into a crisis situation with acute thrombosis leading to frank infarction and death!

It wouldn't be a pretty sight! :cool:

Sony500

May 10, 2011, 11:58 AM

There is another reason that Main St. Can't be shut down or turned into a one way. Main St. is a main route for emergency vehicles. They can't use St. George or Gordon/Queen because of the railroad tracks. It wouldn't be good for the emergency vehicles to be stopped because of a train passing through.

mctnguy

May 10, 2011, 1:36 PM

Bath & Body Works is the latest major chain to announce Moncton plans; store to open in July
A8
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1404987

The retail landscape that slowed with the global economic downturn a few years ago appears to be heating back up, and things in Metro Moncton are looking especially bright.

Bath & Body Works is set to open in Champlain Place later this summer.

In the last few days, signage was put up in Champlain Place announcing that Bath & Body Works, a popular U.S. retail chain specializing in soaps, shower gels, lotions, candles and accessories, would be opening in the former People's jewelry location.

This isn't really news to fans of the chain who've been eagerly awaiting an official announcement after much speculation, but for the rest of you, now you know.

Sarah Cormier, a Riverview native, has been following the popular chain's Canadian Facebook page and was ecstatic to read that Moncton was chosen as the retailer's first foray into New Brunswick.

The 26-year-old has actually travelled to Bangor and to Halifax on different occasions to shop at Bath & Body Works stores.

"We go to Bangor to shop in general, but it's one of the highlights," she says. "Halifax though, I have made trips specifically to go to that store, and I know of others who have too."

She says her mother, friends and co-workers are all excited for the new shop.

"I think anyone that knows of the store or has been to one is excited," she says.

That's all well and good, but you might be wondering ... isn't it just soap?

"It is just soap, but it's inexpensive and smells delicious," Cormier says. "They make scents for different seasons, holidays ... The Christmas ones are really popular, and they're nice to have out when you have guests over around the holidays. Right now I am using 'Fresh Picked Strawberry,' my new favourite."

After singing the chain's praises, Cormier jokingly ponders whether Bath & Body Works salespeople make commission.

On its website, Bath & Body Works bills itself as a "21st century apothecary integrating health, beauty and well-being."

The company was founded in New Albany, Ohio in 1990 and now has more than 1,600 stores nationwide and several dozen in Canada.

Stephanie Hansen, marketing director with Cadillac Fairview, which owns Champlain Place, says there is a buzz surrounding the new store, which is set to open in July.

"Our customers are extremely excited," she says.

Kevin Silliker, the City of Moncton's director of business and tourism development, says Bath & Body Works is yet another sought-after retailer stepping into the city. But it's not the only one eyeing Moncton.

"The big franchises and the chains are again looking at expanding and looking at new communities and reinvesting in some of their existing properties as well," Silliker says. "There definitely has been a turnaround as far these franchises and national chains looking for new opportunities."

Silliker says he's been in talks with different retailers not already in Moncton who are planning visits this summer to check out the city with an eye on potential expansion.

"(They're) kind of gauging the Maritime market and taking a look at our offering here," he says.

There are also signs of life at the power centre development on Mapleton Road next to the Wheeler Boulevard exit, across from Costco. The development showed promise when construction started a few years ago, but stalled when the recession kept big box retailers away.

Silliker says developers with the project have said they plan to acquire building permits this year and have stores open next year. In addition, the International Council of Shopping Centers has its annual meetings coming up in Toronto and Montreal coming up and the city plans to be represented at both.

"A lot of the deals can be struck there," Silliker says, "but often it's relationships and relationship building that occurs there and is kind of nurtured."

Meanwhile, a Target store or two may be in Moncton's future. As has been previously reported, the U.S. retail giant plans to enter the Canadian market with more than 130 stores in 2013. Target bought 220 Zellers leaseholds in Canada and have plans for 100 to 150 stores in the near future. Target's executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Michael Francis visited Moncton with his team last month and while he made no promises regarding Target's potential future in the city, he had good things to say about our region, calling it a "great market."

"You've got a long history of being a vibrant retail community here," he said, citing the region's low unemployment rate, a growing micro-economic environment and the region's highest rate of population growth.

Kevin Silliker says his department's focus is still centred on attracting people to Moncton. He says retailers are well aware that Moncton draws in thousands of people from the Maritimes, Quebec and New England for major concerts like the U2 show on July 30 and sport events like CFL Touchdown Atlantic II on Sept. 25.

"We know that retail likes to be where people are, so if we can continue to grow our population and see the expansion of our community, then we know the retail community is going to take interest," he says.

I'm happy to see that we might get some development on the site across from Costco!

curious

May 10, 2011, 6:51 PM

How are we supposed to develop our downtown core when we keep allowing these big box stores form outlets? Why doesn't the mayor or however make them open stores downtown instead? Maybe making main street a oneway street maybe a good idea (not sure) but right now it is horrible. Sight for sore eyes.

"The big franchises and the chains are again looking at expanding and looking at new communities and reinvesting in some of their existing properties as well," Silliker says. "There definitely has been a turnaround as far these franchises and national chains looking for new opportunities."

Silliker says he's been in talks with different retailers not already in Moncton who are planning visits this summer to check out the city with an eye on potential expansion.

"(They're) kind of gauging the Maritime market and taking a look at our offering here," he says.

There are also signs of life at the power centre development on Mapleton Road next to the Wheeler Boulevard exit, across from Costco. The development showed promise when construction started a few years ago, but stalled when the recession kept big box retailers away.

Silliker says developers with the project have said they plan to acquire building permits this year and have stores open next year. In addition, the International Council of Shopping Centers has its annual meetings coming up in Toronto and Montreal coming up and the city plans to be represented at both.

"A lot of the deals can be struck there," Silliker says, "but often it's relationships and relationship building that occurs there and is kind of nurtured."

