The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[riverviewer]

Took the family and checked out the new tobaggon run at the papal site. I'd have to say I prefer's riverview's hill, but coming home it was exciting to see the crane looming above the casino site. I also saw the render on the poster at the site. Now that I see the lighthouse theme in full, I'm willing to acknowledge it will look quite nice.

[curious]

I just noticed the other day there was many empty store fronts on main st, any news what will be filling these spaces. Too bad there wasn't some nice clothing, jewelry stores etc on main. I love how downtown Halifax or Fredericton have the nice little boutiques.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

That's why we have to build a critical mass downtown of apartment buildings, condominiums, office buildings and entertainment venues such as the proposed new arena complex.

The downtown stores, restaurants and pubs do OK in the late spring, summer and the fall but the winter months of January, February, March and April are killers. Our downtown has to become both a viable year round destination as well as a working neighbourhood in order to survive.

I honestly think that this might happen. The two new condo/apt. projects by Valmond Robichaud, the new justice complex, the new federal building on Weldon, the Ashford office building at Main/Vaughn Harvey, the new Sobey's and Shoppers Drug Mart, the Blue Cross expansion, the new Marriott, and the refurbished Crowne Plaza are all signs of a positive future. Add in the proposed arena complex and the downtown core may actually become self sustaining. :tup:

[David_99]

I just noticed the other day there was many empty store fronts on main st, any news what will be filling these spaces. Too bad there wasn't some nice clothing, jewelry stores etc on main. I love how downtown Halifax or Fredericton have the nice little boutiques.

Nothing ever lasts between Graffiti's and Personel Search on Main, just after the train overpass. That building needs to go. It's in even worse shape on the inside. There's also no parking close by.

Edit: Maybe it could become a parking garage :D

[mmmatt]

Nothing ever lasts between Graffiti's and Personel Search on Main, just after the train overpass. That building needs to go. It's in even worse shape on the inside. There's also no parking close by.

Edit: Maybe it could become a parking garage :D

no dice, its a listed historical place.

http://www.historicplaces.ca/visit-visite/affichage-display.aspx?id=3000

It just needs some TLC :)

[Dmajackson]

no dice, its a listed historical place.

http://www.historicplaces.ca/visit-visite/affichage-display.aspx?id=3000

It just needs some TLC :)

Well if you guys have as demented heritage rules as we do here in Halifax you can get it demolished in a year. :rolleyes:

[David_99]

It just needs some TLC :)

Which will never happen. No one will want to put money into it and it'll be a safety hazzard soon enough. In a few years it'll be like the Wallace building once next to Moncton High. Have you ever been up stairs? No wonder the store fronts are vacant. I wouldn't want a store under that either. :haha:

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I'm in favour of keeping the subway block. It may be in disrepair, but there are precious few examples of late 19th century and early 20th century architecture left on Main Street. The facade of that building remains attractive. It should be preserved. I approve its historical designation.

[StormShadow]

Condos- Preserve the facade, condos on the upper floors, businesses at street level.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Exactly. Parking would likely be problematic for the residents however and presumably would have to be leased nearby.

[StormShadow]

Yes, yes. The Subway Lofts.

[David_99]

:previous:

I'm in favour of keeping the subway block. It may be in disrepair, but there are precious few examples of late 19th century and early 20th century architecture left on Main Street. The facade of that building remains attractive. It should be preserved. I approve its historical designation.

It would be great to keep it. I just don't see anyone paying for the major renovations. Maybe if the Arena takes over the Highfield lot, then that real estate could become more attractive. It's hard to see it though, with no parking.

[JimiThing]

Yes, yes. The Subway Lofts.

I think the subway block is for sale. Would be nice to see someone invest into that building. Bring it back to it's origal glory.


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/tibrcr/9.jpg

[curious]

How come Robinson Court? (i think that is the name) is never used. It appears to be nice in there. I think long time ago there was a store in there? It appears that the restaurants do well on Main. Anytime I go (Thurs-sat) it is busy. Too bad there wasn't a nice Full Greek restaurant.
I hope that the new metro center or arena will bring people downtown. There needs to be more of an attraction site. Too bad we didn't have a Banana Republic. Apparently, their first motto is to open stores in the downtown area to help revive the core.I wonder what other stores have that motto? Does anyone know who does the renderings for the new places going up. I notice alot of places do not have renderings.

[Jerry556]

isint there any parking in the back??

[David_99]

There's a small parking lot that can hold, what, 8 cars? But I believe it is reserved for either ING, Personel Search or Graffitis staff already. Not sure which one.

[JimiThing]

There's a small parking lot that can hold, what, 8 cars? But I believe it is reserved for either ING, Personel Search or Graffitis staff already. Not sure which one.

It is a leased parking area... Pay as you go!

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

So, there is the potential for parking for loft style condos on the subway block!. You could probably build an enclosed garage in the small parking area in back. There probably wouldn't be space for more than eight condos in the upper floors of the subway block in any event. I think it could be a great place to live if you are into a downtown type lifestyle. The windows in front are huge and would be great for front living rooms!

[mylesmalley]

:previous:

So, there is the potential for parking for loft style condos on the subway block!. You could probably build an enclosed garage in the small parking area in back. There probably wouldn't be space for more than eight condos in the upper floors of the subway block in any event. I think it could be a great place to live if you are into a downtown type lifestyle. The windows in front are huge and would be great for front living rooms!

That's always been one of my favorite buildings downtown in spite of the state it's in. It has such an interesting shape and configuration in relation to the tracks and Main Street. If I actually had any money, I'd love to live there, though I'd say it's pretty obvious that it needs a significant amount of remodeling to make it livable.

[BlackYear]

Subway block.

Renovate into condos = who would pay $200,000+ for a condo with a major railway in your backyard? Location, location, location. Yes the block is historically nice and I'm all for saving the structure, but let's get real. To completely gut out the place and upgrade it to today's standards (codes), it's going to cost millions. Investors may not see profits coming in for a very very long time. Condo fees and retail rental income may take over 20 years before an investor sees a dime.

So what do you do? Demolish it? This piece of land has a very small footprint, so what can be done with it? You still have a major railway in the backyard. The ING building has recent renovations done. Do you keep ING or flatten this one too.

Here's an idea. Reroute the railway on the outskirts of town, get rid of that old subway which is pretty much an eyesore, and NOW we got something to work with. Subway block has now just become gold.

As far as I'm concern, T&T can go as well. The Lutz/Bonaccord/Queen block without railway is now prime for retail/condos/apartment complex/parking garage/small nature park.

[mylesmalley]

I actually really like the Subway. I realize it's a challenge for high-sided vehicles but it's not like they aren't warned ahead of time.

As for the railroad itself. I'd hardly call it a major line. There's probably not more than a half dozen trains through there a day anyway. The cost of rerouting the tracks around the city, plus tearing up the existing lines, plus moving the train station, plus purchasing all the new land etc etc etc would cost a fortune. And realistically, it's not that huge of an inconvenience having the line run through town.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I agree with Myles. The cost to CNR of rerouting the main line north of town would be huge, and I think it would be very difficult to obtain the right of way to do this. It won't happen.

As Myles says, there probably aren't more than 6-8 trains a day through the downtown. The train traffic isn't that much of a pain. In addition, none of the trains pass through after about midnight. I don't think having the CNR main line behind the subway block precludes residential development of this site. In fact, I think having the occasional train passing by is actually kind of exciting!

You have to keep in mind that the sort of individual who would be most likely to buy a downtown loft style condo is somebody who doesn't have children. A location like the subway block could potentially be quite attractive to an unattached urban professional. Throw in adjacent indoor parking and you might have a winner!

[mmmatt]

I love the subway, I would say its close to a local landmark. And its sorta a running local joke about the couple of drivers a year that end up turning their trailer into a 1/2 open sardine can. I have heard they used to paint it up all nice a while back, I think that would be a good idea to make a comeback. The grey is alright, but its just a hot-spot for graffiti...if it was already painted up it would reduce that a lot.

