[Moncton] Northwest/Magnetic Hill Developments

[lirette]

Originally Posted by OUIR@random

We have the lowest cases of COVID19 in Canada here in the Maritimes, casinos are open elsewhere in Canada, in Quebec of all places. Casino NB and Casino NS are closed (same owners). What's going on? I've heard rumours online and while talking to people in general; the Casino is for sale, an offer is pending, not reopening, was losing/not making much money prior to COVID19, can't open and be in the black with social distancing, no buffet no profit, no events, and on and on. Anyone in the know?

I dont think I could think of a worse business to have during a pandemic than a casino that draws most of its customers from either mass gatherings, or regular customers who are majority high risk individuals. There is really no reason to stay at the hotel there with no events, casino or buffet access. You could imagine that they would need to block off at least 50% of their machines. Thinks like craps and poker aren't going to fly either. The casino going under would certainly help the Avenir Centre *for concerts when they can be held again but obviously a hit to Moncton tourism as a whole.

[OUIR@random]

All employees must've been let go at this point, that sounds like a perfect opportunity to sell with the least liabilities. Nowadays, the Covid reason is used by corporations, governments and everything in between to justify harsh and abrupt decisions that is neither based on facts or reason. Just blame it on Covid!!

Was there a union there? The property has been closed for 6 months or so. I don't think the casino will be closed permanently, but it's possible that it will reopen with new ownership, management and associates especially if the property is being sold off as rumored. It will reopen significantly different for sure.

Hopefully someone in the know or an employee will chime in here.

Red Shores Casino and Racing on PEI is open since July and table games are open too, this property is not owned by Great Canadian Gaming...

[Taeolas]

I doubt the Casino helps nor hurts the Avenir centre much as far as events go. They tend to be in different event size classes, so if anything they complement eachother.

Ideally, the pandemic time would have been a good time for the Casino to accelerate any renovation plans they may have had; strip the place down to the walls and do a full refresh on the gaming floors, bar and buffet. But if the company was looking to sell the place then that probably nixed any hint of such plans.

That all said, even if they put the table games into storage and spaced out the slot machines, they could've opened up months ago like St Mary's and GreyRock have. That could've stemmed some of the financial bleeding while keeping a place in the community.

CasinoNB's last post on Facebook was June 28th, when they acknowledged the new phase would allow them to reopen soon. It really felt back then that they were on the verge of reopening.

Since then there hasn't been a reply (in over 2 months now), so it does feel like something is up, possibly not up in a good way.

[gehrhardt]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

I doubt the Casino helps nor hurts the Avenir centre much as far as events go. They tend to be in different event size classes, so if anything they complement eachother.

Ideally, the pandemic time would have been a good time for the Casino to accelerate any renovation plans they may have had; strip the place down to the walls and do a full refresh on the gaming floors, bar and buffet. But if the company was looking to sell the place then that probably nixed any hint of such plans.

That all said, even if they put the table games into storage and spaced out the slot machines, they could've opened up months ago like St Mary's and GreyRock have. That could've stemmed some of the financial bleeding while keeping a place in the community.

CasinoNB's last post on Facebook was June 28th, when they acknowledged the new phase would allow them to reopen soon. It really felt back then that they were on the verge of reopening.

Since then there hasn't been a reply (in over 2 months now), so it does feel like something is up, possibly not up in a good way.

Speaking of renovations, a good one to make would either be an outside entrance, or a walled off walkway to the buffet. Kids are not allowed to cross the casino floor, so that makes the buffet inaccessible for families. As a parent of two teens, I would love to have an all you can eat option to try and fill them. Hollywood Slots in Bangor has a way to walk through without crossing the floor.

[L'homard]

I'm not a gambler at all but I sure miss my casino shows.
Still have tickets for a "postponed" show that will never happen and, if I were a gambling man, I'd bet I can kiss that money goodbye.
Oh well, I just want to attend live events in a safe manner somewhere, if that's even possible.
I agree the Centre's closure, temproary or permanent, will be of little benefit to the Avenir, for reasons already cited above. It could, however, help the Capitol which is now booking acts, though I haven't heard of their plan yet to keep patrons safe yet. (They've rebooked Downchild Blues Band already and some others.)
Meanwhile, I too have always wondered why they would put the buffet on the far side of the gaming floor, making it inaccessible to families. It doesn't seem to bother them much though. Just try to get in during busy times. Bring food with you because you will have a very, very long wait.

[Taeolas]

I think the idea is the buffet is an adult 'reward' or perk for attending the Casino and not having kids/teenagers around was another perk of it. If you want family entertainment/dining options, there are a lot around. But this one is just for adults.

