[St. John's] The Official Project Thread

[jeddy1989]

Originally Posted by christopher_chafe

Thank you Jeddy.......I've lived there before and I can honestly say I absolutely loved living in Edmonton. Their transit system is light years ahead of ours, plus there is a 1000 more things to do in their downtown versus just going to George Street or going to one of the Coffee Bistro's here just to be seen sipping on an over priced lattee.

so if you hate it here so much and hate living here, why do you bother commenting on the developments? if you are just going to move away anyway (in other words why do you care about the development threads if you hate it here?) I'm pretty sure I can speak for if not everyone on SSP than the majority, that we are here because we do love the city and are participating in healthy conversations about whats happening with a vision for the city to become the best it can be. I just don't understand being so involved in something you hate

[SignalHillHiker]

Yeah, you probably have to get out soon, Chris. I felt much that way living on the mainland and it drove me crazy. Coming back to St. John's felt like... some sort of enlightenment. It was such a relief. I know I could never be this happy anywhere else. And now, when I remember the mainland - with a few exceptions, everything just feels like a surface parking lot surrounded by beige, windowless buildings.

If living here makes you bitter, you need to get out for your own sanity. That's one lesson I learned the hard way.

[christopher_chafe]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

so if you hate it here so much and hate living here, why do you bother commenting on the developments? if you are just going to move away anyway (in other words why do you care about the development threads if you hate it here?) I'm pretty sure I can speak for if not everyone on SSP than the majority, that we are here because we do love the city and are participating in healthy conversations about whats happening with a vision for the city to become the best it can be. I just don't understand being so involved in something you hate

As stupid as this sounds......I Love St. John's, it's the place where I was born, it's where all my family lives. I am passionate about the future of St. John's, but I am sick of this council not doing enough to entice business to come here. If it wasn't for lack of work in my field, I'd honestly put my name forward to run as an at-large Councillor in the upcoming election.

Just because I am bitter about the current state of my hometown, does not mean I do not love the city!

[jeddy1989]

Originally Posted by christopher_chafe

As stupid as this sounds......I Love St. John's, it's the place where I was born, it's where all my family lives. I am passionate about the future of St. John's, but I am sick of this council not doing enough to entice business to come here. If it wasn't for lack of work in my field, I'd honestly put my name forward to run as an at-large Councillor in the upcoming election.

Just because I am bitter about the current state of my hometown, does not mean I do not love the city!

now that makes more sense

I agree to certian extent however the council is growing up along with the city so it's a transition
and I agree that there is a lot that can be changed but I feel like the future is bright very bright.

[christopher_chafe]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Yeah, you probably have to get out soon, Chris. I felt much that way living on the mainland and it drove me crazy. Coming back to St. John's felt like... some sort of enlightenment. It was such a relief. I know I could never be this happy anywhere else. And now, when I remember the mainland - with a few exceptions, everything just feels like a surface parking lot surrounded by beige, windowless buildings.

If living here makes you bitter, you need to get out for your own sanity. That's one lesson I learned the hard way.

Living here does not make me bitter Signalhill, it's the current state of affairs with our City Council that is making me bitter, as well as the condescending attitude that the vast majority of the downtown dwellers have towards any form of development.

I am not stupid enough to think that St. John's, will ever be a Vancouver/Toronto/Edmonton.

[christopher_chafe]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

now that makes more sense

I agree to certian extent however the council is growing up along with the city so it's a transition
and I agree that there is a lot that can be changed but I feel like the future is bright very bright.

For my last rant of today (LOL) (all other comments will "contain" constructive criticism)

Council can grow up to be senior citizens.......but until they grow a set of balls and do what's best for the city as a WHOLE, then nothing will ever change here.

[Marty_Mcfly]

St. John's wrong site for wastewater plant: O'Leary

City Coun. Sheilagh O'Leary says St. John's harbour is the wrong place for an offshore wastewater treatment plant.

