Quote:
Originally Posted by MonctonRad
I'm only responding to this particular statement.
You do realize that the vast majority of air freight seafood exports to China are crustaceans (lobster and snow crab), right?
These are huge industries in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (especially snow crab on la Peninsule).
Moncton is the largest city in close proximity to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait.
It is the natural trans shipment point for shellfish exports by air freight from the gulf fisheries region (NB, PEI and, to a lesser degree northern NS).
There is a reason why DFO operates the Gulf Fisheries Centre out of Moncton. The Gulf Fisheries Centre is a major component of the new ASEC, currently under construction in Moncton.
NB is more than just the Bay of Fundy, and, even there, Alma is closer and more intimately associated with Moncton than Saint John.
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And there’s all kinds of seafood industries located on the Bay of Fundy, too. There’s all kinds of important industries located near Saint John and Fredericton, and a major airport located between the two or them would just increase the economic opportunities for both regions. There's lots of lobsters in the Bay of Fundy too, as well as Tuna, and many other valuable fish.
Fredericton is located on the Trans Canada Highway and the closest major centre in NB to the I-95. Saint John is the biggest seaport in the province, and close to all kinds of important seafood industries… Cooke, Bumblebee, Brunswick just to name a few. Moreover, the new airport would make it more viable to get NB fresh seafood from the Bay of Fundy to buyers in Asia…our scallops, lobster, and salmon a lone are enough to make a combined airport project worth looking into.
Between New York and Moncton, YFC and YSJ are perhaps the weakest links in the airports up the east coast. There’s no real logical reason to oppose a project like, look at the type of projects and subsidies the government of NB and federal government already waste money on… yet, here you are, making it about Moncton's seafood exports.
There’s absolutely a case to at least further study this proposal, and we don’t need a time machine to justify it like you basically said on the first page. It’s really sad you just can’t not make everything about Moncton somehow, when in reality, this type of investment would ultimately be good for the airport in Moncton too, and the entire NB economy for that matter.
It’s a great idea with long term economic potential which you basically said in your first reply in this thread… but your posts just got progressive more pessimistic towards the idea as the thread was updated. It’s possible to take the Moncton hat from time to time, btw. How often do you see me and other SJ and Fredericton posters come in and nitpick long term discussions in Moncton specific threads? Yet here you are in a thread about improving Saint John's crappy airport situation and making it all about Moncton's seafood exports through YQM.
We all understand making a major combined airport proposal, reality is difficult political and economic challenge, but it really has very little to do with Moncton. If NB’s population keeps growing, and the province ever got serious about tax reform, or dialing back some other subsidies, it would be more than possible to fund a combined airport project Saint John and Fredericton, especially considering how many would be coming from private public partnerships, and possibly the Canadian armed forces.
As for the futures of YSJ and YFC, it’s kind of insignificant compared to the economic potential that would be afforded by investing in new, combined airport between Fredericton and Saint John. The only part Moncton comes in to play, is terms of competition between two major airports. Or do you think everything in New Brunswick must be as close to monopolized as possible?
Saint John gets the short end of the stick, combing airports with Fredericton would basically eliminate that, resulting in one big airport that could actually compete with YQM or even YHZ one day. Obviously, Moncton would get further investment in YQM too. The goal should be 1.5 million passengers going through both airports. That's at least a worthy goal compared to Halifax, and based on current numbers out of YQM. Fredericton will have a hard time cracking 1 million at YFC, and it's nearly impossible to think about YSJ cracking 1 million passengers with how few airlines service the YSJ airport, sharing an airport is such a simple solution that solves a tourism and transportation challenge for both cities. I've yet to hear a single argument against the idea that goes beyond, "it would cost too much", "there's no political will", or "there's no need". As if there's not already way worse things we waste billions of tax payer dollars on than a proper airport for Saint John and Fredericton.
I've, also yet to hear a single cogent argument as for why YSJ or YFC cannot work as cargo focussed airports with some capacity for private aviation. Surely, there's more than enough people in the Saint John and Fredericton CMA's to service warehouses, intermodal logistics facilities, etc. Mmmatt claims to be in the industry insider, and I have no reason to doubt his claim, but I don't think that makes him suddenly an expert on goverment spending, on why big companies, or how a nation's military decides to make major investments. Gagetown has always been the biggest reason against an airport midway between SJ and Freddy, but if the armed forces can be brought in the fold as a major partner and investor in the airport and airport related industries, it would really help make the project a priority. It's an idea with solid logic foundation, yet, the arguments against the proposal in this thread so far have been pretty damn weak.