Meanwhile, a Target store or two may be in Moncton's future. As has been previously reported, the U.S. retail giant plans to enter the Canadian market with more than 130 stores in 2013. Target bought 220 Zellers leaseholds in Canada and have plans for 100 to 150 stores in the near future. Target's executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Michael Francis visited Moncton with his team last month and while he made no promises regarding Target's potential future in the city, he had good things to say about our region, calling it a "great market."

"You've got a long history of being a vibrant retail community here," he said, citing the region's low unemployment rate, a growing micro-economic environment and the region's highest rate of population growth.

Kevin Silliker says his department's focus is still centred on attracting people to Moncton. He says retailers are well aware that Moncton draws in thousands of people from the Maritimes, Quebec and New England for major concerts like the U2 show on July 30 and sport events like CFL Touchdown Atlantic II on Sept. 25.

"We know that retail likes to be where people are, so if we can continue to grow our population and see the expansion of our community, then we know the retail community is going to take interest," he says.

I'm happy to see that we might get some development on the site across from Costco![/QUOTE]

Lrdevlop

May 10, 2011, 8:15 PM

Relish changes course
Published Tuesday May 10th, 2011

Gourmet burger restaurant still coming to Moncton, but to new venue
C2
By James Foster
Times & Transcript Staff

A minor hiccup has delayed the arrival of Relish Gourmet Burgers in Moncton, but they're still coming, and soon, chain owner Rivers Corbett says.

GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
The gourmet burger restaurant Relish is set to move into this location on the corner of St. George and Archibald streets in Moncton.
"It's been an incredible journey," Corbett says of the chain's impending arrival in Metro.

"I do lots of social media, and there's been a ton of Facebook and Twitter messages coming to us from Moncton."

Relish was set to open this spring on Main Street with a Saint John franchisee at the helm. That's now changed and Relish will open by July 1 "at the latest" at 239 St. George St., a location that is quickly turning into one of the hippest in Metro Moncton. The restaurant will be operated by a father and son team originally from Richibucto.

"They're the ones who found that location and I'm just tickled pink with it," Corbett said yesterday of the corner lot amid exceptional foot and vehicle traffic with neighbours that range from an art gallery to a trendy café to an imported foods grocer. It's also an easy walk from Main Street, located at the intersection of Archibald and St. George streets.

Construction of the new restaurant started yesterday.

Relish - "it's a verb, not a noun," Corbett says - has created a buzz since it single-handedly created a market for upscale hamburgers in Fredericton with its first restaurant last year. Another restaurant opened in Oromocto soon after, followed by one in Saint John. Each has surpassed sales targets, so far.

This is not your granddad's burger joint. The grilled patties are fashioned from beef, turkey or vegetables and topped with ingredients you won't find anywhere else, such as avocado, brie, bell peppers, kalamata olives and tzatziki sauce, to cite just a few examples.

When KISS rocker Gene Simmons came to Moncton for a business speech earlier this year, he and movie starlet wife Shannon Tweed stopped in for a Relish burger and Tweeted to the world what an amazing taste experience Relish Gourmet Burgers provided.

Since then, it seems everyone wants a Relish burger. But they'll have to wait, as Corbett and his business partner are determined to follow a phased rollout of the franchises, first across the Maritimes, then into New England and points west. Their goal is to have 11 franchises either started or committed this year and they are half way to that goal this morning with commitments from franchisees in Miramichi and Antigonish, N.S. As well, he's talking this morning with potential partners in Halifax and tomorrow with potential investors in Charlottetown.

In 10 years, they expect to have 101 franchises in the U.S. and Canada, including up to three in Metro Moncton alone.

"Why 101? Because we live by the philosophy that we zig when everyone else zags," Corbett laughs. "Everybody else might aim for 100. We're going for 101."

The gourmet burger trend is well entrenched throughout most of Canada and the U.S., but not here on the east coast. Corbett and his partner Chef Ray Henry saw the opportunity to beat their competition to the punch.

The marketplace is already awash in price-point burgers where sandwiches are available for two or three dollars, often less. Relish Gourmet Burgers makes no pretense that it will compete on price, with a burger alone in the $8 range and combos for about $13, for a burger that Relish vows will be the best you've ever tasted or ever will taste, anywhere.

"It's all based on being a destination, not a convenience," Corbett says.

Learn more at www.relishme.ca.

Lrdevlop

May 10, 2011, 8:27 PM

Moncton Airport ready to take on big leagues
Published Tuesday May 10th, 2011

With runway extension, Greater Moncton International Airport could compete with New York, Montréal, Boston
A1
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

In the past couple of years, the Greater Moncton International Airport Authority has said it was working on improving the cargo side of the industry. Now, with the fruition of an estimated $24-million upgrade, the airport's president and CEO says Moncton will have a chance to rival internationally renowned airports.

GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Rob Robichaud
"This puts us in a new game and takes us to a new level," Rob Robichaud said yesterday during the airport's annual general meeting. "We have not worked very hard in the past 14 years on cargo so now we want to shift our focus and start bringing them up, along with our strong passenger contingent."

The upgrade will extend runway 06/24 by another 4,000 feet, to 10,000 feet, the length needed to accommodate larger cargo aircraft. This will be a first for Atlantic Canada, as the Halifax Stanfield International Airport has yet to extend a runway to such length.

Robichaud said the project is expected to begin next spring and be completed by the fall of 2013. He joked that this again harbours the notion of Moncton and Halifax as duelling cities.

"I've been told by one sales agent in Halifax that whoever reaches the 10,000 feet in Atlantic Canada first, wins.

"Most of the world's large aircraft are looking for that length as a minimum as they can actually take off and go to the destination with full fuel, full cargo and they do not have to trade one off from the other," Robichaud said. "There's no worry of refuelling half of the way or three-quarters of the way there."

Robichaud and the authority believe that it doesn't make sense that Atlantic Canada produces 50 per cent of the country's exported seafood, yet 80 per cent of it is shipped first to Montréal or Boston, before it's sent to Europe.

The airport has a trans-shipment concept in place which allows it to bring goods in bond and accept goods in bond and "aircraft can come into Moncton and make it a one-stop shop," Robichaud said.