I have tickets to Terry Fator's (now twice delayed) show and haven't requested a refund yet. If the show is outright cancelled I'll be banging loudly for a refund; but for now I'm content to wait for it to happen. Hopefully if the Casino isn't available as a venue, the ticket company will be able to rebook those events elsewhere (at Avenir or the Capitol or somewhere else).

[FarmerTom]

None of Great Canadian gaming casinos are open across the coutry. They have 25 properties and no employees have not been let go. The reason GCG even purchased casino nb 5 years ago was because it was always in the black. They have used the model from here in some of their other properties after it. Halifax for instance they added the buffet. I’m quite sure if they were not reopening they would not be still paying for employee benefits.

[David_99]

I’m hearing a September 28 opening for CasinoNB.

Edit: I think it’s official on Facebook now.

[FarmerTom]

Originally Posted by David_99

I’m hearing a September 28 opening for CasinoNB.

Edit: I think it’s official on Facebook now.

Yes but only 50% of slots and nothing else to start.

[jonny golden]

They're taking down the crane at Emma Place today, so it'll now be available for another project somewhere. Looks like they're working hard on the metal studs and cladding, they've got a lot done since I last drove by.

[MonctonRad]

I'm gonna miss that tower crane. I drove by it every day on my way into work on Mountain Road.

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I'm gonna miss that tower crane. I drove by it every day on my way into work on Mountain Road.

Emma Place is going to be quite the impressive building. They've really made good progress on it, unlike some other projects that seem to be going at a snail's pace. I'm still waiting for the crane at the Junction to go back up!

[MonctonRad]

Lots of activity going on at the MID West Industrial Park off of Berry Mills Road.

The Gemtec Engineering Building is nearing completion.


(sorry about the backlighting)

There are now Newco Construction signs up at two adjacent building sites just to the east of the PPG Architectural Coatings Building. This sign has been put up at one of these two construction sites.



A recent article in the T&T discussing the recent sale of five parcels of land in MID parks, noted that one of the sales was to be for a new manufacturing facility that will create 50 new jobs. This must be it.

JessEm Tool Company is a builder of industrial tools, based in Orillia ON, and specializes in routers and industrial saws. This is a good catch.

https://jessem.ca

The MID West Industrial Park is rapidly building out. With this new construction, I would say that roughly 50% of the lots will have been built on. If you look at the map below, at least 80% of the lots in the park have been purchased or optioned:



I imagine MID must be thinking about phase 2 of park expansion right about now.........

[MonctonRad]

Fewer kids on school buses translates into more traffic in Moncton neighbourhood
Eilish Bonang CTV News Atlantic Reporter
Published Friday, September 18, 2020 10:45PM ADT
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/fewer-ki...hood-1.5111592

I saw this on CTV News Atlantic last evening. The bottleneck is the Ryan Street roundabout, and the trigger is the newly opened connector to Twin Oaks Drive and the adjacent Ecole le Sommet. Morning traffic is also exacerbated by the nearby Evergreen Park, Maplehurst Middle and Northrup Frye schools. What has put things over the edge is increased car traffic in the mornings as parents drop off kids for school rather than using busses due to COVID.

The problem is primarily situational, but I am sure that all this has done is to reveal future problems this roundabout will have handling traffic flow as the neighbourhood continues to build out. In particular, the plan for a half dozen new six storey apartment buildings on Twin Oaks, as well as increased usage of the new Moncton North YMCA, and the potential for a new Moncton North Public Library will only make things worse.

I know several months ago, the city planning department was saying that the roundabout might need to be expanded in 10 years time. It very well may be that this expansion will be necessary considerably sooner...…..

[mylesmalley]

God forbid the city finished the connection at the other end of Twin Oaks..

[MonctonRad]

The local irate citizenry of Muirfield Drive and Oak Hill Court would be marching in the streets with pitchforks and flaming torches. Mayor Dawn Arnold would be burned in effigy.

[mctnguy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

The local irate citizenry of Muirfield Drive and Oak Hill Court would be marching in the streets with pitchforks and flaming torches. Mayor Dawn Arnold would be burned in effigy.

Twin Oaks is already a veritable drag strip. I wouldn't want to see what it would be like if there was direct access to the Casino.

[mylesmalley]

There is almost no traffic calming on Twin Oaks. Put sets of stop signs at Augusta Terrace, Falcon, Maplehurst, and narrow the road at the 3 or 4 trail crossings like at the bottom of Frampton Lane.

Twin Oaks is already an arterial road. Blocking one end of it just means the traffic that should flow north onto the TCH gets added onto others.

[MonctonRad]

I agree 100%

[MonctonRad]

The T&T has just pointed out that this is a relocation of this business, not an expansion.

This is even more interesting.............

I wonder if any of their current employees will relocate from Ontario too???