And the rail line is nice too, its part of the citys heritage and its really neat that we have the line running the way it does...plus we get to have a downtown train station, which comes in handy...and could serve as a greater boon with the new arena etc.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f232/stu_pendousmat/Winter/IMG_0179copy.jpg
:)

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

The railway may not be as integral to the economy of the city as it used to be, but the CNR line through downtown and the subway in particular still are major defining features of the persona of the city.

If the subway were gone, it would be like tearing a large part of the heart and soul out of downtown. How would Moncton be any different from the other large cities in the Maritimes if the railway passing through downtown were suddenly gone?

[mmmatt]

:previous:

The railway may not be as integral to the economy of the city as it used to be, but the CNR line through downtown and the subway in particular still are major defining features of the persona of the city.

If the subway were gone, it would be like tearing a large part of the heart and soul out of downtown. How would Moncton be any different from the other large cities in the Maritimes if the railway passing through downtown were suddenly gone?

Agreed...here is another recent pic

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3294388810_eeae3cc358.jpg?v=0
credit: evan.pooley on flickr

and a couple more recent moncton pics for fun...

Gulf Fisheries Center (during todays snowstorm)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3304906102_763c490710.jpg?v=0
credit: Sgeulachdan
on flickr

Moncton High
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3285677641_b3fa30966b.jpg?v=0
credit: brian branch on flickr

Justice Center U/C
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3580/3293562563_0acb4b32e7.jpg
credit: evan.pooley on flickr

[JasonL-Moncton]

The footprint of the justice center doesn't seems that big, based on the picture on page 215?

The Subway block would be great for Condo's, a photo studio/gallery, IT company, Graphic Design company, all kinds of things...it just needs to be brought up to today on the inside. It's like the building that Terra Verde is in, that is a fantastic building, but it too needs a LOT of work.

You can't take out the train bridge and reroute, that's not fiscally feasible, but what IS feasible is to 'raise' the bridge so that high vehicles can function on main.

[mylesmalley]

I suppose that's doable, but I really doubt it. The province would almost certainly just tear out the Subway and put in a newer=style bridge in its place. I really like the idea of bringing back painting the concrete different colours. It'd give that end of downtown a bit more vibrancy.

Honestly though, I don't mind that big trucks can't use that stretch of Main. It's busy enough as it is, without transport trucks trying to take shortcuts from Moncton into Dieppe.

[JasonL-Moncton]

I agree...but it's an option.

[Sony500]

I could be wrong on this, but Main St. between Botsford and Lutz St. is not really good for truck traffic because of the lamp posts and other stuff being so close to the curb side. I don't know if i was told this or just an observation.

[P Unit]

:previous:

I agree with Myles. The cost to CNR of rerouting the main line north of town would be huge, and I think it would be very difficult to obtain the right of way to do this. It won't happen.


There actually was at one point a proposal (although I'm not sure how serious) to reroute the tracks around the north end of town, with a new VIA station somewhere up around where the TCH meets Mapleton Road. I did a work placement at the planning commission in the late 90's and I remember seeing the plans, although it was long since dead by this point. Thank goodness, too. Having a passenger rail line downtown is a must.

Someone should ask around at GMPDC for old proposals they have kicking around in their little library. I remember some pretty interesting downtown renewal ones (complete with drawings). Some of them included covering Robinson Park and Oak Park with glass canopies, while others had ambitious plans for the parking lot at Highfield Square.

[isaidso]

Any pics of your new stadium?

[gehrhardt]

New facilities, programs could boost university enrolment by half
A1, Published Wednesday February 25th, 2009
By Jesse Robichaud
Times & Transcript Staff

Atlantic Baptist University's growth in recent years has been no secret, but plans to expand to accommodate more students and programs have been kept quiet until now.
http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=252858&size=500x0
This is a very early artist’s concept of what the campus could look like. The lower left shows a new teaching facility, upper left shows a new set of apartments and a new athletic facility at the extreme top left.

The university's directors met this weekend to agree upon a $22-million to $24-million plan to add a student residence, an arena, and a new administration and education building that will address the campus' current capacity constraints.

The university's vice-president for advancement, Ron Gaudet, said work could begin as soon as this summer.

"This is all about growing to meet a demand as opposed to a field of dreams," said Gaudet, noting that the university represents an anomaly in the Maritimes where most universities are facing shrinking enrolment numbers.

"In this region, there is actually a deficit in terms of post-secondary education offerings, and we have been against the wall for the past four years with 800 students."

The major expansion will include renovations to the existing education and administration building, and a pedway that will connect both buildings.

Gaudet said the expansion will allow the university to build a student body of between 1,000 and 1,200 students over the next five years. The five-year plan will add new programs, including degrees at the masters level, along with the necessary faculty and staff.

He said the first priority is building the new education and administration building, and the university would like to see construction begin this summer in order to open the new building by 2010.

"The first priority is to get the education building open because that allows us to make our student body more comfortable and allow us more space to take on more programs."

The campus was built 12 years ago with an intended capacity of about 450 students. The student population quickly grew from 200 students, and grew to about 800 students.

The campus currently houses about 130 students at its residence, and Gaudet said ABU would like to add another 50-room residence.

Gaudet said a private hockey school is already interested in leasing the arena during periods of the year, and he said the university is open to developing partnerships with recreation departments in Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe.

"This is an area of Moncton that has no arena at this point, which is the fastest growing area of Moncton, so we would entertain taking with the city about how we could serve the need in Moncton North," said Gaudet.

The main intent of the new arena is to add "breadth and depth" to the small university's athletic programs, said Gaudet.

But while Gaudet noted it may be early to speak about sparking a rivalry with the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus, he did admit that the possibility of a school hockey team would be intriguing.

And in academic terms, Gaudet insisted that Atlantic Baptist University sees itself as a complementary institution to l'Université de Moncton, rather than a competitor.

"What research in the region has indicated is that fewer anglophone adults are getting post-secondary education in this region than in other urban regions of Atlantic Canada," said Gaudet.

"We see it as a complementary role to that of UdeM, so the region will have a well-rounded offering."

Ed Barrett of Woodstock-based Barrett Corporation will chair a capital campaign, that will seek $7 million in donations from the private sector and donors.

Gaudet said the university's loyal alumni, and its relationships with local churches and the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches will provide a strong base of support.

But although Atlantic Baptist University is a privately-funded institution that doesn't receive operational funding from the provincial or federal governments, negotiations regarding capital funding for the expansion have begun with both levels of government.

Gaudet said Atlantic Baptist University is looking for three-way funding arrangements for elements of the expansion that fit into government programs and spending priorities.

"We are very encouraged by the level of interest we have received," said Gaudet.

Gaudet said Atlantic Baptist University is encouraged by the so-called economic stimulus packages that have been announced by Ottawa and Fredericton, but he said funding requests were made long before the current worldwide economic crisis emerged.

"It is apparent the stimulus package is timely from our perspective," said Gaudet.

"We formally made requests long before the economy took a nose dive."

Gaudet said the university isn't daunted by the current economic situation, but it is taking it into account as it approaches private sector companies and individual donors.

"What our donors are saying is recognize this is a difficult time," said Gaudet.

"It just means the way we work with the private sector donors is we're going to have to give them the flexibility to provide support over a longer time period."

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Northwest Moncton is becoming the place to be!

:banana: :banana: :banana:

[mikeohara]

I think the subway block is for sale. Would be nice to see someone invest into that building. Bring it back to it's origal glory.


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/tibrcr/9.jpg

Yeah that building has a lot of history, My Boss had an office in there for a while.

Biggest Problem with that Building is its proximity to the Tracks, back in the day when ever a train passed by it would shake, sometimes quite violently. its amazing there isn't any structural damage to the building from all the years of trains and vibrations. being sustained.

