The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[BlackYear]

Love looking at this photo. Two things stands out for me, color of the river, and the almost non existence of surface parking.

[MonctonRad]

Well, this is sad…..

Big changes coming to News 91.9


Station sold to Acadia Broadcasting
Jeannie MacGillivray
from the station currently known as News 91.9
Mar 14, 2014 04:15:40 PM

MONCTON, N.B. – The airwaves in Greater Moncton will sound a bit different later this year.

News 91.9, also known as CKNI-FM, has been purchased by Irving-owned Acadia Broadcasting from Rogers Communications.

Acadia says they plan to change from the current news/talk format to music.

They say the revamped CKNI-FM will be ready to launch mid-summer.

Acadia owns twelve stations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario.

News 91.9 began broadcasting in 2005.

personal note - News 91.9 was always somewhat sparse as a news source, but it did provide an alternative to the CBC and the Irving controlled T&T. Now the media concentration of the Irving empire increases yet again, and apparently the format will change to music rather than news/talk/sports. We already have about a dozen music stations in Moncton as it is. Do we really need another? I imagine whatever genre they choose will already be covered by one or another other station. I suspect that since Irving will own the station that the Wildcats broadcasts will continue, but I imagine this will mean the end of Blue jays coverage on the radio in our market.

[mylesmalley]

I'm really not surprised. I was disappointed when I heard a few months ago that they were considering changing formats, but honestly, News919 has really gone down hill in the past year.

They tried to apply a format that I'm sure works well in larger centers, but I can't help laughing every time the 'traffic report' comes on and they warn us about moderate volumes on Weldon St. Then they fired half of their talk show staff a few months ago. What's left leaves a lot to be desired.

[L'homard]

Money talks. I strongly suspect that if there was any kind of coin to be made by broadcasting chat shows and by reading abridged versions of stories that they blatantly plagiarize from the local newspaper's website, then they'd not switch formats.
BTW, don't they have to apply to the CRTC to change formats? If anyone objects to the changeover, there is your opportunity to make your objection. Not sure it would help, but anyway.....
I did like their talk shows despite how they'd go off half-baked on subjects they know nothing about, as if they were experts. But I just enjoy talk shows. I remember the good Councillor Daniel Bourgeois spending an hour on their afternoon chat show explaining that he isn't necessarily against mega-concerts and stadiums, he just wants a proper accounting of the expenses so he can see if they are good value for the money. The broadcaster would have none of it and focused solely on Daniel as being "the councillor who is against concerts and stadiums," no matter how many times he was corrected. That's just one example. I finally stopped tuning in and, given the format change, suspect I'm not alone.

[MonctonRad]

from the City of Moncton website:

Community Open House for repurposing of Moncton Coliseum
March 14, 2014

MONCTON – The City of Moncton invites residents and media representatives to a community open house at Legends Lounge in the Moncton Coliseum on Tuesday, March 18 at 6 p.m. On the agenda will be the future use of the Moncton Coliseum Complex should the construction of a new Downtown Centre come to fruition.

Residents will have an opportunity to take a tour of the Coliseum Complex, which will be followed by a presentation by the project planning team on the options for repurposing the Coliseum. Residents will then have an opportunity to speak to members of the planning team about any aspect of the proposed options and share their ideas.

This is an opportunity for the community to view the options being considered for repurposing the Moncton Coliseum, which is part of the City’s due-diligence process in preparing for the possible construction of a new Downtown Centre.

[Walk then Run]

I don't know what the city planners have up their sleeves for the Coliseum's second life, but my two cents worth is to possibly team up with Magnetic Hill Zoo and create an indoor botanical garden with a restaurant and walking track (which I believe was proposed before).

This would add to the tourism impact the city already has and give the locals another thing to do all year round. To my knowledge I don't know of anything like this in Atlantic Canada, so why not.

I wish I could attend the meeting, walk around. Anxious to hear about it if anyone goes.

[Walk then Run]

Did anyone here attend or know someone who made it to the community open house regarding the potential future use of the Coliseum? I'm curious as to what was proposed.

[MonctonRad]

I wasn't there, and it sounds like only about 20 people were, so I doubt that any contributors to the forum made it.

Here is the T&T article about the tour:

Coliseum could be big rec centre
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Times & Transcript
By: Alan Cochrane

If and when a new multi-use metro events centre is constructed in downtown Moncton, the 40-year-old Coliseum/Agrena complex should live on as a massive trade show and recreation facility, consultants said during a community open house last night.

“If the downtown centre is built, the trade show activity would not transfer to the downtown centre, but the big spectator events (like hockey, basketball and concerts) will transfer downtown,” said Conrad Boychuk, the director of recreation and venue development for CEI Architecture in Vancouver.

