The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[MonctonRad]

Link to the .pdf of the September meeting of the Moncton PAC.
http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Residents+English/September+23+2015+PAC+Agenda.pdf

[benvui]

I see there is a big press conference on Thursday September 24th at the Capitol to announce what is being called "the largest" jobs announcement in NB history (Dawn Arnolds facebook post). It appears that BMM test labs are expanding. This appears to be one of the jobs announcements that Brian Gallant was talking about. It is supposed to be all higher paying jobs, but we will have to wait for the announcement to find out exactly what it means. If it is half as good as they are claiming it would be very good for the region. There is a facebook page for the press conference found here

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by benvui

I see there is a big press conference on Thursday September 24th at the Capitol to announce what is being called "the largest" jobs announcement in NB history (Dawn Arnolds facebook post). It appears that BMM test labs are expanding. This appears to be one of the jobs announcements that Brian Gallant was talking about. It is supposed to be all higher paying jobs, but we will have to wait for the announcement to find out exactly what it means. If it is half as good as they are claiming it would be very good for the region. There is a facebook page for the press conference found here

Seems interesting, but I'll wait until the announcement to get excited.

[MonctonRad]

This is actually what Dawn Arnold posted:

In one week (Thursday, September 24th at 11:00 am, Capitol Theatre) there will be the largest job creation announcement that has ever been made in the Greater Moncton area. The event will be streamed "live" to generate international media coverage and visibility, as this announcement will have very positive ripple effects around the world. Most of these new jobs are high-end positions that will be filled by people coming from outside the region. If you can be there in person, book it! #MonctonResurgo2.0

So, "high end jobs" that will be filled by people coming from outside the region. If this is as big as they are intimating, this will be great for population growth in the region.

BBM Test Labs are involved in testing and quality control in the gaming industry. They are a worldwide company with an office in Moncton employing about 75 people at present.

Website: http://bmm.com

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

This is actually what Dawn Arnold posted:



So, "high end jobs" that will be filled by people coming from outside the region. If this is as big as they are intimating, this will be great for population growth in the region.

BBM Test Labs are involved in testing and quality control in the gaming industry. They are a worldwide company with an office in Moncton employing about 75 people at present.

Website: http://bmm.com

Radio-Canada already has an article up online. Very short on details but talk about ''several hundreds'' of new high paying jobs. They quoted Ben Champoux as saying that this will be the ''largest job creation announcement ever for Greater Moncton''

link to article

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

So, "high end jobs" that will be filled by people coming from outside the region. If this is as big as they are intimating, this will be great for population growth in the region.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. These announcements need to be taken with a big grain of salt.

The government sometimes approaches companies that are hiring and offers subsidies even if the company didn't ask for them. Then they basically ask, what's your best case scenario for hiring people, numbers-wise? Then they have a nice announcement to make but the jobs don't necessarily materialize.

On top of that it's definitely not easy to bring people in from outside the region in tech. The jobs may pay well but there's a lot of demand for tech workers across the country and quite frankly, NB is not the most attractive place to move to. I know dozens of people in the tech industry in NB and no more than a couple moved here from outside of the Maritimes.

[MonctonRad]

There is also this - A government press release from last year:

News Release
Invest NB
Office of the Premier

Gaming compliance company expanding by up to 173 jobs
19 February 2014
Media Contact(s)
Nora Lacey, Invest NB, 506-478-0701.

MONCTON (GNB) – BMM Testlabs Canada, a systems company serving the gaming industry, will create up to 173 full-time positions over the next four years at its office in Dieppe.

“Building smart partnerships with companies like BMM is an important part of our government's plan to create jobs and grow the economy,” said Premier David Alward. “Our government's investments in New Brunswick's knowledge industries are helping to drive growth and provide new opportunities for our greatest resource, our people, to work here at home.”

Under the terms of an agreement, Invest NB is providing a payroll rebate of up to $1.45 million over five years in support of up to 173 new full-time jobs which are expected to be created over the next four years. The jobs include quality assurance testers, senior test managers, engineers and supervisors. The investment by the province will contribute an estimated $9.5 million annually to the province's gross domestic product once all the jobs have been filled.

“As we envisioned, our New Brunswick office has quickly become a strength in the BMM Testlabs global network,” said Travis Foley, executive vice-president of operations in North America. “We have been particularly impressed with the high level of qualified engineering candidates in the Greater Moncton area and have already employed 15 new staff since December 2013. Continued expansion is planned over the next four years and we are looking forward to further developing our test lab in Moncton.”

BMM Testlabs has been providing professional, technical and regulatory compliance services to the gaming industry since 1981. The company has provided consulting for and tested many of the largest gaming networks and systems.

The Las Vegas-based company serves more than 400 jurisdictions, operates 11 gaming labs and employs more than 220 people in 14 locations, including Spain, Australia, South Africa and Peru. The company’s Moncton office is its only location in Canada.

Invest NB is a Crown corporation focused on strategically developing foreign direct investment opportunities and encouraging job creation in New Brunswick. Guided by a private sector board of directors, its programs are designed to support and promote foreign direct investment by attracting new industries and supporting the expansion of existing industries within its core sectors.

I know some of these jobs have already been created, but the news release mentions up to 173 new jobs over the next four years. I hope Brian Gallant isn't planning on just re-announcing jobs that were already committed to.

