The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[monctoninasia]

Thanks guys. It's awesome to see these pics of Moncton and be kept updated of what is going on. I have been away for many years, though I try to read news and keep up to date with what is going on back home. I remember reading there was a controversy a while back over sidewalks and biking lanes. (Shediac road?) Here in my current town (Jeonju, Korea), the sidewalks are mostly wide and able to be used by both pedestrians and bicycles. Great idea and much safer. Would be great to see Moncton adopt something like this.

For example:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianinasia/8437252018/in/photostream

Some funky shaped buildings if any developers in Moncton would like some cool ideas for the downtown. (Though probably unlikely.):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianinasia/8436203971/in/photostream

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeonju

Anyways, thanks guys. Keep those pictures of the hometown coming.

[FarmerTom]

That explains why theres been land clearing happening there for the last little while.

[MonctonRad]

Thanks guys. It's awesome to see these pics of Moncton and be kept updated of what is going on. I have been away for many years, though I try to read news and keep up to date with what is going on back home. I remember reading there was a controversy a while back over sidewalks and biking lanes. (Shediac road?) Here in my current town (Jeonju, Korea), the sidewalks are mostly wide and able to be used by both pedestrians and bicycles. Great idea and much safer. Would be great to see Moncton adopt something like this.

Welcome to the forums. Feel free to contribute anytime! :tup:

That explains why theres been land clearing happening there for the last little while.

Indeed. I sort of half knew there was something going on at the end of Commerce St myself, but now we know what it is....

This will easily be one of the largest (if not the largest) construction projects in the city this year.

[pierremoncton]

http://www.destination2040.ca/

March 11, 2013

DESTINATION2040 – Regional Sustainable Transportation Master Plan

GREATER MONCTON – The City of Moncton, the City of Dieppe and the Town of
Riverview, in conjunction with the Province of New Brunswick, are pleased to announce
a multi-community effort to review the current transportation network and to develop a
sustainable plan that will guide the communities for future transportation needs.

Destination2040 will envision the necessary components of a transportation network
that promotes a vibrant, healthy community by using a combination of land use
designation and urban design and policy that makes sustainable transportation modes
(walk, cycling, and public transit) viable in the region.

My note: There's a link to a survey here -- http://www.destination2040.ca/EN/PUB-OPINION-SURVEY.html -- but it doesn't work.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton to host 7 Women's World Cup soccer games

High-calibre matchups guaranteed, city manager says
CBC News Posted: Mar 21, 2013 6:03 PM AT Last Updated: Mar 21, 2013 7:34 PM AT

Moncton will host seven games during the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada in June 2015.

The official soccer match schedule was approved in Zurich on Thursday.

Details about which teams will be playing in Moncton have not yet been released, but city manager Jacques Dubé doubts Canada will be among them, having just played a pre-Olympic friendly game in the city last year against China.

read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/03/21/nb-moncton-fifa-women-soccer.html

Personal note - I'm not surprised that we won't be seeing a Canada match in Moncton. They will be saving those for major venues like Montreal and Edmonton but it is encouraging that we have been guaranteed two matches with highly ranked teams and one game in the round of 16 (playoff elimination round). It's probably as much as we could have hoped for with our comparatively small stadium.

[michael_d40]

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/shipley07/Untitled-1.jpg

[josh_cat_eyes]

That PDF that MonctonRad posted also shows a diagram for the new kent store on Harrisville!

[Steelcowboy]

Ahhh very nice!!! good to hear more expansions in this area, I also can see 2 of Irving's NBSouthern boxcars at the loading dock :). I know most people aren't aware of the rail activity here in Moncton but, the traffic is exploding (no pun intended!!!) crude oil trains from North Dakota is coming into and out of Moncton towards Saint John. We're expecting an additional 40,000 feet of intermodal traffic by the summer and standard carload is increasing as well (crude oil from Alberta, lumber from Miramichi, paper prodcucts from the former New Page mill). There has already been a steady increase of containers through here for Halifax, at least once a week we've been getting extra eastbounds from Montreal and once it arrives in Halifax and extra westbound train is usually within a day or so.

[mylesmalley]

Why are the NBSR oil trains running through Moncton? Wouldn't their shipments come over via their Maine line?

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Good to hear!

Strange that the oil trains have to go to SJ via Moncton. You would think they would just go straight through Maine instead......

Any more word on the future of the Miramichi sub?

[theshark]

:previous:


Any more word on the future of the Miramichi sub?

Well I don't know if it means anything, but last time i spoke to one CN employe who was installing a crossing arm in Petit-Rocher and doing upgrades to some control lights, I asked him why was CN spending money on a line they plan to close, he looked at me and laughed.

I hoped this meant that its all a game for money

[Steelcowboy]

In the case of bringing oil in from North Dakota to Saint John, NBSR only has trackage to Brownsville jct ME and also to mention the NBSR and IRVING OIL are owned by different IRVING family members and from what I heard they have no bearing on each other's profits. Contracts were tendered to all railroads (CN, CP, MMA, PanAM, CSX, NS) in order to haul in the oil from North Dakota. The 2 most ideal routings are: BNSF from Eland, ND to Eola Il, interchange to CN...CN routing to Saint John and interchange to NBSR switch crew in Saint John. (the fastest but, more expensive route for IRVING OIL). Another route which is being used as well is; CP RAIL from North Dakota to Montreal via (Chicago-Windsor), interchange to the MMA in Montreal and then interchange to NBSR at Brownsville jct, ME. This train runs maybe once a week (CP trains 606 and 607). The other routing which was discontinued due to 2 derailments on some pretty sub standard track was : BNSF to Chicago...CSX to Waterville, ME., Pan Am Rail to Northern Maine jct and interchanging to NBSR to Saint John. This was apparently the cheapest routing but it took nearly 23 days for a tank car's cycle (to and from ND.) 15 day cycle is preffered, CN's routing took 12 days and I don't know the cycle on the MMA/CP. The best routing (not sounding biased because I work for CN) is obviously CN...its the fastest and also CN has the capacity to store oil trains if required...operations wise, NBSR prefers to see the oil trains arrive on the east end of Saint John, allows for a quick and easy transfer to the oil terminal which is located off the CN yard in Saint John. When the trains arrive from Macadam, they have to be reduced in size and then hauled across the city before pushing back towards the oil terminal. I know the Pan Am is suppose to upgrade their tracks along the route to handle these trains...each train was bringing in 200K in profit! you better believe they want these trains back :) the problem was they had very lite and old rail on the northern portion of the railroad..near Mattawamkeag, Me. prior to Christmas each train had to be split into 3 at Waterville, Me and then hauled through Maine using smaller 4 axle locomotives (former CN 9400-9600 series engines, 3000hp). After Christmas, without any upgrades done..the powers to be decide to run these trains with the same locomotives which were hauling these trains from North Dakota..right through to Saint John. These locomotives were the newest and the heaviest engines ever seen from Boston to Saint John including the CP tracks from Northern Maine jct to SJ.

I myself am a railroad photographer and videographer and was truly excited to see these trains coming in from ND. I usually go to midwest Minnesota to see these trains and now they were in my back yard :) ...hopefully they'll be back by the summer. The engines used on these trains were GE ES44C4's, GE C44-9w's, EMD SD70Mac's and EMD SD70Ace's. go to google if interested and see the specs on these locomotives, some of these are more modern than any of CN's engines..definitly more advanced than CN's engines.

As for the Newcastle sub to Miramichi, I expect Moncton-Miramichi line and from the west to Belledune to stay. The line between Belledune to Miramichi is uncertain. Too much politics going on with that line. Its very foggy!!!

MJR

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Very thorough explanation, thanks! :)

As in most things, once you dig deeper, the answer isn't usually as obvious as you initially think. Sometimes the correct approach initially seems entirely counter-intuitive.

As for the Newcastle sub to Miramichi, I expect Moncton-Miramichi line and from the west to Belledune to stay. The line between Belledune to Miramichi is uncertain. Too much politics going on with that line. Its very foggy!!!

Well, that's something anyway if the lines to Belledune and Miramichi can be preserved at least. We need to maintain the rail infrastructure if there is to be any future in mining or manufacturing in the north..... :yes:

[cdnguys]

In the case of bringing oil in from North Dakota to Saint John, NBSR only has trackage to Brownsville jct ME and also to mention the NBSR and IRVING OIL are owned by different IRVING family members and from what I heard they have no bearing on each other's profits. Contracts were tendered to all railroads (CN, CP, MMA, PanAM, CSX, NS) in order to haul in the oil from North Dakota. The 2 most ideal routings are: BNSF from Eland, ND to Eola Il, interchange to CN...CN routing to Saint John and interchange to NBSR switch crew in Saint John. (the fastest but, more expensive route for IRVING OIL). Another route which is being used as well is; CP RAIL from North Dakota to Montreal via (Chicago-Windsor), interchange to the MMA in Montreal and then interchange to NBSR at Brownsville jct, ME. This train runs maybe once a week (CP trains 606 and 607). The other routing which was discontinued due to 2 derailments on some pretty sub standard track was : BNSF to Chicago...CSX to Waterville, ME., Pan Am Rail to Northern Maine jct and interchanging to NBSR to Saint John. This was apparently the cheapest routing but it took nearly 23 days for a tank car's cycle (to and from ND.) 15 day cycle is preffered, CN's routing took 12 days and I don't know the cycle on the MMA/CP. The best routing (not sounding biased because I work for CN) is obviously CN...its the fastest and also CN has the capacity to store oil trains if required...operations wise, NBSR prefers to see the oil trains arrive on the east end of Saint John, allows for a quick and easy transfer to the oil terminal which is located off the CN yard in Saint John. When the trains arrive from Macadam, they have to be reduced in size and then hauled across the city before pushing back towards the oil terminal. I know the Pan Am is suppose to upgrade their tracks along the route to handle these trains...each train was bringing in 200K in profit! you better believe they want these trains back :) the problem was they had very lite and old rail on the northern portion of the railroad..near Mattawamkeag, Me. prior to Christmas each train had to be split into 3 at Waterville, Me and then hauled through Maine using smaller 4 axle locomotives (former CN 9400-9600 series engines, 3000hp). After Christmas, without any upgrades done..the powers to be decide to run these trains with the same locomotives which were hauling these trains from North Dakota..right through to Saint John. These locomotives were the newest and the heaviest engines ever seen from Boston to Saint John including the CP tracks from Northern Maine jct to SJ.

