The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[ErickMontreal]

Is it time for a new deal?

Housing Construction boom gives Saint John a strong case to seek a greater share of new housing dollars

Telegraph-Journal
Published Wednesday July 25th, 2007
Appeared on page C1

SAINT JOHN - EDITOR'S NOTE: Staff writer Sandra Davis sets the table for this fall's Vital Signs report with her series this week on Taking Stock, a report co-produced by the Human Development Council and The Greater Saint John Community Foundation. The series looks at a number of files linked to life in Saint John - from housing and health to wages and water.

Now that Saint John accounts for almost one-third of new construction in New Brunswick, it may be time for the city to ask for a bigger share of new housing dollars.

"It comes back to the old question: maybe it's time for a new deal for New Brunswick's largest cities," says Kurt Peacock, research co-ordinator for the anti-poverty group, Vibrant Communities.

From January to May, the Saint John CMA (census metropolitan area) saw building permits issued for $115.9-million in new construction, followed by Moncton at $93.5 million. Together, the two major cities represent 58 per cent of New Brunswick's $363 million in total construction activity. The figures include industrial construction.

"Attached to that construction activity are water and sewer services and new lighting," said Peacock. "That puts some significant development pressure on municipalities. They like to see this sort of stuff but they're already stretched fairly thin."

Yet, when you look at gas-tax funding, Saint John and Moncton CMAs get about 42 per cent of the total.

"So there seems to be a gap when you look at construction activity and the dedicated dollars that the finance department is putting out through gas tax funding to help create healthy community infrastructure," he said.

While acknowledging that rural areas need infrastructure cash, too, Saint John and Moncton have a higher poverty rate than the provincial average, said Peacock.

Indeed, Saint John has the highest rate of single-parent poverty in the country, while its child poverty rate is tied with Winnipeg's and Montreal's as the country's worst.

Last month, Peacock and others told a Senate committee that Saint John is desperate for urban development schemes involving all three levels of government to revitalize the poorest inner-city neighbourhoods.

Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg all have agreements binding all three levels of government to fund and collaborate on improving the economic prospects and quality of life in their inner cities.

"If other cities in the country, particularly in western Canada, have a formal funding arrangement that helps rehabilitate the inner city, why not do it here?" says Peacock.

"It formally brings all levels of government to the table, often with money in hand."

Housing is one of the categories being measured in Saint John as part of Vital Signs, a national project of Community Foundations of Canada that has 16 cities conducting self-examinations of everything from safety to the arts over the next 10 years. The first report is due in October.

In Saint John, Vital Signs is a project of the Greater Saint John Community Foundation, which has engaged the Human Development Council to do the legwork. The foundation's Taking Stock report, released last fall, was a precursor to Vital Signs.

The age of Saint John's rental homes is what struck the council's executive-director Randy Hatfield as he prepared Taking Stock.

"If we strip out those units that were built before 1939 and then strip out those units that were built between 1940 and 1984, we find that the vacancy rate is near zero," said Hatfield.

"Anything built since 1985 is occupied."

But because a high percentage of old apartments are unfit to live in, there is a false sense that the vacancy rate is high, said Hatfield.

"If there's a high vacancy rate, there tends to be this feeling in capital markets that the market can't sustain new construction," he said.

Nevertheless, the issue of inadequate shelter has prompted some public policy change, he said, including the ability to ticket under the unsightly premises act.

"With better enforcement, better data on vacancy rates and a better sense of what the demand is, we will see an increase in construction starts," said Hatfield.

Over the past four years, 137 apartments have been subsidized by the province and the federal government, 48 of which are still under construction. As of earlier this month, there were nine proposals awaiting provincial approval, representing 216 subsidized apartments.

The numbers released in October, Hatfield believes, will show a "favourable trend".

"In the past, Fredericton and Moncton were building more apartments than Saint John," he said. "We may even see a reversal of those trends. By the time we report in October, we'll be able to show increased activity in the housing and apartment situation."

The other good thing that Taking Stock brought to the fore is that Saint John is an affordable place to live, by most measures, said Hatfield.

"We think that trend will continue. One of Saint John's great selling features for newcomers and attracting investment in people was affordable home ownership."

