More talk of a proposed new arena for downtown Moncton - which is desperately needed. Hopefully, all three levels of government follow through and quickly. I personally cannot wait. Latest figures have the the arena or metro centre being around 15K-20Ks.

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/n ... cle/443694

Metro centre gets key support

Metro candidates say federal parties back drive for downtown entertainment and convention centre complex

BY ALAN COCHRANE

With all the jostling for position in the final stretch of this federal election race, the big winners could be the citizens of Metro Moncton who want a new downtown convention and entertainment centre.

Earlier this week, Premier Shawn Graham told the Times & Transcript he was firmly committed to a metro centre and would do whatever it takes to get the project done. The centre is one of the priorities for the new council under Mayor George LeBlanc, and now both the Liberal and Conservative candidates in Tuesday's federal election claim to have their party's support for the project.

Yesterday, Conservative candidate Daniel Allain continued his campaign by waving a letter from Greg Thompson, Regional Minister for New Brunswick indicating that a new government under Stephen Harper would support a metro centre for Moncton.

In the letter, Thompson said the government understands "that a multi-use

Metro Centre in Moncton is key to the continued growth of the downtown business area and that it has the potential to produce substantial job growth and new revenue for the entire riding."

Minister Thompson said in his letter that Allain proved to be a strong, persuasive voice in lobbying the Conservative government to support the project.

"You kept us well informed on the importance of this project for the Moncton region, and its economic benefits for that area," stated Thompson.

According to the City Think exercise conducted by the Times & Transcript and Omnifacts Bristol, 89 per cent of people surveyed indicated that they are in favour of building an arena complex in downtown Moncton. In a meeting with the Times & Transcript editorial board this week, Premier Shawn Graham said the provincial government wants to help Moncton become the entertainment and cultural centre of Atlantic Canada and providing assistance for the metro centre would be part of that plan.

Moncton Liberal MP Brian Murphy said it is nice the Conservatives finally woke up to the convention centre idea with only a few days left in the campaign.

Murphy said he has already consulted with Graham and LeBlanc and on Saturday received a commitment from federal Liberal leader Stéphane Dion that money from a $90-billion infrastructure fund could be used to help fund the Moncton metro centre.

Murphy said the Tories are simply playing catch-up.

"I'm happy that we had that kind of effect on the Conservatives. Until we get a Liberal government, this is the way we'll have to get things done."

Ian Fowler, the city's general manager of recreation, parks, tourism and culture, is delighted to see both the federal and provincial governments so dedicated to the project. The city will soon put out a Request for Proposals for the basic plans and scope of a proposed metro centre. It will likely be a 15,000 to 20,000-seat facility with at least one ice surface and space for retail shops and services, and possibly be linked to a convention centre. The location has not been finalized, but there are several areas downtown that would be suitable. The centre would not replace the existing Moncton Coliseum and Agrena complex, which has a seating capacity of 5,000 to 7,000 for hockey games and concerts, plus extensive convention and trade show space.

Fowler said the city would have to meet with potential clients to hear their concerns, hopes and dreams for a stadium. Several concert promoters have already discussed the idea with the city, saying that another venue would help Metro Moncton draw in more shows.

Meanwhile, Allain announced that within 90 days of being elected he would convene a Community Development Summit, in an effort to develop a prioritized community development plan for the region.

He said the three communities of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe all have their own priorities for development and he feels bringing all involved parties to the table will help make sure the money pie is evenly divided.

Allain said the economic development summit would follow up on a similar exercise held in 2004 during which priorities included a new bridge across the Petitcodiac, a new terminal for the Greater Moncton International Airport and the metro centre for downtown.

Some other future capital projects include the trunk sewer for Riverview, an arts and culture centre for Dieppe, road work, help for the ballet and a third crossing for the Petitcodiac River from the traffic circle near Champlain Place across the marsh to the Point Park area of Riverview.

Allain wants to work with former Progressive Conservative Premier Bernard Lord and former federal Liberal cabinet minister, Claudette Bradshaw, who have previously co-chaired similar meetings in the region.

"I want to bring our three mayors to the table along with community leaders, non-profits, economic development agencies and of course the provincial government," said Allain. "By coming together we can develop a prioritized community development plan that will address the Petitcodiac River, RCMP costs, the Peace and Justice Centre, as well as other community projects on the region's agenda," Allain said.

Moncton mayor says city's ambition makes it stand out; project should move forward as four-way partnership between governments, private-sector

Times & Transcript Staff

Mayor George LeBlanc isn't shying away from his campaign pledges to pursue an economically sound multi-use metro centre for downtown and to accelerate green space development in the city.