I myself am a railroad photographer and videographer and was truly excited to see these trains coming in from ND. I usually go to midwest Minnesota to see these trains and now they were in my back yard :) ...hopefully they'll be back by the summer. The engines used on these trains were GE ES44C4's, GE C44-9w's, EMD SD70Mac's and EMD SD70Ace's. go to google if interested and see the specs on these locomotives, some of these are more modern than any of CN's engines..definitly more advanced than CN's engines.

As for the Newcastle sub to Miramichi, I expect Moncton-Miramichi line and from the west to Belledune to stay. The line between Belledune to Miramichi is uncertain. Too much politics going on with that line. Its very foggy!!!

MJR

Just as a side note - the oil from ND is also railed to Albany, NY to the Buckeye Terminal and then shipped to Saint John on an oil tanker. The maiden voyage struck ground in the Hudson River gashing the outer shell of the tanker. Because of that they had to barge the oil to NYC and transfer to tanker until they can prove to coast guard it can be safely tankered from Albany.

If Irving can get its full 300,000 barrels of oil daily from a new pipeline however, I think all this rail traffic will disappear along with the 200 jobs it created locally in SJ

[Fischbob]

It's nice to see a Moncton group moving forward with a carshare program! I could see myself signing on to such a service after I graduate from university. Hopefully this grows and spreads to more NB cities! :tup:

Car-share program getting ready to roll in Moncton
Will be first of its kind in New Brunswick
CBC News
Posted: Apr 11, 2013 11:43 AM AT
Last Updated: Apr 11, 2013 1:31 PM AT

The greater Moncton area is getting a car-sharing program, the first of its kind in the province.

It will allow members to "have access to a car without the burden and the cost of owning one," said Michel Desjardins, of Post Carbon Moncton, one of the organizers.

Under the program, called Autopartage Codiac Autoshare, people will pay about $40 for an annual membership, said Desjardins.

They can then reserve a car from the most convenient location for them, pick it up, return it to wherever they got it, and pay a rate based on usage at the end of each month, much like the CarShareHFX model in Halifax.

About 350 people have already expressed interest on Facebook in the program, a joint partnership between Post Carbon Moncton, EOS Energy and Codiac Transpo, said Desjardins.

He hopes to have four cars ready to roll from various locations in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe by this fall, he said.

Desjardins estimates the car share program will cut back on members' transportation expenses by up to 65 per cent.

Full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/04/11/nb-car-share-moncton.html

[JHikka]

Really glad to see the carshare program in Moncton rolling out and I hope it does really well! I can only imagine how the Saint John market would react to an idea like that. :P

[MonctonRad]

It will be very interesting to see how the car share program works here. It is an urban concept, but Moncton is so decentralized, it might be a challenge to build the critical mass to get this going. I could be wrong though.... :)

[Norshorer]

Drove by the corner of Vaughn Harvey & Main this morning (hadn't been there in months) and was surprised to see one of the old CN Terminal Plaza buildings had been gutted, old facade removed and down to the bare building skeleton.

At first I thought they were prepping it for demolition until I did some research and found this article from last year:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=9003

Looks like it's going to be redone with a new all-glass facade similar to the styling of the BMO building next to Moncton City Hall. :)

I'm just curious as to which tenants would occupy the building after the renos are done. It looks like Crombie might still be trying to attract buyers since they still have their contact info signs on the buildings.

Anyone have any info? I'm guessing it'll probably be commercial clients/small businesses looking for office space & nothing retail-oriented, but would be glad if they could do a mix of small retail or a restaurant on the ground floor and office space on the other floors. There's enough parking to support either option. This would also make for a very nice high-end condo project if the space could support it.

I know the angle could have been better, but I took a quick pic while stopped in traffic this morning...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-161pGcq3vyY/UWwJyz0GKCI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/oCZpg7W3lbY/s1600/CNPlaza.jpg

[mylesmalley]

They are completely redeveloping the building.

http://www.news919.com/files/2012/06/87f5e1c744db94d2c168847285fc-500x275.jpg
From: http://www.news919.com/2012/06/08/former-cn-building-being-redeveloped/

[josh_cat_eyes]

Any word on if they are going to do the other building when this one is complete?

[MonctonRad]

Any word on if they are going to do the other building when this one is complete?

It will likely get the same treatment, but there is currently no time frame.....

[C_Boy]

Maybe they are waiting for the events center development? It could be tied in and connected. Would make it easier to do all of it at the same time.

[MonctonRad]

Here is the link to the pdf for the April meeting of the Moncton Planning Advisory Committee.

http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Planning+Department/April+PAC+Agenda.pdf

Very interesting reading! :)

[MonctonRad]

from CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/04/19/nb-moncton-rental-market-813.html

Moncton rental vacancy rate nears 20-year high

City will soon have between 400 and 600 new rental units on the market
CBC News Posted: Apr 19, 2013 9:47 AM AT Last Updated: Apr 19, 2013 10:47 AM AT

Moncton’s rental vacancy rate is now near a 20-year high but that is not stopping developers from building hundreds of new rental units in the city.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. pegs the city’s rental vacancy rate at 6.7 per cent.

"[This] is somewhat high for this market, and it's probably one of the highest vacancy rates we've seen in the last two decades,” said Claude Gautreau, an official with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in New Brunswick.

Meantime, construction of rental buildings in Moncton will add between 400 and 600 new units in the coming months.

Many units in the city already have “For Rent” signs and property owners are competing for tenants.

Tony LeBlanc, the owner of Ground Floor Property Management in Moncton, has been in the rental business for decades.

LeBlanc said he doesn’t understand why so many new rental units are being put on the market when the vacancy rate is still so high.

"The people giving out the permits for these buildings, do they not see what is going on?" LeBlanc said.

The rental market has changed significantly in recent years, he said.

LeBlanc said for years he was in a position to be choosy about tenants. But these days, he said he will do just about anything to get his units filled.

“The rental market used to be a very passive industry. I'd put my ad on Kijiji or in the paper. I'd get a call, they'd apply and I'd select who I wanted,” he said.

“Now, we've become salesmen. We're going to a showing and I'm doing everything I can to sell the unit and to try to get a close at the end of the showing.”

No one from the City of Moncton responded to a request for an interview

Personal note - trouble on the horizon??

[mylesmalley]

Trouble, maybe? What this article doesn't mention is the trend over the past few years. Is it because we had a big spike in construction last year? Or is it that supply is growing faster than demand as a trend?

And for that matter, 6.7% being a high rate for the city is a little nebulous. How does that stack up with the national average? How does that compare to CMAs in the 100-175k range across Canada?

I'd argue that a situation where apartment owners could fill a unit immediately is actually a sign that the market is underserved and that a vacancy rate means that consumers get to be a little bit more selective about what they settle for.

[JHikka]

I'd argue that a situation where apartment owners could fill a unit immediately is actually a sign that the market is underserved and that a vacancy rate means that consumers get to be a little bit more selective about what they settle for.

In terms of the Landlords it means they have to actually offer a decent apartment if there's an open market for renters. Of course, that creates a cycle where if a landlord has no money because of not having tenants then they have no money to reinvest in the property, but that's beside the point.

[mylesmalley]

Surely there's a middle ground between 100% occupancy and complete collapse of the rental market though :cowboy:

[RyeJay]

I would be interested in more specific data. Are the vacancy rates higher in the suburbs, or in the downtown and other areas of density? Where have the bulk of the new apartments been constructed? New units are not at all the only thing that encourage high vacancy numbers.

[mmmatt]

The fact of the matter is 6.7 is not GREAT...but considering the level of construction in rentals we have had in the last 5 years is off the charts it's not BAD either.

I find it odd that CBC made a negative news story out of Monctons situation, when the story in SJ is not even mentioned. Moncton CMA has seen a huge amount of new units built in the last 5 years where SJ CMA hasn't seen much. Meanwhile the vacancy rate has gone up to 6.7 in Moncton and 9.7 in SJ. Thats a much more ominous number in my opinion.

[mmmatt]

New units are not at all the only thing that encourage high vacancy numbers

The main factors are:

A) low mortgage rates

B) inexpensive housing available (semi-detached/minihome)

C) over-building of apartment units

D) population stagnation or decrease

Moncton: A, B, C

[MonctonRad]

Just checked Stats Can for the apartment vacancy rates for the selected Atlantic Canadian cities:


St. John's CMA.......1.3% (Oct 2011) 2.8% (Oct 2012) +1.5%
Charlottetown CA...3.3% (Oct 2011) 5.7% (Oct 2012) +2.4%
Halifax CMA..........2.4% (Oct 2011) 3.0% (Oct 2012) +0.6%
Moncton CMA.........4.3% (Oct 2011) 6.7% (Oct 2012) +2.4%
Saint John CMA......5.9% (Oct 2011) 9.7% (Oct 2012) +3.8%

Translation - The apartment vacancy rate increased in all five Atlantic Canadian cities listed in their tabulation. The increase in the vacancy rate in Moncton was actually pretty middle of the road compared to the other Atlantic Canadian cities. This is pretty good when you consider the massive increase in inventory of apartment units in the CMA over the last year. This probably should be seen as a bit of a vote of confidence in the community in that the vacancy rate would probably even be higher without our rapidly increasing population.