During last night’s open house, Boychuk presented four different options for repurposing the Coliseum. The options include leaving it as another hockey arena or removing the seats and ice surface to create better use of the available space for various forms of community recreation and trade shows.

read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=12554

[Walk then Run]

Thanks for the post MonctonRad. Should be interesting, especially if the Events Center starts gaining steam.

[CdnEh]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Well, this is sad…..

Big changes coming to News 91.9


Station sold to Acadia Broadcasting
Jeannie MacGillivray
from the station currently known as News 91.9
Mar 14, 2014 04:15:40 PM

MONCTON, N.B. – The airwaves in Greater Moncton will sound a bit different later this year.

News 91.9, also known as CKNI-FM, has been purchased by Irving-owned Acadia Broadcasting from Rogers Communications.

Acadia says they plan to change from the current news/talk format to music.

They say the revamped CKNI-FM will be ready to launch mid-summer.

Acadia owns twelve stations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario.

News 91.9 began broadcasting in 2005.

personal note - News 91.9 was always somewhat sparse as a news source, but it did provide an alternative to the CBC and the Irving controlled T&T. Now the media concentration of the Irving empire increases yet again, and apparently the format will change to music rather than news/talk/sports. We already have about a dozen music stations in Moncton as it is. Do we really need another? I imagine whatever genre they choose will already be covered by one or another other station. I suspect that since Irving will own the station that the Wildcats broadcasts will continue, but I imagine this will mean the end of Blue jays coverage on the radio in our market.

Meh - Acadia Broadcasting stations seem to be pretty good. The Wave in Saint John is very listenable and the on-air personalities are great and long-term, not a revolving door of people in and out.

Much better than MBS Radio, who operates MAX 103.9, 99.9 Choix FM, and K94.5 in Moncton. MBS has had employees on strike at multiple stations for the past 22 months and has been pre-recording their shows and operating the stations remotely out of Halifax.

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/striking-...line-1.1600974

[Monctoncore]

The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission is taking steps to clean up the Petitcodiac River.

As it stands, wastewater effluent pumped into the Petitcodiac River undergoes only primary treatment — a process the involves removing solids that float or sink.

But the commission is taking steps to comply with the federal standards of secondary treatment by 2020, which would see dissolved organic material also removed.

The plan is to have construction start on a secondary treatment plant next year, and be in operation by 2018, said commission chairman Winston Pearce.

The wastewater treatment facility upgrade is estimated to cost $60 million, which may be covered by the city, or could include assistance from the provincial and federal governments, or a public-private partnership, he said.

Pearce says it's important to get the work done because the Petitcodiac is already drawing international surfers to ride the tidal bore.

"It didn't give me a great deal of satisfaction to see it, but that's OK, they're doing it. We're trying to fix the problem and we have made changes," he said. "We shut the plant down for a few hours when this is happening, just before the tide comes in, we shut it down and there are fewer problems."

The commission is looking to do ultraviolet treatment, said Pearce.

"What it does is it produces more of the solids, which we take out to the compost plant and we're going to probably produce 25 per cent more compost than we've been producing up to now," he said.

"Believe it or not, the compost plant produces about as much compost as it would take to fill a 100-car train" in a year

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...iver-1.2584193

[MonctonRad]

Reposted from the Downtown thread. It might be more appropriate here……..

Here is a link to the pdf of the presentation regarding the repurposing of the Moncton Coliseum if the downtown events centre goes ahead.

http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Busines...esentation.pdf

Some interesting reading here…….

[MonctonRad]

Moncton gets top billing for cost competitiveness
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Times & Transcript
By: Cole Hobson

For the second consecutive time, a KPMG study has named Moncton as the most cost-competitive city to do business in Canada.

Kevin Silliker, the city’s director of economic development, said they “couldn’t be happier”with the result,which he said reaffirms that Moncton is a“good place to establish your business, set up your business and expand your business.”

“I think that overall Atlantic Canada is a small marketplace … Moncton wants to help grow the overall pie of not only New Brunswick but also Atlantic Canada, so I think that news like this certainly bodes well for the region”he said. “We’re happy to be leading the pack again. We certainly do see ourselves as a centre of commerce, a centre of enterprise,a centre for startups.We’re definitely pleased that the region and Moncton has come out on top.”

KPMG has released the 2014 Competitive Alternatives report, which is an extensive study that compares business cost competitiveness in locations across Canada and more than 100 cities in 10 countries around the world.

Moncton came out on top for Canadian cities and also ranks fourth, behind only the two Mexican cities studied and Manchester in the United Kingdom, among all 107 featured cities.