Would be nice to see the builing reno'd but its just a wonder of how much it will cost, and how it would affect the buildings next too/attached to it.

[JasonL-Moncton]

That's great for ABU...I've always said that Moncton was seriously lacking in 'English' post-secondary education. U of M really dropped the ball by not being a bilingual university...they could double their enrollment and their input into the local economy by offering both. I guess ABU is going to pick up that ball and run with it.

[mylesmalley]

It's good to see ABU getting a 'campus' sort of feel to it. I hope they don't make the mistake that UdeM made by building things so far apart.

I don't really think UdeM 'dropped the ball' per se. It was always my understanding that it was intended to be the province's primary French university while UNB would be the main English school. From what I've heard though you can take a good number of English courses at UdeM. And lest we forget Mount Allison which is only a half hour drive from town.

[@Champlain]

H&M
La Vie en Rose
Aqua
Koodo
Sirens
Costa Blanca
New concept & moving-Guest Services Centre
Remodeled-Rickis
Remodeled-Hallmark
Remodeled & moving-Fairweather
Expansion-Spring
Expansion-Stokes
and more to come

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Thanks for the update @Champlain! I was at the mall yesterday and there looked to be some activity around the old Don Cherry's location. Is there anything in the works for there?

[@Champlain]

:previous:

Thanks for the update @Champlain! I was at the mall yesterday and there looked to be some activity around the old Don Cherry's location. Is there anything in the works for there?

Two of the things mentioned in the list is going there.
Stay tuned!

[mylesmalley]

Huh. Apparently The Creek closed.

[MonctonRad]

Huh. Apparently The Creek closed.


Mediocre food, bad location.

[@Champlain]

The rent might be high at Champlain, but we've got the traffic!

[BlackYear]

Too bad about The Creek. I live within 6 blocks and I haven't had a chance to go and I'm not sure why. Either the location, the name, the menu or simply may be just one of those places you never think about going.

Champlain Mall. The only time I ever go to the mall is Christmas time or whenever I have a craving for those giant soft pretzels. I prefer to shop at specialty shops all around town.

Railway through the city. I've lived in downtown Moncton all my life and I would love nothing more than having the railway rerouted out of town. Why it was ever designed that was in the first place is beyond me. But then again, back in the early 1900s, Moncton was a railroad town. Still though, as the city grew and expanded throughout the decades, you would think that the city and the railroad company would foresee some problems down the road.

Rerouting the railway out of the city wouldn't be too difficult. You could create a junction at Berry Mills, run a new line along the TCH # 2, reconnect to an another junction between Elmwood & Shediac Rd. You could also build a new VIA Rail station near Magnetic Hill along this new railway. All of the rails currently in the industrial parks wouldn't be affected. You would only cut off the vein from West Main street traffic circle to Mill Road.

Rerouting the rail would allow the city to completely redevelop the West Main street traffic circle. You could remove the West Main rail bridge and completely flatten this area level which would create a great opportunity to develop a brand new traffic circle with a great view from all angles...with no flooding.

You could do the same for the subway. Take away the old ugly subway and level off Main street and redo and new "T" intersection. No trucks allowed, but tourist with motorcoaches and motorhomes would be a welcomed. No more restrictions on Santa Claus parade floats.

The rest of the downtown railway could be redeveloped into a trail system with small parks and benches. The corner of St-George/Church/O'Brian (that little 50' side street) would go through a make-over. The Deluxe French Fries block would allow for prime apartment buildings to be built.
Robinson & Queen would open for parking. Lutz/Queen/McMonagle corner would open more parking spaces. And of course behind the subway block would completely be open for new development.

I'll stop for now. :)

[mmmatt]

Great to hear the good news about Champlain...nice to see new stores...I was in there today and it was packed out as usual.

Awesome news about ABU, its a small university, but its a very good asset to our higher education system in Moncton...Im glad to see they are doing so well. Hopefully the expansion will be soon :)

Never went to the Creek, but I always thought it looked really out of place...that whole street needs a lot of work.

heres an interesting article from the airport today:


Greater Moncton International Airport Receives Airport of Entry/225 Designation

2/24/2009

Moncton -- Greater Moncton International Airport (GMIA) is pleased to announce that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has recently upgraded the GMIA’s designation for Airport of Entry (AOE) to AOE/225 passengers from AOE/75 passengers.

This new designation will inform international airlines that the GMIA has a facility wherein 225 passengers can be processed through customs without a staged offload, rather than the previous number of 75, which represents the capacity of a regional sized jet and did not meet GMIA’s requirements for international arrivals. This adjusted published number represents the equivalent capacity of larger passenger aircraft such as the Boeing 757 narrow-bodied aircraft.

“We are extremely grateful for all the support that we received from the CBSA officers and offices in the region and from CBSA’s new President & CEO in Ottawa”, states Rob Robichaud, President and CEO of the Greater Moncton International Airport Authority. “In addition, the Greater Moncton community, Councils and the various business-oriented agencies must be recognized for their unfailing collaboration.”

In these very competitive times in the aviation industry, particularly in this region, tools such as the increased AOE designation help the GMIA stand out and market itself more effectively to international carriers. At this time, among all New Brunswick and PEI airports, GMIA is the only one that has the AOE/225 designation, which means more international passengers can be accommodated upon arrival.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

The AOE225 designation is actually a huge thing for the GMIA. There are only two (now three) airports in Atlantic Canada with this designation. It allows large jets to disembark all their passengers at the same time for customs services. This and the expansion of customs services to 16 hours/day will really boost the airports competitiveness for the international travel market.

Congratulations!

[P Unit]

I've never really understood the majority of Monctonians' opposition to the tracks running through town. I think it's such an incredible asset, and moving the tracks to the north of town would be a mistake on par with the causeway or putting the dump next to the river. Who knows how long gas is going to stay cheap, and there will come a day when it's more economically viable to take the train between Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Halifax than it will be to fly or to drive. Having a downtown rail station will become a huge advantage. With the same economic eventuality, LRT will eventually become more common in smaller centers in Canada (we're talking decades here, but still). Having an existing right-of-way is too valuable a resource to throw away, as most cities have a hell of a time when they have to expropriate land for transit projects. It's a little bit of an inconvenience now (and even then, the line is not that busy at all), but it could become a gold mine in the future.

[mylesmalley]

I've never really understood the majority of Monctonians' opposition to the tracks running through town. I think it's such an incredible asset, and moving the tracks to the north of town would be a mistake on par with the causeway or putting the dump next to the river. Who knows how long gas is going to stay cheap, and there will come a day when it's more economically viable to take the train between Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Halifax than it will be to fly or to drive. Having a downtown rail station will become a huge advantage. With the same economic eventuality, LRT will eventually become more common in smaller centers in Canada (we're talking decades here, but still). Having an existing right-of-way is too valuable a resource to throw away, as most cities have a hell of a time when they have to expropriate land for transit projects. It's a little bit of an inconvenience now (and even then, the line is not that busy at all), but it could become a gold mine in the future.

Amen, P Unit!

I'd add to that

The railroad companies are pretty much broke. More importantly, there'd be no economic benefit to them moving the tracts as the trains get right-of-way anyway. A new rail line across the edge of town wouldn't save any time
Funding would have to come from some or all levels of government...which would never fly for a purely cosmetic project
Via charters busses to take people to towns not serviced by trains. Having the bus station so close by makes this a lot more convenient.
As I've said before, tearing down the subway would be wiping away one of the most architecturally distinctive parts of downtown
Putting the train station out at Magnetic Hill would mean that everyone would have to commute to it. That, and you all know how I feel about developments at the edge of town
It'd really ignore the railroad heritage the city has worked hard to preserve.
Having the tracks run through town gives the city an interesting feature to plan around. Meaning, we get more interesting building shapes, blocks, etc.

[MonctonRad]

It's good to see ABU getting a 'campus' sort of feel to it. I hope they don't make the mistake that UdeM made by building things so far apart.

