STRATEGY TO STRENGTHEN CITY UNITY NEEDS

SPECIFICS


THE DAILY GLEANER

EDITORIAL 29 MAY 2012

The two banks of the St. John River have never been closer.

There’s no need to rush to the window. We are speaking philosophically.

The picturesque river divides Fredericton into north and south sides, and for a long time it also divided the haves from the have-nots, the jobless from the employed, the good neighbourhoods from the bad neighbourhoods, the good drinking water from the poor drinking water and modern water and sewer systems from obsolete pipes.

Do people still look down — at least a little bit — on northsiders? It would be hard to argue no.

The history of that division dates back to the 1960s and 1970s when Fredericton amalgamated the villages on the north side of the river. Many people still associate themselves with those communities such as Barkers Point, Devon, Marysville and Nashwaaksis.

There’s nothing wrong with remembering your history, but it’s much healthier to look to the future as a united city.

But that division has decreased substantially in the years since the Westmorland Street Bridge opened in 1981.

That bridge instantly added many thousands of dollars to the property value of every homeowner on the north side and brought the two sides closer together.

Sure, it’s still a bit of a bottleneck. But the next time you are fuming about the slow pace of traffic on the bridge, cast your mind back to the days of the two-lane Carleton Street Bridge when the police used to turn it into two lanes heading south for the morning rush hour and north for the evening rush hour.

Good luck to anyone trying to go against the flow during those times.

The north side now has its own high school and shopping centres. It has the city’s main indoor swimming pool, and when council decided to build two new arenas, the north-side facility was built first.

There is even a water pipeline running under the river.

Since most of the available land on the south side within city limits has been developed, most new homes in Fredericton are constructed on the north side.

But newly re-elected Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside wants to make the river even narrower.

“I’m going to get rid of this northside, southside stuff,” he said, Monday night. “We’re one city.”

“We’re all members of council to serve the city, and anybody who is selected for anything will be selected on their merit.”

It’s an admirable sentiment to be sure, but talk is cheap.

We would like to see the mayor and new council lay out a concrete plan to eliminate the long-standing northside-southside sentiment.

Council is about to go into a strategic planning retreat after the election to plot the future of the city. Among the many issues that process should address is making the capital truly one city.

Hopefully the three new councillors, combined with the veterans who were re-elected, are the right mix to make it happen.

SWN POSTPONES SHALE EXPLORATION


BY JAMES FOSTER

TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

30 MAY 2012 08:10PM

SWN Canada, the company licensed to explore the largest part of the province by far for shale gas, is postponing its seismic program for this summer.

This is the second time SWN has temporarily halted its gas exploration in New Brunswick, cutting their work short last year after their equipment was stolen and vandalized, and amid allegations workers were intimidated and assaulted.

This year, the company’s shale gas exploration program has been halted before it could even get started because the province has yet to award the company the permits it needs to start the season’s seismic program.

Tom Alexander, the company’s general manager for New Brunswick, said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with the Times & Transcript that there is some lead time necessary to arrange the proper staff and equipment to carry out their seismic program, and without permits in hand, time has run out.

“By the time this thing gets ironed out,” Alexander said, “we’d probably be outside the window of getting it done this year.”

Alexander said he doesn’t know why the company has yet to receive word on their permits, noting they have applied for their permits in as timely a fashion as ever, but the documents haven’t been forthcoming.

Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup said he is investigating the circumstances that have led to SWN’s decision which means that for this year, only a little housekeeping work will be done by SWN and its subcontractors as far as exploring for gas deposits deep underground.

Of the 1.4 million hectares of the province where licences for shale gas exploration have been awarded, SWN has the rights to 1.1 million of that.

The postponement is a significant blow to the nascent gas industry in New Brunswick. Even during last year’s shortened geochemistry and seismic testing season, SWN used 200 workers from across Atlantic Canada, about two-thirds of those from New Brunswick. They also used the services of about 70 small businesses in the region, spending about $4 million at those firms which ranged from trucking companies to restaurants to hotels to hardware stores.

The bigger boon to local business will be when SWN begins actually drilling for gas, which has yet to begin as they are still in the exploratory stages of looking for the gas, as well as carrying out environmental impact assessments on any areas they might want to drill. However, this second delay in their exploration program will also push back any potential drilling, Alexander said.

