Councillor Mike O'Brien

2012-01-31T18:59:00.005-04:00

BY DON MACPHERSON, Daily Gleaner, MACPHERSON.DON@DAILYGLEANER.COM

31 JAN 2012 06:03PM

COUNCILLORS TWEET OPPOSITION TO CITY GUN REGISTRY

A plan has hatched on Twitter to review a city bylaw requiring air- and spring-fired guns to be registered with the Fredericton Police Force.

Recent media reports about a City of Fredericton bylaw governing such guns have given way to criticism, and some of it’s coming from city council.

Coun. Mike O’Brien took to Twitter to express his thoughts about the registration aspect of Bylaw S-5.

“The spring loaded nurf [sic] gun my grandson & I play with at home likely falls under our By-Law S5 & must be registered. No need for a registry,” he tweeted Tuesday.

It wasn’t long before a colleague addressed the issue on the social-networking site as well.

“Good chat with @mikeobrien_fton today, he’s on board with repealing Fredericton’s Gun Registry. Who else is in?” tweeted Coun. Jordan Graham on Tuesday.

There’s no need for the registry, O’Brien told The Daily Gleaner later Tuesday, but there are aspects of it that should be retained.

“It’s a well-intentioned bylaw,” he said. “The bylaw itself has to be amended.”

The elements allowing for fines and seizure of weapons in instances of misuse should be maintained, O’Brien said, but requiring people to registered such guns with the police force isn’t practical.

“The registry doesn’t serve a purpose,” he said.

He has no doubt the idea of a registry made sense on paper when it was passed by council a few years ago, but it just didn’t work in practice, O’Brien said.

The time has come to review the bylaw, first at the committee level, he said.

Should the city’s public safety committee vote to remove the registration requirement of Bylaw S-5, the councillor said, then the issue should be forwarded to council.

O’Brien said removing the registry component is merely a bit of housekeeping business he and his council colleagues need to undertake.

Coun. Bruce Grandy added to the Twitter chatter on the subject Tuesday, suggesting a regular review of bylaws to ensure relevance and usefulness.

“This brings up a good question, why is there not a ... process to revisit by laws for purpose every X years?” Grandy tweeted Tuesday.

O’Brien said he agreed a regularly scheduled review of all of the city’s bylaws is something worth discussing and undertaking.

2012-01-24T18:07:00.002-04:00

City has good reason to boast

THE DAILY GLEANER: Editorial, Jan 2012

There was considerable rejoicing at City Hall last week when the final figures for building construction in 2011 were released.

The statistics revealed a total of $115.6 million in construction, the second highest total since 2009.

It was, moreover, the sixth consecutive year Fredericton has seen more than $100 million in construction. What city the size of Fredericton would not be ecstatic at that news!

It’s news that starts the new year off in a most positive direction. Let’s look at the statistics:

The city had just more than $60 million in residential construction, not far off the record-setting pace of 2009 when $61.4 million was experienced.

There was a strong showing in multi-unit starts which planner Meredith Gilbert says reflects changing demographics occurring countrywide where apartment living is favoured over the traditional single-family housing.

Commercial development came in at $19.6 million while government and institutional construction reached $29.9 million.

Whatever way the figures are looked at, they present a rosy picture especially when the unsteady state of the economy is considered.

People here are caught up in multi-faceted development which augers well for 2012, too.

The city is looking for more commercial development at Corbett Centre, Two Nations Crossing, West Hills mini-mall, and more development on Bishop Drive this year.

An added bonus to the celebrating at city hall is a report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. that shows Fredericton is the only municipality with more than 50,000 population that saw an increase in new housing starts in 2011. Both Moncton and Saint John experienced decreases last year.

That Fredericton has witnessed a sixth straight year by reaching a construction milestone is a singular accomplishment worth boasting about.

We feel this is significant as the city continues to promote and to push its reputation and image to other parts of Canada and points abroad.

It’s not only a feather in the city’s hat during tough economic times, but it also serves as a tool for attracting business and new residents to the city. We must conclude that nothing beats success when it comes to promoting New Brunswick’s capital city.

Since Meredith Gilbert is already expecting “to see activity over the $100-million” again this year, we see no reason why the construction success should end.

2012-01-19T12:08:00.002-04:00

Union Street Development gets PAC nod

By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN (Daily Gleaner)
19 Jan 2012

A 69-unit residential waterfront development on Union Street received rezoning approval from Fredericton planning advisory committee Wednesday night.

But the committee also ordered developer Marx Miles to do a traffic study on the impact of the development to try and put to rest some of the concerns of area residents.

The development, which includes two apartment buildings and nine townhouses, is located at 678, 690, 692 and 700 Union St. and Miles said Wednesday night he hopes to start construction of the project in the spring if the rezoning is approved by city council.

“I’m pleased obviously,” said the developer about the approval.

Miles said he’s prepared to the do the traffic study. “That doesn’t concern me,” he said. “Union Street is a busy street. If we have to put in a left-hand turn we’re fully prepared to do that.”

The first phase will be worth $6 million with each of 30 units costing $200,000, said Miles.

The proposal to rezone the 1.2 hectare property along the riverfront first came before PAC in December. But it was deferred for a month to allow the developer to discuss the project with the neighbourhood.

“Most of the people in the area are happy with it,” said Miles. “We’ve had a few complaints but we’ve had a lot of support too. What we’ve torn down there is an eight unit full of drug dealers and people that weren’t good tenants. We’re going to get some good people in there now.”

There was opposition to the project at the council meeting. Elizabeth Simms of 664 Union St. said she’s worried about the traffic impact the project would have on an already busy street.

Miles is seeking a 3.5-metre setback variance and Simms asked what would happen if Union Street has to be widened in the future.

She also said rezoning the property from R4B to R9 sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of Union Street.

Heather Berry of 716 Union St. also expressed concern about the traffic on Union Street and side streets. She said the development doesn’t fit in the neighbourhood.

A petition opposing the project signed by eight area residents, including the two who spoke at the meeting, was received by the committee. “Allowing a row of nine townhouses, three storeys high and only eight feet from the highway would create a wall along Union Street, undesirable to many,” stated the petition. “Where is the green space/buffer zone?”

There was also a letter of opposition to the project filed with the committee.

The rezoning approval wasn’t unanimous. Coun. Marilyn Kerton and PAC member Alan Rayner opposed the motion, which passed five to two. Kerton questioned if the development fit the area’s secondary plan, which calls for stabilizing the R4B zoning in the neighbourhood. She said the development seems like spot rezoning no matter how PAC sugar-coated it.

But senior planner Tony Dakiv said the section of the Devon secondary plan talks about stabilizing R4B zoning refers to the section north of Union Street, which is primarily single family dwelling. It doesn’t refer to the land south of Union Street.

Miles said he was hoping the approval would be unanimous. “We’re improving the area by quite a bit,” he said. “It needs development and we’re doing it.”

Miles noted a city councillor opposed the rezoning Wednesday night. “That makes me wonder if it will go through (city council) as easily as I thought it would,” he said.

2012-01-18T19:33:00.007-04:00

City sees $115 Million in 2011 Development Activity

Fredericton (January 17) – The City of Fredericton has announced that the total value of construction in the city for 2011 was 115.6-million. Residential construction recorded its second highest total since 2009.

Construction of new homes and businesses, as well as new industrial and commercial buildings, have helped push the total value over $100-million for the sixth straight year. Despite the worldwide fiscal problems that plagued everyone in 2011, Fredericton did very well.

According to the City’s Annual Building Construction Activity Report, commercial development came in at $19.6 million with major projects including: a commercial office building on Bishop Drive, a commercial building with eight residential units on St. Mary’s Street, an Orthodontist/Dentist building on Prospect Street, the new Public Safety office building on Bishop Drive and the Electrical Association of NB office building on Durelle Street.

Major commercial projects anticipated for 2012 include continued development of the Corbett Centre, commercial development at Two Nations Crossing, West Hills commercial development, a downtown hotel and more commercial development on Bishop Drive.

Government & Institutional construction was worth $ 29.9-million in 2011 and included the start of the new Fredericton North School on Wyngate Drive, upgrades to the City Hall exterior, upgrades and improvements to Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital and the University of New Brunswick, renovations at the NBCC offices on Smyth Street and interior renovations to Soldier’s Barracks, a new outdoor skate park on Johnson Avenue, the new Capital Region Community Tennis Centre and Shannex’s 45-unit lifestyle apartment building with medical offices.

Residential construction was valued at $60.8-million in 2011, the second strongest residential activity on record and just below the $61.4-million record set in 2009. While the number of single detached homes built in 2011 dropped slightly, multiple unit starts, including apartments, townhouses and duplexes had a record year with a total of 366 new units constructed – up from 329 units in 2010.

Major residential projects in 2011 included: the 101 unit apartment building on Boyne Court, a 40 unit apartment building and an eight unit townhouse on Valcour Drive, a 32 unit apartment building on Queen Street, a 30 unit apartment building on Dunn’s Crossing Road, an 18 unit townhouse on Murray Avenue, two 12 unit apartment buildings on Sunny Brea Drive, and a 10 unit townhouse on Huntingdon Circle.

The City has enjoyed several years of record development since 2006. It is expected that development will remain strong in 2012 with overall development activity anticipated to be in the range of $100 million.

2011-12-29T14:21:00.004-04:00

Fredericton needs more affordable housing

Coun. Mike O'Brien says the city must follow Saint John's lead in building more affordable housing units

Click the following link to review a summary of a radio interview I had today with CBC Fredericton Information Morning Radio 99.5

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/12/29/nb-fredericton-affordable-housing-1012.html

2011-12-19T08:45:00.003-04:00

CREATING A FRIENDLIER ENVIRONMENT
(Daily Gleaner Editorial, december 15, 2011)

It's another feather in the hat of the Greater Fredericton area.

Earlier this week, the Fredericton Region Solid Waste Commission announced it had reached a 20-year deal with NB Power to use its methane gas collection system to generate electricity to the utility's power grid.

Powered by the landfill's methane gas, two large generators will run simultaneously with the energy produced being turned into electricity.

The deal is expected to net the commission more than $20 million in profit.

"For our organization, that's a good deal," said Fredericton Solid Waste Commission general manager and CEO Gordon Wilson.

It's a good deal for the commission and its a good one for this area.

Methane, a flammable, gaseous hydrocarbon - formed in this case by rotting garbage - is being utilized by a growing number of landfills around the world. Instead of simply venting the gas, many locations are developing it and turning it into a source of income.

The local effort is a prime example of what can be done when citizens and organizations, such as the Solid Waste Commission, join forces and use their collective energy for the betterment of mankind.

In this case, the commission has shown outsiders that the capital region is in control of its destiny and very much in tune with an ever-increasing green world.

The Solid Waste Commission has long been a leader in the environmental field.

According to the organization's 2010 annual report, its landfill gas management system, the first of its kind in New Brunswick, removed approximately 45,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent from the atmosphere last year.

That's a significant figure and one that should increase when the new generation system comes online.

Once the generators are in place in about a year's time, the landfill's methane will have the ability to produce 2.1 megawatts of electricity - the equivalent of lighting and heating more than 2,000 homes or, as Mr. Wilson said during the announcement, "a portion of Oromocto."

"The energy we are now creating through our system is an awful lot more than we need here to power our own buildings," Mr. Wilson said. "That energy was there for us, but was being flared. There is so much more we can do with it and we're entering that phase now. This is a positive environmental story."

We agree.

Energy Minister Craig Leonard said such projects not only contribute to the reliability of the province's electric system, but reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping to keep New Brunswick a leader in green and renewable generation.

Blair Kennedy, vice-president of generation for NB Power, said the electricity produced by the Solid Waste Commission will help the utility meet a goal of having 40 per cent of its power generation from renewable resources.

This speaks well for the future of this province's energy system.

Solid Waste Commission's methane project will cost $6.5 million once all the bills are tallied up. The amazing part of all this is that it was accomplished without receiving a dime of funding from government. It's a success story of which we can all be proud.

2011-12-19T08:18:00.002-04:00

Fredericton residents can breathe a sigh of relief.
(Excerpts from the Editorial, Daily Gleaner, December 16/11)

The city will be holding the line on taxes for another year.

The news was made official with the release of the municipality's budget for 2012. In a nutshell, it keeps the tax rate at $1.42 per $100 of assessed property value on the inside rate and $1.06 per $100 on the outside rate. The reduced rate applies to properties that aren't in fully serviced parts of Fredericton.

The city successfully held increases in spending to two per cent even while the cost of inflation rose beyond that and at a time when the province once again trimmed the city's unconditional grant to $5.6 million.

With money restraints and demands being what they are these days, the tax rate could have easily gone in the other direction.

We believe this to be particularly true with the city coping to meet its infrastructure costs and when seemingly ever-increasing requests for funding are taken into consideration.

Much credit for this week's budget has to go to finance committee chairman Coun. Jordan Graham.

The 25-year-old University of New Brunswick student, the youngest city councillor in Fredericton's history, was elected four years ago at age 21.

The bottom line is that he did what Mayor Brad Woodside tasked him to do and delivered a budget that holds the tax rate.

"We squeezed as much value as we could from the resources that we were given," Coun. Graham said. "I think it's a budget that reflects something that council envisions as the way forward for the next year and embodies what we want to work towards and what we want to achieve."

Coun. Graham credits city hall department heads for bending the numbers to deliver the $101.9-million general fund operating budget and a $15.9-million water and sewer budget for 2012. Included in the operating budget is a $14.7-million capital budget for infrastructure renewal.

"We saw examples of tremendous co-operation within departments. People transferring vehicles where they didn't need them, eliminating positions to create new positions in other departments. Staff worked tremendously hard to get to where we are today. I'm very proud to be part of the team we have here," Coun. Graham said.

Credit should also be given to all councillors and the mayor.

They held small group discussions to plot a unified course and then handed most of the budget preparation work to city hall staff. The process ran quickly and there were no clashes.

"We worked together collectively, shooting for the same star. We got the same goals, the same objectives, the same dreams and we worked together quite well," Mayor Woodside said. "Coun. Graham, you did an extraordinary job ... We performed as the public would expect us to with this council."

While there will be fee hikes in areas such as transit fares, monthly parking pass rates, and ice rentals, we believe the budget is a good one for the city and its residents.

Furthermore, we are pleased it was accomplished in a non-confrontational manner.

We urge mayor and council to continue to work together in 2012.

2011-12-15T17:59:00.002-04:00

City launches pedestrian crossing study survey

Fredericton (December 15, 2011) – The City of Fredericton is inviting the public to voice their views and opinions as part of the Capital City Pedestrian Crossing Study. An online survey is now available on the city’s internet at www.fredericton.ca/pedestrianstudy.

The purpose of the study is to identify what residents believe to be the safest crosswalks, what crosswalks make pedestrians feel unsafe, and what crosswalk types residents have seen in other areas that they believe may improve safety in Fredericton.

City crosswalk facilities are already designed according to Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) guidelines,but the City of Fredericton feels the need to raise the bar and make Fredericton a safer and more pedestrian-friendly city.

The study is being coordinated by Opus International Consultants (Canada) Limited, a professional consulting firm with expertise in traffic engineering and safety. The process is being guided at the municipal level by a steering committee including staff from Engineering & Public Works, Police, Parks & Trees, and Development Services.

The process also includes a safety review of existing crosswalks and trail crossings, an analysis of local issues, a review of best practices, and the development of installation guidelines. The study will provide the foundation for improved pedestrian safety in Fredericton as part of the 3E Strategy (Engineering, Education and Enforcement). The public consultation (survey) is a critical phase of this project.

The survey questions will include;

Indicate up to five locations (crosswalk or trail crossing) in the City where pedestrians feel safest crossing the road.
Indicate up to five locations (crosswalk or trail crossing) in the City where pedestrians do not feel safe crossing the road and describe why pedestrians do not feel safe, and how the crossing could be improved.
Describe crosswalk types that residents have seen in other areas that they believe may improve safety at pedestrian crossings in Fredericton (pictures or links to web pages are welcomed).
And, how safe are the City of Fredericton’s pedestrian crossings overall.

The city of Fredericton encourages its residents to take part in this important pedestrian safety survey and welcomes the general public’s input into making Fredericton a better and safer city for all.

For those unable to participate in the online survey or for anyone looking for more information, please contact the City’s Engineering &Public Works Department at 506-460-2038 orpublicworks@fredericton.ca.

2011-12-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

City Presents Development Awards to 11 Exemplary Projects

Fredericton (December 13, 2011) – The City of Fredericton has recognized 11 local development projects at its annual Development Committee Awards. The 2011 awards ceremonies were presented in the Council Chamber of Fredericton City Hall on December 13 at noon.

Awards went to projects which included residential and affordable housing developments, Historic Preservation, energy efficient housing units, adaptive reuse development and commercial site design, as well as a recently completed restoration project at City Hall. This is the 12th year the awards have been presented.

MAYOR’S AWARD

Jones Masonry & PJ Materials Consultants Ltd. were recognized for their restoration project recently completed at City Hall. Jones Masonry was responsible for the extensive repair and restoration while PJ Materials Consultants Ltd. provided technical and administrative expertise from start to finish. The restoration project will increase the overall longevity of the City’s historically significant landmark.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN

Avide Developments and Tannery Court Cooperative Ltd. were acknowledged for the creation of 35 affordable and energy efficient housing units at Tannery Court III located at 287 Brookside Drive. This project represents another successful collaboration between Avide Developments and Tannery Court Cooperative toward the creation and addition of affordable dwelling units to the City’s housing stock.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

A Historic Preservation Award was handed out to Christ Church Parish Church and Fellows & Company for their contributions to the preservation of St. Anne’s Chapel of Ease. Several studies were conducted by Fellows and Company to ensure the restoration would be accurate both historically and architecturally. Half of the funding for this project was provided by the Federal Govement’s Heritage Campaign while the other half was raised by the Church.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE

The NB Liquor Corporation and J.D. Irving Limited received a historic preservation and adaptive reuse award for their contributions to the York Street Train Station. The project preserved much of the original structure while allowing for the conversion of the property to a commercial use that is more compatible in a modern-day context. The York Street Train Station and is regulated under the Federal Heritage Railways Station Protection Act

UNIQUE TOWNHOUSE DESIGN

This award is presented to Ross Anderson Developments Ltd. for the unique design of a new townhouse development located off of Sunny Brae Drive. The townhouses are designed to resemble the traditional brownstone style housing often found in older cities such as Boston and New York. While these units look and feel expensive the developer has given particular attention to ensuring that these units will be affordable for first time home buyers, families and active seniors.

NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN

Colpitts Development was recognized for a Neighbourhood Design Award their strategic design of Siverwood Meadows located at the Mooers Drive extension. Their close work with City staff to redesign this subdivision will allow for the creation of new lots, have a more logical street configuration as well as having a minimum impact of the existent infrastructure.
Comprehensive Planning & Environmental Stewardship

Chippins Limited was awarded the Comprehensive Planning and Environmental Stewardship Award for a proposed subdivision including both commercial and residential components of land on Doak Road and Alison Boulevard. The portion of the property fronting on Alison Boulevard will maintain its commercial distinction as envisioned in the Municipal Plan while the residential component will provide for a range of housing types.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

University of New Brunswick, B+H Architects and Sasaki Associates were awarded the Architectural Design Award for their collaboration of work on the Richard J. Currie Center. University Chancellor Richard J. Currie donated more than $20 million dollars to the project as well as the donations of many others including the City of Fredericton. UNB Fredericton’s athletic facilities now rival the best across North America and have made UNB a leader in health and fitness.

COMMERCIAL SITE DESIGN

A Commercial Site Design was awarded to Jim Gilbert’s Wheels & Deals for design of their new car sales and service centre located at 402 St. Mary’s Street. The design included the consolidation of the car sale and services operations onto one property and aesthetically succeeded in setting the stage for future development and redevelopment of this portion of St. Mary’s Street.

COMMERCIAL SITE DESIGN

Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. & Campanella Associates Architects were awarded a Commercial Site Design Award for their contribution to the Corbett Centre area. The Costco building was design to integrate with the existing development of the area while working within the parameters established for this site by the University of New Brunswick as well as the Department of Environment.

RECREATION FACILITY DESIGN

The Bank of Nova Scotia and CBCL Limited were awarded a Recreation Facility Award for their contributions to the new multi-use athletic fields located at 605 Cliffe Street and 590 Knowledge Park Drive. Each projects included the design and construction of a new multiuse artificial turf athletic field which is manufactured from recycled car tires, a state of the art field lighting system, as well as a subsurface drainage system under the field consisting of over 3 kilometres of drainage pipe.

2011-12-08T08:17:00.002-04:00

Council Approves Terms of Reference for York House Repurposing

Next step is to seek public feedback on alternate uses for the building

Fredericton (November 14) Fredericton City Council has approved the terms of reference for the municipal working group charged with finding alternate uses for historic York House in Downtown Fredericton.

As a result of public concern about the proposed demolition of York House in 2006, a deal was worked out that resulted in the City of Fredericton acquiring the building late in 2007, said Coun. Stephen Chase, chair of the York House Working Group. The intent at the time was to save the late-19th Century historic building from demolition and convert it into municipal offices. It has become apparent that such a plan is not financially viable for the municipality, so let's figure out what else the building can be used for.

The working groups mandate will be to determine possible strategies for repurposing York House, as well as the optimal strategy for the historic building, either in a public or private context. Regardless of the future use, any repurposing effort must ensure that the exterior of the building maintain its historic look and is self-sustaining, requiring no ongoing funding from the City of Fredericton.

With the terms of reference approved for the working committee, the next step will be to develop a feedback mechanism to seek input from the community. The first phase of that input will be done online and it is hoped that the web page for feedback will be ready early next week. Recommendations on the repurposing of the building will eventually be reported back to City Council.

About York House

York House, located at 193 York Street, was constructed in 1893. It was designed by James C. Dumaresq, architect of the New Brunswick Legislative Building, as well as St. Paul's United Church and the Charlotte Street School.

The building was originally constructed to house the Fredericton High School and an elementary school. Through the years, York House has also been used for Teachers College classrooms, the City's public library, a Student Employment Centre and a Youth Hostel.

The Brunswick Street Baptist Church purchased the property in 1965. The building was used for various church purposes and was renamed York House. Due to the growing needs of the church, plans were developed for a new church building. To allow for the new building, York House was to be demolished.

Due to public concern regarding the demolition of the building, Fredericton City Council directed City Staff to negotiate with the church and congregation to buy the building for use as municipal office space. A deal to purchase York House and allow the church to expand was approved in December 2007.

2011-12-03T19:24:00.003-04:00

Four more Fredericton buildings added to Local Historic Places Register

Fredericton (November 28) – Fredericton City Council approved the recommendation of the Preservation Review Board to include four historic places onto the Local Historic Places Register. The historic places include:

• 36 - 38 Waterloo Row;
• 335 Queen Street;
• 342 University Avenue; and,
• 350 Saunders Street.

36- 38 Waterloo Row is a significant structure of Loyalist origin, originally known at the Royal Oak Inn. The heritage value of the building resides not only in the early development of Waterloo Row but in its reflection of the commercial identity of the eastern end of Fredericton’s town plat during the Loyalist settlement phase.

335 Queen Street is a late 19th century brick building associated with successful business man, James Hodge, and the commercial development of the west end of the Fredericton town plat. It is currently used as a municipal office building and is known by the name of Sutton House, one of the last retail operations in the building.

342 University Avenue is associated with the life and career of Dr. Loring W. Bailey, and with its builder, Thomas Allen. Loring W. Bailey was recommended in 1861, at the age of 21, as professor of Natural Science at UNB. He shared his scientific knowledge with the community, even collaborating with local inventor, John Babbitt. Together Bailey and Babbitt constructed the first telephone in Fredericton and illuminated the first electric light. Bailey hired Thomas Allen, a building contractor and one-time member of Fredericton City Council, in 1904 to build him new house on University Avenue.

350 Saunders Street is associated with the significance of the builder, William J. Scarr, and the imprint he left on the Fredericton housing stock. Labouring under the competitive tender system, Scarr won his building contracts by underbidding the competition. Scarr created his own housing template, building ten similarly styled cottages on Westmorland and Saunders Streets between 1896 and 1901.

“The placement of these significant properties on the Register presents an opportunity for us to learn more about the Frederictonians who faced challenges and opportunities while making a mark on this city,” said Councillor Stephen Chase, City Council member on the Preservation Review Board.

About the Register

Council approved the establishment of the Local Historic Places Register on July 21, 2003. The Local Historic Places Register is a list of places (buildings, archaeological sites, and areas or spaces) deemed to be of local historical significance and placed on a list with the permission of the property owner. The Local Historic Places Register was established as a result of a Federal Government Program called the “Historic Places Initiative” and designed to raise awareness of historic places and encourage conservation. For more information of the Local Historic Places Register visit www.fredericton.ca.

2011-12-03T18:46:00.001-04:00

MacPherson named as Fredericton’s new Chief Administrative Officer

Fredericton (November 28) – Fredericton City Council has named Chris MacPherson as the City of Fredericton’s new Chief Administrative Officer, effective November 28, 2011.

MacPherson has served as acting City Administrator for the last five months. He succeeds former City Administrator, Paul Stapleton, who retired on July 1 after 18-years of service. Prior to this, MacPherson served as Assistant City Administrator since 2002.

“City Council is very confident in Mr. MacPherson’s ability to manage the affairs of the City of Fredericton,” said Mayor Brad Woodside. “He has handled himself well throughout his career at the municipality and during his role as acting City Administrator. We are pleased that he has agreed to take on the role permanently.”

“This is a tremendous responsibility and I am indebted to Council for the confidence they have shown in me,” said Chris MacPherson. “I have grown up in this community and look forward to continuing to work with our partners to make Fredericton the best it can be. We have a great working relationship with our Council, and a great staff team who are committed to serving the citizens of Fredericton.”

MacPherson began his municipal career in 1976 working for the City of Fredericton Recreation Department as a labourer. By the mid 1980’s, he had been appointed to the position of Assistant Director of the Community Services Department. He held this position for over a decade.

In 1998, he was appointed the Director of Corporate Services Department, which provides internal services to the other city departments. In 2002, he became Assistant City Administrator for the City.

He completed his education at the University of New Brunswick with undergraduate degrees in Physical Education and Business Administration. He later completed a Master of Arts degree. He also has a certificate for Senior Executives in State and Local Government from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government.

MacPherson has been active in community and professional associations during his career. He was President of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators from 2009-2010, having served seven years on the national board. He is a Past President of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, Fredericton Regional Group. He currently sits on the board for Service New Brunswick.

From a municipal perspective, he is Chairman of the Fredericton Convention Centre, the Fredericton Lands Commission, and eNovations, Inc., Fredericton’s municipally-owned telecommunications company. He is also president of Newmarket Properties (Boyce Farmers Market). MacPherson is married with three children.

2011-11-27T18:49:00.001-04:00

goFred X event highlights world class innovation in Fredericton

Fredericton (November 23, 2011) – Join local and international speakers to explore the future of technology at goFred X, an educational event happening at the new Fredericton Convention Centre on December 8. The event will host inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil as a special guest and keynote speaker.

Kurzweil is a leading inventor; he’s created devices including the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind and the first text-to-speech synthesizer. He’s also known internationally for technology forecasting.

Other speakers include home grown technology experts who make headlines in the exciting and growing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. They include:

Ali Ghorbani, Dean, Faculty of Computer Science UNB
Cosmin Munteanu, Research Officer, National Research Council
Kevin Englehart, Associate Director, Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Mark Masry, Manager R&D, CARIS
Maurice Gallant, CEO GoFred Networks, Comnet Inc
Sandy Bird, Co-Founder & CTO, Q1 Labs
Scott Buffett, Research Officer, National Research Council
William McIver, Senior Research Officer, National Research Council

“The innovative progress happening here in Fredericton is worth sharing with the public, especially with students” says e-Novations COF of IT Operations, Mike Richard. “It’s important to celebrate our successes and provide access to the ideas and people changing the future of technology.”

The goFred X event will be the first educational event with general public admission at Fredericton’s new convention centre. Presentations and Q&A with speakers will be streamed live during the event; in addition, some event footage will be edited and posted to the web as a documentary. The event was inspired by the popular TED x movement of presenting ideas through community forums.

Tickets are on sale now for $35. This full day event includes a meal, snacks, and a chance to win prizes. For more information or to register, visit www.gofredx.ca.

Background on goFred:

goFred, is the new brand of Fredericton’s e-Novations, a National and International award winning municipally owned telecommunications company. e-Novations provides leading edge low cost inter-city and Internet connectivity to organizations in the City of Fredericton

2011-11-27T18:46:00.002-04:00

John van Trijp Named 2011 Fredericton Business Ambassador of the Year

Fredericton (November 24, 2011) – John van Trijp was named the 2011 Ambassador of the Year during the annual Fredericton Business Ambassador Awards reception held Wednesday evening at City Hall.

Mr. van Trijp won the award based on numerous efforts. He delivered a lead, which resulted in Fredericton’s participation in the national i-Canada movement, geared towards raising Canada’s profile globally as an ‘intelligent nation’. Under the Chairmanship of Premier David Alward, Mayor Woodside has been asked to serve on the i-Canada Governing Council. This lead will generate increased Fredericton awareness as the City mentors other communities about its ‘smart’ initiatives. Mr. van Trijp has also helped people immigrate to Canada, promoted Fredericton for potential editorial coverage, pitched the city as a location for a large retailer, and recommended Fredericton as a host location for an international conference, SEUS-CP.

“Mr. van Trijp epitomizes the word ‘ambassador’, and we are very grateful for his ongoing work, promoting Fredericton from his home in the Netherlands,” said Mayor Woodside. “He is a very deserving winner of this prestigious award.”

Mr. van Trijp received a crystal award and two nights/breakfasts at the New York Marriott Downtown, valued at $1,500, courtesy of Marriott Global Reservation Sales & Customer Care, and airfare, valued at $1000, courtesy of the Fredericton International Airport Authority and Enterprise Fredericton.

Chris Pitman was named First Runner-Up based on his efforts for 'lead generation & promotion'. The recipient uses Fredericton’s marketing tools, and has posted a link on his website pointing to the City’s digital relocation kit. He deals with investors from around the world sourcing leads, and promoting Fredericton to attract investment. Mr. Pitman received two nights/breakfasts at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel, valued at $1,000, sponsored by Marriott Global Reservation Sales & Customer Care.

The Fredericton Business Ambassador Program was founded in 2003 by Laurie Guthrie, Economic Development Officer with the City of Fredericton, to encourage residents to promote Fredericton as a smart, sustainable city offering a cost-competitive business environment and balanced lifestyle. The primary goal is to attract new businesses, residents, conferences and opportunities to the City. Members of the program participate in a one hour training session, and then are provided with promotional tools to distribute during their meetings, conferences and travels. The program currently boasts 525 members and continues to grow each year. To learn more, please visit ‘Ambassadors’ at: www.fredericton.ca/economicdevelopment.

2011-11-21T12:57:00.001-04:00

Fifth Annual City of Fredericton Affordable Housing Day

Yvon Thibodeau, a highly regarded affordable housing developer, will be the keynote speaker during the fifth annual City of Fredericton Affordable Housing Day on Tuesday November 22 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Thibodeau is known for his innovative and practical approaches to development throughout Atlantic Canada.

The theme of this year’s event is solutions beyond subsidies. It will include Thibodeau’s presentation on affordable housing development strategies which do not rely solely on federal and provincial subsidies. In addition, there will be an update on the NB Housing Strategy and a Fredericton Housing Market Snapshot by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“Through our partnerships with the Province, CMHC, the Community Action Group on Homelessness, and the New Brunswick Non-profit Housing Association we have reached the five year milestone for Affordable Housing Day,” said Councillor Mike O’Brien, Chair of the City’s Committee on Affordable Housing. “We need to continue to work together to educate the public, increase awareness and solve the financial challenges related to providing a good supply of affordable housing for our communities.”

The Affordable Housing Day initiative began in 2007 to raise awareness of the important role affordable housing plays in making Fredericton a strong and viable community. It continues to do so by inviting speakers, stakeholders and the public to discuss the subject and consider best practice approaches to creating affordable housing.

“The public is welcome to join us on Affordable Housing Day because increasing public interest and education is central to the purpose of this event” said Councillor O’Brien. “To take part we ask participants to RSVP.”

To RSVP, please contact Joanne Thomson at 506-460-2188 or joanne.thomson@fredericton.ca.

Affordable Housing Day begins with registration at 11:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza. A complimentary lunch will be available before the opening remarks scheduled for noon. The day’s activities will end by 1:30 pm.

2011-11-21T12:53:00.002-04:00

Council Approves Terms of Reference for York House Repurposing

Fredericton City Council has approved the terms of reference for the municipal working group charged with finding alternate uses for historic York House in Downtown Fredericton.

As a result of public concern about the proposed demolition of York House in 2006, a deal was worked out that resulted in the City of Fredericton acquiring the building late in 2007, said Coun. Stephen Chase, chair of the York House Working Group. The intent at the time was to save the late-19th Century historic building from demolition and convert it into municipal offices. It has become apparent that such a plan is not financially viable for the municipality, so let's figure out what else the building can be used for.

The working groups mandate will be to determine possible strategies for repurposing York House, as well as the optimal strategy for the historic building, either in a public or private context. Regardless of the future use, any repurposing effort must ensure that the exterior of the building maintain its historic look and is self-sustaining, requiring no ongoing funding from the City of Fredericton.

With the terms of reference approved for the working committee, the next step will be to develop a feedback mechanism to seek input from the community. The first phase of that input will be done online and it is hoped that the web page for feedback will be ready early next week. Recommendations on the repurposing of the building will eventually be reported back to City Council.

The York House Working Group includes Coun. Stephen Chase, Chair, and City staff members: Chris MacPherson, acting City Administrator; Greg Cook, Executive Director for Capital Projects; Don Fitzgerald, Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives; and, Calvin Thompson, Real Estate Manager. The request to form a working group came from the Development Committee meeting of October 18, 2011.

About York House

York House, located at 193 York Street, was constructed in 1893. It was designed by James C. Dumaresq, architect of the New Brunswick Legislative Building, as well as St. Paul's United Church and the Charlotte Street School.

The building was originally constructed to house the Fredericton High School and an elementary school. Through the years, York House has also been used for Teachers College classrooms, the City's public library, a Student Employment Centre and a Youth Hostel.

The Brunswick Street Baptist Church purchased the property in 1965. The building was used for various church purposes and was renamed York House. Due to the growing needs of the church, plans were developed for a new church building. To allow for the new building, York House was to be demolished.

Due to public concern regarding the demolition of the building, Fredericton City Council directed City Staff to negotiate with the church and congregation to buy the building for use as municipal office space. A deal to purchase York House and allow the church to expand was approved in December 2007.

The building was added to the City of Fredericton's Local Historic Places Register in July of 2009

2011-11-20T20:36:00.002-04:00

Two-Tier Property Rates in the City

Council 2012 budget deliberations resume Monday night - open to media and public. Major item for discussion is to continue or phase out the two tier property tax rate in the city. There are still ~400 residences not on city water/sewer (would have their own well/septic). These are residences on the extremity of the city (for example: River Rd in Marysville, McLeod Hill, some in Silverwood & Lincoln, out by Killarney Lake, etc)

Those homes pay a tax rate (and therefore property taxes) 32% lower than the homes on city water/sewer. They do have well/septic costs, but if you are on city water, you also get invoiced quarterly (on top of property taxes) for w/s. It is estimated a typical home with 4 residents pays about $640/year for this.

The difference is a hold over from when the city amalgamated back in 1973, and many of the newer areas had no services at all. Now, everyone has access to all services, such as fire/police, recreation, snow & garbage removal, planning, transit (although some are a bit remote from the nearest route) - and you would have to drive further to access some of those other services.

The remote areas do not have sidewalks, but at least count there are also ~27+ streets in our/my Ward 3 that do not have sidewalks, but pay the higher rate.