I don't really think UdeM 'dropped the ball' per se. It was always my understanding that it was intended to be the province's primary French university while UNB would be the main English school. From what I've heard though you can take a good number of English courses at UdeM. And lest we forget Mount Allison which is only a half hour drive from town.


Re: ABU expansion

This is a positive development for higher education in greater Moncton. This will see the ABU "campus" increasing from two building to five buildings. Expanded course offerings and increased student capacity (to 1200 students) will be most welcome. $24M is nothing to sneeze at.

Having said this, I firmly believe that it is a travesty of near epic proportions that there is no real UNB Moncton. There should be one, just as there is a UNB Saint John and a UNB Fredericton. This to me is an indication of the contempt that the province has for the anglophone population of greater Moncton. It, to me, shows a complete abrogation of provincial responsibility for the higher educational needs of 2/3rds of the population of our city.

The university choices that we do have here in Moncton are patchy and inadequate for the anglophone population:

- U de M offers only a smattering of English language courses and, beyond their English MBA program, it is impossible for any anglophone to graduate from that university unless they are a high functioning early immersion student. I'm sure that no more than 2% of the student body is a native anglophone.

- ABU is a small university with only limited course offerings. It is also a religious based university demanding daily chapel attendance and active involvement in extracurricular church activities. There are big problems re: inclusiveness at this institution if you are not already a fundamentalist protestant. I wonder if they have any Jewish or Muslim students at ABU?

- UNB Moncton (yes Virginia, there is a UNB Moncton), exists as a small health sciences campus at The Moncton Hospital. You can get training there in nursing and medical X-ray technology. Surely the province can do better than this!

- Mount Allison University is an absolutely wonderful institution that we should all be proud of. It is consistently ranked as the best undergraduate university in the entire country.

The main problem with Mt. A is that it is located a half hour out of town. This is too far to commute for many students, especially in the wintertime and the relationship of Mt. A to Moncton is, in many ways, similar to the relationship of Acadia University to Halifax. It's a great university if you want to live away from home for the first time but yet be able to get home on the weekends.

The other "problem" with Mt. A. is that because of its stellar reputation, it is in many ways a small "national" university, with many students hailing from across the country and around the world. Admission standards are thus so high that many Moncton high school graduates would not be able to get acceptance there. Mount Allison thus fails to be the "city" university that Moncton needs.

So what is there to be done about this? Probably nothing. I have resigned myself to the fact that the province will never build a real UNB Moncton campus. Probably the best we will ever have is ABU. Hopefully, over time, as this university slowly grows and increases course offerings it will become less fundamentalist and more inclusive. ABU also has to develop a relationship to the MPHEC so that it will become more recognized as a legitimate centre of higher education. Unless this is done, it will remain on the fringes of academia and thus a borderline irrelevant institution.

Thus ends my rant. I welcome comments. :D

[MonctonRad]

Mapleton Road work to be completed by fall
Published Wednesday February 25th, 2009

Project will expand road on either side of Trinity Drive
By Brent Mazerolle
Times & Transcript Staff

The City of Moncton's director of design and construction says everything's in place to get the Mapleton Road project completed by late this year.

Meanwhile, the designs are all drawn, the paperwork's ready, the utility poles are all moved and the culverts are in place.

By late October, motorists should be using six lanes from a point north of Hopper Street near Skipper Jack's restaurant to Trinity Drive, and five lanes from Trinity north to Highway 2, the Trans-Canada Highway.

The segment from Hopper to Trinity includes the overpass straddling Wheeler Boulevard, which the Province of New Brunswick is on track to widen.

"The work will start this summer on the overpass," said provincial Department of Transportation spokesman Andrew Holland. "It has not been tendered yet but the work is scheduled on the work plan for this summer."

Construction is, of course, always subject to unforeseen problems, but Richard is hopeful the worst-case scenario for the project is that the final coat of pavement may not get laid before the snow flies.

Speaking of unforeseen problems, the settling of land beneath the sidewalk that appeared last December won't affect road construction regardless of the outcome of efforts to fix it.

Though the settling caused the city to initially close off part of Mapleton Road as a precaution, it was not connected to road construction. Rather, it was connected to the building of a retaining wall at the Mapleton Fashion Centre and problems with backfilling.

Even if attempts to resolve the backfill issue are not immediately successful, "it won't affect the road. It may affect the sidewalk," Richard said.

Mapleton will have sidewalks on both sides, so at worst, pedestrians might have to walk only on the west side until the Mapleton Fashion Centre's problem can be remedied. As well, because it's not connected to the road work, none of that will affect the budget or taxpayers.

Richard said the only real issues left to be resolved are a watercourse alteration permit for work near the Trans-Canada end and some maintenance the province had planned for the existing Wheeler Boulevard overpass.

In the case of the watercourse permit, Richard said the city's work is done.

In the case of the overpass, the province had wanted to do the maintenance a few weeks before Christmas, but the city asked that the work be held off because of the heavy holiday shopping traffic.

Now the province will either get the work done as the bridge gets widened or perhaps leave it until the spring of 2010.

[curious]

To liven it up downtown it would be great to put another business college or art and design college. I don't think there is an art and design collage like NSCAD in Halifax is there?

[mylesmalley]

There's at least one private art school in town. Te one I know of is called MacKenzie College, but I don't know where it's located.

[David_99]

There's at least one private art school in town. Te one I know of is called MacKenzie College, but I don't know where it's located.

Cameron st.

Let's just say, it's no NASCAD.

[David_99]

To liven it up downtown it would be great to put another business college or art and design college.

There used to be half a dozen schools that taught Design in Moncton as recent as 8 years ago. Then they realized there's only a handful of jobs available each year in this limited market. 6 schools x 20 graduated design students each = lots a creative Call Centre Representatives per year.

Each school closed one by one. I'm not even sure if NBCC Dieppe teaches it anymore. At one point McKenzie merged with CompuCollege, then they cancelled the course and finally each school separated again.

I had to move to Vancouver for a year to find another school to teach at.

[MonctonRad]

This was posted by Myles in the Canadian stadiums thread. I have taken the liberty of reposting it here. It's a rough render of the World Track & Field Stadium at U de M.

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/e5b66af0-e74b-40ca-b9db-3c818033132f.jpg

I presume the 10,000 permanent seats are on the sidelines and that the 10,000 temporary seats are in the end zones.

Looking at this, if they built a "bowl" of seating completely around the field, I strongly suspect that they would have no difficulty in meeting the 28,000 seat minimum for a CFL franchise.

This will be the only stadium of it's kind in Atlantic Canada that could potentially be expanded to CFL standards.

[ErickMontreal]

Here's another rendering of it :

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t94/dmont_01/2434607383_3b65a39b00.jpg?t=1235700437

[stephan.richard]

H&M
La Vie en Rose
Aqua
Koodo
Sirens
Costa Blanca
New concept & moving-Guest Services Centre
Remodeled-Rickis
Remodeled-Hallmark
Remodeled & moving-Fairweather
Expansion-Spring
Expansion-Stokes
and more to come

Are we going to see stores like Aeropostale, Hollister, A & F or Lids...
As per an article in the TJ Aeropostale and Lidsare going to McAlister Place in Saint John. Hope you have more insights in this.

[benvui]

Looking at those renders, the seats seem pretty fare away from the field, kind of like at Rockey Stone. It would make for a lot better atmosphere if the seating was right up on the track, but I'm guess its a little late in the game to be changing that! LOL. Anyway, as someone who has traveled all across Nova Scotia to watch college football, I can't wait for them to have a CFL game there, I'll be one of the first ones to get tickets! And I'm also hoping that the stadium will convince U de M to get a team in the league.

[@Champlain]

Are we going to see stores like Aeropostale, Hollister, A & F or Lids...
As per an article in the TJ Aeropostale and Lidsare going to McAlister Place in Saint John. Hope you have more insights in this.