I find that the CBC tends to be fairly negative in their coverage of news stories out of Moncton. Just look at their coverage of city council and the proposed events centre. I don't know if it is because they see themselves as a counterbalance to the "boosterism" of the T&T or if they think negativity can mask as investigative journalism.

In any event, the CBC should have given some context to their news story. The figures actually aren't all that negative for Moncton, and as mmmatt stated, actually are far more worrisome for Saint John (and no, I'm not trying to put SJ down, I'm just being critical of the news item posted by the CBC). I wonder what the CBC's motives were for posting this negative story without proper context?

[cdnguys]

The CMHC report states that the higher vacancy rate in Saint John is caused by:
- favorable market conditions for home purchasing - people moving from downtown area to existing and expanding neighborhoods (especially KV River Valley).
- lack of population increase

On a side note, a lot of apartments have come on stream in SJ - especially uptown, Technology Dr and Ellerdale area.

Also vacancy rates can be cyclical based on what large industrial projects are going on in the area.

[cdnguys]

The CMHC report states that the higher vacancy rate in Saint John is caused by:
- favorable market conditions for home purchasing - people moving from downtown area to existing and expanding neighborhoods (especially KV River Valley).
- lack of population increase

On a side note, a lot of apartments have come on stream in SJ - especially uptown, Technology Dr and Ellerdale area.

Also vacancy rates can be cyclical based on what large industrial projects are going on in the area.

[mmmatt]

The CMHC report states that the higher vacancy rate in Saint John is caused by:
- favorable market conditions for home purchasing - people moving from downtown area to existing and expanding neighborhoods (especially KV River Valley).
- lack of population increase

On a side note, a lot of apartments have come on stream in SJ - especially uptown, Technology Dr and Ellerdale area.

Also vacancy rates can be cyclical based on what large industrial projects are going on in the area.

Exactly...so in reference to my previous list the issues in Saint John are primarily A B and D.

In terms of units built in the last 5 years Moncton has seen 5000 and SJ 1500. (Statscan)

At 9.7 Saint John has the highest vacancy of any CMA in Canada (next is Windsor @ 7.3) (CMHC) So hopefully it is a cyclical trend as you say.

[JHikka]

I would argue that Saint John has a high vacancy rates for all of those reasons including C (new apartments). If these numbers don't include the three apartment buildings in Millidgeville which haven't opened to the public yet then this vacancy rate can only increase or stay stable for longer than expected.

[MonctonRad]

This is Alec Bruce's column from the T&T today
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=10918

If you forgive the somewhat boosterish tone of the article, he has several valid points to make, including the critical matter of the events centre, and how it can act as an instrument to promote the continuing and accelerating growth rate of the metro area.

How a smart city attracts smart people
Monday, April 22, 2013
Times & Transcript

Observing that Greater Moncton is New Brunswick's economic dynamo (with or without a downtown events centre) is a little like marveling at how the patient's right arm is the only appendage not entombed in a body cast. Still, I'll accept Atlantic Provinces Economic Council President Elizabeth Beale's assessment of the Hub City with good, if somewhat wry, humour.

'The overall message is that the Maritime economy has been weak throughout the recession, with very little employment growth and losses in some of the big industrial sectors,' she told this newspaper's Alan Cochrane the other day. 'But Moncton has bucked the trend. In 2012, it had employment growth that was approximately three times the national level. It saw an uptick in housing starts, and (it) has moved steadily up on the employment side.' Ms. Beale proffered these remarks following her annual spring economic outlook at a breakfast meeting in Moncton last Thursday, which leads me to suspect she was, if nothing else, playing to a home crowd. But some recent statistics support her conclusions.

In February, the Conference Board of Canada predicted that Moncton would surge in 2013, becoming one of the top 10 urban economies in the country. The Board expected the city's gross domestic product would grow by 2.5 per cent, a better rate than Halifax's (2.3 per cent) and oil-soaked St, John's (1.7 per cent).

Jane MacIntyre, an economist with the organization, chalked this up to Moncton's healthy manufacturing sector. 'It's been solid for a few years now, since the 2009 recession,' she told CBC News. 'Some of that has to do with (its) position as a hub.' Ms. Beale thinks more is going on here.

'Moncton is seeing more fir ms in professional services, software and computer design, information and communications technology,' she said. 'You have companies like Gogii Games, Shift Central, Spielo and many others. That's a real attractive feature for Moncton's economy because it is not dependent on government. It's quite independent and some of them (the companies) are serving local demand but most are serving global markets.' There are, of course, two ways of looking at this city's economic success. It is the product of sound and deliberate planning.

It is also lucky. I prefer the former but, I fear, fate does play a role.

'Greater Moncton has seen its population grow strongly over the past 10 years,' says the municipality's development strategy (2011-2016). 'According to Statistics Canada, from 2000 to 2010 the population of the Greater Moncton CMA grew by 13 per cent. This was the fastest population growth rate of any metropolitan area east of Ontario. The population of the urban area is now over 138,000 people.

'The economic impacts of this change have been substantial. Record housing starts, major infrastructure enhance­ments, low unemployment, and significantly higher tax revenues for the province and municipalities. Clearly growth is good, but if we are going to ensure that this growth is sustainable, it is more important to understand where that growth is occurring.' The strategy's authors are utterly correct to point out that, even as the city enjoys its pride of place among New Brunswick's communities, it is not immune to fortune's fickle finger.

'Greater Moncton is getting older,' they write. 'The number of employed persons aged 55 and older grew by 124 per cent from 2000 to 2010 while there was a slight decline in employment among those aged 25-44. Even the young generation - 15 to 24 - only saw limited employment growth over the decade. The repercussion of not reversing this trend is clear - we will not have enough people available to fill the labour force gaps caused by people exiting the workforce through retirement.' This is, in fact, New Brunswick's economic body cast, and Moncton has only managed to escape it by attracting skilled, motivated workers from other parts of the province and Atlantic region. When the supply of them runs out, we've got trouble. The solution is complex but clear: Aggressively promote the city across Canada and the world as a vibrant, knowledge-loving, income-generating metropolis. Give young professionals and their families a reason to come and, just as important, a reason to stay.

A reason, such as . . . oh, I don't know . . . a downtown events centre?

Alec Bruce's column on current affairs appears every weekday. Read more of his work at brucescribe.com

[mcmcclassic]

I was in Moncton today and snapped a quick pic of the CN tower building re-do:

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/3266/sam1961a.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/sam1961a.jpg/)

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Thanks for the photo! :tup:

I think they are doing this rebuild right (although one of our forumers is upset that they are not upgrading the elevators). The building will have advanced LEED certification and is destined to become amongst the most desirable class A office spaces in the city.

Now, if only we could surround this with a brand new downtown events centre..... :rolleyes:

[Hogie75]

I see its that time of the year again for the round about will be starting soon. I will be amazed if this actually gets off the ground.:)

Roundabout approval again (http://www.news919.com/2013/05/07/killam-drive-roundabout-approved/)

[MonctonRad]

If you want to have something neat to play around with during the rainy weekend coming up, try this link:

http://world.time.com/timelapse/

The entire world has been catalogued with satellite imagery since 1984, and can be displayed in a time lapse format. It is very neat.

Look for "Explore the World" on the front page, and type in "Moncton" in order to see the explosive growth in the metro area during this time frame. In particular, check out the Moncton Northwest and the Dieppe neighbourhoods. Also carefully look at the river channel downstream from the causeway, and you can actually watch the channel shift eastwards and straighten out since the causeway gates have been opened....

Enjoy!! :)

[Monctoncore]

Very cool, you can see from 2009 - 2012 the river starting to get bigger again, just have to watch carefully

[Monctonguy19]

Did anyone else noticed the construction besides the old pharmasave on Acadie. I when for a walk there few days ago and it really looks like a road is going to be built there.

I though someone posted that they where doing some construction beside the Irving on Paul street, this might be related.

[MonctonRad]

Did anyone else noticed the construction besides the old pharmasave on Acadie. I when for a walk there few days ago and it really looks like a road is going to be built there.

I though someone posted that they where doing some construction beside the Irving on Paul street, this might be related.

That's all sewer work.

[MonctonRad]

Interesting oblique aerial perspective map of Moncton from the 1870's

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/ScreenShot2013-05-17at93132PM.png (http://s1188.photobucket.com/user/MonctonRad/media/ScreenShot2013-05-17at93132PM.png.html)

The street layout of downtown is recognizable and the railway hasn't changed much, except the spur to the working waterfront is no longer there. Mountain Rd used to be called Union St.

[mylesmalley]

What's that dome-shaped building around Queen St?

[MonctonRad]

What's that dome-shaped building around Queen St?

According to this old map of Moncton, it was a skating rink.

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~33078~1170441:Moncton--New-Brunswick--Drawn-on-th?showTip=false&showTipAdvancedSearch=false&title=Search+Results%3A+List_no+equal+to+%270859.035%27&thumbnailViewUrlKey=link.view.search.url&helpUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lunaimaging.com%2Fsupport%2F6_0%2FLUNA%2Fen%2FAbout_Luna_and_Insight.htm&fullTextSearchChecked=&advancedSearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lunaimaging.com%2Fsupport%2F6_0%2FLUNA%2Fen%2FAdvanced_Search.htm

[mmmatt]

Cool map!

