The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[Lrdevlop]

Here is the link for the agenda of the May 25th meeting of the GMPDC - http://www.gmpdc.ca/webcura/files/739.pdf

Two items of significant note:

- Valmond Robichaud has a request for variances for two buildings at 25 and 50 Dominion Street, to allow (amongst other things) for the construction of buildings that would exceed the current height restrictions for the area. This BTW corresponds to the vacant city block visible from Vaughan Harvey (at the corner of Gordon and High) where he has been proposing to build a condo/apartment project. Perhaps we are about to see some action on this file! :)

- Cambridge Developments also has a request for variances for a building on Cameron Street, to allow (amongst other things) for the construction of a multiple unit residential building that would exceed height restrictions for the area.

It would appear that densification of the core (at least in the west end) is about to take a step forward! :tup:

Any one know whats the height restriction in those areas?

[NBNYer]

Any one know whats the height restriction in those areas?

Lions apartments right next to that site is 10 stories so at least that, unless the restrictions were imposed after that was built.

[pierremoncton]

Any one know whats the height restriction in those areas?

That area is CBD-1 --

8.1.2 CBD-1 Zone Requirements

No development shall be undertaken nor shall any land, building
or structure be used within any CBD-1 (Central Business District)
Zone unless:
(a) the lot has a frontage of at least 3 metres (9.8 ft);
(b) the lot has a front and flankage yard not exceeding
2 metres (6.6 ft);
(c) the lot has a rear yard of at least 6 metres (19.6 ft);
(d) subject to 2.41.8, the height of any proposed building or
structure does not exceed 13m (42.6 ft), for that part of
any building lying within 10m (32.8ft) of any lot line.
(e) the height of any proposed building or structure is not
less than 7 metres (23ft) and not less than 2 full stories
above the established grade, for that part of any building
lying within 10m (32.8 ft) of any public street;

Source: http://www.gmpdc.ca/webcura/files/670.pdf

So I'd say that a variance is required for anything higher than 4 stories. Does 10 ft per floor sound right?

[NBNYer]

That area is CBD-1 --


Source: http://www.gmpdc.ca/webcura/files/670.pdf

So I'd say that a variance is required for anything higher than 4 stories. Does 10 ft per floor sound right?

Sounds about right for a residential building. That's really low, wonder why it was set at that height right in downtown.

[MonctonRad]

That's really low, wonder why it was set at that height right in downtown.

I wonder if they set the height limit low just so that it gives the planning commission and the city additional controls over what can be built downtown.....

Either that, or the city considers all of the downtown a viewplane! :D:haha::D

[mylesmalley]

Would that shock you?

[q12]

Empire Theatres to Add Three New IMAX Digital Theatres
By Canada NewsWire | May 18, 2011

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/26318--empire-theatres-to-add-three-new-imax-digital-theatres

IMAX to have 22 commercial theatres operating in Canada by November
HALIFAX and TORONTO, May 18 /CNW/ - Empire Theatres, a Canada-wide film exhibition company with 50 theatres, and IMAX Corp. (NYSE: IMAX) (TSX: IMAX) announced today that Empire Theatres will be adding three new IMAX digital theatres to its network this year.
In addition to an existing location in Halifax, NS, the following theatres in the Empire Theatres network have been chosen to deliver The IMAX Experience®:

Empire Theatres Country Hills, Calgary, AB
Empire Theatres Kitchener, Kitchener, ON
Empire Theatres Avalon Mall, St. John's, NL

The Empire Theatres Bayers Lake, Halifax, NS IMAX screen will be converted from film to digital projection to allow for a greater range of IMAX blockbuster hits to be shown.
"We are excited to partner once again with IMAX Corporation to bring The IMAX Experience® to our theatres in these markets," says Dean Leland, Vice President, Studio & Media Relations, Empire Theatres. "IMAX delivers premium viewing experiences in both digital and 3D that our guests are looking for."
IMAX offers cutting-edge digital 2D and 3D picture and sound technologies that deliver a superior movie-going experience on a larger screen with crystal-clear images and enhanced sound. IMAX theatres deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX, IMAX® 3D, and IMAX DMR® technology, creating an immersive experience that will make guests feel like they are a part of the movie.
"Today's announcement highlights our commitment to expanding in the Canadian market, and to continuing our successful work with key partners like Empire Theatres," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "With these three new systems, we are scheduled to have 22 commercial theatres operating in Canada by November, more than double the size of our Canadian commercial theatre network as of November 2010."
The Empire Theatres Country Hills, AB, Empire Theatres Kitchener, ON and Empire Theatres Bayers Lake, NS locations will be open for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: An IMAX 3D Experience on July 15, 2011. The Empire Theatres Avalon Mall, NL location will be open in September 2011.

Empire Theatres to bring Empire Extra to Five Additional Locations
Empire Extra is Empire Theatres' very own revolutionary digital cinema experience

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2011/16/c4747.html

HALIFAX, May 16 /CNW/ - Empire Theatres, a Canada-wide film exhibition company, will be introducing Empire Extra, a revolutionary new digital cinema experience, to five additional locations this year.

Empire Extra provides guests with a heightened sensory experience in a special auditorium custom-designed to offer dynamic sound, screen and seat quality. Empire Extra boasts a proprietary custom-designed multi-channel sound system for the ultimate audio experience; stunning digital presentation on a massive, wall to wall wrap-around screen; and reserved seating in comfy, high back rockers.

Empire Extra was first introduced to the new Empire Theatres Waterloo complex in Waterloo, ON which opened in November 2010. Due to its success and positive guest feedback, it will now be introduced to the following locations over the next few months:

Empire Theatres Dartmouth Crossing, Dartmouth, NS
Empire Theatres Empress Walk, Toronto, ON
Empire Theatres MacLeod Trail, Calgary, AB
Empire Theatres Crystal Palace, Dieppe, NB
Empire Theatres Orleans, Orleans, ON

"Empire Extra has been a hit with guests in our Waterloo, ON location. They love the outstanding movie-going experience so we have decided to introduce it to a few other locations in time for summer," says Dean Leland, Vice President - Studio Relations & Media, Empire Theatres.

Sorry no IMAX for Moncton, Atlantic Canada's 2nd IMAX is going to Atlantic Canada's 2nd largest city, St. john's. But atleast crystal palace cinemas are getting the empire extra. :tup:

[MonctonRad]

Empire Theatres to bring Empire Extra to Five Additional Locations

Empire Extra is Empire Theatres' very own revolutionary digital cinema experience

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2011/16/c4747.html

HALIFAX, May 16 /CNW/ - Empire Theatres, a Canada-wide film exhibition company, will be introducing Empire Extra, a revolutionary new digital cinema experience, to five additional locations this year.

Empire Extra provides guests with a heightened sensory experience in a special auditorium custom-designed to offer dynamic sound, screen and seat quality. Empire Extra boasts a proprietary custom-designed multi-channel sound system for the ultimate audio experience; stunning digital presentation on a massive, wall to wall wrap-around screen; and reserved seating in comfy, high back rockers.

Empire Extra was first introduced to the new Empire Theatres Waterloo complex in Waterloo, ON which opened in November 2010. Due to its success and positive guest feedback, it will now be introduced to the following locations over the next few months:

Empire Theatres Dartmouth Crossing, Dartmouth, NS
Empire Theatres Empress Walk, Toronto, ON
Empire Theatres MacLeod Trail, Calgary, AB
Empire Theatres Crystal Palace, Dieppe, NB
Empire Theatres Orleans, Orleans, ON

"Empire Extra has been a hit with guests in our Waterloo, ON location. They love the outstanding movie-going experience so we have decided to introduce it to a few other locations in time for summer," says Dean Leland, Vice President - Studio Relations & Media, Empire Theatres.

About Empire Theatres Limited:
Empire Theatres Limited is a Canada-wide film exhibition company providing an exciting out-of-home entertainment experience including traditional film exhibition as well as other content using its digital and satellite capabilities.

Empire Theatres Limited is a 100% owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited that owns and operates 50 theatres across Canada with 386 screens, including one IMAX theatre in Halifax, NS.

