[Moncton] Centre Avenir Centre | 26.65m |~6 Fl | Completed

[mylesmalley]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

Goguen seems to be aware that there is a strong economic case to fund the project.

I think it has more to do with him being aware of an election in 10 months.

[David_99]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

Goguen seems to be aware that there is a strong economic case to fund the project.

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

I think it has more to do with him being aware of an election in 10 months.

tomayto tomahto

[stephan.richard]

I think there is a strong business case and also the new event center will be able to unlock alot of development potential in the downtown core.. And I think the coliseum is becoming a dated building and its time to replace it.

[JHikka]

Given how close Goguen's Moncton riding will be in 2015 I wouldn't be surprised if the Feds are more generous than usual on projects such as this.

[MonctonRad]

Councillor Dawn Arnold posted this on her Facebook page. It is a response to a letter from a concerned citizen about the need to build the events centre. I chose to repost her response here just to prove that she indeed "get's it". The benefits of building the downtown events centre are absolute. I hope she CC'ed her response to the Premier.

Thank you so much for your e-mail. I appreciate you taking the time to write. I would like to let you know the reasons why I support the Downtown Centre:

1. Our 40-year-old Coliseum is past its prime. Even if we were to invest the $40 million+ it would take to raise the roof, it would still be an old building. As it is, it costs $1.9 million to operate yearly (with costs rising all the time) and as you can see, it has done virtually nothing to incite any growth around it in its long history. Additionally, I doubt that any other level of government would be interested in investing in its renovation (and any renovation would involve taxpayers’ money). As for building any new structure without public money, I would be very interested in seeing examples of where this is done successfully elsewhere in Canada.

2. Investing in our DT is a good investment. While the geographic area of our DT represents only 1% of our city, it currently brings in 14.4% of the city’s taxes. Densifying the DT is in everyone’s best interests because the more tax money that the city can bring in here, the less all of us will have to pay (and the infrastructure costs are already paid). There are major national and international developers in the DT core who are waiting, waiting to see if the City will have the resilience to make this important project happen. If they don’t see something happen on the Highfield Square property soon (which the City did purchase for $12.5 million, a unanimous decision of Council) I can’t imagine that they will stick around.

3. The DT Centre is not for us. It is for the future. It is for Millennials and younger who increasingly are seeking places like Moncton to live…because they can live anywhere. In the new economy, geography isn’t nearly as important as it once was. But, quality of life is very important to Millennials. They want to be proud of their community and they want to have the opportunities to work, live and play in their downtowns (they care about the environment and they don’t necessarily want cars). As leaders, I believe that Council needs to have a vision of what our City can look like in the future. Just imagine if the people who renovated the Capitol Theatre 20 years ago looked at all the closed shops on Main Street and decided that it wasn’t worth the investment? Imagine if the people who worked at the CN shops when they closed just gave up on Moncton and all moved away instead of innovating and diversifying our economy? I believe we have a critical opportunity here to build something spectacular that will reinvigorate our DT, incite growth (which in turn will bring in more tax dollars to help you with your tax bill in retirement) and rekindle the excitement and opportunity that Moncton has always been known for. It is those same young people who will be paying for your health care and retirement…it seems like a good idea to me to keep them around. You mention that no citizen you speak with supports this project. I’m wondering how many people under 35 you have spoken with? The ones I speak with are very interested in investing in our City’s future.

4. Parking is always an issue. No, there will not be 10,000 parking spots, just as there aren’t 10,000 immediate parking spots at any similar DT facility anywhere in Canada. Public Transit will need to be embraced, just as it is in most cities. We have a car-obsessed culture that is contributing to our urban sprawl (which is quite literally killing all of us…think about obesity and mental health issues here). DTs represent an enormous amount of investment already in place. We’ve already spent the money for water, sewer, curbs, streets, sidewalks, police and fire stations…it makes fiscal sense to maximize these existing investments. There are many cities in the world that include free transit in their event ticket prices. This is an amazing opportunity for our City to finally improve our transit (because I’m convinced, as a regular Codiac Transit user, that getting more people on the busses is critical to improving service).

5. There are enough plans. This DT Centre has been discussed very seriously for many years, with three important economic plans to date. I invite you to check out the various reports, studies and economic analysis found here: http://www.moncton.ca/…/Downtown…/Reports_and_Background.htm The beauty of the Operating and Management agreement that Council has insisted on since the very beginning of discussions with the proponents is that whoever wins the contract to build the centre, also has to be able to operate and manage it. They will negotiate contracts with teams, they will manage staff, and they will make the decisions on which shows are economically viable.