The total of the higher taxes taxes paid by those on the higher rate, compared to those on the lower rate, is about $600,000/year. At the present time, I support one rate for all - or if two tier remains because of a slight difference in services, then at a much closer gap than the present 32% gap. I look forward to hearing what the other Councillor's positions are, and what the arguments may be for retaining the two rates.

2011-11-15T07:59:00.003-04:00

MEMBER OF CURLING 'ROYALTY' DIES
(as published in the Daily Gleaner, November 15/11)

Mourned Jim Sullivan's death shocks and devastates friends and sports community

Champion: Jim Sullivan is seen in this October 1998 file photo. The winner of the 1988 world junior curling title died over the weekend. (photo by Steve McGillvary)

The curling world is mourning the death of Jim Sullivan, who led New Brunswick teams to the junior men's title in 1988 and a second-place finish in 1990 at the Brier men's national championships.

The skip of the first team from New Brunswick to win a world championship in any sport in more than 60 years, Sullivan was elected in 1994 to the province's Sports Hall of Fame.

A married father of two daughters, he died unexpectedly Saturday in Fredericton at age 43.

"I am just devastated and shocked," said Russ Howard of Moncton, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time world curling champion. "Jim was a wonderful guy with a great sense of humour, but a lot of people have forgotten how exceptional a curler he was.

"I bet I faced him 50 times over the years and can't remember ever beating him by more than one point. We had incredible matches.

"I am going to miss him."

Born into a family of top curlers, his father, David, competed in six Briers, his uncle, Charles, competed in five, and his cousin, Charlie Jr,, competed in four.

"In the province of New Brunswick, when you say 'Sullivan' and 'curling,' you are talking about royalty," said Jeff Lacey of Saint John, who curled with Jim Sullivan for three seasons. "This is a big loss to the curling community as a whole and to the world in general ... He was the nicest person you could ever imagine."

Sullivan was employed as a technical support analyst with Genesys Canada. The cause of his death hasn't been released.

"He was a guy everybody liked within curling circles," said Mike Flannery of Fredericton, who curled with Jim and his father, accompanying David to the 1976 Brier. "Jim was just a joy to be around.

"You didn't mind losing to him because he was such a nice guy. You couldn't dislike a bone in his body."

The skip of the Jim Sullivan Rink, his team captured the provincial and national men's junior titles in 1987 before going on to win the world junior title in Germany with his cousin, Charlie, Craig Burgess and Dan Alderman. He lost to Ed Werenich in a closely contested final at the Brier.
Sullivan is survived by his wife Sonya; his daughters, Jordan Lyn and Jamie Brynn; his parents David and Carol Sullivan of Fredericton; and his siblings, Evan Sullivan of Belleville, Ont,, Brian Sullivan of New Maryland and Karen Duxbury (Neil) of Toronto.

Arrangements are being handled by Brenan's Funeral Home in Saint John, with visitations Wednesday and Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A funeral service will be held Friday at noon at the Church of St. Andrew and St. David in Saint John.

The family has asked that any donations be directed to the Sotos Syndrome Support Association of Canada or the Canadian Mental Health Association.

2011-11-15T07:55:00.002-04:00

CITY SEEKS PARTNERS for YORK HOUSE PROJECT
(as published in the Daily Gleaner, Novemeber 15/11)

The city owns it, but now it's got to figure out what to do with it.

To that end, city councillors agreed Monday night to terms of reference for a public proposal call on how to rehabilitate historic York House in the downtown core.

The property poses challenges: it contains asbestos, PCBs and lead.

The city has estimated it could cost as much as $4 million to refurbish the building, said Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of the city's York House working group.

That's too pricey for converting the structure into additional municipal offices, he said, so the city will ask the public for help.

"It's an open call to the public, which, of course, includes the development community and other people interested in the potential uses of that structure to come forward with viable proposals that can work between the two parameters I outlined," Chase said.

"We want to preserve the structure and restore it to its architectural splendor as a historic building in Fredericton, and the other parameter being that it be at zero cost to the taxpayers of Fredericton. Between those two parameters, we'll entertain proposals."

Chase isn't opposed to partnerships being formed to execute a viable redesign and reuse for the city-owned property.

The $3 million-$4 million rehabilitation estimate would include removal of asbestos, PCBs and lead, along with the estimated cost of bringing the building up to building codes.

The city acquired York House in late 2007 as part of a deal it worked out with Brunswick Street Baptist Church.

The church wanted to expand but couldn't pay the cost of renovating York House, so it was going to demolish the building for its new addition.

Through land purchases and trades, the city found land for the church to build its addition and got York House in return.

Part of the committee's plan is to develop a feedback mechanism to seek input from the community.

The first phase of the input will be done online, and it's hoped the web page for feedback will be ready early next week.

Recommendations on how to rehabilitate the structure will have to come back to city council for approval.

Located at 193 York St., York House was constructed in 1893. It was designed by James Dumaresq, architect of the New Brunswick legislative building, as well as St. Paul's United Church and the Charlotte Street School.

The building was originally constructed to house the Fredericton High School and an elementary school. Through the years, York House has also been used for Teachers' College classrooms, the city's public library, a student employment centre and a youth hostel.

The Brunswick Street Baptist Church purchased the property in 1965. The building was used for various church purposes and was renamed York House.

2011-11-14T13:05:00.004-04:00

The Princess Margaret Bridge in Fredericton Opens

(as posted by Communicaitons NB, Nov 10/11)

The Princess Margaret Bridge in Fredericton is now open to traffic.

The bridge, which has been undergoing a $77.4 million-rehabilitation for the past two years, was closed to traffic last May. This allowed extensive work to be done that included replacement of the deck, refurbishment of the piers, steel repairs, completion of bearing replacement and painting.

"I greatly appreciate the patience of the travelling public and the co-operation that we have had from the City of Fredericton," said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claude Williams. "Now that the water proofing and paving has been completed, we can safely re-open the bridge to traffic, while SNC Lavalin continues working on other areas of the bridge that will not disrupt the traffic flow."

Williams added that the bridge is an important part of infrastructure in the area.

“The refurbishment of this bridge will allow the people of Fredericton and the surrounding area to enjoy a safe structure for the next 50 years,” he said.

The Princess Margaret Bridge originally opened in 1959. The bridge was restricted to a maximum vehicle weight of 43,500 kg in November 2008. With the rehabilitation, the maximum vehicle weight is re-established as 62,500 kg.

2011-11-06T16:14:00.003-04:00

Meeting to Discuss Poverty-Reduction
(as published in the Daily Gleaner, November 5, 2011)

A public meeting will be held at Willie O'Ree Place in Scotiabank Park North on Monday at 9 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. to talk about strategies and solutions to improve the plight of chronic poverty in the capital city.

Fredericton Coun. Mike O'Brien will be the convenor of the sessions.

Susanne White is the community inclusion network co-ordinator with Greater Fredericton Social Innovation, which is a non-profit social-planning organization. She said the meetings in Fredericton will be one of two public discussions slated in the area in November.

In 2009, the provincial government gathered input from 2,500 New Brunswickers on poverty and possible fixes.

"That developed into a strategy and, to implement the strategy, the province developed the Economic and Social Inclusion Corp. And in order to drive it back down to the community level, the province set up 12 regions in the province," White said.

Fredericton's region stretches roughly around the capital area to take in Chipman, Oromocto, Fredericton Junction and Gagetown.

"The purpose of the sessions is to engage citizens who represent different sectors in the community, from business to non-profits to service groups and faith organizations and government. People with lived experience who bring that voice of reality are welcome," she said.

"The purpose of the meetings is to share strategies, solutions and perceptions about what the issues are, with the intent of starting the ball rolling on what can be done to effect change in the local community to impact people dealing with poverty on a day-to-day basis."

White said people coping with tough financial situations tend to disconnect from the community, and a lot of the solutions are about finding ways to give people a hand up, rather than just a handout.

"Helping people find that pathway for themselves out of poverty," White said.

2011-11-02T19:49:00.002-03:00

TAXES HAVE TO BE FAIR FOR ALL
(Editorial published int he Daily Gleaner, Oct 28, 2011)

If you own a home in Fredericton, you're either an insider or an outsider.

Insiders pay this property tax rate - $1.42 per $100 of assessed value.

Outsiders get a tax break - $1.07 per $100.

This inside-outside distinction is a throw-back to 38 years ago when the City of Fredericton grew through amalgamation to include Marysville and other communities.

Some properties that ended up within the city limits did not enjoy city amenities like water and sewer service, thus they paid the cheaper "outside" property tax rate.

But that was in the day when there was no separate water and sewer bill. The lack of this service made the lower tax rate fair for those who still had to maintain their own wells and septic tanks.

Now that we have a water and sewer bill separate from a property tax bill, there is no need for a lower outside tax rate.

That's the opinion of two city councillors -Stephen Kelly and Mike O'Brien.

As council spends the fall debating finances in preparation for the 2012 budget, these two have their eyes on close to $660,000 in lost taxes - what the 880 homeowners would generate in tax dollars if the outside rate were abolished.

"I think the level of services is pretty much equal across the city," said Coun. O'Brien. "I don't see a reason why we need to retain the outside rate."

But some councillors argue that property owners in the outside zone lack sidewalks and adequate bus service, which should be made up for with the lower tax rate.

We don't agree. Lots of communities don't have sidewalks on every street. Not every street is on a bus route.

But in this city, everyone does get the essentials - garbage pick-up, police and fire protection and recreation facilities.

We are in the unfortunate and seemingly unending era of shrinking municipal revenues. Finding dollars, and doing more with those dollars, is absolutely vital to proper stewardship of a municipality.

That's why we believe councillors O'Brien and Kelly deserve praise for finding more than half a million dollars in potential revenue.

We don't believe that revenue gain should come in one fell swoop. Seeing your tax bill climb so dramatically in one year is more than many could handle.

So we're suggesting a three or four year period of gradual increases until the tax rate for outsiders matches the insider rate. The pain is easier to bear over several years.

In the meantime, we think the city should do more to include these outside zones in its plans for upgrades. Are these growing neighbourhoods that will need sidewalks, for example? Is there a chance of installing water and sewer services in these areas?

This isn't exactly good news for the 880 homeowners who have been enjoying a lower tax rate and probably a more quiet, country-like existence on the city's fringes.

They have been getting at hefty tax break because the system has simply never been updated to reflect reality. But fairness is key here, and left unchanged, the tax rate is not fair.

2011-10-28T13:18:00.001-03:00

Green Shops medals presented to six city businesses

October 24, 2011 - Six more Green Shops were recognized at City Council this evening, for their efforts to reduce their environmental impact, and conduct business more sustainably.

“The Green Shops members receiving medals tonight are a shining example of how businesses in Fredericton have stepped up efforts around environmental sustainability,” said Mayor Woodside. “By acknowledging that a reduction in environmental footprint is directly correlated to an improved bottom line; these recipients, the owners, employees, customers, and the community all benefit”.

All four of the Fredericton NB Liquor stores joined Green Shops and have achieved silver status, and the ANBL Corporate Headquarters has joined the sister Green Matters Certified program. In addition to their Province-wide plastic bag fee policy, individual stores have stepped up by implementing a number of energy efficiency and waste management actions, and completing between 56% and 67% of the applicable “green” actionable items. These include packaging reuse, paper reduction policies, and discontinuing the use of bottled water.

The Belton Group, a progressive marketing firm, received a gold medal. Belton sent out over 11 million electronic messages last year on behalf of client partners, which saved approximately 1300 trees! They also provide a green ‘hosting’ platform for websites – TBG Green that is wind powered and rain water cooled. Most of the 92% of completed acts of green are related to employee action, such as energy efficient electronics, staff bike racks, along with100% of applicable recycling and waste management acts completed.

Wilson Insurance has made it to gold medal status by reducing office waste by over 25% by implementing a recycling program in both of their Fredericton offices. They have also started a green bin program with the use of an army of red worms to aid in the compost process. People are so intrigued with the workings of red-worm composting, that staff have already had to add more bins to accommodate all of the organic waste. Wilson Insurance received a gold medal for completing 90% of applicable green actions.

Green Shops was created by the City of Fredericton three years ago as a way to encourage the business community to embrace environmental sustainability. It has evolved into a Community Partnership between the City, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Fredericton Inc., and Business Fredericton North. The program currently has more than 80 member businesses

2011-10-10T11:19:00.009-03:00

FORMER CITY RESIDENT SING'S CITY'S PRAISES
(excerpts from an article published in the Daily Gleaner on October 10/11)

Great to come home | Man says Fredericton impressive

Fredericton native Chris Murray is enjoying life as the city manager for Hamilton. Ont.

During a recent visit to his hometown, Murray said he's impressed with what he sees in the capital city and its management. The 49-year-old Fredericton High School graduate said every time he returns to Fredericton, he sees something new and impressive that captures his attention.

"Fredericton was a great place to grow up," Murray said. "You can see why raising a family here is fantastic. You drive around and you can't help but notice the infrastructure. It's all in remarkable condition."

Two places that attracted Murray's attention during his visit to Fredericton were the newly completed downtown convention centre and the restored York Street train station. "This is a pretty incredible city within the Canadian context," he said.

On Jan. 1, 2009, Murray became manager for the city of Hamilton.

"I never thought it would happen. I have been lucky in being able to pursue what interests me. The first day I got the job, I figured I had the best job in Hamilton. Rebuilding one of the most historic cities in Canada - now that's an honour."

Murray works with an annual budget of $1.25 billion and oversees 6,000 employees.

He said Hamilton is focused on improving service delivery renewal within the municipality and is being assisted in the process by a Toronto firm.

One city that keeps popping up during the process is Fredericton. He said it's great to hear the praises of his hometown being sung by a high-profile firm.

2011-10-04T15:23:00.001-03:00

York Arena gets reprieve from Council
(as published in the Daily Gleaner on October 04/11)

York Arena will remain open to 2014, city councillors decided Monday night.

That will allow time for ice-sport user groups to have demonstrated their use and the amount of demand for the facility once Scotiabank Park South's Grant*Harvey Centre is open.

The new multimillion-dollar indoor ice-hockey arena at Alison Boulevard will be completed in the spring of 2012.

Coun. Mike O'Brien, who was appointed by Mayor Brad Woodside to head up an ad hoc study committee on the arena, was getting ready to hold public meetings, gather data and hear from the Save the York Arena citizens group and other groups eager to keep the facility open.

"We've had no meetings of the ad hoc committee. We were going to start meeting in a few weeks ... but I had some informal discussions with my council mates a week or so ago, and it was quite clear that the vast majority of council was indicating to me that they were very interested in keeping the York Arena," O'Brien said after the vote Monday evening.

It would have been pointless to go through an unnecessary public consultation exercise with councillors already decided to extend the York Arena's lifespan at least in the short term.

O'Brien said there are no new operating cost implications for the 2012 budget because funding for the York Arena's operations was never deleted from the city's annual spending plan.

The funding has been in place pending the outcome of public appeals and a final vote of council on retaining or demolishing the northside arena.

But O'Brien said there may be capital-cost implications if problems crop up. Earlier this year, the city had to invest money to fix the ice plant at York Arena because it had an ammonia leak and needed repairs.

"We've spent a couple of hundred dollars in capital for things that had to be done ... just to keep it open for this year," he said.

"The issue now is to look at the cost report that ADI presented to us a few years ago and go through that and have staff come back with milestones. Things that have to be done."

Public safety and structural integrity will be the foremost capital-cost issues, O'Brien said.

One of the arguments handed to city councillors by the citizens group that wants to see the arena retained is that there's more ice demand than the city can accommodate, he said.

If that's the case, he said, the city should be able to make that assessment by keeping York Arena running at the same time as Grant*Harvey Centre becomes operational.

Coun. Dan Keenan said having the two arenas open and in use should generate some data and resolve the conflict opinions on whether the city needs to keep an ice surface at York Arena.

Keenan wants to see groups committed to keeping York Arena come up with ideas on how to mitigate the extra costs to the city of keeping the structure open.

Coun. Stephen Kelly said it's a good time to look for partnerships and backers who might help out with capital costs to hold onto the York Arena ice surface.

2011-10-02T19:07:00.001-03:00

Green Shops Gold Medals Presented To City Businesses

Fredericton (September 26, 2011) – Seven city businesses were honoured by Mayor Brad Woodside today for achieving gold medals – the highest status possible - in Fredericton’s Green Shops program.

"The Green Shops members being recognized this evening serve as a wonderful example of how the business community in our city have embraced environmental sustainability," said Mayor Woodside as he presented gold medals to Brewbakers Restaurant, Cedar Tree Café, Delta Reservations Call Centre, Delta Fredericton, Fredericton Wellness Clinic, What on Earth Jewellers, and Precision Pilates. "These businesses are being rewarded for their sustainable actions which improve their bottom line and foster e a culture of environmental responsibility here in Fredericton".

Some of the actions taken by the medal recipients include:

Brewbakers Restaurant installed energy efficient appliances, and provides compostable takeout containers;
Cara Berube at Precision Pilates encourages active transportation, and runs a paperless business;
Cedar Tree Café purchases most of their produce, as well as honey, flour, cheese and meat locally;
Delta Fredericton Hotel follows the Delta Greens corporate program to implement initiatives such as waste reduction, and water conservation
Delta Reservations Call Centre created a recycling centre, and eliminated individual desk waste baskets, thus reducing overall waste;
The Fredericton Wellness Clinic practices alternative health management, and promotes natural therapies and products to help restore balance in their clients’ lives; and,
What On Earth Jewellers recently moved in to their brand new building, which is highly energy efficient and only takes up 65% of its land plot, keeping the rest as natural forest.

This is just a sample of what the medal recipients have accomplished to earn gold medal status.

Green Shops was created by the City of Fredericton three years ago as a way to encourage the business community to embrace environmental sustainability. It has evolved into a Community Partnership between the City, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Fredericton Inc., and Business Fredericton North. The program currently has more than 80 member businesses.

2011-10-02T18:46:00.001-03:00

Four properties added to Local Historic Places Register

Fredericton (September 27, 2011) – A 1950-era diner, a house with a distinctive "widow’s walk", a two-storey Second Empire style dwelling, and a one and a half story Classical Revival inspired dwelling have been added to the City of Fredericton’s Local Historic Places Register.