Empire Theatres Limited's corporate headquarters are located in Stellarton, NS, with regional offices in Halifax, NS; Toronto, ON; and Calgary, AB. With approximately 2,500 employees, Empire Theatres provides excellent employment opportunities for the youth of Canada in an exciting and energetic industry.

Good news, but as q12 (rather gleefully) pointed out in the St. John's thread, it appears that we will not be getting an IMAX. St. John's will however.

I take this to mean that there won't be any IMAX in Moncton for the foreseeable future. Empire 8 Trinity Drive was upgraded to stadium seating not too long ago, and with no announced IMAX for the current expansion and upgrade to Empire 8 Crystal Palace, it seems like we may be out of luck. The next possible opportunity would be if an IMAX/cinema complex were included in the proposed downtown arena/events centre. That may be just wishful thinking.

edit: I see that q12 posted the same news at the very same time (0912 hrs)

[Taeolas]

That's disappointing to hear about for Moncton. :( I'd love to go to movies in Imax (especially since I'm a big Action/Adventure and SciFi movie fan; the ideal Imax/Imax3D viewer), but living in Freddy, I just can't go to one. Hell I'm going to Vegas in July and I'm seriously considering going to see TFer3 at one of the Imax's there. They IMO are really missing the boat without having an Imax in Moncton.

For that matter, I'm a bit disappointed they aren't doing anything to the theatres in Freddy. The ones in Regent are getting a bit long in the tooth, and I suspect we're almost big enough to support a second one on the North side again. Oh well, that's a discussion for the Freddy thread.

[mylesmalley]

I'm told they're riding out their lease at Regent. Once that's done, they'll move. They're currently landlocked where they are and they lose a fair amount of concession money because people can bring food from within the mall.

[Freddypop]

I'm told they're riding out their lease at Regent. Once that's done, they'll move. They're currently landlocked where they are and they lose a fair amount of concession money because people can bring food from within the mall.

Not surprised to hear that. Any idea when their lease is up?

[mmmatt]

While its a bit disappointing to hear we wont get an IMAX, now that I think of it this Empire Extra thing may be better overall...as IMAX can only show a limited number of movies while EE can show any movie with a huge screen and huge sound. We will be one of only 6 places in Canada with it so that's something special as well!

Very excited about the new residential developments downtown!! Cant wait to see some renders!

[MonctonRad]

q12 has reported a couple of interesting things in other threads:

- The Bay has announced plans for upscale renovations for 80 of their 91 properties....... How much does anyone want to bet that the Bay at Highfield Square is not one of their properties to be renovated. Perhaps this is the start of the deathwatch. :cool:

- The first Target store in NB will be in Saint John (McAllister Place) and not Moncton.

Is Moncton losing it's retail mojo? :(

[q12]

q12 has reported a couple of interesting things in other threads:

- The Bay has announced plans for upscale renovations for 80 of their 91 properties....... How much does anyone want to bet that the Bay at Highfield Square is not one of their properties to be renovated. Perhaps this is the start of the deathwatch. :cool:

- The first Target store in NB will be in Saint John (McAllister Place) and not Moncton.

Is Moncton losing it's retail mojo? :(

Yeah sorry MonctonRad, I wasn't trying to pick on you guys this time, honest.:shrug: ;)

I'm sure a Moncton Target will be announced in September as the article stated along with Bayers Lake.

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/05/26/target-unveils-canadian-stores/

[Taeolas]

Hopefully the second wave come September will be Moncton and Freddy locations. Frankly, I am surprised that Saint John got the first location; the only reason I can think of is the location/ownership/renovation options were easier to sort out than for locations in Freddy and Moncton. (At least in Freddy, as others have pointed out, neither of the current Zellers locations are really all that 'good' for Target locations, so they may want to start fresh here)

[BlackYear]

q12 has reported a couple of interesting things in other threads:

- The Bay has announced plans for upscale renovations for 80 of their 91 properties....... How much does anyone want to bet that the Bay at Highfield Square is not one of their properties to be renovated. Perhaps this is the start of the deathwatch. :cool:

Is Moncton losing it's retail mojo? :(

Absolutely not loosing its mojo. In fact, I'm hoping The Bay in Moncton doesn't get any renovations. This would be an encouragement that a new multi purpose event center could be built on the old Highfield Square lot.

Plus, I never see anymore that a dozen cars at The Bay. How that place managed to stay in business up until now is beyond me.

[mylesmalley]

Didn't HBC say something to the effect that the Moncton store was here to stay when they announced the Halifax Shopping Center location was closing?

[josh_cat_eyes]

I can't see it. If they renovated it, they know something we don't. Who knows, it may become part of the Events Centre.

[mylesmalley]

While I'm definitely in favour of the events center going there, I do feel a tinge of regret thinking that Moncton might lose its last downtown department store.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

My own personal conspiracy theory is that:

1- WalMart will decamp from Champlain Place to build a Supercentre out on Harrisville Blvd
2 - The Bay will then decamp from Highfield to occupy the (former) WalMart space at Champlain.
3 - Highfield Square will then be torn down and replaced with the arena/events centre.

I have no proof of this. The logic of such a process however is just too beautiful to be ignored!

It should be noted however that on the other weekend, the "sleuth" in the T&T speculated on the possibility of an East Main Street location for the events centre. It is also interesting to note that Valmond Robichaud seems prepared to move forward on his Dominion Street condo/apartment project before his East Main Street project....

Hmmmmmmm. I wonder if there is some fire to go along with this smoke.

[mylesmalley]

Interesting thought. Two questions though. Would there even be enough land there, bearing in mind that you'd need a large parking facility there - and it's not a terribly efficient place to put one for maximum usage by downtown workers. Second, would the ground there be able to support the weight of a massive building like that?

I know the Robichaud project was proposed there and if I recall correctly, they were talking eight stories. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper to dig down to bedrock for a small footprint building like a that compared to an arena with particularly heavy-load bearing walls.

[mylesmalley]

I'm really surprised that none of Moncton's three Blockbuster Video locations are closing. They just released a list of 146 outlets being shut down, including one each in Miramichi, SJ and Bathurst.

[MonctonRad]

I'm really surprised that none of Moncton's three Blockbuster Video locations are closing. They just released a list of 146 outlets being shut down, including one each in Miramichi, SJ and Bathurst.

What else are you going to do on a January evening when it's -30c with a windchill of -45 and 150 cm of snow on the ground?

Curling up on a sofa with a good DVD in the machine sounds like a plan to me! :haha:

Seriously though, I'm kinda surprised too. I would have thought the Mountain Road and Riverview outlets would have been safe, but I'm surprised that the Elmwood Drive store made the grade too.

I actually rather like Blockbuster. I don't rent from them any more, but I do shop there for second hand DVDs to purchase. :tup:

[MonctonRad]

While its a bit disappointing to hear we wont get an IMAX, now that I think of it this Empire Extra thing may be better overall...as IMAX can only show a limited number of movies while EE can show any movie with a huge screen and huge sound. We will be one of only 6 places in Canada with it so that's something special as well!

Hey mmmatt, the T&T quoted you in their article on the Crystal Palace Cinemas renovations:

The bad news for Metro movie-goers is that Empire will also open a second Atlantic Canadian IMAX theatre, not in Metro Moncton but in St. John's. However, some movie fans note that while an IMAX can show only a limited number of movies, an Empire Extra theatre can offer first-run, current films, at all times. The existing Empire Extra theatres offer all digital screens for a high quality picture, as well as Dolby Digital Surround Sound, luxurious high-back seats and an extended offering of refreshments.

It's just another example that the media pays attention to what is said on our boards!

Enjoy your newfound celebrity.... :haha:

[Lrdevlop]

Ok so I have some news from Dieppe!

1. A restaurant, offices and a NB Liquor store will open in Uptown Dieppe, another 4 story appartement/condo building is being finished behind the Co-op. Also, a Jean Coutu will be built along with retail space for rent. And I also heard that a St Hubert Express could open... it's still a rumor but I saw the plans in the french paper "L'Acadie Nouvelle" for the restaurant, NB liquor, etc and the restaurant seems pretty big... big as a full service St Hubert... Could it happen? I don't know!