By working with the trucking industry, the Moncton Airport will be able to cut cost and time, which Robichaud said is good for both the shippers and consumers.

"We are much cheaper in terms of landing fees compared to La Guardia Airport and JFK International Airport (both in New York) by a long margin, and we can get the goods into the warehouses faster by working with the trucking industry."

Although the goals for Moncton Airport's cargo growth make sense, the challenge is to be recognized by the rest of the world. Robichaud said that people have been working the same way in the cargo industry for 40 to 50 years and a change will be slow-going.

The extended runway will also minimize noise as the planes will take off in the other direction, flying only over a small portion of Dieppe.

Lastly, because of its positioning, it will fare better in threat of cancellations during a storm.

The annual meeting also reported that financially, 2010 was better than the previous year.

The airport saw growth from 551,000 passengers in 2009 to 553,000 in 2010, and an increase of about 2,000 metric tonnes of handled cargo.

There was a 25 per cent increase in net earnings, as a result of increased passenger flight costs and airport parking.

The reparation of a runway intersection came in under budget, at about $5 million.

Another positive of 2010 was the partnership with Porter Airlines, which began in June.

"We were very fortunate this past year to attract our newest partner, Porter Airlines, and my spies tell me they are doing extremely well and are very satisfied with the progress in our market," Robichaud said.

The airport was successful at sun destination flights through WestJet and Sunwing Vacations, with non-stops to Orlando and Montego Bay, Jamaica, but did not sway a partner to secure a flight straight to St. John's, N.L.

The link to Newfoundland, additional sun destinations, elevated frequency of established routes and a freight service to Europe and Asia, round out the goals for 2011.
------------------
Here is the link to the whole report! http://gmia.ca/english/corp/pdf/2010.pdf

MonctonRad

May 10, 2011, 10:10 PM

There are also signs of life at the power centre development on Mapleton Road next to the Wheeler Boulevard exit, across from Costco. The development showed promise when construction started a few years ago, but stalled when the recession kept big box retailers away.

Silliker says developers with the project have said they plan to acquire building permits this year and have stores open next year. In addition, the International Council of Shopping Centers has its annual meetings coming up in Toronto and Montreal coming up and the city plans to be represented at both.

Good news about the Mapleton Power Centre. A lot of the stores that were to move in there have drifted to other parts of the city but Best Buy and The Brick may still be possibilities. If a couple of anchors like that move in, then the rest of the development might be saved. :tup:

q12

May 11, 2011, 12:49 AM

Moncton Airport ready to take on big leagues
Published Tuesday May 10th, 2011

With runway extension, Greater Moncton International Airport could compete with New York, Montréal, Boston
A1
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

The upgrade will extend runway 06/24 by another 4,000 feet, to 10,000 feet, the length needed to accommodate larger cargo aircraft. This will be a first for Atlantic Canada, as the Halifax Stanfield International Airport has yet to extend a runway to such length.:koko:

Robichaud said the project is expected to begin next spring and be completed by the fall of 2013. He joked that this again harbours the notion of Moncton and Halifax as duelling cities.

"I've been told by one sales agent in Halifax that whoever reaches the 10,000 feet in Atlantic Canada first, wins.

:previous:
Who wrote this garbage? Halifax is extending it's runway at the same time to 10,500 ft and already has a 8,800 ft runway that can currently handle any aircraft.

Also last time I checked Goose Bay is in Atlantic Canada and has a runway with a length of over 11,000 ft.

What exactly would Moncton win anyway? No offense to Moncton but it's airport is mostly a joke compared to Stanfield or any other airport listed above in "New York, Montréal, or Boston"

Here is a much better article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/05/10/nb-moncton-runway-cargo-633.html

And a recent story on Stanfield.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1241854.html

MonctonRad

May 11, 2011, 1:27 AM

q12

May 11, 2011, 1:44 AM

:previous:

I agree that the CBC article was more balanced and was devoid of the typical T&T hyperbole.

I do take some umbrage however with your assertion that the GMIA is a "joke" compared to Halifax Stanfield.

At least in air cargo, it's nearly a wash. 28k tonnes of air freight is not that much different from 24.5k tonnes.......

With both airports getting 10,000 foot runways, the two airports will remain competitive in the air freight business. One could argue that the GMIA has an advantage in being closer to the population centres in the northeast.

Stanfield does blow the socks off of the GMIA in terms of passenger volume (about 7X greater), and that is not likely to change. I will be happy if the GMIA can solidify it's #2 position in the Maritimes for passenger volume. A direct service to NF, western Canada and to Boston (to complement our existing NYC route) would be sufficient for me.

When you throw in the flight college, the Transport Canada operations centre, the RCMP flight ops centre, the air ambulance service, and the Nav Can regional air traffic control centre, and I bet you that pound for pound the air industry in Moncton is just as important to our economy as Stanfield is to Halifax.:tup:

I agree that there is not a huge difference in cargo business at the moment. Although Halifax has better infrastructure at the airport to handle cargo.

Here is an idea on how big Stanfield is to Halifax's economy. There are about 13,500 jobs that are attributable to the Airport, which accounts for 3.0 per cent of employment in Nova Scotia and figures from 2009 show Halifax Stanfield is worth over $1.22 billion to Nova Scotia economy on an annual basis.

http://www.hiaa.ca/default.asp?id=190&pagesize=1&sfield=content.id&search=1231&mn=70.1.262.291.644

mylesmalley

May 11, 2011, 4:00 AM

It's generally wise to take anything published in the T&T with a hefty grain of salt.

Sunnybrae

May 11, 2011, 5:29 PM

Does the GMIA have cargo facilities? I once heard about the "Greater Moncton Airport Cargo Village" back in 2002. Did that get built?

Oh, never mind, the GMIA website mentions that there are incentives for companies looking to build facilities at the airport.

I just check out the Gateway Facilities ULC website at Stanfield. WOW..... what a facility!