The provincial government is gradually coming out with new regulations and a new royalty scheme for the emerging shale gas industry, with some industry groups saying the new royalty regimen is potentially one of the most expensive in Canada and somewhat confusing. The regulatory changes have been promoted by government as the strictest in the nation. Those changes received second reading in the Legislature just as Alexander was telling the Times & Transcript that his company was pulling the plug on this year’s exploration efforts, but he stressed that neither of those developments played a role in SWN’s decision.

“We’re not afraid of robust regulations,” he said, underlining that his industry needs stability and certainty in order to thrive in New Brunswick. SWN remains “completely committed” to its New Brunswick program, he said, and will use the time off from actually looking for shale gas to take part in the consultation process that is presently unfolding regarding new royalties and regulations.

For example, a government public consultation tour of the province will offer residents an open house for an hour and a half where New Brunswickers can speak with members of the natural gas group about exploration, development or other shale gas concerns, after which a second hour-and-a-half public meeting will be held. That tour begins Wednesday in Chipman, then moves on to Stanley, Salisbury, Hillsborough, Grand Falls, Bathurst, Bouctouche and Blackville.

In Fredericton, the opposition Liberals say SWN’s decision shows how the governing Conservatives have bungled the shale gas file.

“The government can’t seem to get its act together,” Liberal natural resources critic Denis Landry said.

“As we have always said, there should be a moratorium. Then we need a special committee from the legislative assembly to tour the province. We need an open process for this.”

The provincial government proposed last month 116 different changes to rules policing the oil and gas industry.

“If you look what is going on right now,” Landry said, “on one hand they are saying they will introduce new regulations. But what we got earlier this month were 116 recommendations – not regulations. A lot of people are waiting to see how tough the new regulations will be but at the end of the day, we had only recommendations. I think since day one, the minister has always said they would come with new, tighter regulations and 20 months later we still don’t have them. I think this confusion is part of what is happening now with SWN.”

Northrup called SWN’s decision “very unfortunate.”

“But on the other side of the coin we are pleased they are committed to staying in New Brunswick in the future.”

Northrup said he is looking into the circumstances that led to SWN’s decision, but said his government wouldn’t rush into decisions on gas exploration.

“We’re taking our time and taking the steps to do this right,” Northrup said.

The minister invoked the memory of Windsor Energy, which last year did seismic testing in Sussex without town council’s approval, sparking an uproar, as one reason why caution should be exercised on the shale gas file and said he would be talking shortly to SWN and others exploring for gas.

“I’ll be sitting down with Tom and other industry people in the next couple of weeks.”

COUNCILLORS SEEK WARD

REALIGNMENT

By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

22 May 2012 03:08AM

Two Fredericton city councillors say it’s time to embark on municipal electoral reform in Fredericton because of inequities in the population distributions within the city’s 12 wards.

The current ward system has been around for nearly 40 years.

“There’s horrible inequities where you have some wards with twice or four times the population of others,” said Coun. Scott McConaghy, who was returned to council representing Ward 7 (Lincoln area).

In McConaghy’s own ward, there are 3,691 eligible voters. Contrast that with Coun. David Kelly’s Ward 12 (Silverwood-Garden Creek) with 5,394 voters or Coun. Bruce Grandy’s Ward 2 (Nashwaaksis) with 5,110 eligible voters.

The ward with the lowest eligible voter population is Barkers Point-Lower St. Marys. In the May 14 election, incumbent Marilyn Kerton had 1,436 constituents eligible to vote in the ward.

“In the federal and provincial election districts, they only allow for deviations of 20 to 25 per cent. Here in the city we have scenarios now where we have deviations of 200 and 300 per cent, almost approaching 400 per cent, which is just blatantly unfair to the voters of those wards that have the higher populations,” McConaghy said. “The ability to represent those people is much more difficult in those wards, than it is in the Barker’s Point ward. More than anything, I want us to review the ward boundaries to balance this out, but I think it’s also time to have a report and engage the public to review even the size of council.”

McConaghy said it may be time to reduce the size of council to 10 plus a mayor.

“This is the perfect opportunity to start the process on that, but at the very least, there has to be a rebalancing of the numbers associated with the populations of the wards,” he said.

Fredericton’s 12 wards are drawn up largely along the boundaries of former communities that existed prior to the 1973 amalgamation. For instance, Ward 5 (Marysville) with a population of 2,805 eligible voters is basically composed of the original Town of Marysville that existed prior to 1973.

