The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread - Page 108

mmmatt · #**2141** Posted **Mar 14, 2008, 11:05 PM**

How recent are those pics??? If thats this winter thats crazy! SJ has like no snow compared to freddy and moncton haha we have like 3-4 ft snowbanks along streets in both cities.

Helladog · #**2142** Posted **Mar 14, 2008, 11:58 PM**

Those were taken today...most of the snow we have left is comprised of parking lot mounds at the mall...

mmmatt · #**2143** Posted **Mar 15, 2008, 2:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helladog

Those were taken today...most of the snow we have left is comprised of parking lot mounds at the mall...

wow! thats crazy! I cant wait for spring, wayyyy too much snow this year.

Smevo · #**2144** Posted **Mar 15, 2008, 2:51 AM**

Yeah, neither can I. I got a taste of it in Sydney, where they lost all their snow before I got there the first week of March, but it can't come soon enough here. I still can't get used to the snowbanks that are taller than I am.

SJTOKO · #**2145** Posted **Mar 15, 2008, 5:34 AM**

Gotta love the microclimates.. I'd much rather have rain than snow..

PostModernPrometheus · #**2146** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 2:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

That was my first thought too, and I really hope that they still are.

With regards to the Delta - how many (potential) additional stories did the original plan call for? 1? 3??? more??

PostModernPrometheus · #**2147** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 2:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by stu_pendousmat2

However for all I know Marriott may want to build a new hotel in SJ in partnership with Cyr who is already frustrated with Moncton...and Ashford might just be random...I guess we will have to wait for more details to become available...

Ashford.....There's an "Ashford Properties" (I think thats the name) that owns/operates the Mercantile Centre...is this the same company / or a subsidiary??

PostModernPrometheus · #**2148** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 2:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJTOKO

Gotta love the microclimates.. I'd much rather have rain than snow..

Oh, you'd LOVE it over here on the Avalon / St. John's right now....

PostModernPrometheus · #**2149** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 2:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

Well here's a crazy thought (and I do mean crazy, because I just conjured it from thin air):

The Coast Guard property sale is finally going through, and Phase 1 of the development includes a new waterfront hotel and the hotel is scheduled to be run by an un-announced company. Perhaps Marriott is going to sign-on as the hotel partner.

*sic*

So there you go, my ridiculous theory of the day.

Not really that ridiculous . . . the waterfront hotel project will need a major partner (or partners) with deep pockets . . .

PostModernPrometheus · #**2150** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 2:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrightguy0

I hope Saint John gets the Casino, after all we need this after being ignored by the previous conservative government in favor of Moncton

I don't know...I've switched from being completely in favour of a casino a few years ago to being very apprehensive about it...we're talking about concentrating what - maybe a few hundred VLT's and a handful of tables into one area (likely running 18+ hours/day)...the first thought that comes to mind is a sophisticated high class establishment, which probably isnt what will materialize at all. For any of us that have walked through a large Casino very late at night - or any time of day for that matter - take a good hard look at the people there...you'll see a number of very desperate, very addicted people who cannot afford what they are wagering on the spin of a wheel or flip of a card...then having to lie to their spouses about where the money's going, and then returning to the only place they believe may be able to get a "quick fix" to their financial foes...

Now, combine this temptation with the ever increasing income gap between poor and rich (which, in SJ is an ever growing problem, and will balloon as the energy boom continues to ramp up)

I'm not saying casinos dont have their place and can't be great assets to have...I'm just saying there are a lot of costs that come with them...direct/easy to see and indirect/more hidden.....

Helladog · #**2151** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 4:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PostModernPrometheus

I don't know...I've switched from being completely in favour of a casino a few years ago to being very apprehensive about it...we're talking about concentrating what - maybe a few hundred VLT's and a handful of tables into one area (likely running 18+ hours/day)...the first thought that comes to mind is a sophisticated high class establishment, which probably isnt what will materialize at all. For any of us that have walked through a large Casino very late at night - or any time of day for that matter - take a good hard look at the people there...you'll see a number of very desperate, very addicted people who cannot afford what they are wagering on the spin of a wheel or flip of a card...then having to lie to their spouses about where the money's going, and then returning to the only place they believe may be able to get a "quick fix" to their financial foes...

Now, combine this temptation with the ever increasing income gap between poor and rich (which, in SJ is an ever growing problem, and will balloon as the energy boom continues to ramp up)

I'm not saying casinos dont have their place and can't be great assets to have...I'm just saying there are a lot of costs that come with them...direct/easy to see and indirect/more hidden.....

I agree...I'm a bit indifferent about it all. The development would be nice, but SJ is a good tourism destination as it is. Instead of visiting and spending money where it counts most, a casino may rob the city of tourism dollars and shuffle visitors looking at the city into a building to drain their pockets more.

random11 · #**2152** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 4:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PostModernPrometheus

With regards to the Delta - how many (potential) additional stories did the original plan call for? 1? 3??? more??

According to Fortis - One (1) additional story can be constructed.

kwajo · #**2153** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 4:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helladog

I agree...I'm a bit indifferent about it all. The development would be nice, but SJ is a good tourism destination as it is. Instead of visiting and spending money where it counts most, a casino may rob the city of tourism dollars and shuffle visitors looking at the city into a building to drain their pockets more.