My house was built about 20 years later...just to the left of the area shown. Would have been "in the country" back then...now I'm within spitting distance of the terminal plaza, Sobeys etc...essentially "downtown" now haha. A lot changes in 120 years :)

[mylesmalley]

According to this old map of Moncton, it was a skating rink.

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~33078~1170441:Moncton--New-Brunswick--Drawn-on-th?showTip=false&showTipAdvancedSearch=false&title=Search+Results%3A+List_no+equal+to+%270859.035%27&thumbnailViewUrlKey=link.view.search.url&helpUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lunaimaging.com%2Fsupport%2F6_0%2FLUNA%2Fen%2FAbout_Luna_and_Insight.htm&fullTextSearchChecked=&advancedSearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lunaimaging.com%2Fsupport%2F6_0%2FLUNA%2Fen%2FAdvanced_Search.htm

I've never seen that one before! Cool!

I can't be the only one who'd like to see Telegraph St and Vulcan St come back.

[MonctonRad]

it's interesting to look at old maps like this.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/0859035.jpg

Back in 1878, the central part of downtown was much closer to the east end, lying between Botsford and King Streets. I suppose this is not surprising since this is where the wharves were initially located.

We can't forget that the genesis of Moncton, even before the arrival of the railway, was the shipbuilding industry. It would make sense that the commercial buildings were located next to the wharves.

Hard to imagine the bustle that must have existed on the Petitcodiac in the 1870's, given it's current state......

If anyone wants to peruse this map and be able to pan around and magnify the image, the link is:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~33078~1170441:Moncton--New-Brunswick--Drawn-on-th?showTip=false&showTipAdvancedSearch=false&title=Search+Results%3A+List_no+equal+to+%270859.035%27&thumbnailViewUrlKey=link.view.search.url&helpUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lunaimaging.com%2Fsupport%2F6_0%2FLUNA%2Fen%2FAbout_Luna_and_Insight.htm&fullTextSearchChecked=&advancedSearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lunaimaging.com%2Fsupport%2F6_0%2FLUNA%2Fen%2FAdvanced_Search.htm

[BlackYear]

Having lived in the downtown area all my life, I'm absolutely fascinated by this map. Thanks for finding this and sharing. :tup:

[JasonL-Moncton]

Interesting oblique aerial perspective map of Moncton from the 1870's

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/ScreenShot2013-05-17at93132PM.png (http://s1188.photobucket.com/user/MonctonRad/media/ScreenShot2013-05-17at93132PM.png.html)

The street layout of downtown is recognizable and the railway hasn't changed much, except the spur to the working waterfront is no longer there. Mountain Rd used to be called Union St.

Love seeing all those ships in the river! The domed building can't be the old skating rink (concrete circle still there off church st)...it's not far enough away is it?

[MonctonRad]

Love seeing all those ships in the river! The domed building can't be the old skating rink (concrete circle still there off church st)...it's not far enough away is it?

The Coliseum like skating rink was from the turn of the last century I think. This is a different one I believe, the map is from the 1870's

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T:

Roadwork season begins today
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Brent Mazerolle

There's a lot of roadwork coming to Moncton streets this summer, and some of it is starting right away.

The City of Moncton's director of design and construction briefed Moncton city council at their regular public meeting last night, summarizing the main projects on the books for 2013.

Alcide Richard pointed to four key projects - on Ryan Road, Berry Mills Road, Killam Drive, and St. George Boulevard. As well, the city will have microsurfacing done on various sections of several other major arteries.

Much of the work is in roughly the western and northwestern parts of the city. The years-long rebuild of Ryan Road will continue this summer, with some work starting this month and a planned completion in mid-October.

'Our plan is to close Ryan once school is out for the year,' Richard said. During the summer months, the work crews will be detouring all but local traffic.

Richard also said the city is working harder than ever to keep citizens better informed in the areas directly affected by road work.

'We're trying something new this year with little door knockers informing the public what we're doing and how long it will take.' Work on two stretches of Berry Mills Road should start by mid-June, assuming all proceeds normally with the tender, which closes Friday.

The intersection of Berry Mills and Edinburgh Drive will get upgraded with better turn lanes, and Berry Mills will be widened from the intersection to an area 700 metres to the west.

Richard said two-way traffic will be maintained throughout the construction period, but said any drivers who can avoid the area should. That work, and another stretch further to the west to create turn lanes for a new snow dump, will go on until early November.

A few kilometres to the east, the start of construction of a roundabout linking Killam Drive, with the CN Sportsplex lands and a number of other streets in the area should start as early as today.

However, Richard said that it will likely be at least the end of June before traffic on Killam Drive is impacted.

He spoke of building half the circle closest to Russ Howard Drive and the Red Ball Internet Centre first, and then using it to detour traffic when it's time to build the half of the sphere that will overlay Killam.

Meanwhile, another part of the roundabout project, resurfacing Collishaw Street, will start this week or next. Asphalt probably won't be laid until the end of June or early July, though.

The same sort of preparations for paving should start on St. George Boulevard this week. Expect manhole repair and pavement milling right away, with a new coat of asphalt on it by the end of June.

The St. George project is a full coat of fresh pavement, but the City of Moncton is also continuing its practice of having several streets micro-surfaced this year.

It's a new technique the city has used with success on some streets over the past decade. It's not for streets in really bad shape, but rather to inexpensively and quickly keep the fair to good roads in good enough shape that they don't need the bigger repairs and rebuilds.

In a resurfacing project, the entire top layer of asphalt is milled out and replaced by a new layer. In micro-surfacing, a significantly thinner layer of asphalt is added on top of the existing asphalt, after the surface has been prepared.

Not only is micro-surfacing cheaper, it's a process that's much less disruptive to traffic. It can be applied quickly and then driven on within about an hour.

Over the summer months, the city will micro-surface stretches of Mountain Road, Main Street, Elmwood Drive, Salisbury Road, Assomption Boulevard and Vaughan Harvey Boulevard. In each case, the disruption will be limited to three or four days.

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11075

Province funds Metro school sports fields
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Brent Mazerolle

Upgrades will serve the community and aid in hosting of international soccer events

The Province of New Brunswick has now taken the field in an ongoing community effort to upgrade outdoor sports facilities at two Moncton high schools.

The New Brunswick gover nment officially announced yesterday that it is investing $800,000 to upgrade outdoor athletic fields at Bernice MacNaughton High School and Harrison Trimble High School, following the lead of the City of Moncton and the fundraising efforts of the community at large.

The city announced in November it would contribute roughly $1.5 million to the projects, while the two school communities expect to raise $250,000 each for the projects.

'Investing in these community field projects will promote healthy living for residents, students and families,' said deputy premier Paul Robichaud in a press conference at Moncton City Hall. More than 100 high school students and other community members were on hand for the announcement.

Robichaud, who is also minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, said the 'fields will be important assets to the community, and they will be available for use to host major sporting events such as the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup of Soccer.' Government Services Minister Sue Stultz, Justice Minister and Attorney General Marie-Claude Blais and Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc also participated in the announcement.

While schools are a provincial responsibility, Moncton city council saw an opportunity last year to both help build infrastructure valuable to the community at large, and also to meet its obligations as one of six Canadian host cities of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The city must provide four artificial turf practice fields for the teams playing in Moncton. With the upgrades to the two high school fields, the city can use them, Rocky Stone Field, and the Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium as the practice facilities.

The games will all be played at the stadium on the Université de Moncton campus.

The province is giving $400,000 to the 'Field of Dreams' multi-use project at Bernice MacNaughton High School. Funding will be used to upgrade the present grass field and add artificial turf at the site.

The 'Woody Hayes Community Field Project' will receive a $400,000 investment for use toward the installation of an artificial turf field as well as improvements to seating, lighting and a multi-purpose building at the Harrison Trimble High School site.

'This presents an excellent opportunity to continue the development and improvement of our sports infrastructure,' said Mayor LeBlanc.

'These projects will leave a legacy for Bernice MacNaughton High School and Harrison Trimble High School and the community as a whole. They will continue to help make Moncton a great place in which to live and play.' 'It will be wonderful for our city and wonderful for our schools,' Mayor George LeBlanc said.

Other than for the Women's World Cups and for use by both schools' sports teams from football to field hockey, the fields can be used for track meets, local walking groups and the like as well.

They will also come in handy for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which is being staged next year as a dress rehearsal event for the Women's World Cup.

personal note - the refurbishment of the HTHS & BMHS fields is not "new" news, but the provincial contribution towards funding the projects is most welcome. the total cost of these two projects is nearly $3M, and no doubt would not have happened without the FIFA Women's World Cup coming to the city. This is yet another indication of how important it is to being proactive in terms of seeking out major sporting events to host. It helps to build important infrastructure for the city.

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11086

Moncton named to top 10 tourist list
Friday, May 24, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Brent Mazerolle

City is seeing more interest from international visitors, says spokesman


Moncton has received a tourism boost courtesy of popular website msn.com, which has named the city one of the '10 best places in Canada for a family summer vacation.' The website says Moncton makes a great base location for a Maritime vacation.

'Perfectly positioned between the friendly Acadian Coast and the dramatic Bay of Fundy, Moncton is ideal for families looking for variety in their vacation,' the entry reads.