City Council agreed with the recommendation of the Preservation Review Board to include structures located at 7 Brookmount Street, 63 McKeen Street, 123-125 McKeen Street, and, 206 Odell Avenue on the Register at the regular Council meeting of September 26, 2011. The following summarizes the heritage importance of each property.

SUNSHINE DINER, 7 BROOKMOUNT STREET

The Sunshine Diner, which opened on May 24, 1950, stands on the west side of Brookmount Street. This single-storey structure is located in the heart of Sunshine Gardens. May 24 was a date which carried considerable significance for Robert H. Simpson, Roy Wallace, and Lawrence Wallace. Serving in the 8th Canadian Hussars Tank Corps of the Canadian Army during World War II, these men made a pact to open a business together if they survived the War. They laid these plans on May 24, 1943 and this date became an important anniversary in the lives of all three men.

After the War and upon their return to Fredericton, these partners purchased the Aula Service Station in Sunshine Gardens, opening for business on May 24, 1946. Two years later, on the same date, they expanded the business to include a grocery line. However, these War veterans made their mark in the commercial industry with the establishment of Vet’s Groceteria, with a grand opening on May 24, 1950. The partners capitalized on the growing groceteria trend, a combination grocery store and cafeteria counter. This business was not only on the cutting edge, but would serve as a model for other groceterias. In 1954, Vet’s Groceteria appeared on the cover of a trade magazine and its exterior design inspired a Vancouver groceteria to adopt a similar exterior style.

63 MCKEEN STREET

This 2-storey house with its distinctive widow’s walk is situated at the river end of McKeen Street. The wood frame dwelling, which was built in 1888, is located on the western side of the street. The significance of this dwelling is grounded both in its ownership and in its unique appearance. William Jaffrey, son of Rev. William Jaffrey, had this house built after his marriage to Helen Elizabeth Wallace in 1888. Born and raised at St. Mary’s Ferry, William Jaffrey received his early education in the village and later he attended the Fredericton Collegiate School. After graduating from UNB in 1879, William Jaffrey operated a furniture making factory located on Douglas (Union) Street.

Jaffrey’s furniture manufacturing plant achieved early success and accumulated considerable local acclaim as one of the leading industrial interests in St. Mary’s. The furniture factory remained in operation for more than a decade, and the continued high volume of orders testified to the great demand for Jaffrey’s production line. Later retiring from the business, and the old factory having become home to a grocery store, William Jaffrey turned to farming. William Jaffrey later ploughed into local politics. With the incorporation of St. Mary’s and Gibson in 1917, William Jaffrey served the Town of Devon in many different capacities, including town clerk, water superintendent, and chief magistrate.

Reflecting the elements of a foursquare, the main living quarters of this 2-storey dwelling is topped by a widow’s walk. Two additional sections once extended from the side wing of this building towards the river. A 2-storey barn with medium pitched gable roof stood between the present wing and an elongated, 1 ½-storey structure, which had perhaps been used as a stable. William and Helen Jaffrey reared three children in this house, and after her father’s death in 1942, Marion C. Jaffrey continued to reside here. Richard Boone Malloy, who had grown up across the street at 66 McKeen, purchased this dwelling during the early 1950s. At present, this house remains in the Malloy family.

123-125 MCKEEN STREET

This 2-storey Second Empire style dwelling was erected during the late 19th Century. The structure is located on a substantial lot on the west side of McKeen Street, immediately below the Walking Trail. The heritage value of this dwelling resides not only in its architectural style but in the significance of its ownership. This Second Empire style dwelling had been the first erected on the west side of McKeen Street between Union Street and the CPR tracks. The dwelling is situated on a large, open lot which once sported a tennis court on the southern portion of the property.

Lawyer Whitman A. Haines and his wife, Inez, resided in this house for many decades. Mr. Haines, who served as Town Clerk for Devon, operated his law office out of the former St. Mary’s Departmental Store, located at the foot of Cliffe Street. Mrs. Haines would pen a short history of St. Mary’s Ferry, now known as North Devon on Fredericton’s north side, which she delivered to the York-Sunbury Historical Society in 1933.

206 ODELL AVENUE

This 1½-storey Classical Revival inspired dwelling is situated on the east side of Odell Avenue between Brunswick and Charlotte Streets. Constructed in 1897, this wood frame dwelling is in view of Wilmot Park. The construction of this wood frame dwelling in 1897 testified to the continued development of Odell Avenue (originally known as Park Street) after the establishment of Wilmot Park. By the mid-1890s, settlement and housing development west of Smythe Street was virtually non-existent.

The opening of Wilmot Park in 1895 sparked a building boom in the immediate vicinity of the park grounds. The creation of a new street, coincident with the establishment of the park and therefore known as Park Street, redefined the western boundary of the town plat. The construction of this house expanded settlement beyond what had been considered the traditional city limits.

About the Register

Council approved the establishment of the Local Historic Places Register on July 21, 2003. The Local Historic Places Register is a list of places (buildings, archaeological sites, and areas or spaces) deemed to be of local historical significance and placed on a list with the permission of the property owner. The Local Historic Places Register was established as a result of a Federal Government Program called the "Historic Places Initiative" and designed to raise awareness of historic places and encourage conservation. For more information of the Local Historic Places Register, visit www.fredericton.ca.

2011-10-02T18:44:00.000-03:00

Fredericton ranks eighth in the world for clean air

Fredericton (September 27, 2011) – A study released yesterday by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that the City of Fredericton has some of the cleanest air in the world. The study examined the presence of particles of 10 micrometers or less (PM10) in 1100 cities, across 91 countries, in an effort to measure air quality across the globe.

The City of Fredericton has long promoted its quality of life and its environmental sustainability. Of the top ten cities cited in the study, nine are from Canada, and one is from the United States. The other Canadian cities are in Yukon, British Columbia and Newfoundland. The sole US city is in California.

"We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful place, and have always worked hard to make sure that we maintain our natural assets that help to give us fresh air," says Mayor Brad Woodside. "Our significant green spaces and urban forest, lack of industrial pollution, and environmental consciousness all contribute to the clean air that we all enjoy."

The WHO study found that "persistently elevated levels of fine particle pollution are common across many urban areas, The great majority of urban populations have an average annual exposure to PM10 particles in excess of the WHO Air Quality guideline recommended maximum level of 20 µg/m³. On average, only a few cities currently meet the WHO guideline values".

"This highlights the importance of monitoring and educating on community and corporate greenhouse gas emissions," says Alycia Morehouse, the City’s Climate Change Coordinator. "One of the largest contributors to poor air quality is motor transport. Reducing our reliance on vehicles, and exploring alternative forms of transportation is very important, as is choosing cleaner forms of energy and electricity."

Over 2 million people die annually from breathing in the tiny particles present indoors, and outdoors, as the microscopic PM10 particles can penetrate lungs and the bloodstream, and can cause asthma, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses.

For more information on the study, visit the WHO’s website.

2011-09-30T22:55:00.001-03:00

New Multi-Use Sports Field Officially Opens at Scotiabank Park North

Fredericton (September 30, 2011) – The City of Fredericton has officially opened a new multi-use, artificial turf athletic field at Scotiabank Park North, 605 Cliffe Street. The field, made possible in part through a sponsorship agreement with Scotiabank, will be used by soccer, football, rugby, and ultimate Frisbee players.

"This area of the city represents one of the first major investments in new recreational resources made by the City of Fredericton in many years," said Mayor Brad Woodside, referring to Scotiabank Park North, which also includes the Willie O’Ree Place twin-pad arena complex and beach volleyball courts. "The area is growing into a major recreational hub and helping to spur community development."

"We are proud to have played a role in bringing this facility to Fredericton," said Scott Allen, Scotiabank District Vice-President for West New Brunswick. "Facilities like the one we’re officially opening today serve not only as a place to play sports, but also play a large role in bringing communities together. We hope that the Fredericton community enjoys many seasons of fun on the field at Scotiabank Park North."

Scotiabank’s sponsorship of the City’s recreational infrastructure was announced in January of this year. The $1.5 million agreement spans the next ten years. The new multi-use sports field was constructed by Philson Ltd., at a cost of $2,652,110. The field is 100 meters long by 60 meters wide, and was built to the official standards of FIFA, the world soccer governing body.

The primary users of the sports field will be the Fredericton District Soccer Association (FDSA), the Capital Area Minor Football Association (CAMFA) and teams at Leo Hayes High School.

In addition to Mayor Brad Woodside and Scott Allen, District Vice President, Scotiabank, the official opening ceremony was also attended by the Hon. Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Fredericton. Master of ceremonies for the evening was Fredericton City Councillor Mike O’Brien.

2011-08-19T19:17:00.011-03:00

'We're tearing down the wall of resistance'

(excerpts from an article published int he Daily Gleaner, August 19th, 2011)

Fredericton developers are becoming more open to including rent-subsidized housing in their new apartment developments, says the chairman of Fredericton's affordable housing committee.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Submitted Photo

Federal Society Development Minister Sue Stultz and Coun. Mike O'Brien, the chairman of the city's affordable-housing committee, toured affordable-housing developments in Fredericton, including this one called The Tannery at Brookside Court project, developed by Avide Properties.

Coun. Mike O'Brien and members of the city's affordable housing group met recently with provincial Social Development Minister Sue Stultz - the provincial minister responsible for seniors, housing and community non-profit organizations.

O'Brien said the city's affordable housing committee has had enjoyed a great relationship with Social Development ministers over the years.

"We've met with each minister in the past and explained what our committee's mandate is and that we can't move forward without their continued assistance, and we have had tremendous co-operation from the Social Development ministers, deputies and executive staff over the years," O'Brien said.

During the meeting with Stultz, representatives from Fredericton Homeless Shelters Inc., the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and the city's Community Action Group on Homelessness were able to talk with the minister, O'Brien said.

The minister visited six affordable-housing developments in the city, including The Tannery at Brookside Court project, developed by Avide Properties.

Over the past decade, Fredericton developers have become more accepting of including affordable housing in their mix of market-geared apartment construction, the councillor said.

The city's Lutheran Church built an affordable-housing development on Regent Street with the help of Avide Properties.

Another developer opened up a project on Cliffe Street. The John Howard Society built one on Main Street.

Two other projects are located in the Brookside Drive area, including a development to open in the fall. Other developers have included government rent-supported units in other buildings.

O'Brien said by having resident property managers, the developments are being maintained properly and tenant issues are addressed.

"I think we've seen a lot of successes, quality buildings, successful projects and improvements to neighbourhoods, and one by one, we're tearing down the wall of resistance," he said.

"In the past, the money allotted to the greater Fredericton area for programing was not being used for two reasons. Our developers were maybe timid of getting into these types of projects because of the perception and the stigma attached to them. And the other reason is they were just too busy building new homes, apartments and condos."

By organizing annual affordable-housing days hosted by the affordable-housing committee, the city has been gradually educating developers to the funding options available to them and easing their concerns about government red tape.

"We made them aware that they can get into these programs with less restrictions and headaches than they thought might exist," O'Brien said.

He believes there's a shift in public attitudes toward affordable housing.

"The community is more accepting and embracing of the need," O'Brien said.

"Also, the market for expensive homes and apartments is not infinite. You can build a quality, affordable-housing development and make money off of it, and that's not a dirty word at all."

Fredericton Non-Profit Housing is another group that has done a great job of taking existing housing stock and retrofitting it for affordable housing, O'Brien said.

To read the entire article, click on the following link: http://http//dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1433094

2011-08-16T17:11:00.006-03:00

FREDERICTON DEVELOPERS OPEN TO MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS - COUNCILLOR (excerpts from article published in the Telegraph-Journal August 13, 2011)

Fredericton developers are becoming more open to including rent-subsidized housing in their new apartment developments, says the chairman of Fredericton's affordable-housing committee.

Coun. Mike O'Brien and members of the city's affordable-housing group met recently with federal Social Development Minister Sue Stultz, who is responsible for seniors, housing and community non-profit organizations.

During the visit, representatives from Fredericton Homeless Shelters Inc., Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and the city's Community Action Group on Homelessness were able to talk with the minister, O'Brien said.

The minister toured six affordable housing developments in the city, including The Tannery at Brookside Court project developed by Avide Properties.

Over the past decade, Fredericton developers have been including affordable housing within their mix of market-geared apartment construction.

"I think we've seen a lot of successes, quality buildings, successful projects and improvements to neighbourhoods and one by one we're tearing down the wall of resistance," he said.

Tim Ross, co-ordinator of the Community Action Group on Homelessness, said the city's housing need is like an iceberg.

"The largest part of the problem is hidden from view," Ross said. "There's about 30,000 households in Fredericton and there are 6,105 households that are considered to be in distress. That's based on Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data that reports on housing affordability, overcrowding and housing that's in need of major repair," Ross said.

The 6,105 households that, the action group says, face tough financial straits are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. If most of the household income goes to pay for a roof and walls, then there's little left for healthy nutrition and other family needs.

Ross agrees with O'Brien that developers are opening up to the concept of affordable housing.

"We've been building very effective partnerships with developers on the delivery of affordable housing programing and we've also seen a significant drop in the not-in-my-backyard syndrome when developments come forward," Ross said.

"The goal at the end of the day is more mixed-income development where an individual's housing may be subsidized, but it's seamlessly blended into our community," Ross said. "Most residents wouldn't even know where affordable housing units are located in the city ... You may already be a neighbour of a subsidized unit."

2011-08-11T18:46:00.003-03:00

Affordable Housing Visit by Minister Sue Stultz

Fredericton, NB – Hon. Sue Stultz, Minister of Social Development and Minister Responsible for Seniors, Housing and Community Non-Profit Organizations, along with several provincial officials was recently in Fredericton for an informal meeting with Coun. Mike O’Brien, Chair of the City of Fredericton’s Affordable Housing Committee and other committee representatives.

The city’s committee acts as an advocate for the homeless, the working poor and those with special housing needs to improve their quality of life through affordable housing in Fredericton. While in the city, the Minister also took the time to view some of Fredericton’s successful affordable housing developments.

Pictured,above, left to right, are Minister Stultz and Coun. Mike O’Brien at The Tannery at Brookside Court

2011-08-09T17:59:00.007-03:00

COMMITTEE TO EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR YORK ARENA

(As publshed in the Daily Gleaner, August 9/11)

The chairman of an ad hoc committee on the future of the York Arena is planning to hear from special interest groups, the public and experts before drawing a conclusion on the fate of the northside ice hockey arena.

Coun. Mike O'Brien, who has been opposed to retaining the structure once the Grant * Harvey Centre is completed, said he's prepared to weigh all the facts with an unbiased eye.

He was appointed to head up the committee by Mayor Brad Woodside and city council after the Save the York Arena group wanted to make a fresh approach to city council touting the merits of saving the building. A second group, consisting of local runners who are looking for indoor training space, has also stepped forward.

City council Monday night appointed five people to serve with O'Brien on the ad hoc committee, including: its executive director of special projects Greg Cook; Rob Jackson and Gabriela Tymowski as community representatives; and Holly Hyslop of the joint city and local service district recreation advisory committee. The recreation advisory committee was formed when a number of local services districts and the Village of New Maryland voted to contribute taxes toward the cost of the city's two new arenas. Willie O'Ree Place opened in 2008. The city, in turn, waived all non-resident user fees for its sports facilities.

"We will hear presentations from groups that have a particular interest in York Arena, either for maintaining it for hockey or for some alternate use, so we will set time aside to meet with them personally and let them make presentations and the committee can then ask questions. Those will be open to the public," O'Brien said.

He plans to hold a public meeting to receive brief presentations for and against keeping York Arena open.

"We will also hear presentations from the dMA group that did the recreation master study (for the city) to try to pick their brains a bit more on per capita ice surface requirements and alternate recreational needs in the city that demands dollars," O'Brien said.

ADI Ltd., which conducted a structural audit of all the city's ice hockey arena's as part of a facilities 220-page evaluation study released in 2004, will be hired to present an update of its structural analysis of the York Arena.

"We will also engage Hockey New Brunswick to come in and give a presentation on hockey use and growth or the lack thereof. We'll get a broad perspective fiscally and we'll also get a presentation from city treasurer Tina Tapley on the fiscal costs of maintaining the York Arena and upgrading it or closing it," O'Brien said Monday night.

Recommendations from the city's community services division will be included, O'Brien said.

"We have a very good committee put together. I wanted to have a panel of people that were passionate and experts in their field, but who were also detached from the issue. Rob Jackson is a tennis Hall of Fame member and former president of Downtown Fredericton Inc. Gabriela Tymowski is an associate professor at the university (of New Brunswick), but she is also a well published scholar on participation and fighting obesity by having recreational opportunities," O'Brien said.

He said the startup meeting of the ad hoc committee will be held in October. O'Brien said he hopes to have a final report to council no later than February.

O'Brien said there are no budget implications to the city until at least the 2013 budget year.

2011-08-05T07:54:00.004-03:00

Fredericton crime rate cut by repeat offenders list
(as published by CBC NB News on August 03/11)

Fredericton police say they have knocked down the city's crime rate by using a repeat offenders list to keep a close eye on those most likely to commit crimes.

There has been a 35 per cent drop in thefts this year compared to last year, police say.

Staff Sgt. Brian Ford credits that success to the list, which includes the names of people who have had more than 50 run-ins with the law in the last two years. Police knock on the doors of all those people to make sure they are abiding by court orders, he said.

There are 45 repeat offenders on the list and they are responsible for 87 per cent of the thefts in the city, Ford said, along with many other property crimes such as arson and vandalism.

"We make sure those court orders are enforced," Ford said. "For example, a curfew. We will actually be there checking on these people, their curfews, not just once a night but sometimes twice a night and they get to know us on a first name basis."

The new strategy also gives police a window into who commits what crimes and when, Ford said. "Looking at the [modus operandi] of the suspects gives us a good indication of where our crimes are being committed," he said. "They can even narrow down times that we can expect crimes to be committed, in some instances."

A repeat offender list was first used in the U.K. in 2004 where property crimes also declined by 30 per cent.

2011-07-19T09:53:00.003-03:00

Committe Established to Determine York Arena's Fate
(excerpts from article published in the Daily Gleaner, July 16/11)

An ad hoc community on the future of York Arena has been created by Mayor Brad Woodside with Coun. Mike O'Brien at its helm. That's going to divert two groups looking to keep the building in the city's recreation inventory from council to that committee to pitch their case.