McConaghy said Marysville will always be Marysville whether it has a councillor solely dedicated to the area of not.

“What makes a community are the people in it, not necessarily the councillor who represents it,” he said.

“Something has to change ... I expect the public is in tune enough to know that there’s horrible inequities when you have some wards that are twice or three or four times the size of other wards,” he said. “That scenario just can’t remain. A person’s vote is not as valuable in some of these because of the inequities.

“It might also be a good time to reflect on how many representatives we actually need and are we still satisfied with the ward system itself? I think the ward system has worked well in this city, but I don’t think it would hurt to go out and just reaffirm that with the public,” he said.

McConaghy said he fully expects the topic will be discussed during a proposed council retreat which Mayor Brad Woodside intends to hold once the newly-elected council is formally sworn in May 28 with three new councillors taking their seats.

“On my radar, it’s very important that our institutions reflect fairness in the way they are elected,” he said.

Coun. Mike O’Brien began posting comments on Twitter just after the May 14 election, noting the population deviations.

O’Brien, who was returned to public office by acclamation, would have had to court 3,006 voters in Ward 3 (Fulton Heights-North Devon) if he had a contested race.

“If the whole concept of democracy is representation by population, we’re not doing that,” he said. “The original intent when the wards were set up was to do them by community, which makes sense in one respect ... It’s nice in one respect where people have community representation. However, when one person is representing 1,400 or 1,500 people and another is representing 5,300 people, there is some inequity there.”

O’Brien suspects there could be community sensitivity to altering ward boundaries.

“Some are very proud of their former roots, but proud to be part of the larger city. We’d have to look at that because there’s an emotional attachment to that,” he said.

O’Brien said polling jurisdictions, however, are aligned with federal-provincial election polls, so the city could following those polling divisions, but add or subtract polls from different wards.

“It would start to carve through some of the existing communities,” he said.

O’Brien is open to discussing a reduction in the size of council based on north-south lines.

“It does make a good divide. You could say, let’s go with four councillors on each side of the river,” he said. “That brings the distribution for each ward to a little over 4,000 on average. There’s ways you could look at it.”

If council has the will to discuss redrawing ward boundaries and reducing the size of council, there would have to be public discussion and O’Brien suggests a plebiscite would be the way to answer the question in the next 2016 election.

“You’d definitely have to ask the people if they’d support it,” he said.

O’Brien is also open to discussing whether voters are happy with the ward system or if they want to look at a mix of wards in combination with councillors elected at large.

Mayor Brad Woodside said he’s open to hearing from councillors on municipal electoral reform.

“We had a referendum back a few years ago and I actually supported looking at redistribution and also I think 12 members of council is too much. I supported, at that time, reducing the number of representatives to 10 and I could very easily have supported eight. Five on each side of the river with a combination of ward and at-large,” he said.

Woodside said he’s prepared to entertain discussion on municipal electoral reform at the upcoming council retreat.

“The retreat is an open discussion. I’m prepared and want to hear everything,” Woodside said.

Specifically, he wants to hear ideas on how to conduct municipal business better and even more importantly, letting the public know council’s direction and priorities for the next four years.

NORTH SIDE TO GET ITS OWN FARMERS' MARKET


BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

MCLAUGHLIN.HEATHER@DAILYGLEANER.COM

18 MAY 2012 11:12AM

A Fredericton real estate agent who is starting a new northside farmers’ market is aiming to have the doors opened by June.

“I think there’s room for one (a northside farmers’ market),” said Peter Perry. “Everybody’s on side with it, as far as everybody at the city and everybody I’ved talked to on the north side and all over. It will be like a farmers’ market.”

The market will be located in the former Furniture Deals property on St. Mary’s Street near Maple Street.

“Everybody wants in. I have people that wanted to get in the other one (Boyce Farmers’ Market), but they haven’t been able to,” he said.

Perry said he hopes to supply shoppers with fresh produce, meats, cheeses and a wide variety of other food products that come from local vendors.

“I have just about five acres of parking there, so you’ll be able to drive up to the door, basically, and get out and get inside — that’s the biggest thing. It’s a 23,000-square-foot (2,136-square-metre) building,” he said.

Since the building is a former car dealership property, it has bay doors that will allow for boats and equipment shows to be hosted at the facilit,y as well as other community events, Perry said.