6. Staff and Council have worked hard on saving for this centre and for budgeting for it, so that it will not cause undue stress on future taxpayers. The anemic growth that is projected for New Brunswick may happen, but I would argue that it will be that much worse in Moncton if we don’t step up and proactively plan for a better future.

7. DTs are the heart of cities and regions – and having a healthy heart is essential to having a strong city and region. Have you ever visited a big city and NOT visited its DT? DTs are increasingly the hotbeds of business creativity, neighbourhood activism, non-profit entrepreneurs, economic diversity and an attraction for visitors, seniors and young talent. I’m talking to many new “empty-nesters” who are interested in selling their homes and moving to the DT core, but they want to have the services and amenities to be able to truly live there. Suburban strip malls don’t appeal (but DT historic buildings providing a distinctive identity for our community, telling our stories in ways that shopping malls and commercial strips will never be able to, appeal). Also, our DT makes us unique, a place where true innovation can occur. However, a DT that is compact and walkable, with retail, service, small industry, housing, government, churches, civic organizations, cultural activities…all in a relatively small amount of land, is very appealing.

I would be very interested in hearing about your vision for the future of our City and how we might be able to keep the young people, the future entrepreneurs, taxpayers, innovators and business people here. Building a DT Centre will not be the cure for all of our City’s issues, but I believe it is a crucial piece of the puzzle. ‪#‎inPoli‬

Personal note - I chose to highlight the text that I found most compelling. In particular, I am excited about her comments regarding the "major national and international developers" just waiting to invest in the core. This is not an urban myth. The events centre will unlock millions and millions of dollars in private development in the west end of the core. All these private developers are waiting for is a vote of confidence by our political leaders. After all, if the politicians aren't willing to invest in our city, why should they?

These major developers include (but are probably not limited to):
- Westmount Developments (The Junction Urban Village)
- The Aquillini Group (the Crowne Plaza block)
- Crombie REIT (the Terminal Plaza complex)

The events centre is absolutely critical to the future of our city. It must be built.......

[Taeolas]

A great FB post that really should be trumpeted in the newspapers too.

I'd say it's safe to say this councillor is against the Outer Monctonian High School construction to replace MHS too, in light of the comments about walkability and having a lively downtown.

I did like the comment about being a regular Transit user too.

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

A great FB post that really should be trumpeted in the newspapers too.

I'd say it's safe to say this councillor is against the Outer Monctonian High School construction to replace MHS too, in light of the comments about walkability and having a lively downtown.

I did like the comment about being a regular Transit user too.

Agreed...a great post

As for MHS I think all of council was against the move...just as most citizens of Moncton were/are.

[RedBall]

..

[RedBall]

Any rumblings yet on which design is being chosen?

[MonctonRad]

There won't be any more news until the tennis playing Premier decides to commit funding.

Here's hoping he won't do to the events centre what he's already done to the natural gas and potash industries.........

[Mattyyy]

It's disappointing to see this board so quiet when I would have expected a lot of news in this area in early 2015. Has anybody heard any rumors and any guess on how long this could be drawn out for? With construction planned to start in the Spring it seems idiotic to delay any decisions. Unfortunately the Gallant government seems to be pretty quiet on this issue, unless there is a lot of discussion going on behind closed doors. We have all heard of the rumored construction that will occur if this project goes ahead, and with another $250,000,000 of additional construction I have a hard time seeing how this would be a bad idea on behalf of the province. $24,000,000 for a project that will attract a massive amount of investment may not be a great idea, yet an extra $900,000,000 on roads over 5 years is? Does this confuse anybody else? I also read in the paper in December that Gallant stated that most people he spoke to were against the project - which doesn't surprise me as the naysays are usually the most dominant in vocalizing their positions. Is there not a way in which those in favor of the events center can give their "yes" to this project? A petition of some sort? I have yet to speak to anybody in this city who is against the project.

[David_99]

I'm sure the fact that the city is being sued by 6 construction companies for money owed on Resurgo Place, isn't going to help change those peoples opinions either...

[MonctonRad]

Sounds like this is due to unexpected cost overruns. I'm sure that there is some disagreement as to who is actually responsible for this (sounds like contractors and engineers are at least somewhat at fault), hence the lawsuit to settle this. Still, this is unhelpful.