MonctonRad

May 11, 2011, 9:04 PM

:previous:

Both FedEx and Purolator have their own cargo handling and trans-shipment facilities on the Champlain St. side of the airport. You often see their cargo jets on the tarmac there as you drive by. I think the other major carrier into the airport is DHL. I'm not sure what they have for facilities but I think it is in one of the old hangars on Aviation Blvd.

One of the major projects at the airport now is the extension of Aviation Blvd. that's where the new Malley Industries manufacturing facility is located. The airport wants to turn this area into an air industrial park. It will be interposed between the TCH and the runway extension that will be constructed by 2013. The lots on the extension will have direct access to the airport tarmac. I'm sure that this area will be marketed for additional air cargo growth.

LeeLynn

May 11, 2011, 10:23 PM

Hey,
Does anyone know which company is building the k-8 school in Riverview?

MonctonRad

May 12, 2011, 12:08 AM

Hey,
Does anyone know which company is building the k-8 school in Riverview?

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

I don't think we are that far along in the process. The province has just barely purchased the land for the school. I imagine it won't be for another 6-12 months before any decision is made.

MonctonRad

May 13, 2011, 1:00 AM

Odds & ends from today's T&T:

Density changes requested for development
Published Thursday May 12th, 2011
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Waterstone Developments and Magnetic Hill Golf & Country Club are asking the City of Moncton for some changes to accommodate new plans for the Mountain Woods Golf Club and Residential Community.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=682397&size=400x0
GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Waterstone Developments and Magnetic Hill Golf & Country club are seeking to make changes to land to be developed west of Auberry Court in the north end of Moncton.

Waterstone Developments and Magnetic Hill Golf & Country club are seeking to make changes to land to be developed west of Auberry Court in the north end of Moncton. The changes, if approved, would increase the density of one part of the development and reduce the density in another.

In one section, the developers would like to amend their original plan for 72 units of multi-unit housing to allow the construction of buildings that would ultimately hold 96 units.

In the other section, the developers are now envisioning a less dense development, seeking a rezoning from a multiple unit designation to a residential designation.

Instead of apartment buildings, they want to erect townhouses and semi-detached homes that will fit in with the existing homes on current streets in the aera, Auberry, Chateau and Colby.

Housing developments that offer adjacent golf courses have been popular as baby boomers have gotten older and Metro Moncton has several such communities at various stages of development.

Royal Oaks and Fox Creek golf courses both offer a variety of upscale homes for residents around their perimeters and within their boundaries.

In Riverview, the members of the Moncton Golf and Country Club voted unanimously last year to pursue a deal with a developer to ultimately build close to 150 homes and 100 condominium units at their course.

New Riverview liquor store opens Monday
Published Thursday May 12th, 2011
Times & Transcript Staff

It's out with the old and in with the new at NB Liquor's Coverdale Road location in Riverview.

The store closes forever on Saturday at 9 p.m. and their new location on Findlay Boulevard opens on Monday morning at 10 a.m.

The new store will offer a wider variety of products and will be open on Sundays as well, corporation spokeswoman Nora Lacey says, but not this Sunday as staff will be using the day to move everything from the old store to the new one.

The outlet will offer 1,625 different products, including 785 brands of wine, 500 spirits, 240 types of cold beer and 100 ready-to-drink products.

The current Riverview liquor store opened in January 2001 in a brand new building after leaving its longtime home in the Riverview Mall.

NB Liquor said last year it was moving because it wanted a larger store and because of increasing traffic in the Findlay Park retail node in the south of the town.

The new store is about 10,400 square feet (966 square metres), roughly 3,000 square feet (280 square metres) larger than the current store.

Permits record set
Published Thursday May 12th, 2011
By Eric lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

The City of Dieppe marked the best April on record for building permits in its history.

A total of 65 building permits were issued valued at $14,258,995.

Meanwhile, the City of Moncton issued 89 permits valued at $10,817,410, and the Town of Riverview issued 31 valued at $4,769,665.

"This was the best April we have ever seen in Dieppe as well as our second-best beginning of the year for the period of January to April," said Mayor Jean LeBlanc. "I'm particularly pleased that the commercial sector has shown its strength for the second month in a row with a value of $8,413,562 for April compared to $4,642,179 in the previous month."

Dieppe's commercial sector saw 10 building permits issued. Highlights include a major expansion project for the Irving Group's head office and a permit for the new NB Liquor retail store on Dieppe Boulevard valued at more than $700,000.

The residential sector continued to see growth with 55 building permits at a value of $5,845,433.

During the first four months of 2011, 133 building permits have been issued at a total value of $24,918,072.

Kevin Silliker, Moncton's director of business and tourism development, says the city is off to a good start, with $66 million in permits already issued, making this the city's second-best year-to-date showing so far.

"The interesting thing for me is it's really a balance of projects," including those from the residential, commercial and industrial sectors, Silliker says.

The city issued $17 million in residential permits this year by the end of April, $12 million in commercial and $30 million in industrial.

Some of the commercial highlights from April include a new strip mall under construction on Mountain Road across from Barnaby's Furniture and a convenience store/car wash also on Mountain. The Bank of Montreal is undergoing renovations and Moncton Headstart received a permit to reconstruct a portion of its roof. Moncton issued 50 residential permits in April, totalling $6,673,818.

Riverview issued permits in April for 10 new duplexes, totalling 20 units valued at nearly $3 million. The town issued a total of 50 permits valued at more than $6 million by the end of April.

In the unincorporated areas surrounding Metro Moncton, 26 permits were issued last month valued at nearly $3 million.

mylesmalley

May 13, 2011, 1:27 AM

Interesting about that Irving mention. They did a bunch of work there two years ago, but it seemed all they did was expand their parking lot. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

josh_cat_eyes

May 13, 2011, 7:51 AM

Funny, no mention of the developments at mountain and evergreen.

pierremoncton

May 13, 2011, 1:28 PM

There was some type of ground work yesterday on the property where condos were meant to be built at Main/Harper.