2. The excavation for the 6 storey condo building close to Pascale St. has started - Can't wait to see it built! :tup:

3. They are expanding the PharmaSave building on Amirault St. and they and will reclad it - from the render I think it will look pretty nice!

[mmmatt]

Hey mmmatt, the T&T quoted you in their article on the Crystal Palace Cinemas renovations:



It's just another example that the media pays attention to what is said on our boards!

Enjoy your newfound celebrity.... :haha:

haha! cool!

On the Target note I dont see it as a negative for Moncton...most likely the reason they picked the stores they did is due to sales of those particular Zellers stores...Well in Moncton we have two full size Wal Marts...The Bay...3 Can Tire...Costco... etc etc...it would not surprise me that our Zellers stores fall by the wayside.

I have always seen Zellers as a store you go to if there isn't a Wal Mart nearby...most people I know feel the same way. Target will come in soon enough.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I think the issue for Target might be lease negotiations.

The Northwest Centre would likely make a good Target location. It's right next to Trinity Drive and that particular location is easily expanded. I imagine an announcement may be forthcoming in September, but this would likely mean that this location wouldn't open until 2014.

I think the Superstore Zellers location on East Main Street is toast though......

[nwalbert]

Actually Target indicated that Saint John was chosen first as it has the largest retail sector in the province. Nothing to do with leases, just market size.

[Freddypop]

Actually Target indicated that Saint John was chosen first as it has the largest retail sector in the province. Nothing to do with leases, just market size.

I think you may have misread this.....the reference to which you refer was made by the Chairman of Enterprise Saint John and not from Target.

"Tony Goguen, chairman of Enterprise Saint John, said the store will be fantastic for Saint John. He said it will not only offer choice to Saint Johners, but proves the confidence mega corporations have in the city's retail sector.

He said Saint John has the largest retail sector by dollar volume of any city in the province."

Full article here from the TJ...http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/1410051

I suspect when all is said and done that both Freddy and Moncton will end up with new stores as the current Zellers do not meet their needs. Bayers Lake in Halifax and Sydney will have one as well.

[mylesmalley]

Where exactly is that number coming from?

I'm having a hard time finding any statistics that actually break down retail sales by census metropolitan area. Statistics Canada seems to leave it by province and by NAICS code, rather than by city. The one thing I did find was a report by Enterprise Greater Moncton which compiled data from an FPinfomart report from 2009 (that is quite expensive, so I'm not going to buy it to check one thing).

Their 2009 retail sales number for Moncton was $2,135,360,000, $1,302,720,000 in SJ, and $1,379,530,000 for Fredericton.

http://www.greatermoncton.org/site-egm/media/greatermoncton/Growing%20the%20Retail%20Sector%20in%20Greater%20Moncton%20(WEB2)(1).pdf

Obviously, you're free to take the overall report as biassed as it is written by a local economic development agency. But their numbers come from a third party. And yes, I'm well aware of the large retail growth in Saint John recently. But to overcome an $820 million shortfall in two years is pretty much out of the question.

But realistically speaking, even if Monctonians and Saint Johners spent the same amount per capita, we've still got an almost 10,000 person lead based on 2010 population estimates from Statcan. Were Saint John to have passed Moncton, you'd not only need to catch Moncton, but actually increase per-person expenditures by 9% over what Moncton currently does...or almost 70% more than SJ did in 2009.

I hate these 'mine's bigger than yours' discussions, but it doesn't do anyone any good to ignore obvious realities.

[nwalbert]

I think we can all agree that the stats Moncton sponsored are not accurate, and potentially neither are the ones quoted in the article around Target. Ultimately Target chose Saint John as their priority market in NB. We all know that Moncton and Fredericton will obviously get stores as well. Maybe even larger ones than SJ, who knows.

That being said, we should all be happy for Saint John and NB in general that Target is coming. The SJ retail market has the largest Costo, the only Indigo, etc.. Its no big surprise that it was chosen first based on business reasons. Moncton just got an Empire Studios upgrade, that is great. This one went to Saint John, no reason to be surprised or try to make up reasons why the decision was made. Just be happy for us, you would expect the same from SJ folks if Moncton got something.

[ErickMontreal]

That being said, we should all be happy for Saint John and NB in general that Target is coming. The SJ retail market has the largest Costo, the only Indigo, etc.. Its no big surprise that it was chosen first based on business reasons. Moncton just got an Empire Studios upgrade, that is great. This one went to Saint John, no reason to be surprised or try to make up reasons why the decision was made. Just be happy for us, you would expect the same from SJ folks if Moncton got something.

In all due respect, beyond Target, pretty much every single national retailer that have entered the New-brunswick market over the recent years set up shop in Moncton/Dieppe. As a case in point, any wonder why H&M, Gap, Eddie Bauer, Mexx, Bed bath and beyond, Victoria Secret, Tommy, Jacob, Linen Chest, Costa, Laura Canada, La vie en Rose and so on favoured Moncton over any other market in New-Brunswick? It was obviously choosen first based on business reasons...

[brod3211]

My sisters husband is the assistant manager at the zellers in mccallister mall, and from what he was told it came down to the need for a anchor store to test the market. He was saying the Saint John zellers was not chosen because of higher sales or because the city had high retail profits, but because of location and proximity to the US border and because it is one of the smaller zellers stores in New Brunswick.

[MonctonRad]

we should all be happy for Saint John and NB in general that Target is coming. The SJ retail market has the largest Costo, the only Indigo, etc.. Its no big surprise that it was chosen first based on business reasons. Moncton just got an Empire Studios upgrade, that is great. This one went to Saint John, no reason to be surprised or try to make up reasons why the decision was made. Just be happy for us, you would expect the same from SJ folks if Moncton got something.

I don't view this as a Saint John vs Moncton thing. I'm happy that SJ's retail sector is coming around. I particularly like your Indigo store (so much better than our Chapters which is now getting a little dowdy).

If there is a problem with Moncton retail now, it's because it is somewhat "hemmed in" at present. Both Champlain Place and Trinty Drive are now essentially full. The Mapleton Power Centre has yet to be restarted. Uptown Dieppe and Findlay Park really aren't designed to be regional shopping centres.

Until the "next big thing" in terms of retail development comes along, the sector in Moncton will remain rather static.

There is room for some development on Mapleton Road, and Champlain Place could expand, but I think the "next big thing" might be out in the Harrisville area...... :yes:

[nwalbert]

In all due respect, beyond Target, pretty much every single national retailer that have entered the New-brunswick market over the recent years set up shop in Moncton/Dieppe. As a case in point, any wonder why H&M, Gap, Eddie Bauer, Mexx, Bed bath and beyond, Victoria Secret, Tommy, Jacob, Linen Chest, Costa, Laura Canada, La vie en Rose and so on favoured Moncton over any other market in New-Brunswick? It was obviously choosen first based on business reasons...

Yes, I agree with you 100%. Those stores chose Moncton for business reasons. Clearly the fashion sector at the time those decisions were made was better in Moncton than anywhere else in the province, no question. Feel free to correct me if some of those are not fashion stores, a few I have never heard of.

However, Target serves a much broader and different market, and thus decided that Saint John was the best market for them. I am sure this is the same reasoning that Indigo and Costco used as well.

I am happy that Moncton retail has done well in the past, and have never made excuses why those retailers chose Moncton, hence I don't accept excuses why Target chose Saint John as their first location.

Both cities are doing well, this is a good thing.

[mylesmalley]

I think we can all agree that the stats Moncton sponsored are not accurate, and potentially neither are the ones quoted in the article around Target.

Moncton didn't sponsor them.

Fredericton lists their 2011 numbers on their site.
http://www.teamfredericton.ca/en/communityprofile/Statistics.asp

The numbers come from a third party research company which releases an annual report on Canadian statistics. It's no different than the Annual Factbook that Statistics Canada publishes.