“We’re demolishing some of the interior walls right now and we’re going to get everything cleaned up and we’ll be ready to go,” he said.

Perry is already taking vendor applications and said he’s had quite a few responses back already. To apply or learn more about participating in the market and the costs, go to info@thenorthsidemarket.ca.

Perry said he hopes to have the market open three days a week: from noon to 9 p.m. on Friday; from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. He said the hours can be varied depending on demand.

“Everybody’s excited about Friday, so they can go at noon or after work. There’s been a big response on that,” he said.

Perry said he’s been dealing with one vendor who has access to 80 farmers who can supply the new market. He said he even has vendors from Prince Edward Island.

There will be crafts and woodworking items for sale, but the main attraction will be food. The building can house 200 vendors inside and more vendors outside.

“Our plan is to provide our community with an enjoyable place to meet with old friends and purchase goods from local merchants and farmers three days a week,” he said.

Perry said he hopes he’ll be able to give work to some 200-300 people through market sales.

To learn more about the Northside Market, visit www.thenorthsidemarket.ca

Perry’s application has already gone through third reading by city council. Perry said he’s also thinking of incorporating a canteen or restaurant down the road.

The building is in a highway commercial zone.

“Although outdoor market is not listed as a permitted use in the highway commercial zone, in this case staff believe that the operation of an outdoor market in conjunction with the indoor retail market is appropriate given the property’s size, location and visibility,” said a city planning report that went to council on the final reading of Perry’s zoning amendment application.

Brad Woodside wins Fredericton mayor's race

New faces on Fredericton council

CBC News

Posted: May 14, 2012 8:51 PM AT

Brad Woodside easily won his eighth term as Fredericton's mayor on Monday night, defeating political newcomer Matthew Hayes in Monday's election.

Woodside won with 10,309 votes to the 6,072 of Hayes. All of the polls have now reported.
Hayes conceded in an interview with CBC News on Monday night.

Hayes said Woodside had strong support in the city.
"He is a well-loved mayor in this city," Hayes told CBC News.
"For me to knock off Brad Woodside, that would have been pretty incredible."

Woodside is the capital city’s longest serving mayor and he’s running for an eighth term in office. When the campaign started, Woodside said this would be his final term if he were successful.
Hayes, a sociology professor at St. Thomas University, ran a hard campaign to try and unseat the long-time mayor.

Woodside has publicly questioned why Hayes opted to run for mayor instead of running for a council spot first. Woodside has pointed to the city’s strong financial shape as a reason to re-elect him.
Woodside had called on Hayes to clearly outline his history with the Occupy Fredericton movement.

Hayes has used his campaign to try and raise issues, such as improving public transit.

There are other interesting races in Fredericton to watch on Monday night.

Tight council races

Former Fredericton mayor Sandy DiGiacinto failed in his attempt to city politics, 11 years after losing his position as mayor. Greg Ericson, 43, ran a highly-visible and well-organized campaign in the city. He won with 701 votes to DiGiacinto's 526 votes.  DiGiacinto took over from Woodside when he decided to quit and run for the provincial Liberals in 1999. DiGiacinto ended up losing his position in 2001 to former provincial Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Les Hull.
DiGiacinto was running against a new face in municipal politics. There was a packed field in

Fredericton’s Ward 10.

There are other newcomers to Fredericton's political scene.Leah Levac easily defeated incumbent Stephen Kelly in a crowded field in the city's Ward 10. Levac, an academic and an expert in public engagement, won with 646 votes to Kelly's 357.

Ryan Jacobson had 330 votes, Marven Grant had 279 votes and Courtney Mills had 121 votes.

In Ward 11, Kate Rogers had a healthy victory. She earned 705 votes to Tim Rattenbury's 245 votes and Misty McLaughlin's 238 votes.

The new Fredericton council will include:

• Brad Woodside, mayor
• Dan Keenan, Ward 1
• Bruce Grandy, Ward 2
• Mike O'Brien, Ward 3
• Eric Megarity, Ward 4
• Steven Hicks, Ward 5
• Marilyn Kerton, Ward 6
• Scott McConaghy, Ward 7
• Greg Ericson, Ward 8
• Stephen Chase, Ward 9
• Leah Levac, Ward 10
• Kate Rogers, Ward 11
• David Kelly, Ward 12

Fredericton working to bring back elm trees

CBC News

Posted: May 15, 2012 12:54 PM AT

Fredericton, once known as the City of Stately Elms before Dutch elm disease devastated North American trees, is working on bringing back those shady streets.