Nova Scotia-based Encanex Environmental Oil and Gas Corp. wants to set up the plant at the eastern end of St. John's harbour, just below Battery Road.

If approved, the facility would accept waste from offshore drilling operations, including petroleum hydrocarbons, related metals and oil. The treated wastewater would then be released into the city's storm or sanitary sewer system.

O'Leary said such an operation is not suited to St. John's, especially with recent efforts to spruce up the harbour area.

"It should be somewhere closer to a facility like Come By Chance, not in a dense urban area. We have just had a huge amount of discussion in our municipal plan review about the whole process of how we're [going to] make our downtown and our harbourfront more liveable," she said.

Newfoundland and Labrador's Environment and Conservation department is reviewing the proposal. The deadline for public input is Dec.7, while the minister's decision is due by Dec. 16.

Encanex said its operations, if approved, could start as early as Jan.1, creating up to five new jobs.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundla...r-wastewater-harbour-treatment-1106.html

A few thoughts. First of all, if the base of Battery Road is that ugly, gross, industrial looking spot down on Duckworth Street, I don't see the problem with building something there?

Regardless, I know a lot about Encanex and have applied for a job with them (which suspiciously sounds like this job), and O'Leary may be a bit out to lunch on assuming she knows what would happen in this building. I think she's picturing the wastewater treatment plant being built on the waterfront, which wouldn't be the case. If anything, there'd be about a two-floor building similar to the others in the area. The process of hydrocarbon extraction and purification of said water is safe, clean, and if done correctly would NOT smell up downtown like the wastewater plant is. The plant itself would be safe, and NOT explode, so there's no real reason to worry about that.

Suggesting to move a plant like this to a rural setting doesn't sound feasible. Some of the CBC comments suggest making jobs for rural citizens, but working in such a plant would require a high degree of education and training, and isn't a "make-work" job. Chemical engineers and chemists are high in demand, and Encanex is smart enough to know they won't be able to entice people to move in to the middle of nowhere and pay them less when they can move to Halifax or Calgary and make double the money and live city life.

If O'Leary doesn't think this type of industry belongs in downtown St. John's I suggest she skip across the harbour to Petroforma's lab and see what they're doing over there. I imagine she'll see exactly what she's fighting against.

[SignalHillHiker]

Thanks for your feedback. I was picturing something like the sewage treatment plant.

Definitely not opposed to this, at all, if it's what you describe.

[statbass]

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundla...r-wastewater-harbour-treatment-1106.html

A few thoughts. First of all, if the base of Battery Road is that ugly, gross, industrial looking spot down on Duckworth Street, I don't see the problem with building something there?

Regardless, I know a lot about Encanex and have applied for a job with them (which suspiciously sounds like this job), and O'Leary may be a bit out to lunch on assuming she knows what would happen in this building. I think she's picturing the wastewater treatment plant being built on the waterfront, which wouldn't be the case. If anything, there'd be about a two-floor building similar to the others in the area. The process of hydrocarbon extraction and purification of said water is safe, clean, and if done correctly would NOT smell up downtown like the wastewater plant is. The plant itself would be safe, and NOT explode, so there's no real reason to worry about that.

Suggesting to move a plant like this to a rural setting doesn't sound feasible. Some of the CBC comments suggest making jobs for rural citizens, but working in such a plant would require a high degree of education and training, and isn't a "make-work" job. Chemical engineers and chemists are high in demand, and Encanex is smart enough to know they won't be able to entice people to move in to the middle of nowhere and pay them less when they can move to Halifax or Calgary and make double the money and live city life.

If O'Leary doesn't think this type of industry belongs in downtown St. John's I suggest she skip across the harbour to Petroforma's lab and see what they're doing over there. I imagine she'll see exactly what she's fighting against.

Thanks for the info. It's always great to get a perspective from someone involved in that field.