As I said in my post, it's fine to take the conclusions of the report from EGM as being biassed in Moncton's favour, but you can't use that as justification for dismissing third-party research which they had no part in producing.

Nobody ever said Saint John didn't deserve more retail growth. Anything that brings more jobs and encourages more tourism to either city is a good thing. All I'm saying is that if you're going to start throwing terms like 'biggest retail market in the province' around, make sure it's actually true. Lord knows the newspapers here aren't going to do any actual fact-checking on their own. The least we can do is try to avoid repeating their mistakes.

[OliverD]

Let's not forget that Target intends to announce its second round of stores in September. Clearly, this initial list is limited to markets where Target was already able to hammer out the logistics. I would suspect that a lot of the Zellers stores in the smaller markets are inadequate for Target's purposes and they may need to find alternate locations.

[nwalbert]

Moncton didn't sponsor them.



I am simply going by the Executive summary in the link you provided which states that Enterprise Moncton commissioned the study.

The industry that I am employed in also "commissions" "independent" studies and somehow they always turn out well for the person sponsoring the "study".

Don't want to argue with you, we just disagree and can leave it at that. I am happy that Target has announced they are coming to Canada, and that Saint John was the first location announced in NB. Since they are a very successful corporation I will assume they had a very good reason for those actions.

Hopefully Fredericton and Moncton will follow, and who knows maybe someone will even get a Super Target.

[mylesmalley]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_f3SZ5Tu916o/SP8LiNoZ6pI/AAAAAAAAH8A/UmwlAbzMIrQ/s400/sisko-facepalm.jpg

[OliverD]

I am simply going by the Executive summary in the link you provided which states that Enterprise Moncton commissioned the study.

The industry that I am employed in also "commissions" "independent" studies and somehow they always turn out well for the person sponsoring the "study".

The study is independent of the statistics however.

[mmmatt]

Just speculating here...but perhaps the Telagraph Journal meant "Saint John" as in the literal city boundaries has the largest retail sector...which I still have a hard time believing. However, if you cut the largest mall in Atlantic Canada and the burgeoning retail sector of Riverview out of Monctons numbers it would bring it down a fair bit.

Over the years I have been interested in retail development in the area. I have seen a few retail sector reports which are all similar to the same thing that Myles posted. Many were posted on other cities websites...The fact is that the Moncton CMA has one of the highest retail dollars per capita in the country...certainly the highest in Atlantic Canada by quite a bit.

[MonctonRad]

Just speculating here...but perhaps the Telagraph Journal meant "Saint John" as in the literal city boundaries has the largest retail sector...which I still have a hard time believing. However, if you cut the largest mall in Atlantic Canada and the burgeoning retail sector of Riverview out of Monctons numbers it would bring it down a fair bit.

I was wondering the very same thing. That's why one has to be very careful analyzing these statistics.

There are three types of lies.......lies, damn lies and statistics! :yes:

[josh_cat_eyes]

The Moncton vs Saint John thing sounds like two 5 year olds arguing over whose toy car is better. They both have their pros and cons. GET OVER IT:yes:

[Sabien]

You people should listen to yourselves. It would be comical if it wasn't so irritating; contstantly bickering about whether Moncton or Saint John is superior.

These forums used to be a great source of information on new developments in the region. However, in the past year or two its been declining to the point at which we now find it. The information can still be found here if one can tolerate the inane squabbling, unfortunately, I cannot.

While its true that pride in ones town often provides the catylist for improvement, there is a subtle but important difference between pride and ego that some of you should learn. Really...think about it. Wow, I mean really! (its sad)

ciao :)

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Actually, I thought the whole rivalry thing on the forums was a lot worse a couple of years ago than it is now. Things have been pretty civil for the last six months or so.

[gehrhardt]

:previous:

Actually, I thought the whole rivalry thing on the forums was a lot worse a couple of years ago than it is now. Things have been pretty civil for the last six months or so.

Agreed. A couple of years ago, I was very close to ignoring this forum altogether because of the bickering. It's a lot better now.

[bam63]

First of all c:cheers:Congratulations to the St.John Sea Dogs.:cheers:

Come on guys, other than the new "gay" transformation at Champlain Place, Moncton's lure of attracting large national brand names has slowed over the last couple of years.This has allowed both Fredericton and St John to catch up ie:Costcos/Home Depots/Montana's and the list goes on. Today Moncton is only seen as a shopping mecca to the people from the northern part of the province, PEI, and parts of northern NS, and only because of its location.People from Freddy and St.John can shop to you drop at home now.

It is becoming imperative that Moncton city council pressure governments to build a new 10,000 seat downtown arena/entertainment center complete with an IMAX, retail, restuarants, discovery/aquarium center, national brand hotel etc, this could only help Moncton get back some of it's retail momentum its been losing over the last couple of years, and create a vibrant downtown to boot! My two cents...

[bam63]

Oh, i'm from Moncton and only tells it like i sees it.

[mylesmalley]

It's a matter of economics. Moncton has seen huge retail growth over the past ten years. We're at a point where the per-capita sales is something like 25% over the national average. Obviously a lot of that has to do with people visiting the city, but even still. I don't think the growth will stop, but I fully expect that the rate will slow down to keep pace with population growth.

That said, depending on what the census comes out with for growth numbers, we might see renewed interest.

[FireEyedBoy]

First of all c:cheers:Congratulations to the St.John Sea Dogs.:cheers:

Come on guys, other than the new "gay" transformation at Champlain Place, Moncton's lure of attracting large national brand names has slowed over the last couple of years.This has allowed both Fredericton and St John to catch up ie:Costcos/Home Depots/Montana's and the list goes on. Today Moncton is only seen as a shopping mecca to the people from the northern part of the province, PEI, and parts of northern NS, and only because of its location.People from Freddy and St.John can shop to you drop at home now.

It is becoming imperative that Moncton city council pressure governments to build a new 10,000 seat downtown arena/entertainment center complete with an IMAX, retail, restuarants, discovery/aquarium center, national brand hotel etc, this could only help Moncton get back some of it's retail momentum its been losing over the last couple of years, and create a vibrant downtown to boot! My two cents...

I read this forum daily- don't really comment much, but just curious, by referring to the reno's completed at Champlain Place as "gay", did you mean they were happy or homosexual? Calling something gay as an insult is insulting to people who actually are homosexual ( myself included). Not trying to be a jerk or anything, I actually agree with you on the need for a downtown events center and that the Mall needs to bring in some stores to attract male clients back, all the recent additions seem to be geared towards women.

[bam63]

I read this forum daily- don't really comment much, but just curious, by referring to the reno's completed at Champlain Place as "gay", did you mean they were happy or homosexual? Calling something gay as an insult is insulting to people who actually are homosexual ( myself included). Not trying to be a jerk or anything, I actually agree with you on the need for a downtown events center and that the Mall needs to bring in some stores to attract male clients back, all the recent additions seem to be geared towards women.

Sorry, the comment was not meant as an insult, but the transformation from what was a family friendly mall to what it is today upsets me and I sometimes use words loosely when I shouldn't. A mall without shopping carts?? Sorry, I tend to rant also...

[Sony500]

:previous:
Here is an interesting little bit of history on the word of the day:

In addition to its original and continuing senses of “merry, lively” and “bright or showy,” gay has had various senses dealing with sexual conduct since the 17th century. A gay woman was a prostitute, a gay man a womanizer, a gay house a brothel. This sexual world included homosexuals too, and gay as an adjective meaning “homosexual” goes back at least to the early 1900s. After World War II, as social attitudes toward sexuality began to change, gay was applied openly by homosexuals to themselves, first as an adjective and later as a noun. Today, the noun often designates only a male homosexual: gays and lesbians. The word has ceased to be slang and is not used disparagingly. Homosexual as a noun is sometimes used only in reference to a male.

[kwajo]

Just speculating here...but perhaps the Telagraph Journal meant "Saint John" as in the literal city boundaries has the largest retail sector...which I still have a hard time believing. However, if you cut the largest mall in Atlantic Canada and the burgeoning retail sector of Riverview out of Monctons numbers it would bring it down a fair bit.