The two-year agreement with the city expired a few months ago, and there's been no follow-up on the project. Anyone with news?

MonctonRad

May 13, 2011, 3:00 PM

Interesting about that Irving mention. They did a bunch of work there two years ago, but it seemed all they did was expand their parking lot. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

I agree. I was under the assumption that they were going to roughly double the size of their building a couple of years ago, but all they ended up doing was moving some dirt around and expand their parking. Perhaps it's finally going to happen.

Funny, no mention of the developments at mountain and evergreen.

The comment re: the convenience store/car wash on Mountain Road does concern the new Irving/Circle K at Mountain/Evergreen. It does appear that this development will include a carwash. Construction BTW is going along like gangbusters!

There was some type of ground work yesterday on the property where condos were meant to be built at Main/Harper.

The two-year agreement with the city expired a few months ago, and there's been no follow-up on the project. Anyone with news?

No idea, but it is good news that you saw some sort of digging going on at the site. Perhaps there is something afoot.

MonctonRad

May 13, 2011, 8:36 PM

There is some activity going on next to the Royal Bank on the corner of Gorge and Mountain. I would say that the new Second Cup standalone cafe will soon be under construction.

It's going to be a busy year at that intersection...... :)

MonctonRad

May 14, 2011, 1:46 PM

Abridged from today's T&T:

Rogers to create 191 new Metro jobs
Published Saturday May 14th, 2011

Communications giant to hire new workers for Moncton call centre
by JORDAN PARKER
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT staff

Rogers Communications has announced it will be hiring 191 new customer service representatives for its customer care centre in downtown Moncton.

The centre, located on Westmorland Street, is set to welcome the new reps in the coming months.

This hiring initiative is the company's response to customer demand in the area.

"There are more people to serve and customers have more questions we need to answer," says Staniec.

"We get funding based on the needs from the population."

The company already has several hundred employees at its Moncton contact centre, but Staniec said there's room for more.

"There is a natural turnover in call centres. We need to replace them and offer up more people," says Staniec.

"Despite some real estate issues, there'll be a place for these people."

Lisa Pooley, director of wireless tech support, also says space will not be an issue.

"There's definitely room. People need to remember it is a call centre," says Pooley.

"In the tech department we're here 24 hours a day. There are definitely seats."

Pooley is excited about what this means for Moncton.

"This is great for the city. Our customer base is growing," she says.

"There's a need for employees who are customer-focused."

She says more jobs will be good for Moncton.

"It's great for the economy. It's good to see growth in Atlantic Canada. It warms my heart," says Pooley.

Anne Poirier Basque, executive director of Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville, also says the new jobs are a good thing.

She says it will be "very positive for downtown."

"It adds to the vibrancy. It's always a welcome addition for restaurant and bar owners."

New hires will receive a $1,000 signing bonus given to all new call centre representatives.

Rogers also offers a competitive starting salary, a wide range of benefits, 50 per cent discounts on Rogers services, and the chance to join share and pension plans.

Personal note - I guess the rumours about the demise of the call centre industry were premature. If I recall, this is the third announcement in the last several months concerning major workforce expansions in this sector in the Moncton region. In total, I think that this is over 500 new jobs in this sector alone so far this year. This will definitely be good for the economy. :)

David_99

May 14, 2011, 2:34 PM

Damn, I was hoping they'd grow out of their location and move to the Emmerson Business Park or to at least a taller building downtown.

MonctonRad

May 14, 2011, 2:46 PM

Things are hopping at the GMIA

- The main 8,000 foot east/west runway (11/29) at the GMIA will be closed this summer for a $20M resurfacing project. All traffic will be diverted to the secondary 6,000 foot north/south runway (06/24) for the duration.

- Next year, it will be 06/24 that will receive all the attention as it will be extended to 10,000 feet. This project is also worth over $20M and will allow fully fueled and fully loaded cargo jumbo jets to take off from the airport. This is an important project in that it will allow the GMIA to remain competitive in the air freight business (same capabilities as Halifax Stanfield).

- At the same time, work will be ongoing with regard to the extension of Aviation Blvd to the north of the main terminal building, and the development of an air industrial park with direct taxiway access.

Highlights from the GMIA annual report for 2010:

- Passenger traffic up 7% to 553,000 people.
- Cargo business up 6% to 24k tonnes.
- Addition of Porter Airlines to the stable of carriers servicing the airport.
- New WestJet seasonal services to Montego Bay and Orlando.
- Rebuilding of the intersection of 06/24 and 11/29 ($5M project).

by 2015, the GMIA hopes to increase passenger volumes to 650,000/yr and increase freight to 32k tonnes/yr.

The airport had net earnings (profit) of $2.1M last year.

The report states that the GMIA contributes more than $380M to the provincial economy on an annual basis.

Personal note - to the last point, in an earlier post on this thread, q12 (rightfully) stated that Halifax Stanfield was an important economic generator for HRM, contributing $1.22B to the local economy. This works out to about $3,050 per capita (given a metro population of about 400k).

If you do the same exercise for Moncton, an economic contribution of $380M to a metro population of 137k works out to $2,773 per capita.

The GMIA therefore is nearly as important (91%) on a per capita basis to the Moncton economy as Halifax Stanfield is to the HRM.

:banana::banana::banana:

porchmouse

May 16, 2011, 3:04 PM

Here’s a few pics taken over the weekend to show you what’s happening in Moncton North.