Read more:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=12599

[Monctoncore]

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/m...-centermoncton

[Feneant]

Originally Posted by Monctoncore

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/m...-centermoncton

Thank you, is that the one CBC was referring to or is there another? Only the mayor seems to have a clue on the council. Rest of them are happy spending over 100k per extra seat over what we have now, that's absolutely nuts.

[mylesmalley]

Well I'll say one thing. Moncton in a power outage is pretty spooky. Looks like just about all of Dieppe except Acadie Ave south of Champlain is out. Mountain Road from Main to Vaughan Harvey is out. Downtown north of Queen...

[Monctoncore]

This is actually a really great idea, starting in Moncton and Finishing in Moncton.

http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=12629

A green light for ‘nature tourism’


Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Times & Transcript
Location: D6

‘Green tourism’has been much discussed and promoted in New Brunswick over the last decade but progress has been relatively slow in our view. Thus, it is certainly welcome news that international firm World Expeditions is adding the Fundy Footpath to its offerings.Given that the company includes such locations as Mount Everest on its tours, the company’s interest in the Fundy Coast adds new cachet to promotional efforts by the New Brunswick government to have the Fundy Coast recognized as one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.

World Expeditions is well named,asitisaglobalplayer inthe‘greentourism’industry and sees the potential of the Fundy Footpath, a 41-kilometre stretch of ‘expert’ trail connecting Fundy National Park to Big Salmon River along the longest, wildest stretch of undeveloped land on the Fundy Coast. What we particularly like about the vision of World Expeditions is an eight-day ‘green tourism’ package that begins and ends in Metro Moncton.

[Monctoncore]

http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=12630

Why is Moncton accepting ‘no’ as an answer?

Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Times & Transcript
By: Alec Bruce
Location: D6

Metro Moncton richly deserves its pride of place as one North America’s most attractive municipalities for businesses. In fact, according to a new KPMG report, pound-for pound, the Hub City might be the most free-enterprising on the continent.

As the 2014 Competitive Alternatives report states,“The cost leaders in the New England/Atlantic Canada region are the Atlantic Canada cities of Moncton, Charlottetown, and Fredericton, all with costs nine per cent or more below the U.S. baseline. Costs are somewhat higher in Halifax, St. John’s and Bangor, while Manchester (New Hampshire) and Burlington (Vermont) have the highest business costs among the smaller cities in this region.”

[Monctoncore]

Fifty jobs to be added in the tourism business in Moncton

Tuesday, April 01, 2014
The New acadie
By: Damien Dauphin
Location: 17

A North American company specializing in business travel installs a branch in Moncton . Premier David Alward made ​​the announcement Monday afternoon in a cozy room at the Delta Beauséjour.

Canada News: Damien Dauphin Prime Minister came to support the creation of 50 new jobs in Greater Moncton . - This is a David Alward who appeared visibly relaxed with Daniel Allain, Deputy Minister, Agency management and administration, and ministers Sue Stultz and Marie-Claude Blais, respectively deputies of Moncton West and of Moncton North. Stultz officiated as master of ceremonies.


"New Brunswick provides an environment for businesses to increase their success. Here today, HRG is an example by choosing to settle in New Brunswick, "she said in her introduction.

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) is an international company headquartered in the United Kingdom. Its network extends to over 120 countries. Specializing in business and data management services and travel expenses, the firm recently won a seven-year contract with the federal government for a total of $ 211 million. Today she comes to settle in Moncton .

To support the creation of 50 permanent jobs over the next two years, Invest NB HRG grants financial assistance of up to $ 200,000 in the form of a rebate on wages.
"Once all positions have been filled, the investment will be an annual contribution of $ 1.8 million in gross domestic product of the province, "announced David Alward.

The Prime Minister thanked Greg Treasure, President HRG North America, for the collaboration that will be implemented so that the campus NBCC / CCNB and Oulton College to train a skilled workforce, including the ability to bilingualism was stressed.

"A bilingual workforce, employees taking their commitment seriously in their work, in addition to its expertise and capabilities, will ensure a strong future for HRG in the province", welcomed David Alward.

Greg Treasure welcomed NB investing has helped his company to install a new office in Moncton . It only remains to find the right candidates to cover positions that are open.

"The 50 people employed in New Brunswick will join a global and successful business, Mr. Treasure promises. They offer a first class service to our clients, for which we are recognized through the provision of advice our outstanding business travelers. " In an interview with the media after the press conference, the Prime Minister has not estimated that 50 jobs accounted for a small amount on the labor market. He was convinced to see HRG grow in the province and increase over time, the number of employees. According to him, this is a great opportunity to retain a qualified and bilingual region in the workforce.


This is translated from Acadie Nouvelle

[Monctoncore]

Great news for the cathedral on St. George, if I am correct, this was mentioned months ago but was not a done deal, well now it is and they plan on helping fund the 7 million needed to repair the church.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...ball-1.2596936