'Start by cruising down (or up) the optical illusion of Magnetic Hill before checking Atlantic Canada's best zoo. If your kids like chocolate milk, you'll want to bike or Segway along the Petitcodiac River - which looks like everyone's favourite drink thanks to the tidal bore.' Ben Champoux, the City of Moncton's tourism director, said he was surprised and delighted to see Moncton show up on the list, along with places like British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, and Cavendish, P.E.I.

'That made my day this morning.' Champoux was, however, not surprised the website recognized what the statistics show a lot of Canadians already know.

'We've been labelled the hub of many things, but we are also the tourism hub,' he said. 'Despite the recession, we've had since 2008 the strongest growth of all the tourism regions east of Montréal.' The recognition jibes with the sort of interest Champoux says he saw last week in Ottawa at Rendezvous Canada 2013. Rendez-vous Canada is the nation's largest and most important international tourism convention, where close to 2,000 international tourism industry leaders gather for a series of speed-dating-style appointments with hundreds of Canadian tourism promoters in a trade show atmosphere. The international delegates then use those rendezvous to decide what tours they will offer to customers back home.

Champoux said there was significant interest in Moncton, especially from Asian tour operators.

'They had heard of the Bay of Fundy from the Seven Wonders of the Natural World contest,' Champoux said. 'When in all of North America there was us (the Bay of Fundy) and the Grand Canyon, that resonated with them.' He said our quaint small towns and open spaces were another big interest for the Asian delegates especially, noting that many Asian tourists are looking to get away from big city life when they set out for Canada, only to find more of the same when they land in Vancouver, Toronto or Montréal.

By contrast, 'we pitched our green spaces and coastal villages, the Bay of Fundy and the beautiful villages of the Acadian coast an hour in either direction,' he said.

'An hour, to them, that's nothing. That's their commute to work each day. People can anchor in Moncton and go to both coasts.' Moncton may be far from the big city life the tourists want a break from, but he said tour operators were nevertheless pleased they can get people here through two daily flights from New York City or via other flights from Canadian centres.

As for this new recognition from msn.com, which uses a photo of the tidal bore to illustrate the Moncton segment of the story and a shot of kayakers at the Hopewell Rocks as its main art for the overall story, Champoux said, 'it's a great coup for us, especially as we're about to kick off the 2013 tourism season on Monday.'

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11088

Zoo wins prestigious award
Friday, May 24, 2013
Times & Transcript

Magnetic Hill Zoo has snagged the prestigious TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award.

The award, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide.

Only the top-performing 10 per cent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor receive this award.

'This is a great recognition for the Magnetic Hill Zoo and for Moncton,' said Mayor George Leblanc.

'The Magnetic Hill Zoo has been one of the staples of the region and truly is a world-class attraction.' To qualify for a Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor, and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

Other criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

'We're extremely honoured to receive this recognition from TripAdvisor,' said Bruce Dougan, manager of the Magnetic Hill Zoo. 'We work incredibly hard to make the zoo a fun, educational and interactive place to visit for tourists and residents alike.'

personal note - it is certainly a bit of needless hyperbole to refer to the zoo as a "world class attraction", but the Magnetic Hill Zoo has consistently been ranked as the fourth best zoo in the country, and is certainly the best zoo in the region. It is a tremendous resource for the local tourism industry.....

[Sushi Guy]

Did anyone see the article in yesterday's paper (T&T) on the two high school fields upgrades for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup? First of all, I am happy that HTHS and BMHS are getting new turf for their soccer/football fields. However, if I read between the lines, T&T is reporting that all the games scheduled in Moncton will be played on artificial turf because of FIFA requirements!! The article also states that it is not decided yet if the UdeM Moncton Stadium will get artificial turf or not! Does that mean if there’s no money for the stadium field upgrade there won’t be any games played in our stadium??
I thought that was the reason why Moncton was chosen to be one of the locations in Canada to host games; because we have a “state of the art” stadium. Seriously! If the City of Moncton is trying to convince us to buy tickets go see “International” soccer games on aluminium bleachers in high schools backyards while we have an empty 10,000-seat stadium down the road, the event will be a huge flop and we will be a laughing-stock on an “International Level”!!

[BlackYear]

I don't think you have anything to worry about Sushi. The U de M field is natural grass and the International standards for FIFA is artificial. Without any standards on playing surfaces creates problems for players and fair competition.

I think what they're trying to do is convince the board of officials at FIFA to allow the games to be played on this natural surface, which is probably in better shape than some of the artificial surfaces out there. They only want to rip out the grass at last resort.

If I was a world class soccer player who has played on artificial turfs throughout my career, a top quality natural grass surface in spectacular shape would be a welcomed change.

[NBNYer]

The summit on immigration is taking place today in Moncton. One of the objectives is to establish a plan to encourage international immigration into the area. Last year the metro area welcomed 735 international immigrants but that number would need to triple in the next 20 years to sustain the current growth rate.

nice picture from the R-C article
http://img.src.ca/2012/10/22/635x357/121022_1r9dq_moncton-automne_sn635.jpg
Source (http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2013/05/30/003-sommet-immigration-moncton.shtml)

[MonctonRad]

Interesting and thought provoking article from the T&T today:

Moncton planners should be demanding more of developers
Friday, May 31, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Michael B. Sullivan

Look closely at Moncton. Is it appealing and attractive? Are development patterns coherent?

Is any development acceptable? Is emphasis given to architectural design and aesthetics? Have we become so dependent on new development tax revenue our standards are lower than most? Is the ink on the new Municipal Plan, with updates coming, hardly dry? Yup; but can it be circumvented? It is more than a 'guide!' The cry for renewal of the CBD is historical, bordering hysterical. The CBD is Vaughan Harvey Boulevard, St. George Street, the Petitcodiac River and McMonagle Bridge at Dieppe's boundary. An events centre, as a potential fulcrum for core redevelopment, has been advanced to supporters and skeptics.

The City would be wise to purchase the land proposed regardless if the centre becomes reality.

With the municipality as owner, it controls scope and quality of any future development. The land is ideal for a critical mass of mixed use development, but how many revitalization opportunities have been missed, or worse, never viewed as opportunities?

Permitting countless new developments in the northwest and the emerging trend toward Harrisville Boulevard runs counter to CBD revitalization. Could major anchor stores or profiled retail, professional and para professional developments have been 'lured'to the Core? What about the new Hotel on Harrisville Boule­vard? It is understandable the chain would want to locate near the airport, but could it have been cajoled into going to the city centre? This question has no answer.

Was this a role for the regional economic development agency and/or the Moncton's economic development arm? Are they blind this was within their mandates? It meant being very proactive. Maybe they would have been unsuccessful but, at least, try. Does anyone see the contradiction in pleas for core revitalization while new projects are approved further and further from the core?

We can't have it both ways!

read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11152

[NBNYer]

^^^ Very interesting article. Hopefully some people at city hall will take notice. Also, I had no idea that the main street bridge over Halls Creek was the McMonagle bridge, or that it even had a name!

The cry for renewal of the CBD is historical, bordering hysterical. The CBD is Vaughan Harvey Boulevard, St. George Street, the Petitcodiac River and McMonagle Bridge at Dieppe's boundary. An events centre, as a potential fulcrum for core redevelopment, has been advanced to supporters and skeptics.

[JasonL-Moncton]

^^^ Very interesting article. Hopefully some people at city hall will take notice. Also, I had no idea that the main street bridge over Halls Creek was the McMonagle bridge, or that it even had a name!

That was a fantastic article...much of which has been voiced by our collective here. Many other cities treasure their history, embrace it, restore it. Here we seem to want to destroy it and 'expand' into the vinyl and concrete wilderness.

Expansion doesn't mean that the GMA must grow it's km2 footprint, it can mean rejuvenating and re-purposing what we have from era's gone by, and building buildings we are proud of, not cookie cutter vinyl monstrosities.

[MonctonRad]

Editorial from today's T&T:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11158

Time for a 'cool change' in Metro
Monday, June 03, 2013
Times & Transcript

While the fate of a heritage property at 271 Mountain Rd. is far from sealed at this point, the long-term future of Moncton's fondly regarded 'Castle Manor' looks dim indeed. It is one of the last sizeable and obviously beautiful old buildings remaining in Moncton and seemingly, also symbolizes the City of Moncton's last chance to finally get its act together on heritage preservation.

Indeed the City's existing heritage bylaw might actually contribute to the problem at this stage. It's hard for a developer to take a chance on a huge old structure like Castle Manor while being restricted in terms of how it can be renovated or 'repurposed.' On the other hand, a bylaw that can't stop a developer from slapping vinyl siding over a gorgeous structure that in fact resembles a medieval castle wouldn't be worth the paper it was printed on.

We don't suggest there are trite answers for Moncton City Council, City administration or the Heritage Preservation Review Board. But surely, there has to be a way. All you need for proof is a visit to Fredericton or Halifax or St. John's or dozens of other cities elsewhere in Canada. You can't explain away Fredericton's success as merely the result of having access to government largesse as the provincial capital, but it is possible that many years of government support have engendered a different attitude to heritage preservation in Fredericton.

Doubtless the City of Fredericton has had its own financial challenges as it continues the work of preserving its old buildings. But they do continue the work, and one might well wonder if it relates to a cultural difference.

What might in fact be necessary in Metro, before anything else, is a complete culture change. Currently the attitude seems to be 'development at any cost,' timid acceptance of anything a developer proposes to do. Monctonians should be cool to any proposal for new construction that does not enhance our skyline, and that goes far beyond heritage buildings.

We Say:

On development issues, sometimes we need to 'just say no'

[MonctonRad]

It hasn't been mentioned on the forum before, but it has recently been confirmed that Moncton will be one of the host cities for the 2014 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup.