[Mattyyy]

Well, so much for my attempt to get some positive dialogue going on the events center. Part of Moncton's success over the past 20 years is the positive forward thinking attitudes of the people who get things done. I assumed I would get a good conversation going with those in support of the center, rather than a few "let's dwell on other issues with the city which are completely irrelevant" comments. Every city has similar problems, it doesn't mean development stops.

[MonctonRad]

Sorry Mattyy, I think it's just that there's not much more to be said. Everyone who's interested in the events centre and what it means to the downtown west end are well aware of the arguments.

If the tennis playing premier is uninterested in a paltry couple of hundred million dollars in potential private development around the events centre site, then I guess that it's all our funeral.

It's funny though, George LeBlanc is rumoured to be interested in the federal Liberal nomination for the upcoming election. You would think Gallant would throw him a bone so that he could leave as mayor with a positive legacy.......

[stephan.richard]

I spoke to Moncton MP Robert Goguen at the Wildcats game last night and he told me that the Federal Portion of the funding is in place and is frozen until clueless Gallant pulls in some of the promised money that Bruce Fitch and the David Alward Tories put together to get the project under way.

What Brian Gallant does not realize its the amount of potential retail/commercial and residential construction that will be created in this. Also one thing it will be the economic spinoffs that will be created with this like hundreds of construction jobs that will be needed and the distribution chain that it will take to build it.

And whats 25-26million in a 900 million dollars infrastructure budget.. I am just wondering or is it typical Liberal fluff like promise the moon and never deliver on commitments.

[pierremoncton]

Rad, wtf does the fact that the premier is a tennis player have to do with anything? You've mentioned it about 10 times by now and I'm frankly at a loss at what it implies.

What in general do you guys expect from a new government that just outed an unpopular one? I fail to see how it's unfair for uncommitted investments to be reviewed, especially one made not more than a week before the election.

On any given issue, constituents who are opposed are the most vocal. Like I've said before, contact your MLA, explain in a rational manner why you support the events centre, and keep at them until they at least acknowledge your position.

I think nothing but negative things of our MP, yet I still contact his office when I have something to share.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

Rad, wtf does the fact that the premier is a tennis player have to do with anything? You've mentioned it about 10 times by now and I'm frankly at a loss at what it implies.

It's a reference to the fact that Gallant is youthful, inexperienced and not nearly well qualified enough to be the leader of this province. NB on the other hand is unfortunately in terrible need of politically experienced stewardship. The tennis player reference is inspired by the allusions that were made about the former Liberal premier Shawn Graham being a "gym teacher" premier (referring to Graham's job before becoming premier), and we're all aware of the serious damage that Graham's administration did to the province.

My problem with politically inexperienced leadership is that they frequently confuse quick decision making and dogmatism with strength and assuredness. Shawn Graham was well known to make decisions without all the facts and stick with those decisions to the point of absurdity, even after allies are lost and information is revealed that shows the decision was a bad one. The obvious case in point was the decision to sell NB Power.

I think Gallant's dogmatism was revealed with his decision to implement a comprehensive shale gas moratorium, despite the serious risk this poses to the province's potash industry. All he had to do was to allow an exemption to allow existing wells to be refracked, but he obviously felt that a minor concession like this would be interpreted as a sign of weakness. The comprehensive moratorium decision was a stupid, stupid one and I refuse to trust this man any more. The art of politics is in the compromise and I don't think Gallant is capable of compromise. An older more experienced politician on the other hand would know this.

I have heard that there may be back room issues in the provincial Liberal party which might give Gallant pause in any decision to support the events centre. If Gallant is a spiteful man (and I have an inkling he may be), he might let these issues get in the way of the prudent decision to fund the events centre. He is potentially reckless in the same way that Shawn Graham was reckless. I am pretty sure Gallant will be another one term premier.

Frankly, if Gallant isn't careful, he might not even make it to the end of this term. I have it on very good authority that there are members of the Liberal caucus who are very nervous about the shale gas moratorium and especially about the risks that this moratorium poses for the ongoing viability of the potash industry. If only 2-3 Liberal MLAs cross the floor or sit as independents, he could be defeated in a vote of non confidence. My source (who should know what he is talking about) thinks this is a distinct possibility. Gallant had better watch out.......

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

What in general do you guys expect from a new government that just outed an unpopular one? I fail to see how it's unfair for uncommitted investments to be reviewed, especially one made not more than a week before the election.