The Save The York Arena group, which wants barebones repairs made to keep the rink in the city's sports inventory to accommodate growing demand for ice time, was slated to speak to city council. Meantime, the Fredericton Athletics Association, which represents a group in runners looking for an indoor track, was booked to give a report to the city's community services committee this week.

"Council had asked staff to come back with an updated ADI report on the structure and the costs, and the staff were prepared to do that. Now, a group has come forward that represents the indoor runners club that they wanted to form. They've got what looks on paper like a viable option. The Save the York Arena group has been meeting diligently for the last year and has refined their numbers and research so they have information," O'Brien said.

"I myself had been fairly strong at one time saying, 'We can't afford this,' but have met with that group several times, and I have met with staff and it looks like there may be some untested options at the moment about how to reduce costs of operating that place and still make that a viable operation," the councillor said.

He said there's no rush because the city has already decided the York Arena isn't coming down.
"We'd have to reverse that if we ever did, and the York Arena definitely has to remain open next year," O'Brien said.

When the city rescinded the motion to demolish the arena, it was with the understanding it would be open for the next couple of years and it will be open for at least the next year, he said.

Scott Davis, acting chairman of the recently created Fredericton Athletics Association, said the group will meet and talk with the city on how to best present its information. "We know there's another proposal out there for refurbishment into a rink, but we kind of had this idea going when the Nashwaaksis Arena was demolished after the Willie O'Ree Centre was put up.

"Our thoughts are if the city is looking at two options, either refurbish it as a rink ... or the only other option is to demolish it. We'd like to have it known that we are looking for a facility, and a building this size would meet our needs, and there is an interest from our group to reuse that facility rather than demolish it."

2011-07-05T22:50:00.003-03:00

Paved trails 'accessible to more people' - Transportation | City plans to pave more sections

(excerpt from article published in the Daily Gleaner, July 05/11)

Between walking to and from class, running and biking, Peter Adamson says he spends a lot of time on the trails in Fredericton. "I'm walking them every night," said Adamson, a third-year geological engineering student at the University of New Brunswick.

In fact, he prefers running on pavement. But while he's heard pavement is hard on the knees, he said hearing the city is planning to pave more sections of the trail doesn't bother him. "I don't know what the long-term effects are but it's better for grip, especially for biking. It's faster," he said. "I'm not 60. My knees are still pretty good."

Although city council's decision last week to spend $105,000 to pave another two kilometres of Fredericton's trail network ignited some complaints from runners, it didn't spark the same kind of reaction it did when plans for paving were announced in 2008.

In about two weeks time, the city will pave two more sections of Fredericton's 85-km trail system - along the Valley Trail on Woodstock Road and along the riverfront from the Lighthouse Adventure Centre to the pedway - bringing the total distance of paved trails in the city to 7.5 km.

Nicholas Larade, manager of the Fredericton Running Room, said when paving plans were revealed in 2008, a lot of people came to his store complaining.

He hasn't seen the same kind of reaction this time, but that could change when the machines roll out.

"Once they start paving more sections, I suspect we'll see more of an outcry and complaints," he said.

But although he understands some people are unhappy with the decision, Don Murray, city forester and acting parks and trees manager, said it's important to pave some sections of the trail because they're not just for recreational use.

But while the role of the trails as a transportation system is important, Murray said paving certain sections allows access to different groups who might not have been able to enjoy the trails before.

He said one particular instance after the first paving project was completed convinced him the city was doing the right thing.

"I was down at the trail visitor centre and I saw a van, I think it was from Pine Grove nursing home," he said.

"They were unloading some of the residents in their wheelchairs and they were driving from the south side over to the north side, the trail visitor centre, and they were taking the seniors from Pine Grove for a walk on that paved section.

"That convinced me right there we were doing the right thing. It made those trails so much more accessible."

To read the full article, click on the following link:

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/1420699

2011-07-05T19:58:00.000-03:00

Mayor Accepts fDi American Cities of the Future Award In Washington, D.C.

Fredericton (July 5, 2011) – Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside was presented with the prestigious 2011-20012 fDi Magazine American Cities of the Future award during a recent ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award is in recognition of the City of Fredericton being named earlier this year as the top city in North, South and Latin America for Best Foreign Direct Investment Strategy in the Micro City Category; a runner-up in the Micro City over-all rankings; and sixth for Best Quality of Life in the Micro City Top Ten.

Mayor Woodside was one of more than 150 mayors and other government officials assembled in the U.S. capital for the awards ceremony.

“I am very pleased to accept this award on behalf of our partners in the Greater Fredericton Area who work tirelessly to make our community stand out on the world stage,” said Mayor Woodside. “We appreciate the recognition of those efforts by fDi Magazine, which shows us we are on the right track with our economic development strategies.”

fDi American Cities of the Future recognizes cities which have the best prospects for inward investment, economic development and business expansion. The results were released in the April / May issue of fDi Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times of London, England.

"The Americas are home to many of the world's most established investment destinations as well as some of the fastest emerging ones, making it a highly competitive and diverse region for Foreign Direct investment,” said Courtney Fingar, editor of fDi Magazine, commented. “Given the strength of the rankings methodology, large field of competitor cities and sheer scale of such a benchmarking exercise, those cities marked for recognition deserve to be proud of their efforts. fDi Magazine congratulates them."

The ‘American Cities of the Future rankings compared data from 405 cities in six categories: Economic Potential, Human Resources, Cost Effectiveness, Quality of Life, Infrastructure and Business Friendliness. A seventh category was added to the scoring – FDI promotion strategy. In this category, 100 cities submitted details about their promotion strategy and this was judged and scored by an independent judging panel.

The Financial Times Ltd. is one of the world’s leading business news organizations. It is recognized internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Full results are available onwww.fdiintelligence.com/Rankings or in the April/May issue of fDi Magazine

2011-06-15T21:08:00.002-03:00

City donates bikes to less fortunate

(Excerpt of article published in the Daily Gleaner, June 14/11)

The City of Fredericton has once again donated unclaimed, lost, stolen and abandoned bicycles to community volunteer agencies for use by at-risk youth, the disadvantaged and vulnerable citizens.

This year's beneficiaries of the city's bicycles for the community program include: Chrysalis House, the Community Clinic, Liberty Lane, the YMCA and the Department of Social Development. More bicycles will be donated during the summer as they become available.

"We are pleased to support the community groups and agencies by providing bicycles for the use of their clients," said Coun. Steven Hicks, chairman of the city's community services committee. "Bikes for the community is a very popular program and these lost or unclaimed bicycles will be put to good use."

2011-06-15T20:58:00.004-03:00

Who's going to take the plunge?

(Daily Gleaner Editorial; June 15/11)

Who wants a new indoor pool?

The city certainly doesn't, at least not one to call its very own. It wants desperately to share any future pool with lots and lots of others. No surprise there. Municipalities everywhere have become almost allergic to building recreational facilities. They are money pits.

But with the University of New Brunswick's Max Aitken pool up for decommissioning, the new UNB Currie Center built without a pool and the YMCA pool a non-competitive size, this city will be without a pool that both meets international competitive standards and is deep enough for dive training.

However, the last thing the City of Fredericton needs is the building, staffing and maintenance of a new pool. That's the last thing taxpayers need as well. So the city's got a plan - get some partners involved, perhaps UNB and the local service districts surrounding the city.

It began the process on Monday night with approval for an $80,000 feasibility study. You can't solicit potential partners without handing them a document that tells them what they're getting into. It's a mighty expensive document, mind you, but a necessary foundation to begin this partnering process.

We believe UNB will need a pool, and we also believe nearby LSDs should seriously consider helping fund this project. Everyone likes to use the services, but that should also mean everyone helps pay for them. A $20 hike in an annual property tax bill isn't a big burden, but it would sure help maintain a pool.

We'd like to suggest that the swim groups involved begin this partnering process as well, by pitching to businesses. Corporate sponsorships can help tremendously. Swimming is excellent exercise and therapy for arthritic bodies. Surely businesses that serve senior citizens would be interested in getting a piece of this sponsorship action.

Here's another opportunity: sell the naming rights to the pool. Who cares if it ends up to be the McTims Memorial Pool? It will cost the taxpayers and the city less money even if the name is tacky. The City of Fredericton has invested heavily in infrastructure in the past few years. The convention centre and two arenas come to mind.

We are used to a city that minds its finances with great caution. We don't want that to change. That's why our tax rate is much lower than Saint John's or Moncton's. We benefit from that frugality. That's why we see a feasibility study of $80,000 as an investment. If this whole plan doesn't work and after years of negotiations no one wants to jump in with a fist full of money, then we've wasted $80,000, but at least we know the reality.

If, on the other hand, that $80,000 investment produces financial partnerships that make the building of a pool viable for Fredericton taxpayers, then it was worth the money.

It will probably be years, maybe even a decade, before a pool is built. This is just step one to test the waters.

2011-05-29T20:02:00.004-03:00

Pension decision angers union leaders - Reforms | Overtime won't be part of pension income calculation, city rules

(Excerpts from article published in the Daily Gleaner, May 25/11)

The City of Fredericton has changed its employee pension plan, eliminating overtime in the calculation of pensionable income and capping annual cost-of-living adjustments at 1.5 per cent. Unionized employee groups, including firefighters, police officers and public works employees, had lobbied councillors not to do away with the overtime calculation. They argued they're routinely expected to work overtime to keep the city safe and roads clear in snowstorms.

The employees rallied at a family-style barbecue in the parking lot at city hall before heading to the council gallery to watch the vote. They held signs reading: "We just want a secure future for all" and "Invest in us, we are part of the city." When councillors voted in favour of the amendments package the workers stood up in the upper gallery, turned their backs to the councillors on the floor below and booed.

"We were under the understanding that there would be some discussion around it and that council had varying opinions. Some people were for this. Some people were thinking that there were better ways to address this," said Wade Kierstead, president of CUPE Local 3864, which represents technical and professional employees at the city.

Glenn Sullivan, vice-president of the city's firefighters union IAFF Local 1053, said the city blindsides its workers with changes. "They don't listen to the employees. It's the same thing over and over again. It's quite disheartening. We thought we'd have some support from some of the councillors," he said.

Sullivan said society needs to recognize that pension improvements are needed across the board, even the Canada Pension Plan, rather than leaving many seniors living hand to mouth. "It's time that people got on board with this and realized we need to protect our seniors and have a decent retirement," he said. Mayor Brad Woodside said workers made their pitch, but councillors didn't agree.

Coun. Mike O'Brien, who sat in on the pension reform discussions, said 17 options were considered during 20 meetings on pension reform and this is the best compromise that could be reached to try to reduce the $37.5-million deficit.

O'Brien, who had earlier voted against the pension amendments package, said with the elimination of overtime in the calculation of contributions, the city will save $115,000 in premiums. Since employees match the city dollar for dollar on premiums, workers will also pay $115,000 less per year on their share of the premiums.

"If you do the math, the net cost to the city now, is a little more favourable than what we looked at it in October with completely de-indexing the pension fund, so the taxpayers benefitted even better tonight. The employees, even though change is difficult, will now have a more stable pension plan. We don't have to revisit this for quite a few years."

O'Brien said 80 per cent of pension plans across the country don't allow overtime to be used in the calculation of pensionable earnings. The highest users of overtime - police and firefighters - also have higher levels of earnings annually compared to some of their city hall counterparts, he said. Employees made concessions and so did the city, he said.

In the days ahead, O'Brien said the city should look at additional pension reform, but any reforms should be undertaken on a go-forward basis with new city workers, leaving those contributing under the existing pension system intact.

To read the entire article, click on the following link: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/1409351

2011-05-28T19:08:00.004-03:00

Get well soon - In our view: Firefighters' mystery illness has damaged their integrity

(Daily Gleaner Editorial, May 27/11)

What sort of sudden illness could bring down 16 of 21 hearty firefighters all on the same day? Was it the hamburgers at the union barbecue held prior to the Tuesday evening council vote or was it a righteous sense of entitlement that's to blame?

Fredericton city council made a decision - unpopular with some employees - to tweak its employee pension plan. That means pension payroll deductions will rise and overtime hours will not be pensionable. The aim of this decision is to eliminate a $37.5-million deficit, thus keeping the plan healthy and sustainable for the long term.

On Wednesday morning, 16 of the day's 21 firefighters on duty came down with something and did not report for work, thus forcing a dozen off-duty firefighters to be called in at a taxpayer cost of $6,051 in overtime pay.

The city's pension decision was responsible, timely and absolutely necessary for past, current and future employees - including the mysteriously sick firefighters. This was not malicious power-mongering on the part of council. It was good stewardship to guard the integrity and viability of the pension fund.

But we have to wonder if the 16 suddenly ill firefighters actually see the big picture. Do they not understand that a bit of pain now leads to long-term financial security? Do they not understand that worldwide economic recession has affected the pensions of many, and we all have to suck it up, take a loss and do the best we can? Fredericton firefighters are not exempt from that reality.

Here are some other questions for the 16 firefighters:

* Are you so far removed from work-world reality that you fail to remember than many people have no pensions at all?

* Do you know that many people, when they work overtime, are lucky to get equal time off, not even time-and-a-half off?

* Do you know that many people, when they work overtime, get no extra pay or time off at all?

* Do you have any idea how many hundreds of people would trade places with you in a minute?

* Do you understand that your good reputation with the people you serve has been damaged by 16 questionable decisions?

* Do you appreciate that the people you serve have to pay the bill for your petulant indignation?

* Have you forgotten what you do for a living, who depends on you and who pays for it?

* And finally, do you foresee acting like spoiled children for much longer, because frankly, we don't believe the public will stand for it again?

We know you do a dangerous job and when you're on the job, you protect us well. We also understand you're angry. What we don't understand is why you chose to threaten the safety of the city and its citizens with your anger.

At the end of the day, the city and its taxpayers have a $6,000 overtime bill to cover for your sick days.

Some residents are no doubt anxious about the ability of the fire department to protect them, both on Wednesday, and in the future, should this continue. Plenty of people are angry that you chose this action to make your point. You have lost the respect of a lot of your supporters.

So, we ask one more question: Was it worth it?

2011-05-23T22:21:00.002-03:00

Happy Trails

(Daily Gleaner Editorial, May 20/11)

The City of Fredericton has been planning on paving more of the capital's trail system, but residents from the city's west end have filed a petition against such a move. Some trail users feel a gravel trail is easier to walk on.

We can also see how the notion of placing a priority on paving trails in the city might be puzzling to some. It might seem odd that municipal officials are talking about paving walking trails at a time when there are potholes on city streets that could swallow compact cars (or so it seems at times).

But we agree with the mayor and other city officials who defended the plan for paving the trails. They argue - and quite successfully, we feel - that paving trails is an inclusionary practice, as it allows the disabled and people with children in strollers to enjoy the trail system with ease.

The more people who can avail themselves of the trails, the better, not just because everyone should be on an equal footing when it comes to municipal services and infrastructure, but because more people on the trails means more people are being active.

Paving the trails also opens the door to other kinds of physical activity as well. It's not just those walking or jogging on these trails. Paving them makes them viable options for cycling, in-line skating and skateboarding.

Not only do paved trails promote more fitness, they promote safety as well. Pedestrians, cyclists, skaters and skateboarders are removed from busy street traffic by using the trails while still being able to get around the city.

The relatively recent development of formalizing and managing the city's trail system has inarguably enhanced quality of life for Frederictonians, and a move to add to the trails' appeal is a good move on the part of city hall.

2011-04-29T10:01:00.001-03:00

CITY EYING GAS PRICES
(as published in the Gaily Gleaner, April 29/11)

The City of Fredericton hasn't had to dip into its fuel contingency budget yet, but spiking fuel costs are starting to push up expenditures for the first quarter of the year.

Fredericton Transit incurred an $8,601 over-expenditure from its first-quarter budget estimates for January to March with the higher costs driven up by additional fuel consumption. The city's snow-control budget is up $146,374 over projections for the first part of this budget year due to additional overtime for snow removal, sanding and salting. The snow-removal figures include $53,000 in additional fuel due to snowstorms in the first quarter of the year.

Coupled with increases in fuel prices, the city is also paying more in provincial gasoline taxes due to an increase announced by the provincial government in its March budget. The province increased its take of gasoline taxes by 3.5 cents. The provincial tax on regular fuel climbed to 13.6 cents a litre from 10.7 and the tax on diesel rose to 19.2 cents a litre from 16.9 cents a litre.

"The provincial tax increase is estimated to impact us by about $45,000 for the year," said finance committee chairman Coun. Mike O'Brien. As part of planning for the $98 million 2011 general fund budget, the city had reduced its fuel contingency reserve by about $200,000 after fuel prices seemed to level off in 2010.

O'Brien said the city plans to spend $1.8 million on fuel in 2011. On top of that, it has set aside $134,000 in the fuel contingency reserve for 2011. "We estimate as best we can, based on our fuel consumption, where we think the fuel prices are going to go and put a slight buffer in for bad winters and who knows what," O'Brien said.

"As of the end of March, we're on budget, but if fuel and diesel prices continue to go up, we're going to have to start cutting into our contingency budget. "As it stands right now, we're OK, but I did hear this morning that the prices are supposed to go up another two-tenths of a cent (Thursday) and there are wild rumours that fuel could go up to about $1.50 and if that's the case, we will use up our contingency and more, there's no question." City treasurer Tina Tapley will be monitoring the fluctuations in the price of fuel and city consumption.

O'Brien said the city has tried to conserve its fuel use by implementing anti-idling policies, using more fuel-efficient vehicles and putting additives into diesel fuel to stretch the dollars out a bit more. "Every couple of years, they do a comprehensive review of fleet use, including how many vehicles are being used, how many people are in a car, but you can only go so far and keep the city running," the finance committee chairman said. "But it's a concern to everybody."
The city burns through a lot of fuel to run transit buses, heavy equipment from trucks to snow plows, and fire and police vehicles.

"There's no way to avoid it. We just have to make sure we're doing it as efficiently as we can. There's only so much we can do about the increasing fuel costs other than at budget time trying to budget right. We don't want to be crazy and have too much an excess, but you have to have a slight buffer," he said.