#1. Construction behind the RBC branch at the corner of Gorge and Mountain Road. There is definitely an entrance/exit being cleared to help with traffic flow onto Gorge Road. A traffic light will be placed a the corner of Evergreen and Mountain Road. The sooner, the better as it’s only a matter of time before there is an accident. There is supposed to be a drive-thru Second Cup opening as well somewhere in this location. At this time I am not sure if it will be behind the RBC or to the right of it.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5726717240_a9bfb1c9aa.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5726717396_4cee1e2628.jpg

#2. The new Irving at the corner of Evergreen and Mountain Road. On Sunday, part of Evergreen was blocked off as they were working on this project. I am assuming they were working yesterday because if they tried to block off Evergreen during a weekday it would be a complete nightmare. Does anyone know if the Irving at Trinity and Mountain Road will be closing? This was the rumour I heard. Next time I am in the store I will ask the staff.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/5726717578_486c0ec97a.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/5726160861_0f7b251944.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5726717914_078e9601b4.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2355/5726161281_e9b2ed1765.jpg

#3. The strip mall development in the lot next to Wheatons. Time will tell to see how many strip malls we can support. Currently there’s the one that houses the Lighting Centre and Jitterbean Café. There’s a new one going up a the corner of Mountain Road and Hildegarde. As well now there is this one going up next to Wheatons. I would love to see a Quiznos up this way. On a side note, Jitterbean Café has extended their hours. They are now open Thursdays and Fridays until 9pm and Saturdays and Sundays until 6pm. With Second Cup opening as well they may need to look at extending their hours even further.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5726718460_ddf02a7bf1.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/5726161787_fd6f3c1a6d.jpg

#4. Mapleton Road Dental Centre. This is an updated photo of the new building on Mapleton Road. Based on current reports, hopefully some of the retail development on Mapleton will soon get underway as well. Fingers crossed.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5726719162_92d4d180c3.jpg

I've got one more piece of news but I'll save it for a separate post.

Cheers,

porchmouse

May 16, 2011, 3:09 PM

I felt that these two pics deserved their own post. Kings Ice Cream has been located at the corner of Mountain Road and Hildegarde for as long as I can remember. This season they are in a new location due to the construction of the new strip mall at Mountain Road and Hildegarde. When I was out taking pics yesterday I noticed something very interesting - a second ice cream stand pretty much directly across the street from the new Kings location. How bizarre. I’m not a huge ice cream eater but Kings prices are somewhat high so perhaps instead of a gas war this summer we will see an ice cream war. Stay tuned…

This pic shows Kings Ice Cream at their new location on Mountain Road next to Jean Coutu.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/5726161927_bfefd197ca.jpg

Here we have another “Dairy Bar” across the street just before Lonsdale.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5209/5726718998_7bbb8b12df.jpg

That’s all for now.

If anyone has any photo requests let me know and I will see what I can do.

Cheers again,

MonctonRad

May 17, 2011, 12:01 AM

:previous:

Nice pics porchmouse. It's will be amusing to see the ice cream shack wars that will be ongoing on Mountain Road this summer! :haha:
This BTW constitutes a new low point in terms of "development related news" on this thread...... (just kidding :D)

and in other news:

City seeks input on Evergreen Park rec centre
Published Monday May 16th, 2011

Public meeting to be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. to share ideas for centre
by brent mazerolle
Times & transcript staff

Back when Evergreen Park and the various housing developments surrounding it was mostly all still woods, a sign went up showing an artist's conception of what the area would look like some day in the future. Prominent in the illustration was a community recreation centre.

Now, more than three decades later, such a facility is inching closer to reality.

A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday night at Evergreen Park School, 333 Evergreen Drive. The meeting, which starts at 7 p.m., is to seek community input.

What do you want to see in a new recreation facility in the city's north end? This is your chance to tell the City of Moncton what you think and share your ideas.

While a community centre recreation facility tends to most directly benefit the neighbourhood it is in, city owned facilities are generally a benefit to all city residents.

Therefore, the City of Moncton is encouraging all interested citizens to attend the meeting.

The idea of a community recreation centre has not been limited to an artist concept on a billboard all these years, of course.

People have been talking about it for many years, but the desperate need for new schools in the burgeoning area has tended to overshadow other community concerns.

With the schools problem almost solved - the English language K-8 school Northrop Frye is ready for the area's children as soon as Moncton High School can give it back to them, and the French language school project is under way - now's the time to look at other community needs.

Moncton city council has pencilled in about $3 million over the next few years toward the cost of such a facility, but there is still of course much to be done.

The idea, which fits into the city's Recreation Master Plan, has been championed by the ward's two city councillors Brian Hicks and Daniel Bourgeois, and is closely aligned with Mayor George LeBlanc's election platform of improving quality of life in the city.

But as was seen with the Crossman Community Centre Kay Arena project in east Moncton, it will likely take a concerted grassroots community effort to see such a project through.

The story of the Crossman Kay is now a local legend of grassroots democracy and advocacy. When the neighbourhood was threatened with losing its community recreation and gathering space, it dug into its own pockets and convinced three levels of government to dig into theirs. It has taken almost a decade of hard work and passion by a lot of people, but this year the last phase of a bigger better community centre will finally be completed.

The idea of doing something similar uptown is still in its infancy - even what form the facility might take is still up for discussion, but a small core group of private citizens is taking the first baby steps.

The first money set aside for a new north-end community centre is in 2014, but Bourgeois has urged city staff to start looking for land for such a facility this year, before all the useable land in the crowded northwest end gets used up.

It's not necessarily a matter of purchasing land. It may be simply a matter of ensuring that the land that developers are required to provide to the city for public purposes includes some that would be a good location for a community centre. But even before that happens, what the city is really looking for now is even more input from citizens.

personal note - I have lived in this area for nearly 22 years. Evergreen Park School was built about 15 years ago and it was not long after this that the idea of a community centre for the north end was floated around. Originally the idea was to put it behind the new school. Nothing happened, and the city first seemed to concentrate it's efforts on the 4-Ice Centre and the CN Sportplex. Then the Kay/Crossman Community Centre and Arena in the east end became the priority of the city. By the time the north end regained the city's attention, all the land around Evergreen Park School had been gobbled up by subdivisions.

It sounds like the city still wants to build it in the Evergreen Park/Kingwood area. The Northrup Frye School area certainly is a little remote from the majority of the north end population. I have a strong suspicion that if this project goes ahead, it will be located near the new roundabout at Ryan/Horsman. This will place it close to the new French K-8 school. This area would be easily road accessible and still not too far from Evergreen Park.