This event is held in the year preceding the FIFA Women's World Cup (which Moncton is also a host city for), and will be a very useful trial run leading into the world championships.

Only four cities in the country have been selected for the U20 tournament. They are Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Moncton..... :D

[BlackYear]

It hasn't been mentioned on the forum before, but it has recently been confirmed that Moncton will be one of the host cities for the 2014 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup.

This event is held in the year preceding the FIFA Women's World Cup (which Moncton is also a host city for), and will be a very useful trial run leading into the world championships.

Only four cities in the country have been selected for the U20 tournament. They are Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Moncton..... :D

Yep, and the mayor's quote says a lot, “You’ll note that the cities that are involved were also involved with FIFA but not all cities got chosen to host the Under 20 Women’s World Cup… and Moncton is in there with the big players as always,” notes LeBlanc.

The stadium is definitely starting to pay dividends, too bad they can't get a least one concert in there this summer.

They built it, and they are coming. Build the downtown event centre and they will come there as well.

[Norshorer]

Yep, and the mayor's quote says a lot, “You’ll note that the cities that are involved were also involved with FIFA but not all cities got chosen to host the Under 20 Women’s World Cup… and Moncton is in there with the big players as always,” notes LeBlanc.

The stadium is definitely starting to pay dividends, too bad they can't get a least one concert in there this summer.

They built it, and they are coming. Build the downtown event centre and they will come there as well.

I too would love to see the stadium being used for concerts, but something tells me UdeM are reluctant to allow this thanks to all the NIMBYs living nearby. Wouldn't be surprised in the least if the university would get all sorts of noise complaints the day after and decided never to hold another concert there again.

I haven't been to the CFL games, so I have no idea if there was a half-time show/concert or if they just carried on with the game? If there WAS a show/concert, then I'd be curious to see if there were any NIMBY noise complaints that resulted from it. Probably not since it was in the middle of the afternoon & not at night?

Anyway, just my 2 cents 5 cents as to possibly why we haven't seen any concerts being announced for that venue.

The rate of speed things are taking for the new events centre to be built, I have a feeling I'll be 10 years closer to retirement before they even pour the first load of cement for the foundation. :rolleyes:

We've got a great venue that could be used for so much more than just sporting events and it's just sitting there going unused for a greater portion of the year. Seems like a waste of a perfectly fine stadium to me.

[MonctonRad]

from News 91.9

Student enrolment up in Greater Moncton

Thanks to a growing population, student numbers are up and more teachers are being hired as a result
Allan Dearing
Jun 10, 2013 12:27:08 PM

MONCTON, NB – The Anglophone East School District is expanding in terms of enrolment and teachers thanks to a growing population in Greater Moncton.

Superintendent Gregg Ingersoll says the district seems to be contradicting a provincial trend.

“The trend… is a good trend. Instead of going down, we actually held our own (this year) and went up a little bit. We are anticipating that we will hold that at least for next year as well,” says Ingersoll.

Ingersoll notes higher enrolment will mean more teachers will be hired next year as well.

The Francophone South School District also anticipates higher enrolment in the fall and doesn’t expect to cut any staff including teaching positions.

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T:

Moncton construction soars
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: James Foster

Residential building slows slightly, other categories rise markedly

Moncton's year-to-date building per mit figures up to the month of April show a huge increase in permit values, to $99.9 million this year from $36.8 million at the same point on the calendar last year.

This represents the best total year-to-date permit value for the last 10 years, the City of Moncton says.

'Moncton's strong building permit numbers are just another indicator that our economy remains strong,' Mayor George LeBlanc says.

'I am looking forward to a strong upcoming construction season, with a lot of exciting new developments.' The home-building season has gotten off to a good start, though it doesn't measure up to 2012's figures up to the end of April. This year 152 residential permits have been issued compared to 169 last year and the value of those permits dipped slightly as well, to $13.7 million compared to last year's $17.2 million.

Slightly more than $10 million in residential permits were issued for the month of April alone, compared to $9.8 million in April 2012, representing a small increase, and the number of units included in those permits also rose slightly in the month of April, to 124 compared to 120 in April of 2012.

Other categories of permits exhibited strong increases in April over the same month last year, as did this year's year-to-date figures compared to 2012.

The year-to-date value Government and Institutional permits is just over $39 million as opposed to last year's value of nearly $1.7 million, with five permits issued in April alone valued at more than $34 million, compared to three in April of 2012 valued at $223,000.

The month of April was also a very busy month when it came to Commercial and Industrial permits, with 16 permits issued valued at almost $31 million, which is an increase over last year's total of over $10 million. Total year-to-date value in this category is more than $46 million compared to almost $17 million last year.

'April has been a record setting month for Commercial and Institutional permits. It is very exciting to see so much activity so early in the season,' said Allan Breau, the City of Moncton's Development Control Supervisor of Building Inspection.

complete article:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11212

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T

Council to harness 'can-do' attitude
Friday, June 14, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Alan Cochrane

Robert Irving to chair new Economic Leadership Council

Metro Moncton's new Economic Leadership Council will harness the area's can-do attitude to help chart the course for future economic development in the region, chairman Robert Irving said yesterday.

'Looking back, I really think that having a winning, can-do attitude was the critical factor in our historic turnaround and past success and it will continue to be vital in our future success as we face the challenges of today and tomorrow,' Irving, the coCEO of J.D. Irving, Limited, said during a speech to more than 460 people at the Enterprise Greater Moncton 13th annual Community Development Breakfast.

The breakfast was attended by the mayors of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe, council members, MLAs and local business leaders. Irving stressed the need for cooperation and hard work to drive the city's future success in the face of economic uncertainty.

'We need business to continue to support the community - we need everyone to come together to keep spreading the word about all the great things we have to offer,' Irving said. 'We have to gather the best minds, talent and passion of the people of Greater Moncton to ensure our vision is both strategic and focused on getting results. And, most importantly, we have to win. It's the winning spirit of the business community, our record of success, and an opportunity to get involved and truly make a difference. We will set the bar higher than ever before and we will achieve our vision. To be part of success - that's exciting.' During yesterday's breakfast, Enterprise Greater Moncton board chairwoman Lois Scott announced the formation of the Economic Leadership Council. The council is comprised of local business and community leaders who will help chart the course for future economic development in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview.

Other members of the initial council are: René Collette of Caisses populaires acadiennes, David Holt of Modern Construction, Susan Hicks of Technology Venture, David McFayden of the Owen-MacFayden Group, Larry Nelson of the Lounsbury Group, Brent Scrimshaw of Atlantic Lottery, Tom Badger, chairman of the Greater Moncton Chamber Commerce and Scott.

Read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11225

[Norshorer]

From CBC.ca/NB

Moncton downtown centre moves ahead
Council votes to buy Highfield Square property and shortlists 2 developers
CBC News
Posted: Jun 18, 2013 11:40 AM AT
Last Updated: Jun 18, 2013 12:03 PM AT

Moncton city council took two big steps towards building a $105-million downtown sports and entertainment centre on Monday night. Council voted 8-2 in favour of purchasing the 11-acre former Highfield Square property on Main Street for $6 million. Coun. Paul Pellerin and Coun. Brian Hicks voted against it.

The option to buy the land was scheduled to expire on July 3 and council now has to close the deal within 60 days of that date. The former shopping centre will be demolished and the city hopes to build an event centre on the site. Jacques Dubé, the city manager, says the property is a great deal as it has already gone up in value since the price was negotiated in the option to purchase the land.

"Our own appraisal shows that property is worth $10 million," Dubé said.

"The sale price was negotiated at $6 million so we're buying a piece of property that the market now establishes at $10 million worth of value."

In addition to the $6 million purchase price, Dubé says the city will have to spend between $2.5 million and $6 million to demolish the former mall and clean up any hazardous waste on the site, including hydrocarbons and asbestos.

Council shortlists 2 developers

Moncton council also agreed on Monday to begin negotiations with two national firms which have expressed interest in building the downtown event centre. Bird Construction Inc., Ellis Don Corporation and L'Aréna des Canadiens Inc. had all expressed interest in bidding for the project, but Dubé said only two have qualified to move forward to the request for proposals stage.

Bird Construction built the Thunderbird Sports Centre for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Ellis Don is known for Toronto's Rogers Centre and L'Aréna des Canadiens built the Bell Centre which is home to the Montreal Canadiens. In his report to councillors, Dubé said L'Aréna des Canadiens Inc. was "non-compliant" while Ellis Don Corporation received a final score of 71.5 per cent and Bird Construction a score of 80.17 per cent.

The companies were evaluated on experience, understanding of the project and methodology, which included experience working with a public authority.

Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/06/18/nb-highfield-square-purchased.html


Personal note:
Ellis Don also built the John Labatt Centre (now known as Budweiser Gardens) in London, ON. That arena can hold approx 9100 for end stage concerts so it should give you an idea of what Moncton's new Event Centre might be like.

Despite the rumblings that tax-payers might be on the hook for this project, I'm so used to such being the case by now for these kinds of projects that it doesn't phase me at all at this point. Glad this went through instead of being killed-off completely. Also glad they didn't opt to do some sort of half-arsed retrofit for existing Coliseum either.

Maybe by 2018, Moncton will start seeing concerts & other major events stop here instead of bypassing us for Halifax. Would also be great once and for all if the Moncton vs. Halifax concert feud could be put to an end by this since concerts would be stopping in BOTH cities vs. only going to one.

[MonctonRad]

Link to the pdf of the agenda for the June Moncton PAC meeting:

http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Government+English/Department+English/Planning+English/PAC+Agendas/June+Agenda.pdf

Nothing absolutely stunning here, but more subdivisions are on the way.......