2011-04-08T23:43:00.002-03:00

City Finishes year With $340K surplus – audit (as published in the Daily Gleaner on March 29/11)

The City of Fredericton has received a clean audit opinion for 2010.

The audit, conducted by Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants, shows the city ended the 2010 financial year with a $339,928 surplus in its general operating fund, which works out to 0.36 per cent of the $93.2-million budget.

"This audit shows the city is making smart decisions now and is on course for a financially sustainable future," said Coun. Mike O'Brien, chairman of the city's finance and administration committee. "We have a major capital project funding and financing plan in place to keep the city moving forward and our infrastructure reinvestment strategy is a smart way to maintain what we have now," he said.

The 2010 audited financial statement was conducted using the Public Sector Accounting Board accounting standards set for governments by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. This is the second year the city has been audited using the new accounting rules which establishes a valuation on everything the municipality owns - from vehicles to buildings to pipes in the ground and even its pension fund.

Fredericton is the only municipality in New Brunswick to have adopted the modern standard. According to the valuation, the city has $494 million in capital assets.

The city's net debt stands at $84.7 million due to its capital construction that included financing of a new ice hockey arena, fire station, convention centre, parking garage and government office building as well as upgrades to other sports facilities.

"We have the financial resources and physical assets to sustain services, but we will also be keeping a close eye on how events beyond our control may affect us in the future," O'Brien said. "We will continue to be financially responsible, transparent and accountable to Fredericton."

2011-04-08T23:41:00.003-03:00

Fredericton Named 6th Best Place to Live in Canada (as published in the Daily Gleaner on March 30/11)

Fredericton is the only municipality in the Atlantic provinces to be named to the Top 10 places to live in Canada by MoneySense magazine in its annual ranking of the country's most liveable communities.

Fredericton was sixth from among 180 Canadian cities and towns with populations of more than 10,000. Cities were rated based on home affordability, climate, prosperity, crime rates, access to health care and lifestyle, with subcategories in each area. Points were also given for transit, amenities and culture.

"This is the fifth straight year that Fredericton has been named to the MoneySense Top 10 list," said Mayor Brad Woodside. "All residents can take great pride in the fact it doesn't get much better than right here at home."

According to MoneySense, Fredericton's top advantages are the affordability of housing and chances of finding work, as well as the number of citizens committed to active transportation.

The unemployment rate is 5.6 per cent, the average household price is $142,642 and 9.28 per cent of the population walks or takes a bike to work.

Other areas in which Fredericton ranked well included: average household income ($76,659); number of doctors for each 1,000 residents (2.27); days of precipitation annually (156.6); and number of days a year where the weather is below freezing (178).

Ottawa-Gatineau was named the best place to live in Canada in 2011, followed by: Victoria, B.C.; Burlington, Ont.; Kingston, Ont.; St, Albert, Alta.; Fredericton; Brandon, Man.; Edmonton, Alta.; Repentigny, Que.; and Winnipeg, Man.

MoneySense is Canada's best-selling investment and lifestyle magazine. It's published six times a year by Rogers Media.

2011-02-17T13:17:00.002-04:00

City history comes alive on Facebook
(as published in the Daily Gleaner, February 17/11)

Want Facebook friends? Talk history. That's what Juan Estepa, manager of heritage and cultural affairs for the city, has learned.

Estepa has gone to the social-media site in partnership with York Sunbury Historical Society to start unrolling information about Fredericton's Local Historic Places Register and to upload some of the society and city's collections of historic postcards.

"We've had 5,000 views just on the historic postcards, and that's just a fraction of the information. We've hit a very positive nerve with the public," Estepa told the city's development committee Tuesday. "Because of this partnership, it's driving visitors to the Fredericton Region Museum, formerly known as the York Sunbury Museum (in Officers Square). They've experienced a substantial increase to their blog and increasing visits to the museum."

Given the successful dabbling with Facebook, Estepa said he's hoping to post more data, including information about studies underway on historic neighbourhoods in the city.
Estepa is working on a heritage preservation area study of the St. Mary's neighbourhood and on the former downtown industrial area surrounding the former railway lands.
That section of the city was historically known as Rabbit Town for the large working-class families who eked out a living working in what was once the city's industrial centre.

"We've got years' worth of content, but if we release it all at once, it's too much for people to absorb," Estepa said. Releasing information bit by bit keeps friends and fans coming back for more, he said.

The Facebook page is called Fredericton Local Historic Places Register.

2011-02-17T13:10:00.002-04:00

Green Shops Gold Medals Presented To Five City Businesses

(February 14, 2011) – Five city businesses were honoured by Mayor Brad Woodside today for achieving the highest level of certification in Fredericton’s Green Shops program.

“I am very pleased to see businesses in our city are continuing to embrace environmental sustainability,” said Mayor Woodside as he presented the gold medals. “Not only can businesses realize financial benefits by going green but they are also motivated by moral and ethical reasons.”

Avalon Spa is owned and operated by Peggy and Terry Jewett. The company has drastically reduced its environmental impact by converting to natural gas and by using high-efficiency washers and water heaters to conserve both energy and water. The company also implemented waste reduction and recycling initiatives for the staff and uses environmentally friendly products in all of its salons.

Computers for Schools collects, repairs and refurbishes donated and surplus computers from government and private sector sources and distributes them to schools, public libraries and not-for-profit learning organizations. It currently diverts in excess of 113,000 computers from landfills each year. Sandra Abbott and Roy Crawford accepted the award from Mayor Woodside.

Maritime Carpet One sells products made from recycled materials and sustainable resources, including leather flooring made from scraps that would normally end up in the trash can. The company also sells flooring made from bamboo, cork, and hardwood as well as carpets that are made from corn sugar instead of petroleum. The company has also greened its fleet by using Fuzo, a low emission cube van.

KPMG is one of the largest audit, tax and advisory services throughout the province. KPMG staff are very environmentally conscious and every effort is made to not waste paper. The employees recycle old office furniture and the company has installed a more efficient lighting system in its building. Linda Hutchins accepted the award for KPMG.

Located in downtown Fredericton, Norah Davidson Wright’s law office has lots of unique characteristics and natural light. Both Ms. Davidson Wright and her assistant, Heather Cleveland, are very conscious of being green. There is evidence of this everywhere in her office - china mugs by the coffee maker, the office interiors are decorated with antiques, note pads of recycled paper, and post it notes that they reuse.

Green Shops was created by the City of Fredericton three years ago as a way to encourage the business community to embrace environmental sustainability. It has evolved into a Community Partnership between the City, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Fredericton Inc., and Business Fredericton North. Coordinated by Suzie Lowthers, the program has more than 70 member businesses.

2011-02-10T10:28:00.003-04:00

Fredericton on the road to reducing GHG emissions
(as posted in The New Brunswick Beacon (St. Thomas University Journalism) on February 10/11)

Cities across the country are calling Fredericton a national leader. The city is the fourth out of over 200 to take the final step to reducing the type of pollution that traps heat in our atmosphere. To view Alyssa Mosher's vidoe, please click on the following link:

www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/2011/02/fredericton-on-the-road-to-reducing-ghg-emissions/10634

2011-02-09T11:13:00.001-04:00

Golf course the priority - Hill Bros.
(as published in the Daily Gleaner, February 09/11)

A meeting is being held for West Hills residents to talk about the completion of Rebel Ridge Golf Course. The session has been set for 7 p.m. at Killarney Lake Lodge on Feb. 23. Homeowners will be able to ask questions about the plan to develop the course this spring and about additional plans for a condominium-style building on property between the golf course and Brookside Drive.

Hill Bros. has sent a written notice to all residents of West Hills that title to the golf course lands has been reclaimed from the Business Development Bank of Canada which foreclosed on the property and purchased it for $1 million in April.

Hill Bros. is a local real estate development, apartment rental, home building and commercial leasing firm. It developed the West Hills housing project off Brookside Drive with the intention of having a signature 18-hole golf course available to residents.

As the subdivision progressed, the golf course design and construction ran into roadblocks. The course was supposed to be finished in 2007, but only part of the greens were completed and a clubhouse was never built. Fairways Design and Holdings Inc. and Rebel Ridge Golf Club Ltd., and its principal David Loten, ran into financial difficulty with the project prompting the foreclosure.

Darren Hill, vice-president of Hill Bros., said a group of investors led by Chippins Ltd., Heron Heights Ltd. and Hill Bros. has now been formed with the intention of completing the golf course. A couple of additional investors may be folded into the group. West Hills Development will own the shares of West Hills Golf in order to complete the 18-hole course.

Hill said in order to raise the capital needed to finish the public golf course, it will be necessary to develop condominiums. "We identified some surplus land which is adjacent to our existing Hill Bros. land on Brookside, so we combined it and that's what we're proposing. So we want the residents' input because some of it is going to be high density and we don't want to surprise people. We want to get their input."

Residents of single-family housing will be buffered from the proposed apartment-style condos. Between their homes and Brookside Drive, the developer will introduce low-density, garden-style homes with medium-density development bordering Brookside Drive. Hill said current and future residents of West Hills are welcome. Golfers are also invited to attend the building as the company gathers opinion through informal and open discussions.

2011-02-08T20:40:00.004-04:00

City Hall Restoration Project Will Continue This Summer
Fredericton (February 7, 2011) – Work on a $1.5-million project to conserve and restore Fredericton’s 135-year-old City Hall building is expected to resume later this year.

The City received a report in June 2009 that outlined the scope and cost for the work needed to repair the Maritime’s oldest City Hall still in continuous use. The work will include joint reinforcing, masonry repair, below grade excavations and waterproofing as well as foundation wall stabilization, restoration of the exterior windows millwork and repairs to roof drainage.

In September 2010, City Council began the process by awarding an $86,252 contract to Jones Masonry Ltd. The company worked throughout the fall of 2010 to address the deterioration of the building’s brick and sandstone masonry, primarily on the river side of the building.

Council has applied for matching federal government funding through Parks Canada’s National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program and, if its application is accepted, the City will be able to complete the restoration in three years instead of four. A decision on the City’s application is expected in April.

The City is currently preparing a scope-of-work document that will allow interested contractors who specialize in historic masonry work to bid on the large project to be completed in 2011. The City is also considering a restoration and renovation of Phoenix Square, the fountain and the concourse area around City Hall once the building is repaired

2011-02-06T12:18:00.003-04:00

Finance | Fredericton councillor has proposed same idea for capital

GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHO

O'BRIEN

Miramichi city councillors are planning to phase in a citywide rate over two years.

The City of Miramichi, created in a 1995 amalgamation of two towns - Newcastle and Chatham - and the surrounding communities of Douglastown, Loggieville and Nelson, has had two different tax rates for 15 years.

For 2011, councillors have voted to tighten up the rate differential. Instead of paying five cents less on their taxes on the outside rate, residents of Miramichi will see that reduced to a 2.5 cent differential this year.

That means some residents will pay a tax rate of $1.71 per $100 of assessed property value, while others on the so-called outside rate will pay $1.69 per $100.

City treasurer Darlene O'Shea said there are all kinds of arguments that support eliminating the split tax rate.

All residents of Miramichi get access to services such as fire protection, policing, plowing and garbage collection whether they live in a part of the city that has water and sewer access or not.

Traditionally, the split rates in communities came into existence to recognize that some residents can connect to city water and sewer while others can't.

That was the rationale for a split tax rate when Fredericton amalgamated in 1973.

Some sections of Silverwood and Douglas and Lincoln still can't connect to water and sewer lines because the service extensions haven't been finished.

But O'Shea said the water and sewer utility is run and paid for separately by citizens outside of the services provided under Miramichi's general operating fund budget.

So the citizens that have water and sewer pay for that on top of their property tax rate. It could be argued that citizens receiving services at the outside rate are saving.

"The debate is on. It costs us more to provide those services to the outside areas for the fire trucks to run out there, for the gas for the policing instead of being in the core area. There's different ways of looking at it, but those living on the outside aren't going to see it that way," she said.

"Any service the inside core is receiving, they (outside ratepayers) do have that service ... All that is the same as anyone paying the inside rate."

Miramichi figures it would reap an extra $78,000 annually it the two rates were equalized.

In Fredericton, Coun. Mike O'Brien, chairman of the city's finance committee, has used the same argument that barring water and sewer services, which are run under the city's water utility, taxpayers on the City of Fredericton's outside rate have the same access to services as those on the inside rate.

O'Brien said taxpayers who don't pay the water and sewer costs on top of their property tax bill are saving about $550 annually.

The councillor said he wants to see city staff round up information about the history and basis for the split rate structure in Fredericton so that council can have a discussion on whether to change the tax rate policy.

If Fredericton abandoned its rate discount program for an estimated 400 homeowners, it could take in another $670,000 in tax revenue annually.

2011-02-02T14:01:00.002-04:00

Fredericton Welcomes Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay Next October

Fredericton (February 1, 2011) – Twenty-five years after Rick Hansen travelled across the country as part of his Man In Motion World Tour, his message of hope and inspiration returns to Fredericton in October 2011 with the Rick Hansen Twenty-fifth Anniversary Relay. Fredericton will be among 600 communities across the country that will welcome the Relay, a nine-month journey that will move east to west, beginning in Cape Spear, NL, August 24, 2011 and concluding in Vancouver BC on May 22, 2012.

“We are honoured to have Fredericton a part of the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Relay” said Rick Hansen, President and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation. “I received so much encouragement and support when I wheeled through Fredericton 25 years ago, it’s truly inspiring to encourage a new generation to pursue their dreams.”

In 1985, Rick Hansen pushed his wheelchair out of Vancouver, BC and set out on a journey that would make history. His legendary Man In Motion World Tour spanned more than 40,000 km through 34 countries; took more than two years to complete; and raised more than $26 million for spinal cord injury. Rick’s incredible achievement became a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of teamwork. His courage and determination inspired us to believe in the possibility of a fully accessible and inclusive society, and a cure for spinal cord injury.

The Relay will re-trace the Canadian segment of the original Man in Motion journey, visiting every province and territory and traveling 12,000 kilometres. The Relay will be made up of 7,000 participants, Canadians who have made a difference, no matter how large or small, in the lives of others and who motivate us all to help make our communities and the world a better place. While Rick will be present at a number of cities and stops along the Relay, it will be these 7,000 participants who will complete this cross-Canada tour and represent his spirit and drive.

2011-02-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

Plan for Fredericton North school a hit
(excerpts from article published in the Daily Gleaner, February 01/11)

Members of the public and government officials say they're impressed with the plans for a new northside elementary school that were unveiled Monday night.

Parents, students and other members of the community attended an open house at Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary School. District 18 Supt. Alex Dingwall said that while plans for the school have been in the works for some time, it was the public's first opportunity to see what the building will look like.

The school will replace South Devon Elementary and Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary in Marysville. It will be located just off Cliffe Street. "This school will house over 500 students. Some of the highlights of the facility, in addition to the classroom space we'll have, will include a First Nations facility room, two gymnasiums, a black box theatre, and we have community rooms for groups that want to come in and use the facility."

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Jody Carr said the government will spend more than $15 million on the school this year. "It's been a large commitment by the government," he said. "It's going to allow to have a much better school ... and replace two existing, aging schools. I think people are quite excited."

He said he's pleased with the design, which is energy efficient and includes spacious grounds.
Carr said he's confident the school will be finished by September 2012. "It's very doable," he said. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done, but we specifically put the dollars that were needed - over $15 million - to have it completed over this year and next year.

To read the full article, click on the following link: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/1375975

2011-01-28T09:07:00.003-04:00

O'Brien questions two-tax system - Well, septic Councillor says it may be time to make people pay same rate
(excerpts from an article published in the Daily Gleaner, January 27/11)

Fredericton's finance committee chairman Coun. Mike O'Brien says it's time to consider ditching the city's two-tiered tax system. If the city abandoned its rate discount program for some 400 homeowners, it could take in another $670,000 in tax revenue annually, he said.

The capital city has maintained a tax rate of $1.4211 per $100 of assessment for residents who get full access to city services. But when amalgamation occurred in 1973, some parts of the newly incorporated City of Fredericton were still on septic tanks and domestic wells. Residents in unserviced areas of the city pay the outside rate, which is $1.0658 per $100 of assessed property value.

"The issue I wish to have discussed is simply the principle of the two rates. If you live in the city, you get all services, except possibly water and sewer hookups," O'Brien said.

A homeowner whose house is assessed at $190,000 would pay $2,025 per year with the outside rate. The same taxpayer with full services would pay $2,700 per year plus annual water and sewer costs of about $550 annually. That means those residents pay $675 per year in taxes plus the water and sewer costs.

"One could say that those on water and sewer are somewhat subsidizing those who are not as they receive all the other city services at lesser overall household cost," O'Brien said. "Council simply has to get all the information from staff and have the philosophical discussion on the history of, the basis for, and the need to continue, the two different rates."

To read the entire article, click on the following link: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1374797

2011-01-25T14:56:00.003-04:00

Fredericton Home sales post best December on record
(from statistics provided by the Canadian Real Estate Association)

Residential sales in the Fredericton area served by the Real Estate Board of the Fredericton Area Inc. set a new record for activity in the month of December in 2010.

Home sales numbered 112 units in December, rising six per cent from a year earlier. In contrast, sales in all of New Brunswick declined 18 per cent from levels reported in December 2009. Annual home sales activity totalled 2,086 units in 2010. This was down four per cent from 2009, largely due to weak demand in April and May compared to the same two months one year earlier.

The residential average price was $142,642 in December 2010, rising four per cent from a year earlier. The annual average price figure also increased four per cent, coming in at $165,175 in 2010. Meanwhile, the average price for home sales in all of New Brunswick was $142,813 in December 2010. This was down four per cent from the same month in 2009.

New listings on the Board’s MLS® System numbered 212 units in December 2010, up 20 per cent from year-ago levels. There were 970 active residential listings on the Board’s MLS® System at the end of the year, up seven per cent from the end of 2009.

There were 7.1 months of inventory at the end of 2010 on a seasonally adjusted basis. This was down from 7.9 months in November, and marks the lowest level since March. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.