Over the years I have been interested in retail development in the area. I have seen a few retail sector reports which are all similar to the same thing that Myles posted. Many were posted on other cities websites...The fact is that the Moncton CMA has one of the highest retail dollars per capita in the country...certainly the highest in Atlantic Canada by quite a bit.
I don't know why it's so hard to accept that maybe, just maybe, Saint John is doing better than you think it is.

That being said, if Moncton does have a better retail sector, then that's great for NB too! The poster who commented that the bickering is silly is right on the nose, I'm tired of the arguments between the cities, and we've been doing really well in the past six months at giving kudos where they are deserved. I think we as a forum have been banding together as New Brunswickers more and more lately, and I hope that trend spreads to the world outside skyscraperpage as well :cheers:

[KnoxfordGuy]

I don't know why it's so hard to accept that maybe, just maybe, Saint John is doing better than you think it is.

That being said, if Moncton does have a better retail sector, then that's great for NB too! The poster who commented that the bickering is silly is right on the nose, I'm tired of the arguments between the cities, and we've been doing really well in the past six months at giving kudos where they are deserved. I think we as a forum have been banding together as New Brunswickers more and more lately, and I hope that trend spreads to the world outside skyscraperpage as well :cheers:

:previous: YES!! Go New Brunswick!!

[benvui]

Just an update on the new government building being built in Shediac next to Tim Horton's. They started putting up the steel structure yesterday, it looks like it is going to be 3 stories which is going to stick out like a sore thumb with all the single story buildings around it.

I'll try and get some pictures this weekend to share with everyone.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton awarded figure skating nationals
CBC Sports Posted: Jun 3, 2011 10:08 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 3, 2011 10:08 AM ET

Moncton, N.B., will host the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships from Jan. 16-22 at the Moncton Coliseum Complex, Skate Canada announced Friday.

Moncton previously hosted the event in 1974, 1985 and 1992. The city also hosted the Skate Canada Junior Nationals in 2006.

"It's always exciting to be heading out to Canada's east coast — the people are friendly and they love their skating," said Skate Canada CEO William Thompson in a statement.

Tickets will go on sale in September.

About 260 skaters are expected to participate in the women's, men's, pairs and ice dance events at three different levels — senior, junior and novice. The top finishers at the senior level will go on to compete at the 2012 world championships in Nice, France.

The 2011 Canadian Figure Skating Championships were held in Victoria, where the highlight was Patrick Chan winning his fourth consecutive men's title.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskating/story/2011/06/03/sp-canadian-championships-moncton.html#ixzz1OF6G71Da

[porchmouse]

Ahhh MonctonRad, you beat me to this story. This is great for the city. I remember when this was here back in 1992. Lots of fun.

Hoping to get out this weekend and take some new pics of construction in Moncton North. Anyone have any other photo requests?

-Porchmouse

Moncton awarded figure skating nationals
CBC Sports Posted: Jun 3, 2011 10:08 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 3, 2011 10:08 AM ET

Moncton, N.B., will host the 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships from Jan. 16-22 at the Moncton Coliseum Complex, Skate Canada announced Friday.

Moncton previously hosted the event in 1974, 1985 and 1992. The city also hosted the Skate Canada Junior Nationals in 2006.

"It's always exciting to be heading out to Canada's east coast — the people are friendly and they love their skating," said Skate Canada CEO William Thompson in a statement.

Tickets will go on sale in September.

About 260 skaters are expected to participate in the women's, men's, pairs and ice dance events at three different levels — senior, junior and novice. The top finishers at the senior level will go on to compete at the 2012 world championships in Nice, France.

The 2011 Canadian Figure Skating Championships were held in Victoria, where the highlight was Patrick Chan winning his fourth consecutive men's title.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskating/story/2011/06/03/sp-canadian-championships-moncton.html#ixzz1OF6G71Da

[mmmatt]

Just an update on the new government building being built in Shediac next to Tim Horton's. They started putting up the steel structure yesterday, it looks like it is going to be 3 stories which is going to stick out like a sore thumb with all the single story buildings around it.

I'll try and get some pictures this weekend to share with everyone.

Yeah Im in Shediac pretty much everyday now...They had put up a bunch of beams a couple days ago and then the next day they were all gone haha...thought maybe they had second thoughts. But now they have 1/2 the steel work up and it looks MASSIVE coming down main street because like you said its surrounded by single story buildings. It will certainly make an impact!!

[MonctonRad]

There are actually two foundations going in on the northeast corner of Mountain/Gorge. One is to the west of the new Royal Bank building, and I believe this will be a Second Cup. The other is to the east, and I suspect this might be a restaurant. If so, this might be the fabled Moncton West Swiss Chalet. One of the other posters did mention that it might be locating here. Time will tell.

[MonctonRad]

from the "sleuth" - could it possibly be true!?!?

Dieppe spy Mall Rat reports that shoppers fed up with negotiating a certain pot-hole pocked parking in town will finally see some action at Champlain Place starting Monday.

The Rat has picked up many a rumour that paving crews start a lengthy project that day retopping the entire lot - a big job considering it's roughly the size of Summerside - in stages over the month of June.

We'll believe it when we see it but "the people will rejoice," insists our Rat, "I'd call that lot one big crater the way it is right now but there are still a few inches of asphalt border between the holes."

Perhaps the Rat exaggerates, but we do hope he's right about the rumour.

personal note - the Champlain Place lot presently resembles a moonscape. Perhaps we should send out an expedition to locate the missing lunar rover before repaving occurs....

:banana::banana::banana:

[mmmatt]

^
Man I hope thats true...its a bit embarrassing at the moment...especially with Paul st being so nice now...and the inside of the mall as well...the parking lot is a nasty rift between the two.

[Lrdevlop]

Anyone know what they are doing/building beside the Main St Superstore Gas Bar? Looks like they are doing site prep.

[MonctonRad]

Anyone know what they are doing/building beside the Main St Superstore Gas Bar? Looks like they are doing site prep.

I assume from your description of the location that it is the new bank that has been approved for that site. I believe it will be a Bank of Montreal and will be two stories with a drive-thru automatic teller (which was for some reason controversial during the approval process).

I haven't seen any renders of this project though.

[mylesmalley]

It was controversial because it's being built in the downtown area and wasn't seen to be in the spirit of the central business district with it's included drive-thru.

[Sony500]

Its CIBC







City approves bank drive-thru on Main Street


Cathy LeBreton - News StaffSep 22, 2010 06:21:42 AM







MONCTON, NB - A Moncton city council vote has cleared the way for a proposed drive-thru bank on Main Street.

The CIBC development will be located on a parcel of land next to Hall's Creek across from Chateau Moncton.

The land had been zoned Downtown Commercial, but seeing as drive-thru's aren't allowed in the downtown, council opted to rezone it Suburban Commercial.

The decision goes against the recommendations of the district planning commission which cautioned the development would go against the city's Downtown vision.

Councillor Pierre Boudreau agreed with planners, saying a drive through in that vicinity would also cause traffic congestion.

Mayor George LeBlanc voted in favor of the development, saying the city has to be flexible with its plans.

[Lrdevlop]

Ohh! Now I remember! :D Thanks everyone!

[MonctonRad]

Its CIBC

I stand corrected. :D

The drive thru is a non issue as far as I'm concerned. The entrance to the drive thru will not be on Main St and therefore should have no impact on traffic flow.

This will be a nice bit of infill on East Main. :tup:

[David_99]

What's the big deal? Isn't there a drive-thru BMO up the street next to A&W?

[mylesmalley]

That's on the Dieppe side of Halls Creek, and also not considered part of downtown Moncton.

[bam63]

Just noticed Kijji has an add looking for a tower crane operator for a job in Dieppe beginning in about three weeks. No doubt the new six story apartment bldg, Dieppe's new tallest right? :banana:

[MonctonRad]

Just noticed Kijji has an add looking for a tower crane operator for a job in Dieppe beginning in about three weeks. No doubt the new six story apartment bldg, Dieppe's new tallest right? :banana:

Is that Place Louisbourg Place (just up the block from Dieppe city hall)?

