The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

I hope it's the casino hotel.

Nope, as macas539 says, it will indeed be the Future Inn that will be rebranded as a Four Points by Sheraton.

Not a bad move really. I like the Future Inn, but being part of the Sheraton family will certainly give the hotel a broader base of customers continent wide. I wonder if the Future Inn in Halifax will also be rebranded?

[mylesmalley]

It isn't easy running an independent hotel or small chain. They don't have the name recognition of the major brands. The flip side is that the brand comes with high costs to carry it, as well as all kinds of requirements depending on the chain.

[OUIR@random]

I knew it would not be a new construction, if so we would've heard about it by now. So the Future Inns will be a Four Points, not bad, it's fairly new but they will probably do some upgrades to bring it to the Four Points brand standards. With only one other location in Halifax (Future Inns), there is no point in keeping this brand alive really.

Side note: Is it me or is the name Future Inns, one of the silliest hotel name ever? I don't get it.
I guess it's not as ugly as Ra-ma-duh!

[OUIR@random]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Nope, as macas539 says, it will indeed be the Future Inn that will be rebranded as a Four Points by Sheraton.

Not a bad move really. I like the Future Inn, but being part of the Sheraton family will certainly give the hotel a broader base of customers continent wide. I wonder if the Future Inn in Halifax will also be rebranded?

No indication as of now, maybe it could be sold to another chain unrelated to Starwood.

[OUIR@random]

Originally Posted by macas539

I just checked Starwood's property locations on their mobile site. It says Moncton is at 40 Lady Ada Blvd. That is currently the Future Inn. Looks like they will be rebranding that property.

Nice find, I did not know that the mobile site had more information than the regular site... Cool!

[JasonL-Moncton]

Wow, I drove past the Moncton Museum for the first time in forever...is the mountain road facing side of this beast ever 'fugly'! A bare grey concrete wall...backing against one of the busiest streets in the city...uugh...

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by JasonL-Moncton

Wow, I drove past the Moncton Museum for the first time in forever...is the mountain road facing side of this beast ever 'fugly'! A bare grey concrete wall...backing against one of the busiest streets in the city...uugh...

Everything is fugly in the wintertime, especially after a thaw with all that dirty snow……..

It will be better once the snow is gone and the landscaping and public art installed. Do they have the "cowcatcher" front window feature unwrapped yet? It was still hidden under a tarp the last time I looked……...

[JasonL-Moncton]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Everything is fugly in the wintertime, especially after a thaw with all that dirty snow……..

It will be better once the snow is gone and the landscaping and public art installed. Do they have the "cowcatcher" front window feature unwrapped yet? It was still hidden under a tarp the last time I looked……...

Nah they didn't have that unwrapped...(but I think that's ugly too).

I don't think landscaping and art in other parts of the grounds are going to improve a huge grey concrete wall that literally backs right up to the sidewalk!

[MonctonRad]

Link to the pdf for the January meeting of the Moncton PAC
http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Government+...sh/PAC+Agendas/January+22+PAC+Agenda.pdf

It is a very light schedule……..

[MonctonRad]

Medical Marijuana Facility to Open in Moncton
(from CBC)

A Moncton company hopes to begin selling medical marijuana from its facility this spring.

Jim Laffoley is the president and CEO of OrganiGram Inc., a medicinal marijuana grower and distributor.

He has been granted a license by Health Canada to operate a 20,000-square-foot plant in the city.

Laffoley said before that happens, the company's facility will have to be thoroughly inspected.

“There's a security level that's required, both in terms of the people who are involved in the business, and even more so the physical location and infrastructure of security designed to protect the facility,” he said.

“At the end of the day we're manufacturing a narcotic, no different than Percocet or OxyContin so we need to put in the proper protocols.”

Laffoley said his company will send orders directly to patients across the country.

“Every single gram of marijuana and marijuana byproduct has to be controlled and tracked by the licensed producer and when a prescription is being filled, it is filled via secure courier method, door to door service. There is no store front, nobody will be coming to our location to pick up their medicine,” he said.

Depending on demand, Laffoley said his company could triple in size within three years.

Like Duuude, now Moncton won't only just be the river surfing capital of Canada, we'll also be the weed capital too!! Just think of all the surfer dudes and slackers that'll move to the city now!!!

[theshark]

^^^ you mean quality control staff??