Total sales activity numbered 132 units in December, rising nine per cent on a year-over-year basis. The combined value of all property sales totalled $17 million, an increase of 12 per cent from December 2009.

The Real Estate Board of the Fredericton Area Inc. represents 280 agents, salespeople and affiliate members throughout the provincial capital area.

2011-01-25T10:25:00.001-04:00

Robbie Burns gets early birthday present
(as published int he Daily Gleaner, January 25/11)

A donation from J.K. Irving and his wife Jean toward the cost of replacing the base for a statue of Robert Burns was received by city council Monday night. Mayor Brad Woodside handed over two personal cheques totalling $81,000, which the New Brunswick industrialist and his wife donated in order to see the historic, full-figured statue of Robert Burns back on The Green along the St. John riverfront.

The mayor gave the cheques to finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien, who presented a motion of acceptance. "I would move that council request you, on behalf of the council, the residents of Fredericton and all New Brunswickers of Scottish descent, to formally thank Mr. and Mrs. Irving for this generous donation and to formally invite them to the unveiling of the restored Robbie Burns statue when it is ready this summer," O'Brien said.

The city has paid to have a company clean and polish the bronze cladding of the sculpture of the Scottish poet, one of two statues designed by W.G. Stevenson of Scotland, but it has been languishing in a recreation division storage yard since 2008.

The statue was unveiled to provincewide acclaim in 1906. The city removed the statue for cleaning and to repair its base, which has weathered many a flood over the course of its 100-plus year history. When city council balked at paying the full repair bill and suggested that New Brunswick Scots be conscripted into a public fundraising drive, it roused the ire of the cultural community. The statue was given to the city as a gift in the 1980s and Scottish groups took the position that the city accepted responsibility for its maintenance.

Woodside on Monday night proclaimed Robert Burns Day, which is marked today, Burns' birthday. The mayor said the Scottish associations want to have the statue unveiled during the New Brunswick Highland Games. "We're trying to do whatever we can, that as in 1906, when it happens it's going to be done with a bang," the mayor said. "We'll make it a big thing."

2011-01-25T08:04:00.001-04:00

NB Foundation for the Arts Announces Art in Public Places Competition Winner

Fredericton (January 24, 2011) - Artist Craig Schneider has been selected to create an original site-specific work of public art for the new Fredericton Convention Centre. Mr. Schneider was selected from among a group of artists who responded to a Call for Expression of Interest issued in June 2010.

The $20,000 commission is being funded by the City of Fredericton, which received a $10,000 prize in November 2009 after being named Arts Municipality of the year by the NB Foundation for the Arts . City Council matched the $10,000 award and put it toward the commissioned art work for its new Convention Centre on Queen Street.

“Council was very honoured to be recognized with the Municipality of the Arts Award, and equally pleased to match the funds for this commission of public art,” said Mayor Brad Woodside. “Mr. Schneider’s proposal reflects the natural beauty we enjoy here in Fredericton and I think this will be a fitting and exciting work of art that will provide enjoyment for all who visit our new convention centre.”

Mr. Schneider’s winning proposal consists of a large scale, hand-made ceramic-tile wall mural, incorporating a variety of colors, brushwork and glaze effects. Using a low-fired clay-body, with a range of blues, greens, white and yellows this piece depicts the beauty of the St. John River Valley as an expression of the energy within nature and place. The mural is a functional smooth glazed tile including highlights throughout using a crystalline glaze effect.

Mr. Schneider holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design, and a Diploma in Fine Craft from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. He has received Creation grants from the Canada Council and the New Brunswick Arts Board for his ceramic and metal sculpture, which has been exhibited in group and solo shows throughout the Maritimes. His work is included in permanent collections, and has been featured in Ceramics Monthly and Arts Atlantic.

Short-listed preliminary proposals were reviewed by a five member Selection Committee composed of an architect, a representative from the City of Fredericton Cultural Affairs, two Directors of the NBFA and an art administrator.

Mr. Schneider's artwork will be installed on the second floor of the Conference Centre along a 30x9-foot curved wall outside the ballroom in the area called Pointe Ste. Anne Foyer. It is expected that the work will take up to five months to create and will be installed later this spring.

2011-01-24T10:03:00.008-04:00

Plugging Fredericton event: Battle of the Bands continues all week
(as published in the Daily Gleaner, January 27/11)

Tourism officials are hoping a competition to find the best emerging blues artist in the United Kingdom will put New Brunswick on the radar of blues fans across the globe.

About 100 talented blues groups are participating in a series of battle-of-the-bands competitions in popular music venues in Nottingham, Southampton, Essex, Glasgow and Manchester this week. The winner will be given an all-expenses paid trip to Fredericton, complete with a prominent performance slot at this year's Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

Cherry Lee Mewis, a young roots and blues powerhouse from North Wales, has been chosen as the winner of the first round of performances. The second round is slated to happen tonight.

New Brunswick's Tourism and Parks Minister Trevor Holder said he believes this is a tremendous opportunity to show off our province's beautiful scenery, friendly citizens, and to spread the word about exciting events such as the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

"It's a coveted place for musicians," he said. "This is obviously an example of how we need to talk about ourselves more as a province. This is clearly an opportunity for us to showcase not only Fredericton but New Brunswick as a whole."

He said he was pleased to see the amount of interest in this competition in the United Kingdom. "Tourism is clearly a growth market and we need to be tapping into it."

Harvest music director Brent Staeben said taking part in international marketing opportunities will only help grow the festival's burgeoning reputation. "Anything that helps position us in the industry as an international festival is always positive because the good word travels around," he said.

"It's no different than Derek (Trucks and Susan Tedeschi) having a fantastic time here and telling everyone they know in the industry about us. "The industry is worldwide and there are lots of great blues acts in the United Kingdom and we want our reputation in the industry to grow."

He said it's also an opportunity to promote Fredericton as a special destination. "We really do have a unique product here. We can talk about other great festivals, some are bigger, some have great lineups, but what we've got going on here is really unique," he said.

As an added bonus, popular Harvest performer and Bairdsville native Matt Andersen has been tapped to assist with the competition's judging process. The successful bluesman will be listening to each of the acts and helping organizers pick the winning artist, before he's given an opportunity to perform at the final event in the competition.

Matt Anderson
Staeben said that's going to give him a chance to promote himself, and the festival, on a major stage. "He's going to be playing in front of, essentially, everybody in the British blues world in London in connection with this contest," he said. "So it's a wonderful opportunity ... We're looking forward to putting down some roots in the British blues industry and hopefully we'll see this (competition) keep going."

More information about the competition, and the artists performing, is available at www.tourismnewbrunswick.co.uk.

2011-01-20T18:49:00.001-04:00

UNB eyes woodlot development (as published in the Daily Gleaner, January 20/11)

The University of New Brunswick is setting its sights on a hotel for the next stage of its commercial development on Knowledge Park Drive. ADI Ltd. presented the university's application to expand commercial opportunities on 6.6 hectares (16.5 acres) of land at 75 Knowledge Park Dr. to the city's planning advisory committee Wednesday.

The committee will recommend that the city and university enter into development agreements to permit highway commercial type uses on the land and to subdivide eight building lots on the land. Council has final say over the development application.

The property is located across from the Grant * Harvey Centre construction site.

The university engaged Genivar consultants to create design guidelines for its retail and business park development to ensure similarities in building design and facades.

Within the highway commercial zoning on the land, the university could seek to lease land for all kinds of retail and business services, from retail stores to restaurants, to a bank, medical office, drug store or a bar.

Richard Smith, ADI's manager of water and wastewater services, said the first stage is to get through all the planning requirements and get city council approvals for development in place.

He said the next step would be for the university to find a developer. "It could be as early as next year or it could be a couple of years," he said.

ADI said UNB's proposed development wouldn't be within an area requiring more work to delineate specific wetland zones.

2011-01-16T14:42:00.002-04:00

Are you a "glass half full" or "glass half empty" sort of person?

(Editorial posted in the Daily Gleaner, January 15/11)

We all know that depends on attitude and how you look at life.

But for those living in the greater Fredericton community, these days there are many reasons to see the glass half full.

There is so much that is right, beautiful, prosperous and good about this community, and that's not just a positive attitude talking. There are lots of facts and figures to back it up.

* Our unemployment rate has been dropping since last summer, from 5.9 per cent in August, to 5.7 per cent through the fall, to 5.5 per cent in December.

That's significantly below Saint John's December rate of 6.3 per cent, Moncton's at 7.3 per cent and the national rate of 7.6 per cent.

Our unemployment rate is often lower than the three mentioned above, which always positive news.

* Our building boom is continuing, with a record-breaking $168 million in construction and renovations last year. This is the fifth year in a row that we've topped the $100 million mark. This keeps the trades busy and shows investor faith in this city.

* We're a small city, but we are making impressive gains in the green department. The city has earned a designation called Milestone 5 for its commitment to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions.

Fredericton is only the fourth municipality in Canada and the first east of British Columbia to achieve the highest certification possible for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas levels.

That shows a serious dedication to making this a healthier city for everyone.

* Speaking of healthy, we heard the announcement at the state of the city address on Thursday that Scotiabank will contribute $1.5 million to city recreation facilities. This donation will support the building of a new artificial turf sports field next the Willie O'Ree Place on the north side.

"There's no question that recreation is top of mind from a health perspective and from an enjoyment perspective," said Peter Bessey, senior vice-president, Atlantic Region Scotiabank. "It's great for children and it's great for families, and that's where we want to be."

With soccer becoming such a popular sport, and with its equipment costs relatively low, this new field will allow access to the sport for an increased number of players.

Beyond all the statistics, we know already what a great community this is. A massive team effort just brought a happy Christmas to hundreds of families through the donations of people and businesses, clubs and groups.

We have some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere, with the St. John River as the glorious centrepiece.

Our downtown architecture and ambiance are welcoming and beautiful, and our walking trails allow us to take everything in while keeping fit.

Finally, with the opening of the new convention centre this week, we can now boast that, like Saint John and Moncton, this city now has an escalator.

Progress, prosperity, beauty - and even an escalator.

The glass is more than half full.

2011-01-14T18:53:00.001-04:00

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.

2011-01-14T18:51:00.001-04:00

Scotiabank Acquires Naming Rights to Recreational Facilities in Fredericton

SCOTIABANK PARK NORTH AND SCOTIABANK PARK SOUTH TO EXPAND IN 2011

Fredericton (January 13, 2011) – The City of Fredericton today announced that Scotiabank has acquired the naming rights to two prominent recreational facilities, Scotiabank Park North and Scotiabank Park South. The Bank’s support for Fredericton’s recreational infrastructure will not only help to enhance the two major sporting and recreational hubs, but will also support a new multi-use recreational field next to Willie O’Ree Place on Fredericton’s north side.

“I want to thank Scotiabank for the vote of confidence they are giving to our city by supporting our recreation infrastructure,” said Mayor Brad Woodside. “The Scotiabank Park North and South recreation hubs are key components of the city’s well being. This contribution will allow for the construction of a second artificial turf field much faster than we had planned.”

“We are proud to announce our partnership with the City of Fredericton and the naming rights of Scotiabank Park North and Scotiabank Park South,” said Peter Bessey, Senior Vice-President, Atlantic Region, Scotiabank. “Scotiabank has been a part of the Fredericton community for 128 years and we are looking forward to the establishment of new public facilities to enhance the city and the region’s recreational infrastructure.”

Scotiabank Park North is currently equipped with a twin-pad arena complex and four outdoor volleyball courts. The Bank’s sponsorship will support the creation of a new multi-use, artificial turf field at Scotiabank Park North as well as a twin-pad arena that will be located at Scotiabank Park South, which is currently equipped with an artificial turf field. Currently there is a dog park and six indoor tennis courts under development at Scotiabank Park South. The dog park will open in the fall of 2011 and the tennis facility will open in February of 2012. Over the past year there have been in excess of a million visitors to Scotiabank Park North and similar attendance is expected at Scotiabank Park South.

2011-01-14T18:49:00.002-04:00

Fredericton First Community East of B.C. to Achieve Climate Change Goals

Fredericton (January 13, 2011) – The City of Fredericton is 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 greenhouse gas emissions.

Fredericton’s efforts in reducing community emissions were officially certified this week by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) as having reached the fifth and final milestone of its Partners for Climate Protection Program. Fredericton achieved Milestone 5 for reduction of corporate emissions in September 2009.

“I congratulate the City of Fredericton for achieving the fifth and final milestone of the Partners for Climate Protection program for community emissions, complementing the excellent work done by the City in 2009 on their corporate emissions,” said Federation of Canadian Municipalities President Hans Cunningham. “The City of Fredericton is in a leadership position to help mentor and encourage other municipalities to achieve similar success.”

Fredericton is one of 211 municipal governments participating in the Partners for Climate Protection Program. Only three other municipalities in Canada - all of them in British Columbia - Vancouver, North Vancouver and Whistler, have achieved all five milestones in both categories to date.

“This is the fantastic news we have been waiting for since we joined the program in 2001,” said Mayor Brad Woodside, who announced the news during his 2010 State of the City Address at the new Fredericton Convention Centre, a facility built by the City of Fredericton to achieve LEED Silver Certification for energy and environmental building design. “We have made incredible progress reducing our corporate emissions by 16 per cent and, as a community, our emissions are down 12 per cent on a per citizen basis. It says to Canada and the world that Fredericton is a leader in recognizing that local governments have a significant role to play in addressing climate change.”

The City has been invited to tell other municipalities about its successful journey during FCM’s Sustainable Community Conference next month in Victoria, B.C.

In completing the five-milestone program, Fredericton was first required to create a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast. The last four milestones were achieved by setting an emissions reductions target; developing a local action plan; implementing the local action plan or a set of activities; and finally, monitoring progress and reporting results.

“We will continue our efforts to reduce our own environmental footprint and will continue to work with our partners to develop a more sustainable community for future generations,” said Mayor Woodside. “I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this effort and to I encourage everyone to carry on this important work.”

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901 and represents a membership of more than 1,000 municipalities. It is dedicated to improving the quality of life in communities by promoting strong, effective and accountable municipal government.

2011-01-14T09:45:00.001-04:00

Fredericton Rated Best Place To Retire In Canada

Once home to Maliseet and Mic Mac Indians and European settlers and later revived by loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, Fredericton became an important British military base. Fredericton, New Brunswick has since evolved into a moderately affluent, sophisticated small city and the administrative, educational and cultural capital of New Brunswick, making it one of the best places to retire in Canada.

Landscape: Fredericton is located at a lovely site astride the St. John River about 60 miles (100 kilometers) inland from the Bay of Fundy.

Climate: Fredericton has four distinct seasons with ample precipitation. Summers are sunny and warm; winters are cold with alternating humid and dry periods.

Quality of Life: Excellent. The air is clean, public transit is good around town, downtown is thriving and residents seem genuinely friendly and welcoming.

Housing: Fredericton has a good supply of housing and prices are incredibly low by Canadian and American standards.

Goods and Services: Goods and services are priced a little above Canadian norms but are 10% to 20% below U.S. averages. Medical care is inexpensive by U.S. standards.

Taxes: Federal and provincial income tax rates are modestly higher than in the U.S., but the combined federal and provincial sales tax on goods and services is twice the U.S. average. Property taxes and medical care costs are low.

Transportation: Fredericton offers good intra-city and intercity transportation via dial-a-ride and local bus service, Greater Fredericton Airport’s jet service and Acadian Lines’ intercity bus service.

Retail Services: Downtown Fredericton is a vital retailing center. Regent Mall and Brookside Mall provide traditional mall shopping.

Health Care: River Valley Health provides excellent medical care to west central New Brunswick from its base in Fredericton.

Community Services: In addition to excellent basic public services, Fredericton has two senior centers that operate as meeting places for special interest groups and offer activities.

Cultural and Educational Activities: Fredericton‘s vibrant performing and visual arts scene includes activities such as festivals, art displays and musical, dance and theatrical performances. The University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University enrich the community culturally and educationally.

Recreational Activities: Outdoor activities are popular in all seasons in the beautiful St. John River Valley in and around Fredericton. Intercollegiate sports, movie theaters, restaurants, nightspots and festivals provide additional diversions.

Work and Volunteer Activities: Part-time work is generally available. The hospital, cultural venues, festivals and senior centers depend heavily on volunteers.

Crime Rates and Public Safety: Fredericton’s property crime rate is slightly above the national average whereas the violent crime rate is below the national norm. The community feels safe day and night.

Conclusion: Fredericton is an undiscovered gem among Canadian retirement places. This beautiful city offers an excellent quality of life with small-town ambiance and big-city services, making it one of the best places to retire in Canada.

Ratings courtesy of “Retire in Style, 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada” by Warren R. Bland, PhD (www.nextdecade.com)

2011-01-13T09:52:00.008-04:00

David Adams Richards 1st artist in residence at St. Thomas University
(as posted on CBC NB website, January 13/11)

Acclaimed New Brunswick author David Adams Richards has been named the first artist in residence at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. During his two-year appointment, Richards will write, give readings and lectures, organize visits to campus by other authors and work closely with students.

"I am extremely honoured to be named as inaugural artist in residence at St.Thomas, a university I have in some way been connected with my entire writing life," Richards said in a news release.

His new novel, Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul, will be published this spring. In March, Theatre New Brunswick is premiering a play based on Hockey Dreams, a book that explores the place hockey has in the hearts of Canadians.

"We are extremely pleased to have an author of David Adams Richards's calibre inaugurate our new artist in residence program," said Andrea Seymour, chairwoman of the university's board of governors. "Given his artistic achievements and strong connection to St. Thomas, we could not think of a better person to launch this initiative."

Richards is one of only three writers to win the Governor General's Literary Awards for both fiction (Nights Below Station Street) and non-fiction (Lines on the Water ). He was nominated for Governor General's awards for his novels Road to the Stilt House, For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down, Mercy Among the Children and The Lost Highway.

Richards holds four honorary degrees, including one from St. Thomas University, and was named to the Order of New Brunswick and Order of Canada for his contribution to literature.

2011-01-12T16:42:00.004-04:00

Fredericton Convention Centre Officially Opens

Fredericton (January 12, 2011) - Government officials and community members gathered today to mark the official opening of the new Fredericton Convention Centre. The construction of the centre was made possible thanks to an investment by the governments of Canada and New Brunswick as well as the City of Fredericton.