[NBNYer]

Is that Place Louisbourg Place (just up the block from Dieppe city hall)?

I think he's referring to this one at the corner of Gauvin and Pascal. You may be referring to Place Evangeline as the one near city hall, it is a stale proposal.

This is awesome! Great news all around with the proposed developments...I may have some interesting pixels to share, today as I was doing deliveries I happened upon Gauvain rd on my way to Cyr st. Didn't even hear of this development yet and I passed by a sign that I HAD to share! lol and here I was thinking I would post it to ask if anyone had heard of it...fearing it was old and not going to happen!

Here it is:

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/9365/photo0189copy.jpg

[MonctonRad]

Ah yes, I forgot the name. Here is a picture of what might have been.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f232/stu_pendousmat/Phototour%20w%20Erick/DSCN2030.jpg

[MonctonRad]

Mountain Road rage?
Published Monday June 6th, 2011

Closure of Ryan Street for upgrades will likely make Metro Moncton's main artery even busier during rush hours
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

Trying to take a short-cut during one's commute to work is next to impossible in Moncton's North End. Whether you're coming from Evergreen, Valhalla or Hildegard, there's a good chance you'll be held up by heavy traffic, or construction crews. Congestion is nothing new for Mountain Road, especially from the Trinity area, all the way up to Evergreen, and it's growing every year, with no sign of stopping. The population is booming, bringing new businesses and infrastructure to open lots.

The Evergreen area is the fastest growing neighbourhood in Moncton. With the two new schools off of Ryan Street, the area will keep expanding with new subdivisions. Concerns are two-fold: the tearing up of Ryan, which is imperative for future traffic and buses, and the massive amount of vehicles commuting and travelling via Mountain.

Sarah Caissie lives in Hildegard and takes Ryan Street during her commute everyday.

"I like to sleep in so I take the back road to avoid the traffic that will slow me down. I can't take being in jams."

And she's not alone in her smart thinking. Caissie says many of her friends living in the North End do the same thing but once Ryan is closed off for its total overhaul, it's back to driving on Mountain.

"I think I'll have to make myself get up those 20 minutes earlier so that I'm not late in the mornings."

This kind of logic is what the police would like to see applied when commuting in the North End.

Cpl. Jay Doiron of the Codiac Regional RCMP's traffic division says residents need to factor in waiting times in heavy traffic during their commute.

"Of course an increase of traffic comes with increase of population," he said. "Everyone's in a rush so it means you have to calculate that extra time, maybe 20 minutes, in your commute."

When drivers are in a rush, they also tend to be distracted and are less cognizant of other vehicles and pedestrians.

Cpl. Doiron says people need to be patient and watch their speed while on Mountain Road.

"Driving is a privilege, not a right."

The RCMP have identified intersections with high collision rates and monitor them regularly.

The Trinity Drive and Mountain intersection is a high-traffic area where many accidents, from fender-benders to head-on collisions occur.

From 2005 to 2009, the City of Moncton recorded the reported collisions, which normally include vehicle damage of $1,000 or higher, for this intersection.

In the five years, there were about 80 collisions.

And with around 28,000 vehicles entering this intersection on Mountain, it is a normative figure. Mountain Road is considered in the same group as Main Street and Champlain Street in terms of commuting vehicles.

"It's typical versus any other community," Stephane Thibodeau, the city's transportation and parking coordinator said.

He says wherever there are intersections, there's a higher traffic volume, naturally leading to higher collision rates.

But what about the high traffic areas on Mountain that do not have intersections? Dangerous areas include the Tim Horton's on the corner of Lonsdale, and the Valhalla plaza, which houses an NB Liquor and a couple other shops. And all North End residents know that trying to turn left off of Evergreen Drive onto Mountain is near impossible in the morning and the end of the work day.

Laurie Maniex manages Moka Spa and Salon, a business in the Valhalla Plaza complex.

She says she worries for the safety of her clients, especially when they are trying to leave or enter at supper time.

Turning left out of the strip-mall's parking lot is difficult and Maniex says people drive too fast, as well.

"Even though we have a cross-walk, I still see people jaywalking and that's scary, especially at night."

While a busy road brings in good business, Maniex says it's not all positive and people need to be more cautious.

"I watch people just shoot down the road," she said. "With ice cream shops and Tim's down the road, there will be many children around this summer and it's scary."

The owner of the business beside Maniex is also concerned for his clientele.

"There's been a few accidents on the road right in front of us," says Eric Baxter of the Old Fashioned Meat Market. He isn't surprised though, with all the development in the surrounding area.

"We're really busy during end of the week and the weekend so the extra traffic is always a concern."

There's some help coming for the congestion at Evergreen Drive and Mountain. The city will begin work to implement a set of traffic lights at this area and will widen the roads to fit an extra lane. The new intersection comes just in time as the new Royal Bank of Canada is open and across from it, the development of the corner lot is about half-way complete.

Thibodeau says this is all part of the city's traffic study and the sustainable transportation master plan.

"This is in conjunction with all three greater communities and the province," he said. "It will examine how can we provide a 40-year transportation plan, which is what last plan tried to do, but became only a 20-year plan because of the unexpected closing of the CN Railway shops."

Since roadway infrastructure is very expensive, Thibodeau says that for the past two years, the city has been looking at the dynamics of mobility, the transits and pedestrian walkways. He hopes that come fall, the city will begin to work with consultants and have visioning sessions with the public.

"We want it to be very transparent and want them to be part of the review. We know people want other choices than simply getting around by vehicle so we will see what we can do to improve our way of commuting."

Joel Barnaby of Barnaby's & Co. furniture store is happy about the new intersection coming in this summer.

He says the traffic is a lot heavier than it used to be a couple years ago, and owes it to the expanding residential areas.

"This will help it be safer again, with the cross-walk that's just in front of us, but there's not much else you can do. It's the growing pains of a small city."

And one more set of lights will slow traffic down, which just might be good for business.

"They might get us more people on their way home, or those on vacation."

[MonctonRad]

Moncton enjoys busy building season
Published Monday June 6th, 2011

Building permits for May total $32.3M; year-to-date $98.6M
By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff

The arrival or warmer weather heralded what city officials are calling a phenomenal month for construction in Moncton with the highest total construction values in the past 10 years.

The city issued 177 building permits in May for work valued at $32.3 million bringing the total value to date in 2011 to $98.6 million, a record high for the decade. It's evident that the builders were ready to embrace the construction season at full steam ahead.

"We're pleased to see such strong growth in the residential construction sector and the commercial and industrial sector in Moncton year over year, and this past month has been phenomenal," said Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc. "Moncton has recently made headlines once again for having the most affordable and value-driven real-estate prices in the country," he said adding that May was also a celebration of Building Safety Month "during which we showed our appreciation to all those involved in keeping our buildings safe."

The total number of permits issued in May 2010 was 10 more than last year but the value was a whopping 176 per cent higher, said the city.

Thirteen of the permits issued for commercial and industrial projects totalled $18.3 million, an increase of 3632 per cent from May 2010.

At the same time, the number of residential permits dropped 14.2 per cent to 103 permits this year. However, the value of the permits surpassed $12.5 million, an increase of 145 per cent from May 2010.

The total number of residential permits to date is 212 for a value in excess of $29.5 million.

Among the larger construction projects on the list for May was the permit for a warehouse and office at 290 Frenette Avenue for First Mutual Properties valued at $10.9 million. Other projects included Sobey's Retail Store at 77 Filles de Jesus Avenue worth $3.5 million; Lawton's Drug commercial building foundation at 565 Elmwood Dr. valued at $2.1 million; Swiss Chalet Restaurant at 1933 Mountain Rd. valued at $775,000, and Moncton Respirology Clinic at 247 Universite Ave. valued at $500,000.