Time will tell regarding Lids & Aero, A&F is considered upscale and there is only 3 stores in Canada; 1 in Edmonton and 2 stores in Toronto. Hollister has 5 stores in Canada. Moncton is probably NOT next on the list...Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, probably. I would expect Halifax to get Abercrombie & Fitch before Moncton, they already have more upscale stores than us; Birks, Talbots, Banana Republic, Club Monaco, Esprit, Lush, just to name a few. Don't expect those brands to go to Trinity either, upscale retailers don't do bigbox/strip malls, they locate primarily in large, upscale malls. Some rumors were saying that A&F, Aero, Hollister, etc... were going to the new mall [sic]... strip mall next to the Costco, they are not.

[@Champlain]

Looking at those renders, the seats seem pretty fare away from the field, kind of like at Rockey Stone. It would make for a lot better atmosphere if the seating was right up on the track, but I'm guess its a little late in the game to be changing that! LOL. Anyway, as someone who has traveled all across Nova Scotia to watch college football, I can't wait for them to have a CFL game there, I'll be one of the first ones to get tickets! And I'm also hoping that the stadium will convince U de M to get a team in the league.

We could expect a few games here per season, however we are not getting a CFL franchise in Moncton.

[BlackYear]

The City of Moncton has a live streaming cam pointing at the new stadium. Things are quiet now, but you can see some of the bleacher seats already assembled on the north side.

http://www.moncton.ca/Visitors/Web_Cameras.htm

I wonder if anyone ever thought about spray painting their logo on the snow in front of the cam for free advertising! :)

[benvui]

I didn't mean we would get a CFL team, I meant that University Of Moncton should get a team in the CIS. I'm having the wait and see approach on the CFL. I don't think they'll get a team this far east, I'm pretty sure if they expand it'll be to Quebec city. There is a large cost to running a team out here, every away game would require a plane to get the team there. Right now in the East, Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton and when Ottawa gets going again all use the train and can keep costs down that way, there could be fight with the other owners about having a team out here. Just my opinion though, I would love to see a team out here, but we'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for the link on the web cams, it should be interesting when construction starts up again to see how things progress.

[brod3211]

Please people have a more positive attitude towards what stores we can get and where they will go, Nobody knows where those stores will choose to go me Im not a fan of champlain mall I only go at christmas or on occasion to walmart. Just because its a indoor mall doesnt mean that it will get all the big name stores, the new mall on the north end could end up with names like that at some point a company looks to where they could get the most money and if it involves avoiding an indoor mall then they will do it. The most traffic I find for shopping is in the north end or it seems to be so ANYTHING is possible. For the Stadium they are eyeing the area to see if they could expand yes halifax is bigger city but im sure they would have CFL games here first to see if they can draw from the surrounding areas that are within a 2 hours drive. Then If that doesn`t work im sure they would try Halifax to see what they could draw there.

[@Champlain]

CFL-Anyone who would think that of city of 60 000 people (125 000 metro area) would be able to support a CFL franchise is beyond me. Some really think that Moncton is larger than it really is...
Champlain-Again I say, regarding upscale retailers, please people... go see outside New Brunswick do your research, upscale tenants are located in INDOOR major regional shopping malls or very dense and prestigious downtown locations (Yonge Street/Yorkville-Toronto) not in value oriented big box districts.

[FireEyedBoy]

If the CFL is interested in setting up a team in the atlantic provinces, I dont think they would necessarily just go with what city has the highest population, they are defenilty going to look at what location can draw more people, and I know people have argued about this before on here, but Moncton is a closer distance to most people in the atlantic provinces than Halifax, also Halifax pulling their bid for the commonwealth games probably doesnt help them. I personally would love to see them come here. Also the point that "upscale"( sorry but I think its hilarious that AF is considered upscale) stores would not locate to the north as they only open locations in indoor malls or prestigious downtowns isnt 100% true, you only need to look at dartmouth crossing, and lots of areas in the US where they have "power centers" or "outlet centers".

[@Champlain]

If the CFL is interested in setting up a team in the atlantic provinces, I dont think they would necessarily just go with what city has the highest population, they are defenilty going to look at what location can draw more people, and I know people have argued about this before on here, but Moncton is a closer distance to most people in the atlantic provinces than Halifax, also Halifax pulling their bid for the commonwealth games probably doesnt help them. I personally would love to see them come here. Also the point that "upscale"( sorry but I think its hilarious that AF is considered upscale) stores would not locate to the north as they only open locations in indoor malls or pre.stigious downtowns isnt 100% true, you only need to look at dartmouth crossing, and lots of areas in the US where they have "power centers" or "outlet centers".

A&F is considered upscale (BTW look at the list on their website they are all mostly located in MALLS or downtown), upscale doesn't necessarily mean a price point, a brand is upscale because it's high profile & the brand is well known & sought after. If you've ever been to high-end or upscale malls you will see A&F next to Pottery Barn, Zara, H&M, Apple, Banana Republic, BCBG, Williams-Sonoma, GEOX, lululemon, Coach, DKNY, Lacoste and the likes of them, anyway you get the idea. UPSCALE doesn't mean LUXURY; Burberry, Tiffany & Company, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Holt Renfrew etc... BTW, Dartmouth Crossing is not an upscale shopping district, at this time the only "upscale" store at DC is Esprit and it's an outlet location not a "flagship" or FS store level. Sorry to rain on your parade.

[gm_scott]

Dartmouth Crossing would never have Anf, Hollister, Aero. They are teen brands. These stores are either in malls or have big locations in NYC. I'm not sure whats really so upscale in DC, but if a store is truly upscale like banana republic, it will try and locate downtown or settle for a mall.

[MonctonRad]

Re: the CFL

There is a window of opportunity here for Moncton to pursue this dream.

Halifax dropped the ball by withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games. They have no stadium and no plans to build one. Their civic leadership is apathetic at best to the idea of a regional CFL team.

Moncton on the other hand will have a stadium (albeit way too small for the CFL), but the stadium is expandable and the city is on the CFL radar. Our civic administration and the provincial government seem supportive. Regular season CFL games are on the way, probably for at least a period of three years This is a very important trial balloon and a golden opportunity to prove ourselves.

If we are at all serious about pursuing this venture, we have to approach it in a positive manner and see what comes of it. There is no question that Moncton would be an extremely small market for a CFL team but we do have a central location and a large regional population to draw from. Remember Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is a city not much larger than Moncton and it has an NFL team. It can happen!

[@Champlain]

Dartmouth Crossing would never have Anf, Hollister, Aero. They are teen brands. These stores are either in malls or have big locations in NYC. I'm not sure whats really so upscale in DC, but if a store is truly upscale like banana republic, it will try and locate downtown or settle for a mall.


I agree Banana Republic, Club Monaco, Birks (which are all higher-end tenants) are located at the Halifax Shopping Centre. H&M is going to Champlain & Micmac, not at those value oriented "bigbox" locations.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I agree with most of what you say @Champlain, but why is it that Abercrombie is considered so upscale that there are only five stores in all of Canada, yet there is an A&F at the Bangor Mall? :shrug:

[@Champlain]

Remember Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is a city not much larger than Moncton and it has an NFL team. It can happen!

MonctonRad, I really like reading your comments & posts on the board, but Green Bay is over 100K in population and the metro area is a quarter million people. Wisconsin is almost a synonym for football... I love football and would love to see some football action here since I'm not really into hockey, but most people here are not into football much, some get excited for the Superbowl & Grey Cup but that's it. Atlantic Canada is a hockey place. Football is strong out West, Ontario and Quebec.