For the past five years, the city has been planting a new variety of elm, and surrounding the elms with a wide variety of other trees, which make them more resistant to the devastating affects of the fungus responsible for Dutch elm disease.

City Arboricultural Foreman Neil Trebble said the trees are doing well and this year he's planting sixty of them.

"We're got a disease-resistant variety and it's our hope to get our population of elm trees back up to where they were," Trebble said.

Fredericton once boasted one of the largest stands of elms outside of New York City's Central Park.

In the 1950s, elm trees, which line many streets in downtown Fredericton, became threatened by Dutch elm disease. Since then it has decimated North America's elm tree population.

Fredericton has had a Dutch elm disease management program since 1952.

While that initiative has been successful in saving many of Fredericton's elms, thousands of trees were lost and there's currently no way of eradicating the fungus.

This year Trebble is trying out some new varieties to plant around the elms including tulip trees and sweet gums.

"We want to avoid getting into a monoculture like we did before in the past, because elm disease devastated our one variety of tree, our elm," Trebble said.

One that has proven to be a hardy species is the honey locust.

The city had been planting 20 to 30 a year.

Homeowner Nicole Dominix couldn't be more pleased.

"It's nice that the city cares enough to beautify areas. Yeah, it's great," said Dominix.

She said her dog will also be happy with the results.

"I think he's going to be busy out here. Actually he's been barking at the hole for the last week. But yeah, I think he'll enjoy the tree better," she said laughing.

The city will plant 460 trees this year, hoping that in time, they'll be as hardy and healthy as the elms that still survive.

Acclamations show that New Brunswickers happy with local politics

Adam Scotti,  Monday, May 14, 2012 10:32 AM

A sign for tourism information is pictured in Fredericton;New Brunswick Tuesday April 3;2012.

Photo Credit: Francis Vachon , The Canadian Press Images

Mike O'Brien will be acclaimed for the third time on Monday in New Brunswick's provincial capital of Fredericton, one of 95 municipal councillors who will win a seat without having to contest an election.

But compared to the last round of municipal elections in the province four years ago, there is a decreasing number of councillors and mayors acclaimed.

O'Brien explains his three acclamations by pointing to a citizen attitude survey conducted by Fredericton every two years.

"The residents are generally quite satisfied with the services they get provided for their taxes. Therefore at election time, that gets reflected," said O'Brien.

"There is no major need for a change. There's no major controversies in the community. The city is moving in a positive direction. Therefore, the residents seem to be quite happy to be bringing a lot of the incumbents in." 

Municipal acclamations of mayors and councillors have decreased since the last election to 139 from 163. In 2008, a total of 110 councillors were acclaimed alongside 53 mayors, with acclamations dropping to 95 councillors and 44 mayors this year.

Out of 536 councillors and 105 mayors, the numbers translate into 17.7 per cent of councillors and almost 42 per cent of mayors being acclaimed.

Paul Howe, a professor of political science at the University of New Brunswick, says the high acclamation rates may reflect a general reluctance of the public to make a long-term commitment to politics.

Howe, who studies public engagement with politics, said it's difficult to get people to participate when time commitments are significant and involve matters that don't concern them personally.

"People are interested in becoming engaged in issues on a more temporary basis," he said.

"Running for office is a more intensive commitment and that's where there's been quite a drop-off."

O'Brien hopes that through social media, councils can encourage more resident engagement in local politics. But he said it is ultimately a decision made by the residents themselves.

"It's choice and the residents have a choice. People can run, people can vote new people in," he said.

"If they are satisfied with the person and their commitment and their dedication, it looks like they're quite satisfied with bringing many of them back in by acclamation."

Throughout the province, 25 councillors have been acclaimed at least twice. Out of 105 councils, 50 have at least one acclaimed position.

Chief Electoral Officer Michael Quinn agrees with O'Brien's suggestion that people who are happy choose not to contest those already in office.

"The community and everybody, all the electors in it, have a choice to run," Quinn said. "And if they choose not to run, then it could be a sign that those who are (running) are quite satisfactory to everybody."

Elections New Brunswick took note of the number of acclamations in 2008. In response, elections officials have been travelling through municipalities holding information sessions since January, informing residents and would-be candidates of the importance of municipal politics and the upcoming elections.