Personal notes:

1- The Moncton North Swiss Chalet rumour is confirmed and the restaurant will be located at Mountain/Gorge in the same development as the new Royal Bank and Second Cup. Those new traffic lights and the widening of Mountain Road can't come soon enough, there's quite a little retail and commercial cluster developing at Mountain/Gorge/Evergreen. :)
2 - The address for the Lawton's building permit is the same as the old Filles de Jesus building and therefore confirms our suspicions that the external building on this site was going to be a Lawtons. This development on Elmwood Drive therefore will definitely include Sobeys, Lawton's and an NBLC outlet.

[C_Boy]

Province funds two major road re-construction projects

Cathy LeBreton - News Staff Jun 06, 2011


MONCTON, NB - Provincial Transportation Minister Claude Williams had the government cheque-book out during a stop in Moncton today.

He announced more than 1.6 million dollars for two road re-construction projects in Greater Moncton.

The Petitcodiac causeway will be resurfaced this summer at a cost of 610-thousand dollars.

That's music to the ears of Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland, who says the rutted roadway has become a safety concern in recent years.

The City of Moncton is getting a million dollars for work on the Lewisville Road.

The city has set aside 5-to-600-thousand dollars for the project which will see Lewisville Road widened and repaved from the Shediac Road intersection to the eastbound Veterans Highway on-ramp.

[acrew79]

Mountain Road rage?
Published Monday June 6th, 2011

Closure of Ryan Street for upgrades will likely make Metro Moncton's main artery even busier during rush hours
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

Trying to take a short-cut during one's commute to work is next to impossible in Moncton's North End. Whether you're coming from Evergreen, Valhalla or Hildegard, there's a good chance you'll be held up by heavy traffic, or construction crews. Congestion is nothing new for Mountain Road, especially from the Trinity area, all the way up to Evergreen, and it's growing every year, with no sign of stopping. The population is booming, bringing new businesses and infrastructure to open lots.

The Evergreen area is the fastest growing neighbourhood in Moncton. With the two new schools off of Ryan Street, the area will keep expanding with new subdivisions. Concerns are two-fold: the tearing up of Ryan, which is imperative for future traffic and buses, and the massive amount of vehicles commuting and travelling via Mountain.

Sarah Caissie lives in Hildegard and takes Ryan Street during her commute everyday.

"I like to sleep in so I take the back road to avoid the traffic that will slow me down. I can't take being in jams."

And she's not alone in her smart thinking. Caissie says many of her friends living in the North End do the same thing but once Ryan is closed off for its total overhaul, it's back to driving on Mountain.

"I think I'll have to make myself get up those 20 minutes earlier so that I'm not late in the mornings."

This kind of logic is what the police would like to see applied when commuting in the North End.

Cpl. Jay Doiron of the Codiac Regional RCMP's traffic division says residents need to factor in waiting times in heavy traffic during their commute.

"Of course an increase of traffic comes with increase of population," he said. "Everyone's in a rush so it means you have to calculate that extra time, maybe 20 minutes, in your commute."

When drivers are in a rush, they also tend to be distracted and are less cognizant of other vehicles and pedestrians.

Cpl. Doiron says people need to be patient and watch their speed while on Mountain Road.

"Driving is a privilege, not a right."

The RCMP have identified intersections with high collision rates and monitor them regularly.

The Trinity Drive and Mountain intersection is a high-traffic area where many accidents, from fender-benders to head-on collisions occur.

From 2005 to 2009, the City of Moncton recorded the reported collisions, which normally include vehicle damage of $1,000 or higher, for this intersection.

In the five years, there were about 80 collisions.

And with around 28,000 vehicles entering this intersection on Mountain, it is a normative figure. Mountain Road is considered in the same group as Main Street and Champlain Street in terms of commuting vehicles.

"It's typical versus any other community," Stephane Thibodeau, the city's transportation and parking coordinator said.

He says wherever there are intersections, there's a higher traffic volume, naturally leading to higher collision rates.

But what about the high traffic areas on Mountain that do not have intersections? Dangerous areas include the Tim Horton's on the corner of Lonsdale, and the Valhalla plaza, which houses an NB Liquor and a couple other shops. And all North End residents know that trying to turn left off of Evergreen Drive onto Mountain is near impossible in the morning and the end of the work day.

Laurie Maniex manages Moka Spa and Salon, a business in the Valhalla Plaza complex.

She says she worries for the safety of her clients, especially when they are trying to leave or enter at supper time.

Turning left out of the strip-mall's parking lot is difficult and Maniex says people drive too fast, as well.

"Even though we have a cross-walk, I still see people jaywalking and that's scary, especially at night."

While a busy road brings in good business, Maniex says it's not all positive and people need to be more cautious.

"I watch people just shoot down the road," she said. "With ice cream shops and Tim's down the road, there will be many children around this summer and it's scary."

The owner of the business beside Maniex is also concerned for his clientele.

"There's been a few accidents on the road right in front of us," says Eric Baxter of the Old Fashioned Meat Market. He isn't surprised though, with all the development in the surrounding area.

"We're really busy during end of the week and the weekend so the extra traffic is always a concern."

There's some help coming for the congestion at Evergreen Drive and Mountain. The city will begin work to implement a set of traffic lights at this area and will widen the roads to fit an extra lane. The new intersection comes just in time as the new Royal Bank of Canada is open and across from it, the development of the corner lot is about half-way complete.

Thibodeau says this is all part of the city's traffic study and the sustainable transportation master plan.

"This is in conjunction with all three greater communities and the province," he said. "It will examine how can we provide a 40-year transportation plan, which is what last plan tried to do, but became only a 20-year plan because of the unexpected closing of the CN Railway shops."

Since roadway infrastructure is very expensive, Thibodeau says that for the past two years, the city has been looking at the dynamics of mobility, the transits and pedestrian walkways. He hopes that come fall, the city will begin to work with consultants and have visioning sessions with the public.

"We want it to be very transparent and want them to be part of the review. We know people want other choices than simply getting around by vehicle so we will see what we can do to improve our way of commuting."

Joel Barnaby of Barnaby's & Co. furniture store is happy about the new intersection coming in this summer.

He says the traffic is a lot heavier than it used to be a couple years ago, and owes it to the expanding residential areas.

"This will help it be safer again, with the cross-walk that's just in front of us, but there's not much else you can do. It's the growing pains of a small city."

And one more set of lights will slow traffic down, which just might be good for business.

"They might get us more people on their way home, or those on vacation."



I Love how the city neglects to advise that the "new fantastic amazing concept" of adding a 2nd set of lights at Evergreen is book-ended by GReat way to slow down traffic and assist in getting in and out of RBC branch and the new Circle K." BUT FAILED TO MENTION THE BOTTLE NECK OF GORGE ROAD 50 Feet away.. .. GRRRRRR Sorry .. had to vent... 40 yr road plan.. My butt.... makes me laugh.

[Lrdevlop]

Just noticed Kijji has an add looking for a tower crane operator for a job in Dieppe beginning in about three weeks. No doubt the new six story apartment bldg, Dieppe's new tallest right? :banana:

Yup! It's the Gauvin Estates - and they're already excavating! :banana: :tup:

[macas539]

Province funds two major road re-construction projects

Cathy LeBreton - News Staff Jun 06, 2011


MONCTON, NB - Provincial Transportation Minister Claude Williams had the government cheque-book out during a stop in Moncton today.

He announced more than 1.6 million dollars for two road re-construction projects in Greater Moncton.

The Petitcodiac causeway will be resurfaced this summer at a cost of 610-thousand dollars.

That's music to the ears of Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland, who says the rutted roadway has become a safety concern in recent years.

The City of Moncton is getting a million dollars for work on the Lewisville Road.

The city has set aside 5-to-600-thousand dollars for the project which will see Lewisville Road widened and repaved from the Shediac Road intersection to the eastbound Veterans Highway on-ramp.

So I take the resurfacing of the causeway to mean any plans to remove it have ceased? $610,000 is a lot to invest in something if they were planning on removing it anytime within the next couple of years.

I hope this is just unwarranted fear. That causeway needs to go!!

[bam63]

Is that Place Louisbourg Place (just up the block from Dieppe city hall)?