[ErickMontreal]

Saint John gains momentum on immigration front

Telegraph-Journal
Published Thursday July 26th, 2007
Appeared on page C1

SAINT JOHN - Immigrants who want to make Saint John their home have been increasing by leaps and bounds over the past seven years, with 2007 shaping up to be a record year.

By the end of the second week of July, 355 family members had been welcomed to the city under New Brunswick's Provincial Nominee Program; last year's total was 468 and the year before, 147. The nominee program is a special agreement with the federal government that gives the province an active role in selecting immigrants to meet specific economic and labour market needs.

Although Saint John doesn't perform as well in attracting immigrants from within Canada or from other parts of the province, the good news is that there is no reason why the number of immigrants living and working in Saint John should not continue to grow, thanks to the province's newly created Population Secretariat and the energy hub gaining momentum.

"There will be more economic opportunities in the short and medium term," said Randy Hatfield, executive director of the Human Development Council. "Plus, we're starting to attract a (relatively) large number of Korean and Chinese families that will provide a 'critical mass' for retention and growth."

While, fundamentally, immigrants' needs are the same as anyone else's, Saint John does need a vibrant multicultural association, said Hatfield.

"They could work on attraction and they're heavy on retention. For newcomers, there's always the critical mass question. Are there enough people who share their background, speak their language and celebrate their anniversaries?"

Many who come to Saint John already have jobs in the city and are attracted because they are being paid close to the country's average, he said, citing major employers such as the Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation, Moosehead Breweries and the Irving enterprises.

"The bigger companies are looking in the high-tech area and they certainly are crying out for people," said Hatfield.

Saint John is also known to be an inclusive community and one that has affordable housing, minus the hustle and bustle.

"There's a quality of life element," he said. "Saint John is a welcoming community. If you did 'man on the street' interviews, they would say they've met some very good people. Newcomers are quite keen to get involved. They want opportunities to meet new people and to feel welcome."

Robert MacKinnon, member of the board of directors of the Human Development Council and dean of arts at University of New Brunswick-Saint John, believes that, if Saint John really wants to promote immigration, some provisions may have to be made at the federal level.

"How do you begin to create some flexibility in a system which has a lot of built-in mechanisms that keep newly arrived immigrants coming to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver?" asked MacKinnon. "Where does Saint John have an ability to say, 'We want you to come here because "¦' It's really difficult to crack that nut and get in there and be able to develop some policies that will suit Saint John."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arts, culture and recreation are vital planks for growth
Community Quality of life features are linked to retaining and attracting people to Saint John

Telegraph-Journal
Published Thursday July 26th, 2007
Appeared on page C1

SAINT JOHN - EDITOR'S NOTE: Staff writer Sandra Davis sets the table for this fall's Vital Signs report with her series this week on Taking Stock, a report co-produced by the Human Development Council and The Greater Saint John Community Foundation. The series looks at a number of files linked to life in Saint John - from housing and health to wages and water.

For a community its size, Saint John does pretty well when it comes to the range of cultural performances and recreation facilities it offers, says Randy Hatfield, executive director of the Human Development Council.

And, he says, it can only get better because "people understand that if you want to move the community forward, you have to have a quality of life that will retain citizens and attract newcomers. A big part of that are the softer services - arts, culture and recreation."

The council and the Greater Saint John Community Foundation are working toward releasing a Vital Signs report - a national project of Community Foundations of Canada that has 16 cities conducting self-examinations of everything from safety to the arts over the next 10 years. The first report is due in October.

In Saint John, Vital Signs is a project of the Greater Saint John Community Foundation, which has engaged the Human Development Council to do the legwork. The foundation's Taking Stock report, released last fall, was a precursor to Vital Signs.

Arts, culture and recreation is one of nine areas that Taking Stock placed under the microscope.

It's a credit to Saint John, said Hatfield, that the city has a cultural affairs officer in Bernard Cormier.

The director of the Saint John Arts Centre shares Hatfield's optimism.

Kathryn McCarroll is encouraged by the premier's establishment of the Community Non-Profit Task Force, headed up by Claudette Bradshaw, the former federal minister responsible for the homeless - who she will be meeting with this summer - and by the city's commitment to the arts.

"The city recognizes the significance of a vibrant arts scene in terms of attracting industry and business," said McCarroll. "It sees it as an integral part of how it services the community and the business plan. I find that really refreshing."

