Originally Posted by HalifaxMtl666
Casino players show their hands today
Nathan White
Telegraph-Journal
Published Wednesday March 12th, 2008
Appeared on page A3
Will it be Trump? MGM? Harrah's?
New Brunswickers will find out today which major international players are at the table hoping to win the province's first casino license.
Proposals were due Tuesday for the casino project, which the provincial government announced in November. Today the government will reveal the interested parties.
Government spokesman Marc Belliveau said the bids were in sealed boxes, which will be opened today. The government will name the companies, along with the names of the proposed projects and any partners involved.
"It's commonplace for several partners to join forces and put a bid in," said Belliveau, but he did not reveal the number of proposals.
"I can tell you the government was pleased with the interest shown from the start in the project and the representation of bidders was local, national and international."
While Belliveau did not reveal what locations have been proposed, Moncton and Saint John have been publicly touted as the front-runners.
A group known as Chateau Royale was reportedly considering non-downtown locations in the Moncton area. That group is backed by a partner in New England, which could possibly be a major international company.
Most of the major companies with gaming interests in North America have been rumoured to be touring New Brunswick looking for potential sites. Representatives for Trump Entertainment Resorts, which runs three casinos in Atlantic City, N.J., visited Saint John and toured other areas of the province. The waterfront and the city's east side are most often mentioned as possible Saint John sites.
Great Canadian Gaming Corp., Canada's largest publicly-traded gaming operator, also expressed interest in building in New Brunswick. Great Canadian's 18 casinos and racetracks include sites in Halifax and Sydney, N.S., British Columbia, Ontario and Washington State.
"We did extensive coverage of New Brunswick and we were very, very thorough in looking at the options for the company and deciding if it was an appropriate fit for us," Howard Blank, the company's vice-president of media and entertainment, said Tuesday.
While he did not say whether the company submitted a proposal, he said Great Canadian "did extreme due diligence on the project."
Toronto's Verdiroc Development Corp. has stated its intention to develop a downtown casino, hotel, convention centre, restaurant and performance venue in downtown Moncton. It's possible Verdiroc's Moncton-based partner, Ashford Investments Inc., could be the local element Belliveau referred to.
Other proposals that came to the forefront in recent months appear to have been derailed. One would have seen Saint John's Exhibition Association partner with a group from Quebec to build a gambling venue that included a new racetrack and grandstand on the east side. It was also to include soccer fields, a restaurant and an arena. However, the Quebec partner backed out.
Ross Galbraith, chairman of the New Brunswick Horse Racing Industry Association, said Tuesday he hopes to see other proposals that include a racetrack. The government's request for proposals states that "ancillary" facilities such as a racetrack will weigh heavily in the decision to award the casino license.
"I hope any proposal that has horse racing will have an advantage over those that don't," said Galbraith.
While Saint John is the "cornerstone of the industry now," Galbraith said he'd support any development that could benefit the industry province-wide.
Meanwhile, it's unclear what role, if any, First Nations will play in the process. Susan Levi-Peters, the outgoing chief of Elsipogtog First Nation, was outspoken last year that First Nations would go ahead with plans for a casino. But newly-elected chief Jesse John Simon II has said the plans are on the backburner.
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Moncton games still on despite lack of track
Official says World Junior Track and Field Championships will proceed with or without Sackville facility
By Brent Mazerolle
Times & Transcript Staff
Published Wednesday March 12th, 2008
Appeared on page A3
If the Town of Sackville chooses not to build a practice track for the 2010 IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships, as was originally planned, the largest sporting event to ever be held in Atlantic Canada will still go off without any major hitches, says a City of Moncton official.
Ian Fowler, the general manager of the Moncton's department of recreation, parks and culture, said yesterday it was disappointing to hear of Sackville's new position, but vowed Canada's hosting of the games in Moncton, "is still solid. It will be a success."