[@Champlain]

:previous:

I agree with most of what you say @Champlain, but why is it that Abercrombie is considered so upscale that there are only five stores in all of Canada, yet there is an A&F at the Bangor Mall? :shrug:

Other than with General Motors, the Americans are usually good at making money and buillding a brand. The A&F brand has been growing and growing for years and now that they are in every major mall in the US, they are expanding in Canada and Europe carefully, growing slowly enough to keep some momentum. They want to open in key world markets; Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan, Copenhagen, not exactly Moncton is it... Regarding its locations in Canada, it was said that the location that opened at the Toronto Eaton Centre was making more money per square foot than any other A&F store in the US. Next year A&F is opening a store in the Ginza district in Tokyo Japan, which is on par with the likes of Fifth Avenue, the Champs Elysee, etc... In the retail world A&F is considered an upscale. I hope this helps.

[MonctonRad]

MonctonRad, I really like reading you comments & posts on the board, but Green Bay is over 100K in population and the metro area is a quarter million people.

I understand, but think about this.....

Green Bay (metro pop. 250k) = NFL
Moncton (metro pop. 126k) = CFL

I think we are comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges. :D

[@Champlain]

I understand, but think about this.....

Green Bay (metro pop. 250k) = NFL
Moncton (metro pop. 126k) = CFL

I think we are comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges. :D

Yeah, I see your point, the letter "N" is worth at least twice the letter "C" in this case!
If "n" equals 250 what is "c" worth? Oh no, we're going back to 11th grade algebra now, no, let's stay with football! :D

[StormShadow]

RE: CFL

Moncton can handle a CFL team, it's only 9 home dates a year in the summer/fall and on weekends. It's not too much to ask 25,000 within a 2 hour drive to come watch a game while the girls are at the mall on Sunday afternoon. At the end of the day, it's about having a stadium and an ownership group that is solvent.


RE: A&F

My favorite store, a little bit more $ than American Eagle. But I shop in Detroit and Buffalo. Prices are much better and because there are only 2 stores in Toronto, Eaton Center is always picked over and a mess. They can be found in most malls in the USA, but because it is new to Canada, I guess it could be considered higher end.

I absolutely hate shopping in Toronto, I got stuck once and had to pay $115 for a pair of Pumas. A month later, I find them in Detroit at the Puma Store for $55.
Here is what a high end mall looks like and has: http://www.thesomersetcollection.com/ Take the virtual tour.

[@Champlain]

RE: CFL

Moncton can handle a CFL team, it's only 9 home dates a year in the summer/fall and on weekends. It's not too much to ask 25,000 within a 2 hour drive to come watch a game while the girls are at the mall on Sunday afternoon. At the end of the day, it's about having a stadium and an ownership group that is solvent.


RE: A&F

My favorite store, a little bit more $ than American Eagle. But I shop in Detroit and Buffalo. Prices are much better and because there are only 2 stores in Toronto, Eaton Center is always picked over and a mess. They can be found in most malls in the USA, but because it is new to Canada, I guess it could be considered higher end.

I absolutely hate shopping in Toronto, I got stuck once and had to pay $115 for a pair of Pumas. A month later, I find them in Detroit at the Puma Store for $55.
Here is what a high end mall looks like and has: http://www.thesomersetcollection.com/ Take the virtual tour.

Good point, if anyone's interested in this retail & real estate stuff; there is alot of online information & research to be found regarding, retail growth, commercial developments, brands, mall real estate and so on.

[stephan.richard]

Time will tell regarding Lids & Aero, A&F is considered upscale and there is only 3 stores in Canada; 1 in Edmonton and 2 stores in Toronto. Hollister has 5 stores in Canada. Moncton is probably NOT next on the list...Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, probably. I would expect Halifax to get Abercrombie & Fitch before Moncton, they already have more upscale stores than us; Birks, Talbots, Banana Republic, Club Monaco, Esprit, Lush, just to name a few. Don't expect those brands to go to Trinity either, upscale retailers don't do bigbox/strip malls, they locate primarily in large, upscale malls. Some rumors were saying that A&F, Aero, Hollister, etc... were going to the new mall [sic]... strip mall next to the Costco, they are not.

How is it that a city like Bangor ME support these such stores in their malls.. Bangor has the same population as Moncton and we can't get these in Moncton we need these these stores to make Moncton the exclusive shopping destination.

[MonctonRad]

Yeah, I see your point, the letter "N" is worth at least twice the letter "C" in this case!
If "n" equals 250 what is "c" worth? Oh no, we're going back to 11th grade algebra now, no, let's stay with football! :D


Personally, I think:

C=N/4
therefore if N=$$$$
then C will = $
therefore C is much more affordable than N
Moncton should be able to handle it. Now, all we need is an ownership group. :D

[@Champlain]

How is it that a city like Bangor ME support these such stores in their malls.. Bangor has the same population as Moncton and we can't get these in Moncton we need these these stores to make Moncton the exclusive shopping destination.

People from NS, NB, PEI drive to Bangor to shop. How many Americans come to Moncton to shop...?
Also, read my previous posts regarding A&F's growth and where they're going next. We can't compete with Ginza... ;)

[@Champlain]

Personally, I think:

C=N/4
therefore if N=$$$$
then C will = only $
This therefore should be eminently affordable for Moncton. Now, all we need is an ownership group. :D

I have a few bucks, but not enough I'm sure... :D
Would be cool though!

[MonctonRad]

Hey @Champlain, there was a rumour on this thread about 40 pages back that The Sony Store at Champlain Place was going to move to Mapleton Park. Do you know anything about this?

[stephan.richard]

People from NS, NB, PEI drive to Bangor to shop. How many Americans come to Moncton to shop...? I rest my case.

the way that i look at it u build it they will come and who will be taking the other half of the ol Future shop location.

[@Champlain]

the way that i look at it u build it they will come and who will be taking the other half of the ol Future shop location.

That deal is in progress, nothing is set in stone yet and it might be a while. I really don't have any info, but I predict a restaurant. A Moxie's would be awesome!

[isaidso]

There used to be half a dozen schools that taught Design in Moncton as recent as 8 years ago. Then they realized there's only a handful of jobs available each year in this limited market. 6 schools x 20 graduated design students each = lots a creative Call Centre Representatives per year.

Each school closed one by one. I'm not even sure if NBCC Dieppe teaches it anymore. At one point McKenzie merged with CompuCollege, then they cancelled the course and finally each school separated again.

I had to move to Vancouver for a year to find another school to teach at.

McKenzie College had a quality program, but that guy who did recruiting in Halifax and Toronto was mentally unstable and a creep.

[@Champlain]

Hey @Champlain, there was a rumour on this thread about 40 pages back that The Sony Store at Champlain Place was going to move to Mapleton Park. Do you know anything about this?


I don't have any info at this time and sometimes I can't really say anything, sorry. Sony as whole (worldwide) is not doing too well unfortunately. "Techno" brands are having trouble globally, Panasonic too is having a tough time, so IF and that is a big if it closes at Champlain, it will likely not be moving to Trinity, the store will just fade from the retail map in this area, that is my guess. The Sony Corporation already announced major cuts in various sectors of their business, their retail stores will likely be one them.

[kirjtc2]

Random catch-all comments to the last couple of pages:

CFL/Green Bay: the Packers are, effectively, Milwaukee's team (1.7M metro) just as much as Green Bay's. They played 2 games a year in Milwaukee until about 15 years ago, and their radio broadcasts are produced by a Milwaukee station.

The CFL already has their small-market near-religious team: the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I'm a huge football fan and I'd love to see a team in Moncton as much as anyone, but comparisons to Green Bay just aren't valid.

Lids: They're in Regent Mall now. Can't see why they wouldn't try to go into Moncton.

A&F: It's pretty simple to me...they're new to Canada. Of course they're going to tackle the bigger markets first. For all this bleating about Moncton getting the A&Fs and Ikeas of the world, people in Moncton should realize that they're going to look at the census stats in their head offices in the US, see that 125,000 number, and lump them in with the likes of Kamloops and Kingston. It would take a lot of convincing by Moncton to convince them otherwise.