Add to that the networking skills and enthusiasm of young professionals involved in Fusion Saint John and the city's decision to dedicate part of the budget to encourage art growth, and McCarroll feels Saint John is moving in the right direction.

"I find it wonderful that this debate has stirred so much public interest," said McCarroll. "I don't think this would have happened five years ago. That speaks volumes about our appreciation for the arts in the community."

Unfortunately, funding is not increasing as the arts centre's portfolio development program and workshops grow, and staff cannot keep up with demand, said McCarroll.

But she believes the will is there, especially with recognition of the city's 'brain drain'.

"There's been a lot of analysis about why that's happening and what the kids are looking for," she said. "A focus has been put on quality of life issues."

On a per capita basis, Saint John's cultural spending was $654 per person in 2003 - the lowest of 15 communities surveyed.

"Is it really fair to compare ourselves to Victoria, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto?" asks Hatfield. "Or is the story that Saint John spent $14 million on reading materials last year?"

The fact is that Saint John manages without much help. Saint John hasn't received its fair share of grant money for the past 20 years, the city's cultural affairs officer told the Telegraph-Journal recently.

Indeed, the Canada Council's 2005 recipients list shows Fredericton received 33 grants worth an average of about $20,000, while Moncton received 29 grants worth an average of about $17,000. Saint John, meanwhile, lagged behind these centres and much smaller communities such as Caraquet and Sackville, receiving only seven grants worth an average of about $14,000. The New Brunswick Arts Board numbers are similar, with seven projects for Saint John compared to 29 for Fredericton and 25 for Moncton.

Statistics Canada numbers show that more people are employed in arts, culture, recreation and sport in those cities than in Saint John - about 2,000 each compared to about 1,000 here. In Saint John, according to Statistics Canada, more than 2.5 per cent of the labour force in the Saint John Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was employed in cultural industries, while the national average was 3.8 per cent.

The CMA includes Saint John and surrounding communities.

Statistics Canada's labour force survey estimates that the number of people employed in the arts, recreation and sport during the first six months of this year ranged from 900 to 1,200 for people living in the Saint John to St. Stephen corridor.

According to the Taking Stock report, Saint Johners spent $79 million on the arts in 2003, including $6 million on art works and events, $4 million on live performing arts, and $2 million on arts supplies and musical instruments.

Overall, Hatfield is encouraged with the direction Saint John's arts and cultural scene is headed.

"Over the years, there was probably a question of whether that was something that the city should be doing," Hatfield said of its cultural affairs office. "Is that the typical water, sewage, police, fire job of a city?

"The fact that Saint John has preserved that position, I think, speaks well."

[Seely32]

Immigration I beleive is helping our city by bounds. All of the new markets and stores that are not the norm for around here are great. They also seem to like to spend a little more than the average saint johner hence boosting our economy.

[ErickMontreal]

Venue Saint John Team Pounding the Pavement in Nation’s Capital to Lure Lucrative Convention Business to Saint John


Venue Saint John partners have been drumming up conferences and sporting events to host in Saint John while on a national sales blitz in Ottawa this month. The team wrapped up three days of sales calls, with its annual boat cruise on the Ottawa River. The networking reception was attended by 60 national meeting planners who all have potential
conventions or events to bring to Saint John in the next few years.

The Venue Saint John sales team included representatives from the Hilton Saint John Hotel / Saint John Trade and Convention Centre (Shawnna Dickie-Garnhum, Judy Boyle), the Delta Brunswick Hotel (Lori Harley), and Fort Howe Hotel and Convention Centre / Hotel Courtenay Bay (Craig Nickerson), as well as Sally Cummings from Tourism Saint John.

“We get highly qualified leads when we meet face to face with clients,” says Conventions Manager Sally Cummings. “We impress these national associations when we show up as a team, and are able to convince them that Saint John is a great convention destination for their annual conferences.”
The group knocked on the doors of a targeted group of 14 national associations, and will be submitting at least 8 bids for conventions and events up to 2012 as a result. “If we win all of those bids, we estimate the business would be worth in excess of $1.9-million dollars in direct expenditures to our local economy,” says Cummings. (The figure is based on delegates spending $250 per day over an average of three days.)

What’s the sales pitch? The team is selling Saint John as a place “Where uptown chic meets east coast charm”.