"The response was spectacular," said Quinn.

Unlike a provincial or federal election with large parties mobilizing support and awareness, Quinn said the speaking tour received strong feedback and good local media coverage.

"Starting well back in January, we were getting out the news that the municipal elections were happening and how important the positions were, and inviting people to think about running," he said.

Geoff Martin, a professor of political science at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., said amalgamating small villages and towns is the longer term answer.

"As long as you have small villages where it's not clear how economically sustainable the municipal government is over the long term ... the issue of acclamation will always remain," he said.

The majority of councils with acclaimed positions are small municipalities with only a couple of hundred residents.

St. Martins has a population of around 400 people and was placed under the supervision of the provincial government last year when two members on their four-person council died.

The council in St. Martins is one of 19 that will be fully acclaimed.

Incoming mayor Bette Ann Chatterton said because of their size, small communities are tighter knit and people are already very familiar with their councillors.

Chatterton says current councillors should play a bigger role in encouraging others to become engaged with municipal politics and run.

"Sometimes, people think, 'Oh, I wouldn't be comfortable doing it.' But really, it may be a challenge but it's also a gift," said Chatterton.

"It's a great thing to do for your community, to step up and take some leadership, and hopefully be their voice," she said.

Read it on Global News: Mike O' Brien will be acclaimed for the third time on Monday in New Brunswick' s provincial capital of Fredericton, one of 95 municipal councillors who will win a seat without having to contest an election. 

Art gallery puts focus on modern art

 By LAUREN BIRD

bird.lauren@dailygleaner.com

02 May 2012 03:08AM

Under the gaze of its founder, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery expanded to include more modern art this spring. Of the four exhibitions that opened last week, two are photos, one is contemporary and the last, a portrait collection of Lord Beaverbrook himself.

Remember the Rage: Portraits of Lord Beaverbrook consists of 13 paintings of well-known New Brunswick philanthropist Sir Max Aitken, including three the gallery commissioned for its 50th anniversary in 2009.

Lord Beaverbrook often called himself the “Rage” in reference to a rogue wave crashing against the rocks of New Brunswick’s shore.

The gallery’s curator, Terry Graff, included excerpts of text and items associated with Beaverbrook to provide context for the exhibition.

“We’re painting a picture of him,” Graff said.

The collection “gives us a little more insight into who he was and his character. As time goes on, the portraits and the stories are what remain and certainly, the legacy.”

The legacy is what Graff wants to maintain.

At its opening in 1959, Lord Beaverbrook said, “The gallery will not satisfy my aim if it is thought of as the last home of a collection of pictures and works of art. It should rather be a place at which new talents are kindled and guided. A beginning and not an end.”

Graff said the gallery has satisfied that request by “providing opportunities for young people and serving as a platform for kindling new talents.”

Among these emerging new talents is Jaret Belliveau, the photographer behind the Dominion Street exhibition. It takes the viewer through a narrative of photos during his mother’s battle with cancer and the family’s struggle to deal with her death.

“It documents a very universal theme...Jaret has presented this in such a sensitive and poignant manner that you can’t help but relate to it and feel, understand and appreciate what the images are about,” Graff said.

It’s the fourth time Belliveau, a Moncton native, has showed the work. But it’s the first time he’ll put the images on display in New Brunswick.

“Photography often gets a short shrift and certainly that was a little bit of the case at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in that the photography collection hasn’t really been developed in any big or strong way,” Graff said,

But Graff has worked to change that.

“It’s amazing for the Beaverbrook to take on the show and to really open it up to the audience,” said Belliveau. The gallery “is really trying to make it a mandate to open up their contemporary photo collection.”

Also on display is the Collecting Photography, Collecting the World exhibition, which includes a selection of photos from the gallery’s permanent collection.

“It shows a real variety of contemporary photography work that many young artists are making now. It is a very current exhibition,” Graff said.

Finally, the Hot Pop Soup: Neo-Pop Trends in Contemporary New Brunswick Art exhibition includes an Andy Warhol original called, “Liz,’ giving patrons a special glimpse of Elizabeth Taylor.

But the exhibit focuses on New Brunswick artists who use recycled figures from the 1950s and 60s. It features a major publication that Graff said aims to create context for New Brunswick artists in what other artists are doing nationally and internationally.