In theory, you are correct, but as far as the events centre is concerned, we probably have a very narrow window in order to seal the deal. The prices quoted on the responses to the RFPs will expire soon. The preferred bidders will get fed up with the process and might end up expending their efforts elsewhere. Federal funding for the project might disappear. There is an urgency to the review process for the events centre that I don't think Brian Gallant appreciates. Again, political naivety may trump political prudence.

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

On any given issue, constituents who are opposed are the most vocal. Like I've said before, contact your MLA, explain in a rational manner why you support the events centre, and keep at them until they at least acknowledge your position.

I think nothing but negative things of our MP, yet I still contact his office when I have something to share.

My MLA is Ernie Steeves, an opposition member. I'm pretty sure Brian Gallant doesn't give a rats ass what Ernie thinks.......

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I have heard that there may be back room issues in the provincial Liberal party which might give Gallant pause in any decision to support the events centre. If Gallant is a spiteful man (and I have an inkling he may be), he might let these issues get in the way of the prudent decision to fund the events centre. He is potentially reckless in the same way that Shawn Graham was reckless. I am pretty sure Gallant will be another one term premier.

Frankly, if Gallant isn't careful, he might not even make it to the end of this term. I have it on very good authority that there are members of the Liberal caucus who are very nervous about the shale gas moratorium and especially about the risks that this moratorium poses for the ongoing viability of the potash industry. If only 2-3 Liberal MLAs cross the floor or sit as independents, he could be defeated in a vote of non confidence. My source (who should know what he is talking about) thinks this is a distinct possibility. Gallant had better watch out.......

Regarding the moratorium, it makes no sense to me that MLAs would have run under the Liberal flag while being opposed to it, given that it was the key point of the campaign.

Having said that, I don't share your impression of him (which I'm building off solely on his appearances and speeches). He's undoubtedly inexperienced, but I see him as progressive and open-minded and wanting to make evidence-based decisions. I don't think he's the type to rule with an iron fist, and (like you) I don't think he can afford to anyway, mostly because there are strong-minded and experienced MLAs who will hold him to account, which can happen without floor-crossing. The one thing that worries me is his $1B road plan; it seems so naive (to think that it's an economic boon; it's all borrowed money) or disingenuine (a vote grab).

I think he's just trying to show us who's boss and I'd be surprised if the funding for the events centre didn't come through. Let's give him a couple of weeks to get tired of posturing and let's see what he's about (I don't think we can do anything anyway).

Sorry to hear you have a radio personality as an MLA. But in all seriousness, there's no harm in contacting him regardless of his affiliation. If he's of any value, he'll push his constituents' wishes down the pipeline. There's also no harm in contacting Cathy Rogers (Moncton South) or the tennis player himself.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

Regarding the moratorium, it makes no sense to me that MLAs would have run under the Liberal flag while being opposed to it, given that it was the key point of the campaign.

People run for office for all sorts of reasons, not necessarily because they slavishly agree with all points in the party's platform. I sincerely doubt (for example) that every single Liberal MLA is pro abortion.

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

Having said that, I don't share your impression of him (which I'm building off solely on his appearances and speeches). He's undoubtedly inexperienced, but I see him as progressive and open-minded and wanting to make evidence-based decisions. I don't think he's the type to rule with an iron fist, and (like you) I don't think he can afford to anyway, mostly because there are strong-minded and experienced MLAs who will hold him to account, which can happen without floor-crossing. The one thing that worries me is his $1B road plan; it seems so naive (to think that it's an economic boon; it's all borrowed money) or disingenuine (a vote grab).

I think he's just trying to show us who's boss and I'd be surprised if the funding for the events centre didn't come through. Let's give him a couple of weeks to get tired of posturing and let's see what he's about (I don't think we can do anything anyway).

I sincerely hope you're right. Regarding the events centre, any decision to refuse funding would be the absolute epitome of being "penny wise but pound foolish". i.e. - saving $24M but probably preventing $250M in private investment at the same time.

I share your concerns regarding the $900M infrastructure fund. We can't afford that expense right now. We need to concentrate on strategic investments that will pay dividends (like the events centre).

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

Sorry to hear you have a radio personality as an MLA. But in all seriousness, there's no harm in contacting him regardless of his affiliation. If he's of any value, he'll push his constituents' wishes down the pipeline. There's also no harm in contacting Cathy Rogers (Moncton South) or the tennis player himself.

I have no opinion regarding Ernie Steeves, I don't know the man. A relative of mine is the former president of the Liberal Party in Nova Scotia, and he decries the fact that the average calibre of candidates for office is distressingly low. Most qualified individuals wouldn't even consider running for public office these days. It is a sad situation.