“When groups are thinking of hosting their event EAST, they are expecting that Maritime hospitality we are famous for” says Cummings, “with the natural beauty of our Bay of Fundy, our friendly people, and fresh seafood. But by now, the “Maritime Kitchen Party” theme has already been experienced by a lot of conventions, so we’re trying to differentiate ourselves slightly. We are promoting our city as having an upscale twist on that theme, with distinctive venues and unique delegate activities.”

Venue Saint John promotes Saint John as the convention capital of NB, with its convenient “Inside Connection Pedway” and having the only convention centre in the province. The team also talks about its proven track record of large national conferences hosted including the ECMA’s and CCMA’s, and the successful Venue Saint John partnership which provides “one-stop event shopping” for meeting planners.

“New improved air access and affordable flights including today’s announcement that WestJet is adding year-round discount service to Toronto, more waterfront development, and new shopping centres, all of these things help us win our bids,” says Cummings.

“The recent announcement of the creation of a new medical school in Saint John is the type of news we are telling our clients about in Ottawa.” While the list of targeted associations is highly confidential due to the extremely competitive nature of the business, one of the national associations Venue Saint John was aggressively courting on this Ottawa trip was the Royal College of Physicians
and Surgeons. “There are at least 7 national conferences hosted by the Royal College annually, and we want to get more of those conventions in Saint John,” says Cummings.
Venue Saint John is also championing improvements outlined in the Recreational Facilities Study to potential sport associations.

After meeting with Softball Canada, Venue Saint John brought back information to assist a local committee to submit a bid to host a national ladies softball event that could bring 16 teams and their families for a week in August 2010.

Venue partners are also working with the Saint John Board of Trade to possibly host another exciting event in the fall of 2011, which could bring 300 people to the city from across Canada. “Without local support, we would not be able to follow through on many of these leads,” says Cummings. But luckily Saint John is noted for its wealth of “community leaders” and volunteers who are always willing to step forward to host events.

Venue Saint John focuses its attention on Ottawa, because that is where most of the national associations are headquartered. Now the team is finding that other destinations are copying what they are doing. “For 6 years, we were the only group hosting a client reception in Ottawa in June, and this year we discovered that Rendezvous Fredericton, Go Moncton, and Destination Halifax had all
planned sales promotions in Ottawa around the same time,” says Cummings. “But we are still the only partnership that organizes a river cruise, and we have our clients captive for over 2 hours,” says Cummings “and that’s how we can really sell our destination. It’s about building relationships with meeting planners, and once they get to know us personally, they are more likely to consider
bringing their AGM’s and conferences to Saint John.” says Cummings. ‘Rather than standing at a trade show booth and hoping somebody will drop by, or placing an ad in a magazine, we are pooling our resources and working together as a partnership, and that way we all benefit much more than if each hotel tried to do these promotions on their own,” says Cummings.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I added a new housing project currently under construction in Rothesay city on the projects thread.

[ErickMontreal]

Cashing in on U.S. 'stupidity'
Development American expert says timing right to exploit nuclear exports

Daniel McHardie
Telegraph-Journal
Published Friday July 27th, 2007
Appeared on page A1

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick would be smart to cash in on the "stupidity" of U.S. power companies by building new nuclear reactors and exporting the power into the New England states, according to an American energy expert.

Howard Hayden, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Connecticut, said U.S. utilities don't seem to be building new nuclear reactors to meet future demand because of a "very strong" not-in-my-backyard attitude of many citizens. However, Hayden, who is also the editor and publisher of The Energy Advocate, a monthly publication, said New Brunswick should strike quickly and profit from the future power demand.

"If you get people signed up for it, you are guaranteed it is a wise investment. Why not capitalize on other peoples' stupidity?" Hayden said. "You have this great opportunity to sell electricity to people who don't want to generate it for themselves."

Another reason for the lack of new nuclear generating stations, Hayden said, is because as soon as one is proposed, legions of demonstrators and lawyers descend on the company, trying to block its construction.

The Liberal government will undertake a feasibility study to determine if there is a business case for constructing a second, and perhaps a third, nuclear reactor to meet that possible future power demand.

Not everyone is convinced that the Liberals have unearthed a profitable strategy. Opposition Leader Jeannot Volpé said this week that if there was such a demand that private sector companies would be filling that need. And Volpé called on the Liberal government to "wake up."