[MonctonRad]

Colour for the page:

Here are a few pictures from Shot in the Dark, the shot put championship held on the Moncton riverfront this evening as part of the 2013 Canadian Track & Field Championships. The rest of the events are all being held at the Moncton Stadium, but they decided to hold the shot put event on the riverfront and include a music stage, free concert and a beer garden. This was all a terrific idea! The name of the event (Shot in the Dark) was pretty clever too. It wasn't over until nearly 11PM and it was pretty dark. Don't worry, they did have artificial lighting! :)

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/53EF83F2-34CC-4121-98E3-69E612419611-602-000000EA0055D837.jpg
Yes, the clouds look threatening. The concert was cut short and the shot put event was delayed about a half hour by a heavy thundershower. The beer tent suddenly filled to overflowing by patrons attempting to escape the monsoon.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/85C2DC1F-9DFE-4276-9F73-0A3646BF6652-602-000000EA11ADED24.jpg
The storm moves off, revealing a brilliant double rainbow.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/B0CDBF81-85F2-45B4-AACF-E3FC44DFBB3F-602-000000EA0A3326FE.jpg
The event begins. The ladies championship was followed by the mens championship. A new Canadian record was set by a paralympian who was invited to compete with the male athletes. The crowd was also thrilled to hear that the current Canadian mens champion (Dylan Armstrong) has just belatedly been awarded an Olympic bronze medal for the Beijing Games because the current bronze medallist has just been given a lifetime ban. Armstrong, who had previously placed fourth in the Beijing Olympic Games, will now move up to third place, thus entitling him to the bronze medal. This was breaking news..... :)

Halifax may have beach volleyball on their harbour front, but in Moncton, we have shot put on the riverfront. :D

[gm_scott]

Man... the grass is green in Moncton. I guess the grass really is greener on the other side.

[Philbilly]

I am at the Canadian National track and field competition and this is a total disgrace. Except for the athletes, family friends and coaches they are mabey 50 locals .way to go moncton for supporting a national event.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

That's too bad. I would have been there with my middle son but I am working this weekend. :(

The "Shot in the Dark" competition last night was fairly well attended (given the weather) and everyone had a good time....

[Philbilly]

The people in this city should support these type of events. These events brings in money to the metro. If not supported they will ignore this city for future events. I am glad shot in the dark was a success considering the weather but showing your support at the moncton stadium is where it matters at this event. Well going to edit this post ,finally people are starting to show up but better late than never lol

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

There is unfortunately some competition for the track championships this weekend. My wife and son went to the Moncton Metro Highland Games today and they said there was a good crowd there. Also, given the stellar weather today, I imagine a lot of people went to the beach. :)

I'm glad to hear crowds are picking up this evening. I think most of the finals are tomorrow. Also, the Highland Games are only a one day competition and are over now. Maybe attendance for the track & field championship will be better tomorrow.......

[Philbilly]

:previous:

There is unfortunately some competition for the track championships this weekend. My wife and son went to the Moncton Metro Highland Games today and they said there was a good crowd there. Also, given the stellar weather today, I imagine a lot of people went to the beach. :)

I'm glad to hear crowds are picking up this evening. I think most of the finals are tomorrow. Also, the Highland Games are only a one day competition and are over now. Maybe attendance for the track & field championship will be better tomorrow....... lets hope they flock like seagulls tomorrow!!!:)

[Josh73]

I volonteered at the track meet today and yesterday. There weren't too many people there, but yesterday evening, (for the 100m finals) the crowd grew lots, and they got pretty into the javelin competion! Great to see at least some locals have an intrest in one of our city's primary summer sports.

[MonctonRad]

Abridged from today's T&T. Full article here:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11283

Track event a huge success
Monday, June 24, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Tess Allen

Athletes, spectators and officials alike dazzled by performances, stadium


More than 800 athletes and countless spectators from within the region and beyond came out in droves to Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium this weekend for the 2013 Canadian Track and Field Championships.

From Friday night's unique riverfront kickoff to the dazzling displays of javelin, hurdles and para-athletics that comprised most of the weekend, organizer Doug Robertson couldn't have been more pleased with how things turned out.

'By all accounts the event was a big success and we on the organizing committee are very pleased,' said Robertson yesterday before a full afternoon of nonstop competition under the hot sun.

'We had lots of enthusiasm from the athletes and officials with how the event was run and there has also been great reaction to the stadium, as this was clearly an opportunity for all these athletes to compete in a world class facility.' While the event suffered its fair share of bumps and scrapes along the way (Friday night's Shot in the Dark was nearly drowned out by a torrential downpour and lightning storm), Robertson said he and fellow organizers had a pretty good grip on any challenges that arose over the course of the weekend.

'Any time you have an event of this size with so many moving parts, there are always little things that pop up here and there but nothing that we haven't been able to address or overcome as we go along,' he said.

'As you through these things, you learn how to do things differently and more efficiently another time around.' Robertson added that in some ways, the weekend's occasionally unfavourable weather conditions had somewhat of a positive impact.

'There's nothing you can do about the weather, but in a funny way Friday night's rain almost lifted the spirits (of those in attendance) when we finally got on with Shot in the Dark. It was discouraging (when it first started raining) since we had worked so hard to make it a special event,' he said.

'But when the rain stopped and the skies cleared up, we got things underway and the way the crowd reacted was a big moment for us. The shot putters loved the venue and the idea of taking things off-site. They had nothing but rave reviews and many said they can't wait to come back next year.' Athletes and spectators alike were indeed impressed with the Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium.

Shot putter Pamela LeJean from Halifax, called the stadium 'amazing' and her overall experience this weekend was even better.

'Moncton's stadium is the nicest one I've ever been in. I've gotten to know so many awesome athletes who have really given me something to strive for. This experience has made me look at competition in a new light and I'm very excited for my future,'

'We're pleased with the turnout. Our crowds have been good but it can be hard to tell because the stadium is so much bigger (compared to other stadiums in the country),' said Robertson, adding that 'you could put the Calgary grandstand in a third of our little grandstand across the way.' 'From the start on Thursday morning we had good crowds out early in the day and Saturday evening the main grandstand was really full.' In the coming months, Robertson and his team will pore over the highs and lows of this past weekend's event in hopes of putting together an even better show next summer for the 2014 Canadian Track and Field Championships.

'We've got probably the best integrated track and field complex in the country here. It's a real asset that can become a centre of excellence for (the sport) in Eastern Canada.'

[MonctonRad]

From today's T&T:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11286

Seventh annual Highland Games was biggest ever
Monday, June 24, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Tess Allen

Organizers say attendance increased by 50 per cent

The ears of Metro Monctonians are sure to be ringing with the sound of bagpipes for days to come in the wake of this weekend's seventh annual Moncton Highland Games - and co-chair Stephen Tweedie couldn't be happier about it.

'The Moncton High School field is a new location for the Highland Games and it may be one of the best things that's happened to us,' said Tweedie on Saturday, where hundreds plodded through the site to the tune of live music from 8:30 a.m. onward.

'We started out at Victoria Park six years ago, and then we moved onto the Bernice MacNaughton High School field, but since it's being tur ned over to artificial turf for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, we got moved down here,' said Tweedie.

'This field here appears to be bigger and it's certainly more visible to the public. We're thinking this more high-profile location is going to give us a better opportunity to attract crowds; I think today is witness to that statement.' Tweedie said that while typical attendance to the Games in years' past has floated around the 1,000 mark, he estimates that organizers increased that number by about 50 per cent this past weekend.

'For us, this is the biggest Highland Games ever. It's a great way to showcase our Scottish heritage and culture and we only hope to keep making it better.' A number of activities were available for visitors to this weekend's event, including performances by 13 pipe bands from across the region (a record number for Atlantic Canada in recent years), highland dance competitions, piping and drumming contests and the ever-popular sheep-to-shawl demonstrations.

Denyse Milliken of Dorchester spearheaded the sheep-to-shawl event this weekend.

'We're spinning wool that was sheared right next door to us. It comes in its raw from, so first we have to card it and then we spin it before we demonstrate the weaving and knitting,' said Milliken, add­ing that 'wool is very important as it makes up the kilt.

'It's a skill that needs to be shown as part of Scottish history. So often people see a spinning wheel or a loom in a museum and no one is actually demonstrating how to use them, so we're hoping to add value to that experience by showing how these tools are used.' This year's popular event certainly attracted visitors from Metro Moncton and beyond.

Among the attendees was shot put champion Dylan Armstrong, who participated in the event's special demonstration of Braemar stone throwing.

'We had a little bit of cross-pollination (with the Canadian Track and Field Championships). When we found out that shot put was part of the track event, we figured why not get together since our Braemar stone throwing is the predecessor to shot put,' said Tweedie.

While Armstrong technically came to Moncton to compete in this weekend's Canadian Track and Field Championships (he came in second at Friday night's national shot put championships on the riverfront), he ended up leaving with a couple other titles he wasn't necessarily anticipating.

'I'm pretty happy (to have broken the Canadian record in Braemar stone throwing),' said Armstrong, who astounded spectators with a throw over 46 feet, in turn demolishing the Canadian record of 43 feet and coming close to beating the world record.

'Braemar stone throwing is definitely a lot dif ferent from shot put. It's difficult because you're on grass and I'm a little bit hesitant because I don't want to get hurt, but it's a lot of fun.' When spectators weren't catching one of the weekend's 'heavy athletics' events, they could do some shopping at one of the site's various vendors.