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Medical Marijuana Facility to Open in Moncton
(from CBC)

A Moncton company hopes to begin selling medical marijuana from its facility this spring.

Jim Laffoley is the president and CEO of OrganiGram Inc., a medicinal marijuana grower and distributor.

He has been granted a license by Health Canada to operate a 20,000-square-foot plant in the city.

Laffoley said before that happens, the company's facility will have to be thoroughly inspected.

“There's a security level that's required, both in terms of the people who are involved in the business, and even more so the physical location and infrastructure of security designed to protect the facility,” he said.

“At the end of the day we're manufacturing a narcotic, no different than Percocet or OxyContin so we need to put in the proper protocols.”

Laffoley said his company will send orders directly to patients across the country.

“Every single gram of marijuana and marijuana byproduct has to be controlled and tracked by the licensed producer and when a prescription is being filled, it is filled via secure courier method, door to door service. There is no store front, nobody will be coming to our location to pick up their medicine,” he said.

Depending on demand, Laffoley said his company could triple in size within three years.

Like Duuude, now Moncton won't only just be the river surfing capital of Canada, we'll also be the weed capital too!! Just think of all the surfer dudes and slackers that'll move to the city now!!!

This is definitely an up and coming booming industry and it's great to see a Moncton business ahead of the curve. I'm sure they'll be successful. I'd like the NB government to pay close attention to what's happening in Colorado and Washington, the tourist boom in those states are unprecedented.

Also, the term narcotics typically refer to opioids, which marijuana is not. Surprised to see the owner refer to it as such.

[ithree]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

This is definitely an up and coming booming industry and it's great to see a Moncton business ahead of the curve. I'm sure they'll be successful. I'd like the NB government to pay close attention to what's happening in Colorado and Washington, the tourist boom in those states are unprecedented.

Also, the term narcotics typically refer to opioids, which marijuana is not. Surprised to see the owner refer to it as such.

I'm not convinced that legalized marijuana will create the tourism boom officials and others are expecting. Colorado legalized the purchase of marijuana, however, you cannot smoke in public spaces, in bars and in most hotels. Basically, you can legally smoke the stuff in the comfort of your own home. Most tourist don't own property in Colorado.

[MonctonRad]

from the city of Moncton website:

Moncton’s construction boom second highest in its history
January 28, 2014

MONCTON – A combination of new big box store developments, warehouse construction, strip mall renovations, health institution growth and the construction of three new schools all contributed in 2013 to pushing Moncton to record its second highest building permit activity totals in its history.

A total of 969 permits valued at $188.5 million were issued in 2013, up 18.4 percent from 2012’s total of $159.2 million. Only 2009, with its total of $217.8 million, was higher in the City’s history.

The key categories of institutional and government and commercial and industrial were up significantly over the previous year.

Institutional and government construction permits reached $60.3 million in 2013, a significant increase over 2012’s totals of $20.7 million. Commercial and industrial construction permits came in at $72.4 million, up considerably from 2012 totals of $54.4 million.

“Considering that 2013 was our second best year in terms of issuing building permits, our community is clearly thriving. In fact, the health of our local economy is closely linked to public and private investments in our city,” said Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc. “The fact that we are continuing to grow in these essential categories is a very positive sign and positions us well for the future,” he added.

The total value of institutional and government building permits was three times greater than the total value in 2012, while commercial and industrial was up 29 percent.

read more:
http://www.moncton.ca/Page17202.aspx

[MonctonRad]

Greater Moncton 2013 Building Permit Stats:

Moncton            969 permits            $188.5M

Dieppe             580 permits             $44.6M

Riverview          159 permits             $22.4M

Total:            1708 permits            $255.5M

so, a very good year for Moncton but kind of an off year for both Dieppe and Riverview. In total, there was still over a quarter billion dollars in new permits issued in the last year in the tri-communities. This still isn't too bad at all……

[MonctonRad]

Colour for the Page:

Nice picture of city hall, with the skating rink and plaza out front all decked out in their winter colours……….

from the DMCI website.

[MonctonRad]

Walmart has announced $500M in new construction in the upcoming year, mostly for new super centre construction but also including $91M on construction of new distribution centres (of which there are none currently in Atlantic Canada).

Wal-Mart plans to complete 35 Canadian supercentre projects as part of nearly $500 million in planned investments over the next year.

Details on locations for specific store and distribution centres will be announced as they become finalized.