Duane Bratt, a policy studies professor at Mount Royal College in Calgary, said the strategy of investing in new generation primarily for export purposes isn't a new one, pointing to the success of Hydro-Québec.

"You look at a lot of those hydroelectric projects, those were built or expanded on selling to New York state as much power as they could get," the nuclear policy expert said.

"This is different because it is nuclear but it is not unusual when we are talking about selling off electricity. And given how integrated the electrical grid is in North America, it makes a lot of sense."

Bratt's main proviso is that the provincial government must ensure that solid contracts are in place before they turn any sod for a new reactor.

"Although I can't think, given the growth in electricity demand, that there are any white elephants out there producing power that nobody wants," Bratt said.

The prospect of New Brunswick cashing in on the future power desires of New York and the New England states has intrigued French nuclear power giant Areva.

Armand Laferrère, president and chief executive officer of Areva Canada Inc., said he sees great potential for New Brunswick in the nuclear business, especially with the growing concerns for power generators that do not produce greenhouse gases and the increasing cost of oil.

"There is demand for more nuclear all around the world, not only because the economy is growing and the economy needs to be powered but because of those who are concerned about CO2 (carbon dioxide) accumulation," Laferrère said. "As older equipment is being replaced it makes a lot sense to replace power generation that produces CO2 with power generation that doesn't. That is where nuclear has a significant advantage. It is also appearing as the most competitive way to produce baseload electricity at the current levels of the price of gas."

Areva is trying to convince the Liberal government to pick its Generation 3 light-water reactor as the technology for a second unit at Point Lepreau. Areva is the world's largest nuclear company and has recently met again with New Brunswick government officials on its proposal. Exporting any additional nuclear power into the United States will be contingent on building a new transmission system, which Areva said it can provide because it is also operates transmission systems.

Areva is competing against Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., which built the original Point Lepreau station, for the right to construct any future reactors in New Brunswick.

Nuclear reactors have higher capital costs to build the stations but once the unit is operational, purchasing uranium is a comparatively minimal expense in comparison to fueling large thermal stations and their dependency on the wild swings in international oil prices. When NB Power announced its latest rate increase, 9.6 per cent, it blamed skyrocketing fuel costs as a critical factor in its decision.

Mount Royal's Bratt said the economics of nuclear are getting a lot better and politicians in Alberta and Ontario, who are pushing new nuclear reactors, are starting to notice that.

"It is not just the environmental issue, although that is a nice bonus," he said.

"The business case has gotten a lot better: capital costs a lot bigger, but the fuel cost is very low."

[ErickMontreal]

French Only

Énergie atomique du Canada fera l’étude

Acadie Nouvelle
Mise à jour le samedi 28 juillet 2007
Par: Seymour, Béatrice

FREDERICTON - L’Acadie NOUVELLE a appris qu’une entente a été conclue entre Énergie atomique du Canada limitée et le gouvernement provincial pour une étude de faisabilité au sujet d’une deuxième centrale nucléaire.

Depuis plusieurs mois, le sujet d’une deuxième centrale nucléaire à Saint-Jean revient souvent sur la table. Le premier ministre Shawn Graham a rencontré en France, le mois dernier, la présidente de la compagnie multinationale d’énergie AREVA.
Ce leader mondial du cycle du combustible nucléaire cherchait à percer le marché canadien.

Le gouvernement a préféré être partenaire avec la technologie de CANDU, comme celle dont est équipée la centrale de Pointe Lepreau.

L’annonce officielle de cette entente devrait être faite dans les prochains jours.

De par l’accord avec l’entreprise Énergie atomique du Canada limitée (ÉACL), la province entre dans la course avec l’Ontario et l’Alberta pour être la première du pays à être équipée d’un réacteur nucléaire avec la technologie avancée, l’ACR-1000.

L’ACR-1000 est un réacteur à tubes d’une puissance de 1200 MW.

Il est conçu pour rendre la production d’énergie nucléaire sûre, fiable, écologique et économique.

Les coûts de l’étude de faisabilité, estimés entre 2 et 3 millions $, vont être totalement absorbés par ÉACL.

Si l’étude démontre que le projet du deuxième réacteur nucléaire est financièrement viable, les travaux de construction pourraient commencer dans sept ans, ce qui engendrerait la création de plus de 2000 emplois et 500 emplois en mode opérationnel.