[jeddy1989]

she seems to have "good" intentions however she's like a young uninformed Shannie who flys off to rescue things that do not need to be rescued lol .. when the information comes out about what this actually is she'll probably feel stupid .. or well probably not seeing how she is hahah

[Marty_Mcfly]

Sewage treatment plants are large because they process massive quantities of water 24/7 for the whole region, and require several different treatments before being released in to the harbour. Hence they're big and bulky. And can smell because well....raw sewage doesn't smell like flowers

A chemical lab setting for processing is much more controlled. Smaller volumes, smaller footprint.

Here's an image of Petroforma's lab on southside road. It's small, yet they do a lot of processing, purification, and analysis for oil companies. Their building could be considered ugly, but there's no reason why it couldn't be made nicer.

https://maps.google.ca/?ll=47.562888,-52...H7dKLt_HvQ965KNysA&cbp=12,23.07,,0,-6.21

It just saddens me that when given a chance to begin diversifying the economy of the city someone tries to shut it down. It's the reason why I'll most likely be moving away from St. John's within the next few months, the lack of opportunity during this "boom" is frightening.

[SignalHillHiker]

Nice, I take pictures there all the time. And yes, seems like an industry you could shove in a building with just about any exterior.

[statbass]

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

It just saddens me that when given a chance to begin diversifying the economy of the city someone tries to shut it down. It's the reason why I'll most likely be moving away from St. John's within the next few months, the lack of opportunity during this "boom" is frightening.

It is quite sad, hopefully the correct information gets to council and they can make an informed decision rather than base it on perception. Hopefully something will come out of this and we can retain young, vibrant individuals such as yourself from having to move away and hence continue to grow and diversify the economy. Best of luck!

[christopher_chafe]

Originally Posted by statbass

It is quite sad, hopefully the correct information gets to council and they can make an informed decision rather than base it on perception. Hopefully something will come out of this and we can retain young, vibrant individuals such as yourself from having to move away and hence continue to grow and diversify the economy. Best of luck!

You should run for council Statbass, St. John's desperately needs councillors with your train of thought.

[statbass]

Originally Posted by christopher_chafe

You should run for council Statbass, St. John's desperately needs councillors with your train of thought.

The thought has crossed my mind once or twice before... lol! With that being said, as much as I disagree with some decisions made at city council it's not an easy job. It's a mixed-bag, some things I agree with while other things I disagree. This is pretty much the same regardless of where you live. I truly believe if you live somewhere long enough you'll become jaded by the whole bureaucratic process, naysayers, NIMBYs, etc. I think we need to put things in perspective and not dwell too much on the negatives, but on the other hand we need continue to think critically and voice opinion and concerns. As much as we like to 🞵🞵🞵🞵 on St. John's, it is a great city and there some great things going on here. The amount of development and growth I've seen over the past 5-6 years is unprecedented, some good, some not so good, but you have to take the bad with the good.

I have empathy for Marty; I too was in a position similar to his a few years back. I honestly thought I'd be moving away permanently (I previously had a couple of stints away) after graduating but ended up getting a job here. I guess timing worked out well for me.

[christopher_chafe]

Originally Posted by statbass

The thought has crossed my mind once or twice before... lol! With that being said, as much as I disagree with some decisions made at city council it's not an easy job. It's a mixed-bag, some things I agree with while other things I disagree. This is pretty much the same regardless of where you live. I truly believe if you live somewhere long enough you'll become jaded by the whole bureaucratic process, naysayers, NIMBYs, etc. I think we need to put things in perspective and not dwell too much on the negatives, but on the other hand we need continue to think critically and voice opinion and concerns. As much as we like to 🞵🞵🞵🞵 on St. John's, it is a great city and there some great things going on here. The amount of development and growth I've seen over the past 5-6 years is unprecedented, some good, some not so good, but you have to take the bad with the good.

I have empathy for Marty; I too was in a position similar to his a few years back. I honestly thought I'd be moving away permanently (I previously had a couple of stints away) after graduating but ended up getting a job here. I guess timing worked out well for me.