Wal-Mart Canada says its initiatives will generate about 7,500 jobs over the next year, including construction work.

I wonder when we might hear any news about the fabled Walmart distribution centre around here?? I would bet we might hear something (yay or nay) within the next few months………..

[MonctonRad]

Boring boxes don’t put you on the map; creativity does
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Times & Transcript
By: Norbert Cunningham

One the weekend while web browsing I clicked on a CNN headline promising “10 eye-popping new buildings that you’ll see in 2014.” And most of them were, presented as photos with a short description under each.

One was the new Halifax Central Library, designed by a Danish architectural firm. And wow, talk about distinct in a pleasant, attractive and fascinating way. If you want to see it, just google it.

And that got me to thinking. What the heck’s wrong with Moncton? Heaven forbid that we actually put up any new buildings with boldly distinctive architecture. And I mean really eye-popping ones.

Such buildings become part of the urban landscape, something to be proud of, something tourists will stop and take a picture of, and something that immediately identifies the city as soon as you see a photo of it.

Moncton’s urban landscape is for the most part drab and drabber. Even our new courthouse presents itself as a heavy, dark, unimaginative, I dare say ugly, bulky hulk of cement.

We had to fight to get a Gunningsville bridge that wasn’t just a steel superstructure. We’ve done abysmally with saving historic structures, although we appreciate the ones we did save. The new addition to the museum has potential for a wow factor judging by drawings — it’s certainly going in the right direction. The new ‘Y’ isn’t too bad, but not too adventurous either.

We have no signature piece of architecture like Toronto’s city hall, Sydney, Australia’s Opera House, or any number of new buildings in London, England with names like The Gherkin, The Cheesegrater and the Walkie Talkie Building.

Here’s an idea: why not shoot for some bang up architecture for the Downtown Events Centre? We can do it. In fact, of the four or five drawings the city solicited some time ago, one was a standout, totally free of the old, boring box shape with a bit of ornamentation.

But hey, it’s going to take some imagination from our politicians. I’m not holding my breath. Anyone want to bet it’ll be another boring box?

personal note - what he said………..

[MonctonRad]

Metro plans major air show
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Times & Transcript
By: Alan Cochrane

Metro Moncton will host the Atlantic Canada International Air Show on Aug. 22 and 23, an event that could draw a crowd of 40,000 people and provide more than $2 million in economic spinoffs for the community.

Colin Stephenson, executive director of Air Show Atlantic, said it’s going to be an amazing weekend of aerobatic displays. It will begin with an evening performance over downtown Moncton on Aug. 22, followed by two days of high-flying excitement at the Greater Moncton International Airport. It’s the first time Moncton has hosted a full-blown air show since the 1970s, and Stephenson said it will take corporate sponsorships, hundreds of volunteers and lots of planning to make it work.

read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=12440

[MonctonRad]

N.B. native helps bring U.S. gaming test company to Dieppe

"Home is home,' says Edmundston's Jean Corriveau, BMM Testlabs director of operations
CBC News Posted: Feb 19, 2014 7:40 PM AT
Last Updated: Feb 19, 2014 7:40 PM AT

A U.S. company that tests slot machines and other games of chance for casinos and governments is expanding its offices to Dieppe and doubling its workforce thanks in part to an employee who hails from New Brunswick.

Over the next four years, BMM Testlabs will add 173 jobs to the 27 they already announced last August.

Originally from Edmunston, Jean Corriveau, the company's director of operations, is partially responsible for the move.

Corriveau started his career in the gaming industry working at Spielo and Lotto Atlantic. He then went to Las Vegas.

"I did work in the past at BMM in Las Vegas in my younger career, but home is home," he said."I'm from New Brunswick, so I really pushed to keep it here."

BMM Testlabs has offices in Las Vegas, Spain, Australia, South Africa and Peru.

Now, its base for eastern North America is Dieppe.

Since New Brunswick is also one hour ahead of BMM's customers along the eastern seaboard it helps to provide more timely service, said Corriveau.

"We also have a lot of clients along the eastern seaboard so then we can offer better service for them within their normal working hours," he said.

The province will give BMM $1.45 million after the 173 mathematicians, engineers, business agents and IT specialists are hired.

So, with companies like Atlantic Lotto, Spielo International, Casino NB and BMM Test Labs, the greater Moncton region seems to be developing quite a niche in the gaming industry. These four companies alone must employ at least 2,500 people……...