Dans son deuxième rapport, le Groupe de travail sur l’autosuffisance recommandait à la province de miser sur l’énergie avec la construction d’une deuxième centrale nucléaire à Pointe Lepreau et une nouvelle centrale thermique au charbon à Belledune.


In Overall, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited will carry out feasibility and resettlement study of socio-economic impacts about adding a second power nuclear station in Saint John(1200 WM). In the case of positive impacts, the construction of second nuclear station is planned to start in 2013 which could generate 2,000 jobs during construction and 500 permanent jobs.

In the case that both projects, petroleum refinery as well as Nuclear power station move forward, about 1500 highly paying job could be added to the city workforce base by 2017 without counting generation of extra/indirect jobs which could be created along with.

[kirjtc2]

Team Candu and Atomic Energy of Canada bring 100 new jobs to province
More nuclear power | Province to release plan for feasibility study for a second nuclear reactor
Canadian Press
Published Monday July 30th, 2007
Appeared on page A3

SAINT JOHN - Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and its Team Candu partners will build a new centre for Candu retubing in Saint John, creating 100 high-paying engineering jobs, the Telegraph-Journal has learned.

"I expect it will start happening right away, building up in the months to come," a source said.

It's unclear whether some of the positions will be filled by people currently working on the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station refurbishment, which involves retubing.

Details are expected to be announced formally within days, along with plans to conduct a feasibility study on building a second nuclear reactor in New Brunswick.

The feasibility study will examine whether there is a business case for the province to construct a new nuclear reactor and sell the surplus electricity to New England and New York.

The centre will be established, regardless of the outcome of the study, the source stressed.

Saint John Mayor Norm McFarlane is excited about plans for the centre, which will position Saint John one step closer to being the energy hub of Atlantic Canada.

"That's tremendous news," he said Sunday.

"That's what we asked (AECL) for in the very beginning."

McFarlane estimates between 75 and 90 people are currently working out of Saint John on the refurbishment at Lepreau, located 35 kilometres southwest of the Port City.

The $1.4-billion project is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

A second nuclear reactor would be a multi-billion dollar project, the source said.

John Ferguson, a city councillor who holds the energy portfolio, has attended three Canadian Nuclear Association conferences in Ottawa, a Canadian Nuclear Society conference in Toronto and another one held here in Saint John in June.

He contends nuclear power is "the energy of the future."

It's clean, safe and will help stabilize energy production, and that will help attract new businesses looking for a stable, diversified energy supply, Ferguson said.

[Helladog]

I heard about the retubing plant yesterday too...good news!

Anyone know what the building near the top of McAllister is going to be? I hear it may be a tax building...but I'm not sure...




Also, looks like a new apartment building(s) for Ellerdale Street...

[PersonPlaceorThing]

Originally Posted by Helladog

Anyone know what the building near the top of McAllister is going to be? I hear it may be a tax building...but I'm not sure...

[/IMG]

A CRA office it will be. Seems an odd place for a government building.

[kwajo]

I still can't believe they chose that location, it should have been in the Market Square expansion like they were planning to do.

[Helladog]

It makes sense to have all of the gov't offices uptown...I guess the land/office space is getting too steep there. They could close the tax offices all together, hehehe.

[Seely32]

Putting that building there blows my mind away. I guess money talks and that was probably some pretty cheap land and by the look of it not the best building structurally either.

[Seely32]

I was reading in here that the old Salvation Army Church on Charlotte st. was turned in an art gallery. Awesome that there is another art gallery, But a wierd location to say the least. That side of uptown needs all the help it can get and theres a start in the right direction.

[Seely32]

GOING UP UPTOWN



Published Tuesday July 31st, 2007
Appeared on page c3
Men from Safeway put together staging in preparation for workers who will be refurbishing the Bayview Credit Union building on King Street. The uptown is currently going through a much-needed revival

[ErickMontreal]

Team CANDU NB to conduct feasibility study for second nuclear power plant at Point Lepreau (07/08/01)

NB 984

Aug. 1, 2007

SAINT JOHN (CNB) - Team CANDU New Brunswick announced today that the Government of New Brunswick has accepted its proposal to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a Generation III+ Advanced Candu Reactor - ACR-1000®

"We are extremely pleased that the Province of New Brunswick has accepted Team CANDU New Brunswick's proposal to conduct a feasibility study for the new ACR-1000," said Ken Petrunik, chief operating officer for Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). "We are confident the study will clearly demonstrate that a second unit will provide an energy-secure future and economic self-sufficiency for the province."