That to me is the greatest loss of our heritage.....when we loose bright minds to other cities due to short sightedness by a very select vocal minority.

[jeddy1989]

Originally Posted by statbass

The thought has crossed my mind once or twice before... lol! With that being said, as much as I disagree with some decisions made at city council it's not an easy job. It's a mixed-bag, some things I agree with while other things I disagree. This is pretty much the same regardless of where you live. I truly believe if you live somewhere long enough you'll become jaded by the whole bureaucratic process, naysayers, NIMBYs, etc. I think we need to put things in perspective and not dwell too much on the negatives, but on the other hand we need continue to think critically and voice opinion and concerns. As much as we like to 🞵🞵🞵🞵 on St. John's, it is a great city and there some great things going on here. The amount of development and growth I've seen over the past 5-6 years is unprecedented, some good, some not so good, but you have to take the bad with the good.

I have empathy for Marty; I too was in a position similar to his a few years back. I honestly thought I'd be moving away permanently (I previously had a couple of stints away) after graduating but ended up getting a job here. I guess timing worked out well for me.

completely agree

[Copes]

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundla...r-wastewater-harbour-treatment-1106.html

A few thoughts. First of all, if the base of Battery Road is that ugly, gross, industrial looking spot down on Duckworth Street, I don't see the problem with building something there?

Regardless, I know a lot about Encanex and have applied for a job with them (which suspiciously sounds like this job), and O'Leary may be a bit out to lunch on assuming she knows what would happen in this building. I think she's picturing the wastewater treatment plant being built on the waterfront, which wouldn't be the case. If anything, there'd be about a two-floor building similar to the others in the area. The process of hydrocarbon extraction and purification of said water is safe, clean, and if done correctly would NOT smell up downtown like the wastewater plant is. The plant itself would be safe, and NOT explode, so there's no real reason to worry about that.

Suggesting to move a plant like this to a rural setting doesn't sound feasible. Some of the CBC comments suggest making jobs for rural citizens, but working in such a plant would require a high degree of education and training, and isn't a "make-work" job. Chemical engineers and chemists are high in demand, and Encanex is smart enough to know they won't be able to entice people to move in to the middle of nowhere and pay them less when they can move to Halifax or Calgary and make double the money and live city life.

If O'Leary doesn't think this type of industry belongs in downtown St. John's I suggest she skip across the harbour to Petroforma's lab and see what they're doing over there. I imagine she'll see exactly what she's fighting against.

My perception was initially "sewage treatment plant", and I'd say for the vast majority that will be the first image drummed up simply due to ignorance. You, or someone as informed as you, should make a point of addressing this before it goes to a vote. Try to set up a meeting with a Councillor, or even write a short letter similar to what you posted to the Telegram.

Do your best to inform those of us who are uninformed, O'Leary included.

[SignalHillHiker]

I emailed Councillor O'Leary about it and included Marty's post. You all should as well. Our councillors aren't American Republicans. ;-) We don't have to fight reality here. We just have to make sure they know the reality.

[statbass]

Here's a follow-up story from VOCM.

VOCM, Nov 6, 2012

The capital city is against a proposal to treat wastewater at the east end of the harbour until it receives more information on the project. The provincial government is conducting an environmental assessment on a proposal to treat wastewater from the Newfoundland offshore at a facilty near Pier 17. The water, which could contain hydrocarbons, oil and other pollutants would be treated at the facility and then released into the local sewer system. Tom Hann, the Chair of the city's Development Committee says they will be submitting comments to the minister. He says while the property is under federal jurisdiction, the facility will release water into the city's storm and wastewater system, which is under their jurisdiction. Hann says they need far more information before they are prepared to accept the proposal, and will be sending their concerns to the Environment Minister.

Even though the title suggests council is against this facility, it states that the city is looking for more information until such a decision is made. I think council is exercising proper due-diligence here. Hopefully this company can put forward a compelling argument for such a facility... there is still hope yet!

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=28113&latest=1