The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (far left above), along with His Worship Brad Woodside, Mayor of the City of Fredericton (second from left), Hollis Cole, President of ADI Ltd -Architects (third from left), and the Honourable David Alward, Premier of New Brunswick (far right above), and , were on hand today to celebrate the completion of Fredericton’s new convention centre.

“The Fredericton Convention Centre is part of a transformative project for the east end of our downtown,” said Mayor Woodside. “Not only will it result in new tourism and event business, but it is sure to serve as a catalyst for additional development. This is a great day for Fredericton, and I want to thank the federal and provincial governments for their investment in our future.”

As part of the City of Fredericton’s East End Development project, the 66,000 square foot convention centre, which has been built to obtain silver-LEED certification, will be capable of accommodating 1,000 seated persons, and 1,500 persons in a stand-up concert style setting. It includes additional features such as meeting rooms, a ballroom, a business centre, a commercial kitchen, teleconferencing and multi-media facilities. The East End Development project incorporates the flexible multi-purpose event and conference centre, which is connected and integrated with a new office building and parking structure.

The total cost of the initiative is estimated at $27.9 million. The governments of Canada and New Brunswick have jointly committed $8 million with the City of Fredericton providing $19.9 million for the balance of funding.

2010-12-29T17:11:00.002-04:00

Budget Process Growing Pains Expected

(excerpts from article published by the Daily Gleaner, December 28/10)

Opening the doors to the capital city's budget process showed the public the pain and the passion that goes into determining city services and taxation levels, says Mayor Brad Woodside.

For the first time in the city's history, budget planning meetings were open to the public and media throughout the fall as the city created its nearly $98-million 2011 general fund operating and capital budget.

Opening the doors to budget discussions is about trying to move the city towards greater transparency, said Woodside.

Eleven budget meetings were held. Three of those 11 were behind closed doors where possible personnel cuts were considered, but the rest were conducted publicly and they showed the divergent views of 13 elected officials, Woodside said.

"It's very difficult at times to come to a consensus or to agree on certain things. Everybody has a view or an opinion and it's quite a battle. It's a tough exercise to go through," he said.

"It showed the public the work and the passion that went into it."

Open budget sessions didn't attract members of the public with one exception. When the budget process started in September, one of finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien's constituents attended.

Beyond that, media members attended the sessions and listened as councillors reviewed spending, asked questions and looked for areas to cut costs.

At times, tempers flared and O'Brien had to warn councillors to keep it civil.

"I've always in the past said to councils, whether it's a budget meeting or a council meeting, that there's nothing wrong with a disagreement or objecting to what someone else is saying, but when the gavel comes down and you leave the room, you leave it here," the mayor said. "It tends to work quite well."

Councillors are passionate in their views and the fur does fly, he said.

"It's not a pleasant exercise to go through and when it's finished, it's quite a relief."

Woodside said like it or not, it will be the way the city conducts business.

"There's legislation coming into place that says meetings have to be open and that there's more transparency. We're trying to get ahead of it and we're going to open up the city for business. If somebody is not supporting something, then I think the public has a right to be a part of what that discussion is and see where their councillor stands on any given issue.''

The mayor said there will likely be discussion about how the budget preparation process worked and that might influence how 2011 unfolds, but the process will continue to be a public one.

While Woodside said he wanted councillors to leave their budget disagreements at the budget table and carry on with business, that didn't prevent the city's finance committee chairman from venting about disagreements.

O'Brien said he was frustrated by what he called a block of councillors voting against service cuts and rate reductions when he and others felt that there was still too much fat in the municipality's finances.

O'Brien has vowed to go back at it in 2012 and look for more places to create savings and cut the budget to bring in more tax cuts.

2010-12-24T09:59:00.001-04:00

Tension | Mike O'Brien says the 'coalition' not respecting mayor, budget process (as published int he Daily Gleaner, December 23/10)

Coun. Mike O'Brien says he might not be able to continue as chairman of the finance committee if councillors don't share his vision of the city's financial direction.

ENLARGE PHOTO

GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHO

O'BRIEN

O'Brien lashed out this week at councillors who refused to support a half-cent tax rate reduction as part of the $97.9-million operating and capital budget crafted for 2011.

Although O'Brien challenged councillors through the media to consider a tax rate reduction, the first time it came to the council table was at the Dec. 15 budget meeting.

Councillors Jordan Graham, David Kelly, Marilyn Kerton, Stephen Kelly, deputy mayor Dan Keenan and Mayor Brad Woodside voted for the tax cut.

Councillors Steven Hicks, Stephen Chase, Scott McConaghy, Tony Whalen and Eric Megarity voted against it.

The budget was officially approved Monday night with the reduction in place.

Despite the fact his tax rate reduction passed, O'Brien said he feels he's at odds with the group of councillors he has dubbed the "coalition.''

"The coalition, as I call it, for lack of a better word, seems to just be in lock-step with staff and that makes it very difficult to effect change," he said.

"I found there were times there wasn't a level of respect showed for the mayor and again, it seemed to be blindly following the recommendations by staff. We have a very good staff, but the councillors are elected to make the tough decisions and set the policy and financial direction for the city.''

O'Brien said people are proud of the city and many support the direction for capital expenditures.

"But at the same time, they fully expect us to try to pinch every penny we can. That's the vision that I have and if it's not shared by the majority, then I can't carry on as finance chair. It's just too frustrating," O'Brien said in an interview.

In a private e-mail circulated to all members of city council, the mayor called for a media gag order and urged councillors to wait until the new year when they could meet.

"All I can do is give my best advice ... They didn't pay attention. What I wanted to do is talk about this privately," Woodside said.

"I got involved in it last year and I was very frustrated and I'm staying out of it this year. I've already told them they're starting to look like a Saint John council. They don't get it, so they're just going to keep at it.

"What I have to say to them in a private memo is basically, 'Calm down and let's get together in the new year' after everybody has had a chance to take a breather and stay away from the media because we're looking bad," Woodside said.

"I'm a mayor. I'm not the president of a corporation. If I was, there would be consequences to what's going on, but that's not the way municipal politics works.''

While the public may think the mayor rules, Woodside said that's not the case.

"Most of the time, I'm doing exactly the same thing as a kindergarten teacher. I get very frustrated.''

O'Brien said his frustration goes back to last year when council worked on the 2010 budget. That budget saw a 0.85 cent hike in the city's tax rate.

"Last year, we tried to work hard to at least bring in some new funding for infrastructure deficit renewal, which I support 100 per cent. It's a visionary process, but there was a group of us who thought that we could do that last year, but still keep the tax rate flat," O'Brien said.

"But there was a group of more numbers that didn't agree with us. After last year, I've heard throughout the year, especially after the provincial election, to me it became crystal clear. I didn't have to have people call me every night at home, that they wanted more fiscal restraint. To me it was just obvious."

O'Brien said he went into the budget process for 2011 convinced that the city could handle the capital construction commitments on its books, keep debt-servicing manageable, but still look for savings to start to wrestle operating budgets down.

"There were four or five of us that shared that vision and, in my opinion, it was quite obvious that there was a majority that didn't," O'Brien said.

"Maybe the four or five that kind of shared the vision, maybe we weren't as effective politicians as the other ones because there's no planning or plotting, but the group that didn't seem to share our vision seemed to be more cohesive and co-ordinated in their efforts.

"Most of the things that staff were for or opposed to were agreed to by the majority of the group. I know it is a democracy and majority rules, but it's very, very frustrating when I sense and I inherently know that there's only one taxpayer.''

O'Brien said some people accused him of bringing in the tax rate reduction idea at the last minute.

"Perhaps I did and maybe it caught some people off-guard and they didn't have time to co-ordinate how they would deal with that. And that's kind of what happened. Thank goodness ... that there were two votes that I didn't anticipate.

"When that debate came at the last minute, there was a couple of councillors that agreed with us who typically hadn't. That was a bit of a gamble and it seemed to work, but maybe process-wise it wasn't the prettiest way to go about things."

2010-12-22T19:28:00.006-04:00

Sometimes, Conflict Can Be Good
(Editorial published by the Daily Gleaner, December 22/10)

Monday night's session of Fredericton city council brought some good news for the city in the form of a budget that acknowledges the fiscal challenges the municipality faces at the moment while also respecting the need to maintain services.

NLARGE PHOTO

We applaud council for voting through a modest reduction in the tax rate. Sure, the savings it provides to homeowners is small, but it's a symbolic acknowledgement that the rate hasn't gone down in two decades despite the community's good fortune in recent years.

We're impressed that for the most part, municipal jobs have been maintained. Some positions have been cut, but it's been handled through restructuring, ensuring no pink slips had to be doled out.

Coun. Mike O'Brien, chairman of the city's finance and administration committee, said he was actually prepared to make deeper cuts, but there was some opposition on council to cutting too much.

"Deep in my heart, I know there's more savings that could be had that would not have any substantial impact on some of the services that we deliver to the residents," he said Monday.

"But it's to convince the rest of my colleagues to share that vision. We trimmed around the edges. We poked and prodded, but there's more to be had."

But we're pleased with the balance that's been achieved. It seems that this year's budgeting process turned out to be something of an adversarial process, with two main factions emerging in council.

On one side, there were fiscal conservatives such as Coun. O'Brien, looking to make deeper cuts. On the other, there were councillors such as Stephen Chase determined to keep the cuts to a minimum.

Coun. O'Brien laments the fact that not all councillors were on the same page in this budgeting process. We can understand why that might be frustrating. Butting heads with one's colleagues is always more difficult than arriving at a result unanimously.

But the adversarial process that's arisen in the council chamber this year, while possibly arduous for our elected municipal representatives, has achieved the proper result, and that's a budget that respects both the need for fiscal restraint and the city's responsibility to provide reliable levels of service.

It's almost as though a two-party system has unofficially found its way into city hall. For any government to be effective, there needs to be a strong voice in opposition. A government without any checks and balances is less likely to govern effectively.

Furthermore, for government at any level to function properly, it needs to do so openly, and in that respect, this council has achieved that goal. The openness of this budget process is to be applauded and is a policy that should be maintained going forward.

2010-12-21T21:59:00.003-04:00

Fredericton City Council Approves 2011 Budget

Fredericton City Council has voted to reduce the City’s tax rate by 0.5 cents for 2011: the first such decrease to the tax rate in more than two decades. The new inside tax rate will be $1.4211 per $100 of assessment and the outside tax rate will be $1.0658 per $100 of assessment.

The rate and other aspects of Fredericton’s 2011 budget were approved as part of a special Budget meeting held today at Fredericton City Hall. The City’s approved general fund budget for 2011 is $97,972,486, with the approved water and sewer utility budget totalling $11,171,107. The budgets include both operating and capital amounts.

“The City’s 2011 Budget has been designed with an eye to the future,” said Coun. Mike O’Brien, Chair of the City’s Finance & Administration Committee. “The world is experiencing unstable economic times and our residents expect Council to be part of the solution. We have to tackle our infrastructure deficit, ease the tax burden on our residents, and continue to grow Fredericton.”

A total of $14,571,125 worth of capital projects were approved by City Council for 2011. This included various infrastructure projects, both renewal and replacement, along with extensions to meet the needs of a growing city.

Key capital projects will include work related to Phase II of the St. Mary’s Street Reconstruction, Brookside Drive Reconstruction (Phase V), Clark Street and McLeod Hill Road Reconstruction, plus various intersection and neighbourhood safety improvements, sidewalk extensions, and signalization and intersection upgrades.

New lights will be installed at the Prospect Street Field, along with the decommissioning of lights at Queens Square, and a feasibility study for a new indoor pool. Funds for the final phase of an automated building permit and work order system, as well as a tourism e-strategy were approved.

Key changes included the elimination of 13 summer students and two administrative positions at the Fredericton Fire Department, Transit Route 18 & 20 service cuts to Silverwood, cuts to ISO Certification audit fees and the City’s green program, as well as a reduction or elimination of funds for the Fredericton Botanical Garden, the new Bobby Burns statue base, the Regent Street wharf installation, and Community School Playgrounds.

Council also approved the Water & Sewer Utility for 2011, which is self-funded by user rates. The total budget for 2011 is $11,171,107. Water and sewer rates will each increase from 66 cents to 71 cents per cubic meter (m³), for a combined rate of $1.42 per m³. This is the third year of a five-year increase to help address the utility’s $119 million infrastructure deficit.

Council approved a $1,807,772 water & sewer capital budget. Key capital projects in the Water & Sewer Utility for 2011 include Phase II of the Devon Trunk Sanitary Sewer & Water Main, Forest Hill Water & Sewer Renewal, the construction of the Northbrook Reservoir, in the Brookside Drive area, and the co-funded extension of water and sewer service along McLeod Hill Road.

Budget 2011 marked the City’s first fully open budget process, which started at the end of August and involved weeks of planning and nine budget meetings. For more on the City of Fredericton 2011 budget, visit www.fredericton.ca and look for the Budget 2011 feature.

2010-12-20T14:34:00.001-04:00

2011 budget coming down tonight - Cuts? | City faces tough decisions
(excerpts from article published by the Dialy Gleaner, December 20/10)

Fredericton's 2011 general fund and capital budget will be on the desks of city councillors tonight in its final form. Councillors last week wrapped up a budget preparation process that was mostly done in public. That means the public hasn't had to wait until tonight's formal budget meeting to know what the 2011 tax rate is likely to be.

For the first time in two decades, council has decided to drop the rate by a half cent. The decision was hotly debated with five councillors suggesting the city should hold the bottom line to try to insulate itself against future funding cuts by the provincial government.

Forecasts for assessment growth from 2012 to 2015 are below the 4.88 per cent tax base increase the city saw over the past year. The tax base is the total value of all taxable property in the city. In 2015, the city suggests growth will drop off to 3.50 per cent.

The city's tax rate is $1.4261 per $100 of assessed property value. The rate went up 0.85 cents in 2010. The proposed 2011 tax rate reduction will shave between $7 and $8of the total tax bill on a $150,000 house. However, given that assessments went up 2.37 per cent for most homeowners, property owners are still going to be paying higher taxes in the spring of 2011.

Finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien said the budget will maintain most services and show the public that the city is running a tight ship.
"We'll be bringing down a budget that we can maintain the services that people expect and deserve and also show them that there's some fiscal restraint.
"We tried our best to keep costs as low as possible. There is a slight tax decrease. It's not a large amount, but it's the responsible thing to do," O'Brien said.

"We did have to raise some fees and some fares to generate revenue. That was unfortunate, but some of those hadn't been visited for years and we'll rectify that in future.'' The city is planning to schedule more frequent reviews of fees so that it doesn't have to implement large hikes in cases where fees haven't been adjusted for years.

To read the entire article, please click on the following link: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1359260

2010-12-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

Council Adds Four More Properties to Local Historic Places Register

Fredericton (December 13, 2010) – St. Anne’s Chapel of Ease and St. Anne’s Anglican Church, adjoining places of worship at 245 Westmorland Street are the latest historically significant properties to be included in the City of Fredericton’s Historic Places Register.

City Council approved the two church buildings for inclusion in the Register today along with two distinctive homes in the St. Anne’s Point Heritage Preservation Area in Fredericton South, one at 162 Winslow Street and the other at 127 Lansdowne Street.

St. Anne’s Chapel of Ease is a small Anglican Gothic Revival stone, which opened in 1847. It was originally called St. Anne’s Parish Church. The name was changed to St. Anne’s Chapel of Ease when a new adjoining church was built in the 1960s. St. Anne’s

was planned by Fredericton’s first Anglican Bishop, John Medley to fulfill a need during construction of Christ Church Cathedral. St. Anne’s is the earliest North American structure completed by Frank Wills, a young British architect who immigrated to Fredericton to assist Bishop Medley.

St. Anne’s has survived virtually unchanged in its more than 160 year history. It is universally regarded as “the finest small North American Parish Church of its date in the English Gothic Revival style. Based on thirteenth century parish churches St. Anne’s Chapel of Ease was designated a Canadian National Historic Site in 1992.

St. Anne’s Anglican Church is a modern stone and concrete-clad church opened in 1962. The original Church could no longer meet the demands of parishioners. Designed by Stanley Emmerson of Saint John and John Feeney of Fredericton, the church was built to a similar height, size and materials as the original church. St. Anne’s Parish Church is one of the few distinguished pairings in New Brunswick of modern and historic architecture. The structurally expressive, open and light-filled modern church accentuates the darker, more enclosed and ornate qualities of its Gothic Revival ancestor.

The one-and-a-half-storey wood-frame house at 161 Winslow Street was built in 1934 for the University of New Brunswick Dean of Forestry J. Miles Gibson, who helped create the Maritime Forest Ranger School at the university.

One of the first houses constructed on Winslow Street, the house features a gambrel roof, a balanced front façade, large rectangular windows and a central front door surmounted by a transom flanked by sidelights. It has an open portico supported by slim columns, topped by triangular pediment.

Built in the early 1920s, the concrete-block, two-storey house at 127 Lansdowne Street was built on a portion of a significant Loyalist land grant, near the corner of Waterloo Row. Concrete block was an affordable building material, and houses constructed of this material often reflect a response to the local economic climate or a shortage in available building supplies. The home features a low-pitched hip roof, a central dormer and regularly spaced rectangular windows. Its open front porch is supported by cast columns and it has a triangular pediment surmounting porch entrance.

2010-12-16T18:17:00.001-04:00

CIty tax rate to decrease

(posted by KHJ Radio News, December 16/2010)

It turned out it wasn't a popular suggestion, but Fredericton city council has narrowly voted, in principle, to drop the city tax rate. After some contentious debate, council voted 6-5 in favour of dropping the rate by half a cent. Finance committee chair Mike O'Brien suggests the rate could have been reduced even more.

Some councillors felt the idea of a tax cut, originally suggested by O'Brien, was sprung on them out of nowhere. But O'Brien says it was never a secret he wanted a decrease in the rate. The reduction in the tax rate meant a budget shortfall of $288,000. In another testy debate, council decided to take that money from the land sales account to again balance the overall budget.