Premier Shawn Graham said the feasibility study is an important step forward in the energy sector in New Brunswick, and could help produce tremendous growth in the province.

"This feasibility study may lead to a significant private sector investment into electricity generation in New Brunswick creating up to 4,000 jobs during construction and 500 permanent, high-paying jobs to operate the facility, " Graham said. "It further cements New Brunswick's growing position as an energy hub on the Eastern seaboard and could be yet another catalyst towards our goal of self sufficiency by 2026."

Energy Minister Jack Keir added the feasibility study and other energy projects are having a positive impact on the region and province.

"Our ongoing work with Team CANDU has already brought positive spin-offs for the province like a Centre of Excellence for Retubing of CANDU reactors," Keir said. "And the potential for future collaboration is even greater. The energy sector has the potential to bring transformational change to our province, and this is further evidence of this fact."

The feasibility study will be funded by Team CANDU and is designed to evaluate the potential for an Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR-1000) to be constructed at Point Lepreau, and will examine the business case for private sector investment; identify prospective markets for this new source of power; and the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of this project. Each of the Team CANDU New Brunswick partners will take on a share of the project feasibility study, which is expected to cost about $2.5 million and will take up to four months to complete.

Team CANDU New Brunswick represents five of the world's leading nuclear technology and engineering companies that have joined together to provide a nuclear energy solution to meet the province's growing electricity needs. Team CANDU New Brunswick draws on the experience and expertise of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Babcock & Wilcox Canada, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada Inc., Hitachi Canada Ltd and SNC-Lavalin Nuclear Limited.

"Team CANDU New Brunswick has the expertise and experience to deliver a safe and high quality energy solution for the Province of New Brunswick," said Patrick Lamarre, president of SNC-Lavalin Nuclear based in Montreal. "We are proud of our record for delivering turnkey projects on time and on budget, and we look forward to putting our combined expertise to work for the benefit of New Brunswickers."

The ACR-1000 is an advanced CANDU reactor, building on the pedigree of the existing technology to deliver the same benefits at an even lower cost. When constructed at Point Lepreau, the ACR-1000 will have a projected output of 1085 MWe of electricity and a planned operating life of 60 years.

"Team CANDU NB fully supports the province's vision to become a world-class centre of excellence for nuclear power research and development," Petrunik said. "The ACR-1000 is a made-in-Canada solution that we believe is the best choice for New Brunswick in terms of safety, proven performance and project delivery."

[Seely32]

The nuclear reactor will definately boost or economy but It worries me in two ways.

1. Where is all the excess waste going and where would we continue to put it.
2. I think it will just put me a little more on edge knowing that there are 2 nucelar reactors 35 km from my home.

The pollution and waste from the new refinery and reactor are going to be almost scary.

[Helladog]

Well considering there are eight reactors just outside Toronto, wo or three aren't too scary...

[Seely32]

Originally Posted by Helladog

Well considering there are eight reactors just outside Toronto, wo or three aren't too scary...

True, just my own opinion....I guess it just angers me that we contually turn to these forms of energy,economically minded its great for the money. But when it comes to our enviroment this is just another brick off the wall. I am all for the city making money but who actually see the downside of these types or projects. The quality of air we breathe around hear isnt the best..I know the reactor has nothing to do with that but the new refinery will.

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by Seely32

True, just my own opinion....I guess it just angers me that we contually turn to these forms of energy,economically minded its great for the money. But when it comes to our enviroment this is just another brick off the wall. I am all for the city making money but who actually see the downside of these types or projects. The quality of air we breathe around hear isnt the best..I know the reactor has nothing to do with that but the new refinery will.

Agree with you. Moreover, the proliferation of pollution wont help Saint John to attract new interprovincial immigration for sure. All the industries in Saint John make forget all the good things Saint John has to offer.

[Seely32]

With the new refinery and reactor saint john solidify's its place as a blue collar town. Most cities are moving past industry were try to become a powerhouse in a sector that is good for one thing money. Money means more than a viable enviroment to some people. People just keep puttin there head in the sand and say it wont effect them.. The oil industry will collapse one day and so goes industrial city's. Fredericton and moncton have gotten past this why can't we.