Fredericton Mayor Delivers State of the City Address in New Convention Centre

Fredericton (January 13, 2010) – As promised at the 2009 State of the City Address, City of Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside has delivered his 2010 address at the new Fredericton Convention Centre.

During his speech, which marked the first official event in the City’s state of the art multi-use meeting and event facility, the Mayor touched on many of the successes enjoyed by Fredericton in 2010 and celebrated the partnerships that made these things possible. He also used the opportunity to make several good news announcements for the city.

Mayor Woodside, along with Mr. Peter Bessey, Senior Vice-President, Atlantic Region for Scotiabank, announced that the bank will be providing significant support to Fredericton’s recreation infrastructure. As part of the agreement, the bank has acquired the naming rights for the recreation hubs around Willie O’Ree Place and the new Grant•Harvey Centre, which will now be known as Scotiabank Park North and Scotiabank Park South.

The support will help enhance the City’s two recreation hubs, and will also allow for the construction of a new artificial multi-use sports field next to Willie O’Ree Place.

Fredericton’s award winning “green” efforts are no secret, and Mayor Woodside announced that Fredericton had reached the fifth and final milestone of its Partners for Climate Protection Program for reducing community greenhouse gas emissions. The City received official word this week from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

The municipality achieved Milestone 5 for the reduction of corporate emissions in September 2009. Fredericton has become only the fourth municipality in Canada, and the first east of British Columbia, to achieve the highest certification possible for its efforts to reduce both municipal and community emissions.

Development is occurring in all areas of the city and in all sectors. In fact, the Mayor celebrated the fact that 2010 marked a record-breaking development year in Fredericton. Development figures for the city totalled $168,130,173 – breaking the previous record from 2008 by $11 million. This is the fifth straight year with over $100 million in development in the city, with the previous two years coming in at over $90 million each year.

Fredericton is in an enviable position, said the Mayor. While “green” efforts are important, residents are also fully aware of all the aspects that make Fredericton a great city, and the municipality continues to be focused on delivering services in a fiscally responsible manner. In fact, the City of Fredericton has a long history of applying sustainability-based principles to community planning and master planning processes.

The municipality intends to remain a leader in this area. To achieve this, the City of Fredericton is developing a guiding framework called “Sustainability. By Design.” The effort is intended to guide the municipality and engage the community over the coming months. The Mayor encouraged those in the room to watch for more details as Fredericton continues to look toward its ongoing sustainability.

The 2010 State of the City address, sponsored by the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, attracted almost 500 people and was part of the events associated with the opening of the Fredericton Convention Centre. The facility officially opened on January 12. Public open houses and self-guided tours will be held later this winter.