As to what the complex should contain; a rink would be nice as well as a gymnasium, walking/jogging track and community meeting rooms. In an ideal world, an indoor pool would be an excellent addition. Playing fields may not be necessary. The city already has plenty of those and the Crossman Centre makes do without any fields.

Any thoughts anybody?

porchmouse

May 17, 2011, 12:55 AM

Haha, no worries MonctonRad. Just like Field of Dreams..."if you build it, they will come." Too much ice cream in Moncton North.

On another note, I stopped in to the Irving tonight at Trinity and Mountain Road. The staff there said that their location will be staying open and will be 24/7 along with the new location at Evergreen and Mountain Road. I would *hope* that they would be in the loop if the location was actually going to close. Only time will tell.

MonctonRad

May 18, 2011, 9:51 PM

There are lots of stakes going in along the north side of Mountain Road at Evergreen and Gorge. You can clearly see where they are planning to widen the street in preparation for the installation of turning lanes.

The sooner the better. I'm just waiting for the first fatal collision to occur.

mylesmalley

May 18, 2011, 10:25 PM

Widening it to add a left turning lane?

MonctonRad

May 19, 2011, 12:50 AM

:previous:

I think maybe both a left turning lane and a right turning lane (at least westbound).

MonctonRad

May 20, 2011, 3:22 AM

North-end residents say community centre needed
Published Thursday May 19th, 2011

Around 100 people gather to discuss future plans for neighbourhood
By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff

Moncton city recreation planners will have lots to digest after last night's public meeting to discuss a community centre for the city's north end. Close to 100 people, including many youngsters, filed into the Evergreen Park School to offer their perception of a multi-purpose community centre and what it should have.

The responses were many and varied, from an indoor year-round skateboard park for bikes, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor tennis, badminton and basketball courts to swimming pool, children's play area, library and rooms that different groups could use to gather.

The north-end sector of the city is the fastest-growing residential area with more growth on the horizon. It has its own schools, churches and businesses nearby but no meeting ground or activity/recreation centre to serve the community and city council seems willing to change that.

Council has set aside money towards the future project under the parks and recreation master plan but wanted to know first what the people wanted in a centre. Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc and councillors Brian Hicks, Daniel Bourgeois, Paul Pellerin, Nancy Hoar and Kathryn Barnes were in attendance, along with city staff including Rod Higgins, director of parks and leisure services and staff.

Hicks reminded the residents to "think outside the box" and be innovative. This is an opportunity to do something unique, he said. Bourgeois added this step was the most important in the process.

Think four seasons, think village, community neighbourhood, said Jocelyn Cohoon, director of leisure services. The selection of a site for the planned centre will depend on what people want in their community and the land that is available, he added.

Michelle McAloon, project co-ordinator with the department, said community centres are the heart of a community, the anchor that holds it together.

After ideas were discussed, Higgins said all suggestions will be reviewed and that the city will schedule another public meeting to discuss the findings.

Russ Millard, who was involved in the 1999 millennium project and subsequent effort to build a playground prior to the construction of the Evergreen Park School, was pleased with the efforts of the city and turnout. Moncton developer and area resident Kevin Carson agreed, saying the city hasn't place enough emphasis in the past on community centres and their impact on a community, including raising the value of city properties. But it will take time, he warned. Efforts by residents in east Moncton to create the Crossman Community Centre Kay Arena project took six years and support from different levels of government to achieve.

Personal note - It sounds like some good ideas were brought up at this information session. I must admit, a satellite public library never occurred to me but it is a good idea. The neighbourhood is about 10 km from downtown and the main library at Blue Cross can be inconvenient to get to. A new library though would be a very expensive proposition. Still, a good idea. :tup:

I wonder about the possibility of including some commercial ventures in this proposal; eg - a coffee shop or small restaurant. This could complement an arena/sports complex (with meeting rooms and a library) quite well.....

MonctonRad

May 20, 2011, 10:49 PM

Does downtown Moncton need more one-way streets?
Published Friday May 20th, 2011

Business group polling members on move, which would create parking spaces
BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Incorporated is polling its membership - the business owners big and small in downtown Moncton - on the merits of reducing several downtown streets to one-way traffic.

The rationale behind the idea is the lane reductions would allow more on-street parking, something DMCI's leadership believes is key to helping downtown businesses draw more customers, especially on Main Street itself where none exists.

A survey sent out this week asks, "are you in favour of Main Street being transformed as a one-way street (west to east) from Highfield Street to Lewis Street/Assumption Boulevard in order to allow on-street parking between these two intersections?"

The next question asks respondents if they would be in favour of making Queen Street between Lewis and Highfield one-way in the opposite direction.

A third question polls them on their willingness to see some of the north-south connectors such as Botsford, Alma and Church also become one-ways to create even more parking.

"The issue is location, location, location," says Louis Leger, president of DMCI.

"No one disagrees we have lots of downtown parking, but in business, location is everything."

Leger says that the walk from some of that parking in big lots and the municipal parking garage to the heart of Main Street may not be far, but it is a disincentive for many. Having at least some parking right on Main Street, metered so everyone has a fair chance at finding a spot, gives people a chance to dash in and out of a place if they need to.

"I think we need that tactical parking," Leger says.

If that helped small businesses do better business downtown, that would itself increase the character of the downtown.

He says it also allows all the other business of downtown to go on without as much interruption as would happen if another popular idea was tried - closing a stretch of Main Street to vehicle traffic altogether to create a pedestrian mall.

While shops and restaurants make a downtown vibrant, "fundamentally, the core business of downtown is business," Leger says. "If we didn't have that base of 15,000 people coming downtown to work every day, nothing else would matter."

Saying that needs to continue, Leger added, "a pedestrian mall makes access more difficult. It might be good on weekends, but Monday-Friday nine to five, it can be a problem."

Whatever DMCI's membership thinks, the decision is of course ultimately Moncton city council's to make.