“There’s a lot of talented artists and a lot of artists having shows in New Brunswick but I think it’s important to tell a bigger story and that’s our job at the Beaverbrook.”

The exhibits will run until June 10.

http://www.telegraphjournal.com/tjonline/thedailygleaner/10225679-266/gallery-beaverbrook-graff-art.html.csp

Capital Region Tennis Association receives donation from Canadian Entrepreneur, Lorne Abony

April 30, 2012 7:30 AM

NEW BRUNSWICK, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - The Capital Region Tennis Association (CRTA) today announced it has received a $250,000 donation from Canadian entrepreneur Lorne Abony for the construction of a regional Community Tennis Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

The Capital Region Tennis Association (CRTA), in partnership with Tennis Canada and Tennis New Brunswick, is in the final planning stages of its new indoor tennis facility, thanks to the generous donation of Lorne Abony, Canadian businessman and CEO of London and Toronto Stock Exchange listed Mood Media Corporation.  Mood Media is the world's largest in-store media company, providing in-store media solutions in over 580,000 commercial locations in over 40 countries. Mood Media has 2,300 employees and an enterprise value in excess of $1.1 billion.

Abony, an avid tennis player and fan who competes in local, national, and international tennis events, said Monday he is thrilled to be involved with the continued growth and expansion of tennis in our local communities.

The Abony Tennis Centre will be located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and will focus on developing tennis at the grassroots level.  The Community Tennis Centre will be the only six-court tennis facility in the Maritime Provinces and, as such, will be a regional center for the growth of tennis and could serve as the Eastern Canadian regional training center.  Additionally, it will attract indoor international events and will be a primary venue for provincial tournaments, wheelchair events, school programs, and programs for children, adults, and seniors.

The CRTA, a non-profit organization created by local tennis enthusiasts in 2006, has been instrumental in the effort to promote tennis as a sport and recreational activity within the Capital Region.  Through successful partnerships with Tennis Canada, Tennis New Brunswick, local municipalities, and school district, the CRTA has gained the support and planning necessary to begin the development of the Community Tennis Centre.

With full support from Tennis Canada, promotion of the planned Community Tennis Centre will include visibility at the storied Rogers Cup ATP World Tour Masters tournament, which brings the top-ranked tennis players from around the world and attracts over 200,000 tennis fans annually.

Tennis is recognized as a low-cost activity that provides significant health benefits to participants of all ages, and thus attracts children from all walks of life.  Against this backdrop, the CRTA began for the planning and development of an indoor community tennis center in 2007.

The facility will be heated and air conditioned by way of a geothermal system, reducing operating costs to a fraction of the costs incurred by similar facilities with traditional heating and cooling systems.  There are currently only six other geothermal tennis facilities in the world, which will place this facility at the forefront of "green" technology internationally. This will be the first of its kind in Canada.

Tennis Canada has been a partner in this project from the beginning, and intends to use this project as a model for growing grassroots tennis and developing indoor tennis infrastructure throughout Canada.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/964021/capital-region-tennis-association-receives-donation-from-canadian-entrepreneur-lorne-abony

 

City to sell composting units

 

By The Daily Gleaner

30 Apr 2012 07:55PM

The City of Fredericton will hold a sale of backyard composting units and kitchen catchers Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-noon at the city’s parks and trees division depot located on the north side at 100 Two Nations Crossing.

The price for the Earth Machine compost bins is $35 while Kitchen Catchers, used for collecting compostables, are $5.

Cash and debit cards will be accepted.

“We continue to encourage our residents to be active composters. It keeps organics out of the landfill and helps keep neighbourhood gardens and lawns green,” said Coun. Eric Megarity, chairman of the city’s public safety and environment committee.

“The City of Fredericton is an active participant in composting. We use mulched Christmas trees and leaves collected in the fall in our municipal compost facility. It has made a big difference to our municipal landscaping projects.”

Composting is a method of treating organic waste in which the material is broken down by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen to a point where it can be safely stored, handled and applied to the environment.

Up to 75 per cent of household waste is derived from organic matter, and most of it can be composted.

For more on composting in Fredericton, visit www.fredericton.ca.

For more information on the sale, call the parks and trees division at 460-2294 or email parkstrees@fredericton.ca.

http://www.telegraphjournal.com/tjonline/thedailygleaner/10229522-266/composting-fredericton-trees-active.html.csp