Bangor: I think people may be overestimating the Bangor effect. I go to New Hampshire a lot, and the Fox Run Mall in Portsmouth (roughly the same market size) is the same size and has all the same chains as the Bangor Mall, but with a lot fewer Canadian plates in the lot.

[isaidso]

MonctonRad, I really like reading your comments & posts on the board, but Green Bay is over 100K in population and the metro area is a quarter million people. Wisconsin is almost a synonym for football... I love football and would love to see some football action here since I'm not really into hockey, but most people here are not into football much, some get excited for the Superbowl & Grey Cup but that's it. Atlantic Canada is a hockey place. Football is strong out West, Ontario and Quebec.

Your arguments are valid, but it's also worthwhile to explore the feasibility of pro football in Moncton. I'll re-post what I argued on SSC.

"People out east like football, but don't have cities with significantly large population bases to warrant professional sports franchises. The CFL prefers to look at cities with at least 500,000 people, but having a presence in the Maritimes has always been seen as important to the league. Halifax is, by far, the largest city at 372,858, but they never seem to have the political will to get much of anything done. Moncton is much smaller at 126,424, but has been the more ambitious city for a long time.

On the surface, both of these cities seem too small to support a team, but the beauty of the Maritimes is how geographically small it is; 133,852 sq km. There are 1.8 million people in an area one fifth the size of Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Roughriders basically draw from Regina, 198,000, and the southern third of the province, roughly 600,000 people.

Moncton is working off a smaller city to draw from, but about 3 times the regional population of southern Saskatchewan. Let's keep in mind that Moncton managed to draw 80,000 people to a Rolling Stones concert in 2005. Moncton may seem far too small at first glance, but both Halifax and Moncton are sitting quite close to a substantial population.

Another interesting comparison is Green Bay and Wisconsin. There are 301,000 in Green Bay, and 5.6 million people in Wisconsin, area 170,000 sq km. The Packers sell out 72,928 seat Lambeau Field and have 80,000 on a waiting list for seasons tickets. That's 152,928 people who would go if the stadium could hold them. Wisconsin is an extreme case, but a Maritime version of that would translate to 50,000 people at games. That may be wishful thinking, but 28,000 is doable for Moncton if they play their cards right.

This should really go to Halifax, but Moncton got tired of waiting for Halifax to get their shit together. I grew up in Halifax, but Moncton deserves it if they can pull this off. I live in Toronto now, but would fly down there 9 times a year to support a Maritime team."

My population figures for Moncton, Halifax, and Green Bay are the most current figures for the metropolitan areas of each. New Brunswick is hockey territory, but there's also never been a well organized, well funded, professionally run group committed to promoting any sport other than hockey. Football should be given a chance before being written off.

It's also a mistake to argue that the Maritmes is all hockey. Saint Mary's football is arguably the biggest deal in sports in Halifax and college basketball is arguably #2. I admit that it's a daunting task to build a successful CFL team in Moncton, but it's worth looking into. This would be the only pro sports team in the whole region. The NHL certainly isn't going to give the Maritimes so much as a glance.

If Green Bay can draw 73,000 with 80,000 on a waiting list, Moncton can draw 25,000. Hell, Regina sells out 30,900 seat Mosaic and the population from which they draw is smaller than would be the case for Moncton.

[@Champlain]

Random catch-all comments to the last couple of pages:

CFL/Green Bay: the Packers are, effectively, Milwaukee's team (1.7M metro) just as much as Green Bay's. They played 2 games a year in Milwaukee until about 15 years ago, and their radio broadcasts are produced by a Milwaukee station.

The CFL already has their small-market near-religious team: the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I'm a huge football fan and I'd love to see a team in Moncton as much as anyone, but comparisons to Green Bay just aren't valid.

Lids: They're in Regent Mall now. Can't see why they wouldn't try to go into Moncton.

A&F: It's pretty simple to me...they're new to Canada. Of course they're going to tackle the bigger markets first. For all this bleating about Moncton getting the A&Fs and Ikeas of the world, people in Moncton should realize that they're going to look at the census stats in their head offices in the US, see that 125,000 number, and lump them in with the likes of Kamloops and Kingston. It would take a lot of convincing by Moncton to convince them otherwise.

Bangor: I think people may be overestimating the Bangor effect. I go to New Hampshire a lot, and the Fox Run Mall in Portsmouth (roughly the same market size) is the same size and has all the same chains as the Bangor Mall, but with a lot fewer Canadian plates in the lot.

Agree, agree, agree, at least I'm not alone on this board! There is a ton of Atlantic Canadians in Bangor though, one week they're in Bangor the next at Champlain! LOL. IKEA usually needs a metro area of close to a million people, Moncton is ambitious I agree and that's great, but Moncton should come back from the clouds, wake up and smell their Tim Hortons coffee... Boston & Montreal are both over 3 millions; Boston has one and Montreal two... Quebec city used to have one and it's closed, they have 600K in population... IKEA is not coming to Moncton.

[mylesmalley]

New mall, clinic in works
Published Saturday February 28th, 2009

New projects show Metro bucking economic trends
A1
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

A new medical clinic on Université Avenue, a strip mall on Harrisville Boulevard and another special-care home on the Gorge Road are just a few of the projects coming down the pipe this year and further indication that Metro Moncton will enjoy another busy construction season.

"We hear a lot about economic uncertainty but it doesn't look like anything is slowing down here," says Bill Budd, executive-director of the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission.

He says the planning commission usually records about $300 million worth of building permits every year and $62 million worth have already been issued so far this year, and that's only counting some of the bigger projects. The planning commission is about to go into its busy season as builders and developers of single-family homes, duplexes and other smaller projects start filing for their building permits. But a number of bigger projects are already moving through the process.

For example, the new courthouse building on Assomption Boulevard represents a building permit of $44 million, one of the largest in recent memory for the planning commission.

And two permits for the casino representing more than $11 million were recently issued. The casino itself will have three buildings -- a hotel, palladium and casino -- tied together with pedways. Another big permit issued recently was for a new sprinkler system at The Moncton Hospital, which represents nearly $5 million.

Budd says there is ongoing subdivision activity throughout Metro Moncton and predicts 2009 will be the year of more multi-unit housing buildings because there is low vacancy but a rising demand for apartments to rent. He also sees more special-care homes and nursing homes coming along soon.

The proposed new health and wellness centre will be located at 241 Université Ave., near the Dr. Georges-L. Dumont Regional Hospital and is currently going through a rezoning process.

The new strip mall is proposed for the corner of Shediac Road and Weston Street, next to Harrisville Boulevard. It would have space for several businesses.

The new special-care home is proposed for a site at the corner of Gorge Road and Briarlea, to be constructed in the fall of 2011. Another special-care home for seniors is proposed for a site at 857 Amirault St. in Dieppe.

A new pet grooming business in Dieppe, expanded parking area for construction crews working on the justice centre along with proposed new subdivisions are among the current projects keeping planners very busy so far this year. More building permits are expected to be issued in the next couple of months.

Some of the other recent projects worth more than $1 million include a new track and field facility at l'Université de Moncton, two hotels, a restaurant, several retail buildings, a water tower, industrial warehouses, office buildings and apartment buildings. Other projects include the renovation of the old Riverview fire station into the Fundy Gateway tourist centre, the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame in Petitcodiac, the new liquor store in Salisbury and a new special-care home in Hillsborough.

The anticipated busy construction season means jobs and many spin-offs into the local economy as each project also represents the sale of doors, windows, roofing, office equipment, computers and everything else that goes into a new building.

Budd says a recent analysis by the CMHC indicates that Metro Moncton's housing market is expected to grow thanks to strong employment, in-migration, low housing prices and low mortgage rates.

The planning commission often works as a middle-man between municipal officials and developers to help make sure new buildings are constructed in keeping with Metro Moncton's view of the future.

Planners work with committees that include representatives of the fire departments, engineering department, parks and recreation and often Codiac Transit to look over plans and offers suggestions to developers.