He also said more than half the 1,700 athletes from around the world who are scheduled to be housed at Mount Allison University will still be housed there, whatever Sackville does, as the organizing committee has rented those rooms directly from the university.
"The opportunity to put a track in Sackville (a short walk from where the athletes are staying) is ideal, but there are other options," Fowler said, suggesting either a track in Memramcook or another at Anna Malenfant School in Dieppe could be upgraded with the $250,000 put aside in the event's budget for the Sackville track.
A practice track for the benefit of Sackville-based athletes is above and beyond the main stadium being built for the games on the Université de Moncton campus, as well as a practice/warm-up track planned for a yet undecided Moncton location the athletes housed at UdeM would use.
Though the motion passed in Monday night's public meeting of Sackville council said the town would, "inform Moncton of its decision to discontinue further planning," Fowler and Moncton Mayor Lorne Mitton both first heard of the development late yesterday afternoon when they were contacted by the Times & Transcript.
Similarly, officials at Athletics Canada admitted they were caught off guard by Sackville's move. Officials at New Brunswick's department of Wellness, Culture and Sport and in the sport branch of the federal department of Canadian Heritage said yesterday they would look into the matter. Attempts to reach Sackville Mayor Jamie Smith yesterday were unsuccessful.
The town's chief administrative officer could not be reached. Fowler said he did have advance warning from a town official the discussion would happen at Monday's meeting, but was surprised by the result, which seemed to be more a goodbye than an expression of concerns.
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Moncton holds info session for potential Chinese investors
Overseas entrepreneurs interested in small, medium-sized business opportunities in Metro
By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff
Published Wednesday March 12th, 2008
Appeared on page C2
The City of Moncton, Enterprise Greater Moncton and the Atlantic Canada Business Network are hosting a second foreign direct investment information session this evening for Chinese investors interested in small and medium-sized business opportunities in the city.
The session gets under way at 5 p.m. at Moncton City Hall with Ben Champoux representing the city to provide an overview of the Metro Moncton region, its assets and potential.
Local businesses interested in partnering with new investors are also invited to attend the session.
Five Chinese investors interested in moving to Moncton and looking at investment possibilities took part in the first information session last month.
The sessions provide introductions to businesses, a video on business and international investment opportunities here and value of international partnership, information for local businesses on partnership opportunities through the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program, opportunities and challenges in partnering and selling to foreign investors, and networking and exchange of information with the Chinese delegates.
The delegates will be introduced by the Atlantic Canada Business Network group, which will be represented by general manager Ivy Wang.
The network, formerly called CANLink Global Services, provides foreign direct investment and international business consulting to Atlantic Canadian businesses.
The province and the City of Moncton are at the forefront of efforts to attract foreign investors and skilled workers interested in moving to the province and the Metro region.
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Riverview council frustrated with federal government red tape
Delays in receiving infrastructure funds can cost town $20,000 a month
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
Published Wednesday March 12th, 2008
Appeared on page A4
It's always nice to get federal government money to help with capital projects, but the Town of Riverview is frustrated with the amount of red tape associated with actually getting the money.
In a presentation to town council Monday night, Director of Finance Sharon Santalucia said delays in actually getting infrastructure money from Ottawa can cost the town around $20,000 per month. This puts the town in a difficult financial position and means the municipality must watch its money very carefully when deciding on which capital projects to work on.
For example, the town received federal and provincial funding to build the $17-million Gunningsville Boulevard recently. Santalucia said the town actually pays for the work first, then sends the receipts and invoices to the provincial and federal governments for reimbursement. She said the provincial departments usually send the money quickly, but the federal departments take much longer because of the number of departments and red tape involved.
Santalucia presented the year-end financial statements, showing a budget surplus of $45,673. She noted there were savings in some areas and over-expenditures in others. The surplus will be rolled into the town's income for the next budget year. Auditor David Stevenson confirmed the financial statements, noting the town is still carrying debt and warned councillors to consider this when borrowing for future capital projects.
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