Mac MacIsaac of MacIsaac Kiltmakers felt compelled to set up shop at this weekend's Highland Games.

'We've been making kilts for almost 30 years. We don't typically go to a lot of one-day events but Moncton is doing a good job of promoting the (Scottish) culture and heritage, so we felt pretty strongly about doing all we can to help support this,' said MacIsaac, whose family business has only missed one Moncton Highland Games in its seven-year run.

'It (the Highland Games) gives us an opportunity to build loyalty, to be in front of people and have them become comfortable with who we are (and what we do). It makes us more than just a name of the Internet.' Saturday's festivities were capped off with a raucous performance by Celtic super-group the Rogues.

Personal note - I think it's rather funny (and neat) that Olympic bronze medallist shot putter Dylan Armstrong tried his hand at Braemar stone throwing because both events were concurrent in Moncton, and very nearly broke the world record in the event! :haha:

There is clearly a synergy between the two events. The fact the Highland Games were on Saturday likely did have an impact on attendance at the Canadian Track & Field Championships that day. I wonder if the two events will overlap next year too?

[MonctonRad]

From Councillor Dawn Arnold's Facebook page:

The Supermoon Tidal Bore from yesterday:

-jE2qMvE0KU

[mylesmalley]

I know this one is a bit exceptional, but a typical tidal bore is noticeably better than they were just before the gates opened. I wonder how the depth of the river has been affected?

[Josh73]

Saw that video, pretty cool!

Not that is has much to do with this topic, but Dawn Arnold is my neighbor!

[habs33]

I'm not sure how to embed the video but here's a link to video shot of todyay's tital Bore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHzFWGwA9w

[MonctonRad]

I'm not sure how to embed the video but here's a link to video shot of todyay's tital Bore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHzFWGwA9w

You take the address of the YouTube video (in this case NJHzFWGwA9w) and enclose it between the BBB codes .

et voila!

[YOUTUBE]NJHzFWGwA9w

[JasonL-Moncton]

Holy cow...I just went to grab lunch on Mountain Rd. and the three houses between Arby's and Sun Sun Chinese have been completely demolished! :shrug:

Anyone know what's happening there?

[MonctonRad]

Holy cow...I just went to grab lunch on Mountain Rd. and the three houses between Arby's and Sun Sun Chinese have been completely demolished! :shrug:

Anyone know what's happening there?

Yes, I just saw that too. Very interesting!

No, I have no idea what's going on there but given the fact that all three houses were demolished on the same day, one has to think that there must be some formal plans for this property......

[BlackYear]

I drove by these properties yesterday or the day before and the three For Sale signs were still up, with no Sold sticker on them.

They've been for sale now for the past 2 months or so.

:shrug:

[JasonL-Moncton]

I went by again today and the property is completely bare...no demolition left, no foundations, nada. Who wants to guess? Apartment building>?

Where are all our guys that snoop at the permit office? :P

[MonctonRad]

Where are all our guys that snoop at the permit office? :P

I don't think anyone around here snoops around the building permits office. That information unfortunately isn't available online. :(

The closest I come is keeping an eye on the PAC agendas, but that misses a lot....

Unless a proposal needs a zoning change, the PAC has nothing to do with it.

[monctoninasia]

Holy cow...I just went to grab lunch on Mountain Rd. and the three houses between Arby's and Sun Sun Chinese have been completely demolished! :shrug:

Anyone know what's happening there?

Interesting to hear. Been away from Moncton for a long time. Always appreciate your pictures. If my memory is correct, there was a small old reddish house on the corner of Terris Ave. My grandfather told me as a boy (1920's) of him going down to "old man" Terris's farm and cutting out ice chunks out of his lake. He use to store it in barn under hay until early summer and people could get ice. Not related to your topics, but I often wondered if the house was his and originally part of a large farm (which would be parkton now). He often told me of living in Hildegard way outside the city along an old dirt road called Mountain road. City didn't begin until Killam Drive, but built up area only began around High street. Seems the few remnants of history are disappearing. Moncton really is taking on the characteristics of a bigger city.

(Sorry, didn't mean to hijak the thread. Keep those pics coming. I'd love to see more views around the city. Lake Petitcodiac's view will no doubt shock me the most when I next visit, along with the Mapleton and upper Mountain Road area.)

[Josh73]

Sorry, this may sound stupid, but what is Lake Petitcodiac?

[MonctonRad]

Sorry, this may sound stupid, but what is Lake Petitcodiac?

Has it really been that long? :)

Lake Petitcodiac was the name for the artificial head-pond to the west of the causeway gates. It was drained after the gates were opened leaving the mud flats that you can see now.......

[MonctonRad]

Holy cow...I just went to grab lunch on Mountain Rd. and the three houses between Arby's and Sun Sun Chinese have been completely demolished! :shrug:

Anyone know what's happening there?

It would appear that these three properties have been consolidated and are now for sale. There is a brand new "for sale" sign up on the central portion of the property......

[C_Boy]

5 of the cheapest places in Canada to buy a home
By Gail Johnson – Fri, 5 Jul, 2013 3:56 PM EDT


THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Would you describe yourself as house-poor? Are you scraping together money for a down payment on a home the size of your parents’ tool shed? There’s a solution to all this house-price madness: move to Moncton.

The New Brunswick city is the cheapest one in Canada to buy property, with the average price in June being $157,124, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. That makes Vancouver’s average price of $772,569 and Toronto’s of $542,174 look even more absurd.

Across the country, the actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average price for homes sold in May was $388,910, an increase of 3.7 per cent from the same month last year.

Here’s a look at five of the cheapest cities to buy a house in Canada. Start packing.

1. Moncton, N.B.
Built on the site of an Acadian settlement known as Le Coude (The Bend) on the Petitcodiac River, this city of 69,000 is a major sports tourism hub that also has short commutes and beautiful nearby beaches. Moncton was named one of the best places to live and work in Canada by Chatelaine, and Readers Digest recently called it the most polite city in Canada.

2. Windsor-Essex, Ont.
Average house price: $174,396. Here you’ll find quaint waterfront villages, lush farmlands, fragrant vineyards, an outdoor sculpture garden, the largest concentration of greenhouses in North America, and the Colosseum at Caesars Windsor, the biggest venue of its kind in the Caesars chain.
As the southernmost point in all of Canada, Windsor-Essex — which is at the same latitude as northern California and some of Europe’s finest wine regions — is one of the most agriculturally productive areas in the entire country.

3. Saint John, N.B.
Average house price: $182,129. Situated on the Bay of Fundy, the home of Moosehead beer was Canada’s first city, incorporated in 1785. With a population of about 70,000, the city has preserved many of its heritage buildings in its uptown core, giving it a unique and charming feel. A couple of years back, St. John’s citizens were described as the happiest in the country by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Information technology, advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare and tourism sectors form the bulk of Saint John’s economic base.

4. Thunder Bay, Ont.
Average house price: $199,642. Located on the north shore of Lake Superior — the world’s largest freshwater lake -- Thunder Bay is the sunniest city in Eastern Canada. With a population of about 109,000, the “forest capital” of Canada is increasingly becoming a hub for knowledge-based industries, primarily in the fields of molecular medicine and genomics.
It’s ranked as the sixth most-culturally diverse community of its size in North America, with Finnish, Italian, Scottish, Ukrainian, Polish, French, Aboriginal, Chinese and Croatian being some of the most common ethnic backgrounds

5. Lethbridge, Alta.
Average house price: 239,097
Small-town charm and warm Chinook winds characterize this sunny Southern Alberta spot, which has a population of about 90,000. It’s home to two post-secondary institutions. Intersected by the Oldman River, the city has one of the largest systems of urban parks in North America. Besides agriculture, the city’s economy is based in health, education, retail, hospitality sectors.

[BlackYear]

It would appear that these three properties have been consolidated and are now for sale. There is a brand new "for sale" sign up on the central portion of the property......

A similar predicament may be unfolding across the street from the NBCC on Mt-Rd.

There are 3 or 4 houses in a row, all for sale.

[MonctonRad]

A similar predicament may be unfolding across the street from the NBCC on Mt-Rd.

There are 3 or 4 houses in a row, all for sale.

Good riddance! They are nothing more than dilapidated 1970's era boxy bungalows. They have no redeeming features whatsoever....

[monctonian]

5 of the cheapest places in Canada to buy a home
By Gail Johnson – Fri, 5 Jul, 2013 3:56 PM EDT


THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Would you describe yourself as house-poor? Are you scraping together money for a down payment on a home the size of your parents’ tool shed? There’s a solution to all this house-price madness: move to Moncton.

The New Brunswick city is the cheapest one in Canada to buy property, with the average price in June being $157,124, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.

The average price quoted above is for all residential type properties reported sold on the Moncton MLS System®. The area covered by the system includes all properties located anywhere Albert, Kent and Westmorland counties. For properties actually located in the City of Moncton, the average sale price of all detached, semi-detached and condominium properties reported sold in June was $178,395. If Dieppe and Riverview are added the average sale price in June was $180,026 for all three municipalities.

[NBNYer]

The average price quoted above is for all residential type properties reported sold on the Moncton MLS System®. The area covered by the system includes all properties located anywhere Albert, Kent and Westmorland counties. For properties actually located in the City of Moncton, the average sale price of all detached, semi-detached and condominium properties reported sold in June was $178,395. If Dieppe and Riverview are added the average sale price in June was $180,026 for all three municipalities.

So are you saying that it's a bad comparison to other cities, or does the data for other cities also include such a large rural area?

Aren't these low housing costs a reflection of poor demand? Moncton seems to be consistently at the bottom of these housing cost lists nation wide.