Leger said he looks forward to seeing the survey results and then taking them to council.

"Is it feasible? We've got to figure it out," he says. "No one believes one single thing will fix everything, but it's one ingredient."

Personal note - Yet another harebrained idea!!! :brickwall:

People; get it through your thick heads that any move to restrict traffic in the downtown core will only result in drivers bypassing the downtown. If Main Street became anything other than a two way thoroughfare, most people would opt for Wheeler Boulevard to get from Champlain to Trinity instead. There would be no through traffic passing through the core. It would be the kiss of death to those businesses that still exist downtown.

They could make a few of the north/south cross streets one way, but they absolutely have to leave Main, Queen, Botsford and St. George alone. Anything else would be preposterous!! :hell: :twoguns: :brickwall: :rant: :no: :mad: :irked: :pissed: :duh :gaah:

porchmouse

May 20, 2011, 10:54 PM

There was a story in today's paper talking about the new Riverview Town Market. I just came back from checking it out and I am happy to say there was a large crowd despite the weather. The stores at the Chocolate River Station are also staying open later Fridays throughout the summer while the market it open. On a personal note, I was happy to see the Mini Donut Express. You must try them if you haven't already. :)

Here's a little bit from the article:

Riverview residents are used to crossing the Petitcodiac River to attend Moncton and Dieppe's weekend markets each Saturday. Tonight, they can stay a little closer to home and check out their very own market. The Riverview Town Market opens tonight from 4-9 p.m. at the Fundy Chocolate River Station on Coverdale Road. The outdoor market will take place on the town's riverfront boardwalk and will feature local food, flowers, gifts, spices and live music. The market, to be held every Friday through the summer, is a first for Riverview, and organizers hope the town creates a niche for itself that will complement the Dieppe and Moncton markets that take place on Saturdays.

MonctonRad

May 21, 2011, 3:17 PM

Further to the article re: one way streets in downtown Moncton.....

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=684320&size=600x0

Thanks deAdder, I couldn't have put it better myself!

:haha::jester::haha:

JHikka

May 21, 2011, 8:25 PM

Speaking of roads: I drove on Acadia Avenue yesterday. Gonna fix that up any time? :yuck::haha:

Dieppe is incredible compared to the last time I had been through.

mylesmalley

May 22, 2011, 6:26 AM

Just about the only good road in Dieppe right now is Paul Street, and that's only because it was completely rebuilt last fall. Aviation Avenue is so bad that the new section that's still gravel is actually the smoothest part!

josh_cat_eyes

May 22, 2011, 4:53 PM

Sony500

May 22, 2011, 5:06 PM

All that wouldn't happen if they wouldn't have got themselves so damn far in debt. Dieppe is nothing more then a suburb of Moncton, but they think they are so much more. It would make so much more sense if it was all amalgamated. Some day I think the whole area will be, but Dieppe will be too stubborn to join and will be left out, and they will stick out like a sore thumb. They will be surrounded by another city like Mount Pearl.

I don't know why they even changed their town status. The only thing that qualifies them to be a city is population. That doesn't say much. It would be alright to be a city if they didn't have a much bigger one right beside it. Just seems weird that they are a city and don't have their own police force (like they used to) and a hospital.

mylesmalley

May 22, 2011, 7:02 PM

That's a little bit unfair though. Granted, a lot of what is in Dieppe is because of proximity to Moncton, but I don't think it's particularly fair to call Dieppe a suburb anymore. Compared to Riverview, Dieppe has far more businesses, has an actual industrial park (and is quickly working at a second one), the airport, an actual shopping district, commercial offices, and some of their own civic and commercial entertainment venues. Not to mention that I'm sure that Dieppe will easily have a 10k lead over Riverview in terms of population. Dieppe is fairly quickly approaching 35-45% of the population of Moncton-proper.

Does it make sense, geographically to amalgamate? Absolutely. Politically will it happen? I doubt it. Would there be huge savings for taxpayers? I doubt it. I expect the only actual change would be that everyone in the city pays the same property tax rate, and I really can't see that going down much if at all.

mylesmalley

May 22, 2011, 7:16 PM

And MonctonRad...I see we've nearly tied in posts. Well done, Sir. But there can only be one...

MonctonRad

May 22, 2011, 11:09 PM

And MonctonRad...I see we've nearly tied in posts. Well done, Sir. But there can only be one...

Yes, but I have 45 more posts than you in the Moncton thread......

Time for you to pull up your britches my friend! :haha:

pierremoncton

May 23, 2011, 12:13 PM

MonctonRad

May 23, 2011, 12:24 PM

Re downtown traffic:

I have no objection to the city reorganizing the traffic flow or making certain sections pedestrian-only. I don't think it would be as bad as some of you seem to think, but I also think there's only one way to find out. After all, we all easily survive the Christmas parade and Canada Day celebrations, and last year's multicultural festival was a success too.

It wouldn't hurt to let the city experiment for a very short period of time, be it just a couple of weeks (and quit after a week if it proves to be a disaster) or on weekends. It should also be really inexpensive given that we're just talking about painting lines or putting up some sort of temporary markers for a trial run.

I actually like downtown pedestrian malls that have been created out of (formerly) closed streets. They are cosy and a great place for restaurants and pubs with streetfront patios. They have these in both Halifax and Charlottetown and they work quite well.

My beef is that Main Street is the principal east/west thoroughfare through the downtown core. Closing Main would lead to significant traffic disruptions that would divert traffic away from the downtown and hurt downtown business. Also, what's the point of building a downtown arena/events centre if you are planning to close one of the main access point to the downtown! People really aren't thinking of the ramifications of such a plan.

If we want a downtown pedestrian mall, I propose putting it on one of the cross streets between Main and Assomption. That would not harm traffic flow and might just stimulate development in adjacent properties. :)

Another possibility would be to include a significant pedestrian component (perhaps a pedestrian retail and/or restaurant plaza) in conjunction with the proposed downtown arena/events centre. An integrated development such as this would allow for proper planning and execution!