Budd says developers are usually receptive to ideas but sometimes balk at suggestions that are in the best interest of the public but could end up costing more money.

However, he believes municipalities should push harder and require developers to invest more in the infrastructure around their projects.

He says municipalities are already struggling with high debt ratios and need to better manage development so that street improvements, sidewalks and other infrastructure can be cost-shared between the municipality and the developer.

[David_99]

McKenzie College had a quality program, but that guy who did recruiting in Halifax and Toronto was mentally unstable and a creep.

"Had" is the perfect term. It was amazing when I was there. After it sold to Compu... well...

I'm not even going to touch that last part :haha:

[BlackYear]

Didn't IKEA already came & gone in Moncton about 15 years or so ago in the old Marvin's Building at King st/Factory lane? I'm pretty sure they did because I walked in and looked around. If it wasn't IKEA, which similar company opened a store in this building on the main floor? It would have been before the major overhaul and the current tenants. The store didn't stay open for very long. Maybe one or two years.

CFL in Moncton. Let's wait and see what happens next fall when a game will actually be played here. I'm not a CFL fan and never was. I can honestly say that I've never watched one full game on television. I've been an NFL fan for over 20 years. When the CFL does come to down next year, I'll be one of the first to buy a ticket. It will definitely be something to see and I predict a sold out event.

[@Champlain]

Budyser
Sorry but no, IKEA has never been to Moncton... Have you ever been to IKEA, their size is so big that a Walmart looks small next to them, the size of an average IKEA is about 8 NFL-sized football fields. There's never been that kind of a mammoth retailer in Moncton and probably never will. Actually, the FIRST IKEA in North America opened in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 1976 and it was closed in the 80's. It is said that it was closed because of the no shopping on Sundays law at that time, I'm not sure if that is a fact though.

[riverviewer]

I've been to the IKEA in Edmonton, and it did not seem overly sized. Definitely bigger than anything Moncton has, but no bigger than the combined size of many smaller retailers that it would put out of business. My wife would have bought half the store had we have had the money and the room in our suitcases. I doubt that IKEA would have any difficulty drawing customers from beyond the normal Moncton catch-basin. Too bad we may never find out.

[@Champlain]

I've been to the IKEA in Edmonton, and it did not seem overly sized. Definitely bigger than anything Moncton has, but no bigger than the combined size of many smaller retailers that it would put out of business. My wife would have bought half the store had we have had the money and the room in our suitcases. I doubt that IKEA would have any difficulty drawing customers from beyond the normal Moncton catch-basin. Too bad we may never find out.

I've been to several IKEA locations and the one in Montreal (Ville Saint-Laurent) was at one time the largest IKEA in the world around the year (2000). Welcome the World's Largest IKEA said the sign in front of this location. It is not the world's largest anymore. I remember reading that the world's largest IKEA is back in Stockholm, not a surprise since IKEA is a Swedish company. Its size is almost 600 000 square feet so roughly the size of 6 Atlantic Superstore! The largest in North America at this time is the one in Schaumburg Illinois, an affluent suburb of the Chicago area, it is 400 000 square feet.

[JasonL-Moncton]

@Champlain:

A couple of things...first, Champlain Mall is not looked at by most of the local populace as a 'high end' anything. The mall, renovations aside has been slowly deteriorating for some time now. No electronics store (Sony store IS moving to trinity), no restaurant, stores are dropping like crazy. Big deal, they are getting another lingerie store, they already have two...bring in things you don't already have to make it more 'complete'. Also, before you say I know not what I'm talking about I worked in that mall for 4 years, the rent's are ridiculously astronomical (hell it was cheaper for the Future Shop to buy land and build a 'bigger' building than stay in Champlain). You seem to be a 'downer', we are talking about store we'd like to see, and all you can say is 'oh that store would never come here'...well, some have, and more will...we said at one time we'd never get The Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle, H&M and more, but they are here. A&F are not 'high end', they are no more high end than the Gap (I shop at A&F often, I'm wearing A&F right now), Hollister is like The Gap's, Old Navy. Moncton in the last decade has been bucking most 'trends' and not stopping anytime soon.

As far as the CFL...again, downer. This is VERY plausible. First supporting a CFL franchise is NOT that big of a deal from an 'owners' standpoint. The salary cap on a franchise is about $4 million, the average salary of players is about $35,000 / year...any 'Irving or Cyr' type could support that. The stadium was designed so that it is 'expandable' to around 20,000, which is roughly the requirement of a CFL team. As far as drawing a crowd, there are 1.6 million people within a 2.5 hour drive of Moncton, there are 600,000 within the same distance of Halifax. People will drive from Saint John, Fredericton, Miramichi, etc to Moncton to watch a game on the weekend...they won't drive to Halifax. The average price of a CFL single game ticket is $35 - 79, season tickets are in the $300-750 range...Wildcat's season tickets are $473! Saying the CFL is not feasible here is really small minded and silly.

[Jerry556]

really agree on you with that one!!!!

[@Champlain]

JasonL-Moncton

Again I say, A&F is an upscale tenant, upscale is not a price point. I guess you didn't read any of my previous posts regarding A&F, what they're doing and where they are going next. Also, I am not going into the difference between upscale and luxury tenants again. I have behind the scene info and connections to know what's coming around and what's not and not just at Champlain. Whatever, If you don't want to take my insight on several retail topics, don't take it, don't read it. If anyone here doesn't want to shop at Champlain, don't. Finally, because you worked at a mall doesn't make you a retail/real estate expert.

[JasonL-Moncton]

@Champlain...

You are awfully defensive, I was just stating an alternate point of view from your own. Also, what is considered by someone 'in' the mall as upscale and what is perceived by shoppers as upscale are two different things. I wouldn't call 90% of what is in Champlain upscale. (I know upscale isn't a price point...half my clothes are from A&F...I wouldn't call any of it upscale, opinion, get over it)

I also did not say I didn't appreciate your insight...I just disagreed with it, there is a difference. No need to be so stand offish just because someone doesn't take what you say as gospel.

I also did not say I was a retail/real estate expert, not once, I made reference to working in the mall to reference my familiarity with the setting (I've worked at both Champlain and Trinity).

JL

[@Champlain]

JasonL-Moncton

I didn't say Champlain was upscale, there is no upscale or high-end mall east of Quebec. The closest upscale mall from here would be Place Sainte-Foy in Quebec City.

[acrew79]

Hi Everyone,, not really sure how to reply to a specific poersons post..

But someone a couple of posts back inquired on whether there was ever an ikea in Marvens building.. and then someone said Ikea was never in moncton simply due to its size..

well you are Both kinda right and wrong..

1.. Ikea was in Moncton
2. Ikea was not in the same formatt of stores as it has now.

about 20 yrs ago.. ikea had Franchise locations.. the major one was in Halifax the franchisee had a satelite store in moncton ( mountain Road ) i believe...

When Ikea wanted to get rid of its franchise options. and redesign their stores to their current ones. it wanted to stay in NS however at the time NS didnt Allow sunday shopping And Ikea wanted to be open 7 days a week..

they fought with the government for an exception.. and lost..

Ikea pulled out of Atlantic Canada and vowed never to return to NS .. ( didnt say anyhting about anywhere else) .. ( closting the franchise )

but since then . Sunday shopping has been allowed in NS and NB.. so who knows where they plan to expand..

i can tell you that i doubt it will be anywhere east of Quebec City for quite a while ( until we show them we want them. and not just by word of mouth.. but by purchases.. ) hence why they ask for your postal code when you go through the cash..

Thats. .all

cheers.

[brod3211]

Jason L AMEN TO THAT! Anyways I think we have all had enough of this ridiculous rant by @Champlain about what we can or can't get. Can someone fill me in on the justice center I read about it but I forget if its getting underground parking and what not.

Also I was wondering if there was any mention about the Arena , I haven't heard much in awhile ?

And Whens the Ashford building going up on the corner of Main and Vaughn-harvey