[Scarface]

Anyone hear anything more on the "neighborhood" group, and there plans for the old Moncton High School that don't seem to have purchasing the building. I had heard something on the news about they had been working for a long time... It sound more like a plan to dictate how any purchaser can use it, and less about actually buying, and fixing it up themselves.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by OliverD

The government sometimes approaches companies that are hiring and offers subsidies even if the company didn't ask for them. Then they basically ask, what's your best case scenario for hiring people, numbers-wise? Then they have a nice announcement to make but the jobs don't necessarily materialize.

I should stress that this is the Provincial government that you're referring to, and the Province's history of job stimulus and job creation the last decade has been laughable.

[MonctonRad]

According to the T&T today, BMM Testlabs already employs 200 people in greater Moncton, and has expanded their workforce with new job creation announcements in each of the last three years. Each new job announcement has been greater than the one before, so perhaps these are all "new" jobs being announced, and not recycled jobs from previous announcements.

If this is truly supposed to be the largest job announcement in the history of greater Moncton, I would imagine it would have to be in the range of 500 new jobs or so.

We'll see next week.........

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

According to the T&T today, BMM Testlabs already employs 200 people in greater Moncton.

That's odd, the front page of l'Acadie Nouvelle today is about this announcement and they state in the article that the company current employs only about 50 people in the area. I also saw 75 current employees by some other media outlet, CBC I think.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

That's odd, the front page of l'Acadie Nouvelle today is about this announcement and they state in the article that the company current employs only about 50 people in the area. I also saw 75 current employees by some other media outlet, CBC I think.

Interesting. I was also under the impression that there were only about 75 people currently employed at BMM. Perhaps the T&T has their facts wrong........

[Freddypop]

75 employees when they opened in February. Have been hiring since and now around 200.

[MonctonRad]

More on this in the paper today.

Premier Gallant says the announcement will be "historic", and will be the "largest announcement of it's kind in the history of the province in terms of job creation in partnership with government".

Not much else that is new, but apparently all the top brass from BMM will be coming to Moncton for the announcement. An executive from BMM was quoted as saying they were particularly impressed by the number of high quality engineering graduates in the Moncton area. So, if the hiring profile of the company will be mostly engineers and computer scientists, then these will truly be high wage earners. Definitely a good news announcement for the economy.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

More on this in the paper today.

Premier Gallant says the announcement will be "historic", and will be the "largest announcement of it's kind in the history of the province in terms of job creation in partnership with government".

End of story.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by JHikka

End of story.

One too many qualifiers there for you Greg?

I agree that Gallant has been such a disaster so far as Premier, that he must be desperate for any good news announcement possible. If he is caught exercising too much hyperbole however, it won't look too good on him. We'll find out next Thursday.

[David_99]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

One too many qualifiers there for you Greg?

I agree that Gallant has been such a disaster so far as Premier, that he must be desperate for any good news announcement possible. If he is caught exercising too much hyperbole however, it won't look too good on him. We'll find out next Thursday.

Over the past few years, I remember my wife telling me sometimes her work will hire a dozen people for a new initiative. All of a sudden, either David Alward, or now Gallant, will show up for a photo op, claiming responsibility. The growth of the company and the new demand in the industry was what made the jobs necessary. For them to pop in for a photo and claim responsibility always seemed like desperation.

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by David_99

Over the past few years, I remember my wife telling me sometimes her work will hire a dozen people for a new initiative. All of a sudden, either David Alward, or now Gallant, will show up for a photo op, claiming responsibility. The growth of the company and the new demand in the industry was what made the jobs necessary. For them to pop in for a photo and claim responsibility always seemed like desperation.

Look at City parks... The Mayor at the time said there was no Money for a new Playground so a local Youth Group raised Money with bottle drives, and having activities in the neighborhood community center, and Saturn (Automotive company) put in the missing funds, and the mayor took responsibility for this new park despite not having had anything to do with it... It's nothing more then trying to keep face...

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I agree that Gallant has been such a disaster so far as Premier, that he must be desperate for any good news announcement possible. If he is caught exercising too much hyperbole however, it won't look too good on him. We'll find out next Thursday.

Given that this Gallant government will cling to any sort of job creation and hype it up to no end I have very little faith in any of their announcements actually being as large as they claim they are. The Alward Government did the same sort of thing at times but never as bad as this current government.

Originally Posted by David_99

Over the past few years, I remember my wife telling me sometimes her work will hire a dozen people for a new initiative. All of a sudden, either David Alward, or now Gallant, will show up for a photo op, claiming responsibility. The growth of the company and the new demand in the industry was what made the jobs necessary. For them to pop in for a photo and claim responsibility always seemed like desperation.

Indeed, and all levels of government are guilty of this.

In a perfect world the NB Government would step away from a lot of these economic announcements that they have nothing to do with and focus on their own initiatives. I recall gov. officials attending events for a lot of companies that don't even exist now...so there needs to be certainty that what the government is supporting is actually useful, constructive, and beneficial for the province. However, because we have a party in power who ran on creating, frankly, an impossible number of jobs in an impossibly short time frame, of course they have to cling to every little job announcement possible. And, because they have to cling to them, they have to throw an absurd amount of money at projects they hardly support in the hope that they stick and do well.

In the end they're almost spending more money to create fewer jobs by not doing their due diligence, which is a particular issue with this current government

[Scarface]

It looks like Emmerson Business Park Is looking at both bringing in new tenants, and expansion at the same time. This could be interesting to see what new call centers or just offices would move in.