Also, while Saint John will [most likely] not house the casino within our borders, the revenue from the casino goes into the provincial coffers, and therefore gets redistributed throughout NB, meaning that a profitable casino in Moncton will still mean overall benefits to all of us (while avoiding certain social pitfalls in our immediate vicinity).

When you look at it like that, its not a bad arrangement really.

kwajo · #**2154** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 4:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by random11

According to Fortis - One (1) additional story can be constructed.

Aye, and I hope it happens!

Quote:

Paulette Hicks, manager of the Delta Brunswick hotel and member of the Saint John Hotel Association, agrees that the high demand for accommodation is helping the local industry.

"We want to see both new builds and organic growth," Hicks said. "Certainly Delta Brunswick has been designed to add a floor to it and our owners are certainly interested in seeing where that forecast will go to make that investment."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswi...ls-booked.html

nwalbert · #**2155** Posted **Mar 16, 2008, 5:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

Also, while Saint John will [most likely] not house the casino within our borders, the revenue from the casino goes into the provincial coffers, and therefore gets redistributed throughout NB, meaning that a profitable casino in Moncton will still mean overall benefits to all of us (while avoiding certain social pitfalls in our immediate vicinity).

When you look at it like that, its not a bad arrangement really.

Great post! I was really on the fence about the casino as well, but this post makes me realize that it is probably better for the city to have the casino in Moncton. We have so much growth going on right now, we didn't need it to spur development.

PersonPlaceorThing · #**2156** Posted **Mar 17, 2008, 2:52 PM**

Here's a press release about British Petroleum partnering with Irving on Eider Rock:
http://www.irvingoil.com/dloads/Eider_MediaRel0317.pdf

kwajo · #**2157** Posted **Mar 17, 2008, 3:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PersonPlaceorThing

Here's a press release about British Petroleum partnering with Irving on Eider Rock:
http://www.irvingoil.com/dloads/Eider_MediaRel0317.pdf

Sounds good! If you're going to partner, then why not partner with one the biggest oil companies in the world?

I know I'll be dreaming tonight of a brand new BP tower in Uptown Saint John

PostModernPrometheus · #**2158** Posted **Mar 17, 2008, 8:29 PM**

From the cbc.ca/NB site

BP joins Irving in proposed $7B Saint John refinery
Last Updated: Monday, March 17, 2008 | 12:33 PM AT

Oil giant BP is signing on as Irving Oil's partner in a $100-million study examining the engineering and design of a proposed refinery on the outskirts of Saint John.

A news release Monday said the companies have also entered an agreement "to work together" on the proposed $7-billion Eider Rock refinery.

BP will contribute $40 million US as its share of funding for the study, and the two companies will also "investigate the possibility of forming a joint venture" to build the 300,000-barrel-per-day refinery.

Over the past year, Irving Oil has been seeking a partner to provide refining expertise, along with a source of crude oil.

The proposed refinery would be close to the existing Irving refinery in Saint John and the Canaport deepwater crude oil terminal.

Iain Conn, chief executive of BP's refining business, said his company believes the $7-billion project will provide Canada and the United States with a more secure supply of gasoline.

Ottawa · #**2159** Posted **Mar 18, 2008, 12:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

Sounds good! If you're going to partner, then why not partner with one the biggest oil companies in the world?

I know I'll be dreaming tonight of a brand new BP tower in Uptown Saint John

BP is currently #5 in the world, #2 if you don't count state owned.

Repsol is currently #21, #10 if you don't count state owned.

With these multinational companies setting up major operations locally, the international flavour of the city will continue to grow.

Now we will need a direct flight to London...

Helladog · #**2160** Posted **Mar 18, 2008, 2:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ottawa

BP is currently #5 in the world, #2 if you don't count state owned.

Repsol is currently #21, #10 if you don't count state owned.

With these multinational companies setting up major operations locally, the international flavour of the city will continue to grow.

Now we will need a direct flight to London...

Direct flight to London, that would be nice. I have a family member in London; it would make visiting easier for sure!

Great to hear another roadblock is out of the way for this future development. Here are two more articles from CHSJ news:

Quote:

[IRVING FINDS PARTNER FOR PHASE TWO OF REFINERY PROPOSAL]

IRVING'S PROPOSED SECOND OIL REFINERY IN RED HEAD IS MOVING FORWARD ANOTHER STEP -- THE COMPANY HAS ENTERED A PARTNERSHIP WITH OIL GIANT B-P TO WORK ON THE NEXT PHASE OF ENGINEERING -- DESIGN -- AND -- FEASIBLITY WORK.
B-P IS BRINGING A 40-MILLION DOLLAR CHEQUE TO COVER ITS SHARE OF THE COSTS.
BOTH COMPANIES ARE ALSO LOOKING AT ENTERING INTO PARTNERSHIP TO BUILD THE REFINERY.

Quote:

[BUSINESS GROUP WELCOMES B-P]

THE SAINT JOHN BOARD OF TRADE IS CALLING IT A CRUCIAL STEP FOR IRVING'S PROPOSED SECOND REFINERY FOR THE RED HEAD AREA.
IN A RELEASE -- THE BOARD SAYS HAVING B-P COME ONBOARD AS A PARTNER WITH IRVING OIL WILL FURTHER SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF OUR ENERGY HUB.
THE BOARD SAYS B-P IS AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY WITH A SOLID REPUTATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES WHERE IT OPERATES.