Yeah it was the bldg on Gauvin st. up near Pascal I was referring to but my computer started acting up and I couldn't answer you ,sorry Rad.It should show up pretty nicely in that area.

[macas539]

It's nice to see all of the infrastructure projects planned in the city, for whatever reason the development of roads and intersections really interests me. But, one question that I do have, and maybe it's been answered on this form already, is why does the city of Moncton not put up a signalized intersection where Church St. meets St. George street?

I tried to go straight through this intersection at a peak traffic period and let's just say it's nearly impossible as traffic barely breaks in either direction left or right at the same time on St. George allowing me to proceed straight through. After sitting there for almost 10 minutes I finally just made a right turn onto St. George and abandoned any hope of proceeding straight through. I was heading south on Church St trying to make my way to Main St.

I lived in Toronto for 2 years and faced heavy traffic daily, but this intersection is horrible with just a stop for drivers on Church St. At the very least, the city could make it a 4-way stop if traffic lights are too costly. I am really surprised there aren't multiple accidents there every year.

I know there is a railway line that runs pretty close to the intersection and I think perhaps that has something to do with why there is no traffic light there, but still, as traffic volumes continue to grow in Moncton there must be some way of signalizing this intersection!

Any thoughts on this? Or am I just crazy and everyone else thinks it's fine.

[mylesmalley]

I think it probably has a lot to do with thru-traffic. With Botsford just a block or two away, you've probably got the majority of traffic going from Mountain to Main that way.

[C_Boy]

So I take the resurfacing of the causeway to mean any plans to remove it have ceased? $610,000 is a lot to invest in something if they were planning on removing it anytime within the next couple of years.

I hope this is just unwarranted fear. That causeway needs to go!!

The government isin't too scared to spend and then replace...they are putting money into Moncton High and building a new one. 2 Million in repairs I believe.

[Sony500]

:previous:
My biggest problem with this intersection is the cars that are heading east and want to turn left on Church St. don't use the road before the tracks making it easier for drivers who are going straight as described in the second previous post. They keep going over the tracks and then turning left.

[macas539]

:previous:
My biggest problem with this intersection is the cars that are heading east and want to turn left on Church St. don't use the road before the tracks making it easier for drivers who are going straight as described in the second previous post. They keep going over the tracks and then turning left.

I agree, but honestly, I don't think it's clear enough that you can turn left onto that road before the tracks. I honestly thought it was just an exit for cars turning right onto St. George.

Maybe if a traffic light is not a possibility some better lane and road markings would be in order!

[Sony500]

:previous:
I realize that most people probably think its a one way, it is quite narrow.
That's why I have a little bit of patience when it comes to that intersection.:banana:

[Sony500]

I haven't heard too much about it, but, I believe the PC government is in no hurry to do anything about the causeway gates. I was against them opening up the causeway, but now that i see the progress of the river, I do believe that they should move forward with the project. BUT they have to do something soon. The silt is building up and now there are dead trees sitting on top of it. The lake looks terrible, and is an eye sore. At this point, I don't care what they do, just do something.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Agree 100%

I also wasn't necessarily a fan of opening the causeway gates to begin with, but having seen how vigourous the river system has become since they have been opened, I have become a convert.

The "lake" side of the causeway is definitely silting in though (as I predicted) and, if one of the goals of this exercise was to widen the river channel, we only have a narrow window of opportunity to remove the causeway before it becomes too late to achieve this aim.

I fear that the Conservatives are in no mood to spend $100M to do this and the causeway will therefore remain in place until there is no longer any point in actually removing it. We will ultimately end up with the Petitcodiac Stream rather than the mighty Petitcodiac River. :(

[Sunnybrae]

:previous:

Am I missing something? Was there a study done saying the river would be silt free if the causeway is removed? I would think it would return it to its natural meander. Pre 1967 pictures show alot of silt at the headpond area.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Am I missing something? Was there a study done saying the river would be silt free if the causeway is removed? I would think it would return it to its natural meander. Pre 1967 pictures show alot of silt at the headpond area.

No, the river is and always will be the "muddy Petitcodiac". The main difference is that with the (un)natural choke point of the causeway, the river will end up being 100m wide instead of 1 km wide.

[Sunnybrae]

No, the river is and always will be the "muddy Petitcodiac". The main difference is that with the (un)natural choke point of the causeway, the river will end up being 100m wide instead of 1 km wide.

I think I might be in the minority when it comes to the beauty of the petty. Its like an ever changing sculpture. I hope they remove the causeway and the mud flats remain. Everytime I go near the river, I can't take my eyes off it. I pitty the people who live by the "old" lake and can't see what I see, my brother included who fought to keep the gates closed.

[curious]

What is going in the old smitty's location on mountain road?

[MonctonRad]

I think I might be in the minority when it comes to the beauty of the petty. Its like an ever changing sculpture. I hope they remove the causeway and the mud flats remain. Everytime I go near the river, I can't take my eyes off it

No, I know exactly what you mean. The riverfront trails are all fascinating to walk on. It's wondrous to see all the wildlife present even in the heart of the city. The meanders of the river do change from season to season.

The mudflats to the west of the causeway will silt in and gradually convert to marshland, just like they have done to the east of the causeway. In another 20 years, you won't be able to tell which side of the causeway that you are on. It really wouldn't be a catastophe to leave the causeway in place.

Still, the river has a storied history and children in the future (or even now for that matter) won't believe that ocean going vessels used to ply the river as far inland as the bend. I personally find that rather sad.

I would like to see as much of the rivers width restored as possible. Even 200-250m would be enough for me. That would still leave plenty of marshland along the banks of the river downtown for bird watching. :)

What is going in the old smitty's location on mountain road?

There's a sign out front showing a rendering of what is planned but I haven't seen it close up. It won't be a restaurant anyway. I believe they are planning on commercial office or retail space. I don't think it's actually leased yet.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

[macas539]

Does anyone know anything about the Lewisville Rd widening project at Shediac Rd?

I read in the Times and Transcript today they are widening it from the intersection to the ramps of the 15. The article also mentioned a re-alignment of the intersection at the end of the Shediac Rd.

How would they re-align this? I didn't think there was any problem with the alignment the way it currently is.

[Sony500]

We had a few ideas awhile back what they could do with that intersection, maybe they are going to take some of our ideas into consideration???

[macas539]

We had a few ideas awhile back what they could do with that intersection, maybe they are going to take some of our ideas into consideration???

I really hope they make it so that there are at least 2 lanes going straight through the intersection when you're heading towards Shediac Rd on Lewisville.

Right now the right lane exits onto Shediac Rd. and it looks like there is space for a second thru lane, but it's marked so that you can't drive over it.

I hope as well that maybe the houses at the intersection will be either moved or torn down. I wouldn't mind that, they seem very out of place there, it should be commercial development only there.

[brod3211]

So, has anybody heard anything about the calming robichauds plans? They had a meeting on may 25th, but did he get whT he wanted!?

[mylesmalley]

Since there's clearly a lane already there but painted over, to make Lewisville 4 lanes for its entire length, I assume they must mean doing that, and adding a dedicated left turn lane from Lewisville onto Shediac Road. They might even add an additional dedicated right-turn lane from Rt 15 to Shediac Rd à la the new one they added from Rt 15 into the Champlain Place parking lot along Paul last summer.

It's too bad they didn't widen Botsford to 4 lanes two years ago instead of just three. That way, we'd have a proper 4-lane road all the way from Mountain to Champlain.

[macas539]

It is indeed a shame about Botsford street being only 3 lanes. One thing I have noticed about the way New Brunswick does road widening projects is they tend to do them half-assed.

I just wish they would be proactive and do things all at once. I know the traffic demands might not warrant a full 4-lane road along Botsford right now, but surely it will someday soon and since they were already in the process of widening it why not just go the extra step and add the second lane while they're there!

Another example of classic NB half-assed road work: The Berry Mills road @ Horseman. :yes:

[mylesmalley]

It is indeed a shame about Botsford street being only 3 lanes. One thing I have noticed about the way New Brunswick does road widening projects everything is they tend to do them half-assed.

I've taken the liberty of fixing this for you.