And while the economic downturn in North America is becoming a convenient excuse for politicians everywhere to cower from every challenge and opportunity, LeBlanc says he wants to go ahead with the agenda he set when he ran for mayor.

He also hopes provincial and federal politicians were listening to a key message former U.S. President Bill Clinton delivered in Moncton this week.

In a meeting with the Times & Transcript's editorial board yesterday, LeBlanc said Moncton's ambition was part of what made it such a special place to live and now was not the time to abandon its goals and vision.

"We keep swinging above our weight class, and we have to do that. We have to show people we stand out, that we're a great place to live and getting better," he said.

Saying he, of course, needs council's support, LeBlanc says he still has the action plan he ran on in the top drawer of his desk and it's not collecting any dust.

On the completion of the city's Millennium Trail network, the mayor vowed to accelerate the progress in this mandate, rather than backing away from its expense. He also said the public can expect to see more money put toward it in the upcoming capital works budget.

But on the idea of a multi-purpose metro centre, the mayor was even more specific.

He wants the city to come up with a plan for which there is a sound business case and to that end he's not talking about just building an arena.

"I don't want just another Coliseum," he said, suggesting a new facility should include all aspects of what a community wants in its downtown. It would be a sports, entertainment, cultural complex with commercial and residential space to offset expenses.

"There are big capital costs and operating costs, but if we can put together a sound plan, we can do it."

That business plan took a step closer to being drawn up this week, as the deadline passed for consultants to respond to the city's request for proposals. Council will likely consider the proposals and award a contract to do the feasibility study at its mid-December meeting.

LeBlanc said he is hopeful a metro centre complex could be funded through a four-way partnership between three levels of government and the private sector.

Noting he was repeating something Bill Clinton said at the Moncton Coliseum Tuesday, LeBlanc said, "I think it's more important than ever for the federal and provincial governments to step up now," to help get economies going through infrastructure investments.

Good news!

This can't be good for attracting shows to the Coliseum (max capacity 6465!!):


Coliseum seating capacity reduced

Fire marshal cuts number of people allowed in Moncton's main public venue

By Brent Mazerolle

Thanks to a new ruling from the provincial fire marshal, there are now less people allowed in the Moncton Coliseum than there are seats.

Due to a recent fire marshal audit, the Moncton Coliseum can now accommodate no more than 6,465 people, seated and standing, which is less than the actual number of seats in the building. Here, Jean and Don Mills take a break from an exercise walk yesterday at the city facility. The Moncton Coliseum's new maximum allowable capacity for people occupying the Coliseum is 6,465, following a safety audit conducted by the provincial fire marshal's office in November. That's the total number of people allowed -- seated or standing, visitor or staff. That's also 333 less people than the number of seats in the facility.

The issue is not about space, however.

Rather, the City of Moncton's Ian Fowler says, the issue is the number and quality of the building's exits. The building, well into its fourth decade of service, won't meet a number of more demanding contemporary standards without some significant upgrades.

He said new building codes that have come into effect following the audit see capacity determined by the number of exits, things like their widths and even the building materials in the area around them.

For instance, Fowler said, the building's Famous Players Lounge exit, accessible via the stairs from the mezzanine at the southern end of the building, can't be counted as a suitable evacuation route because flame retardant "two-hour fire wall" was not used in the walls and ceiling surrounding it.

Unless the city brings the building up to code, or the fire marshal's ruling is amended, it appears a once-in-a-lifetime event like the Elton John concert last September will indeed be just that. Sir Elton packed 8,700 people into the Coliseum, 2,235 more music fans than would be allowed in the building if the concert was held today.

Under the new capacity rules, the 1,500 people that could be seated on the floor for events like Sir Elton or Bill Clinton's speech in November has also been cut by more than half to 720. While the ruling makes it ever more difficult to sell the Coliseum, and the city, as a venue, the general manager of the city's department of Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Culture, said the city would abide by any rulings made in the interest of public safety.Bill Schurman, the general manager of the Moncton Wildcats who are the building's principal tenant, admitted he was caught off guard by the change in capacity.

"It's news to us. We weren't aware the Coliseum was being re-assessed," Schurman said.

While he agreed with Fowler that safety was paramount, Schurman hoped there was room to give the matter a second look. "I would hope we're appealing it."

Schurman said that while the hockey team may not fill the building every night, the goal of the organization is to do so whenever possible.

"This business is based on having the opportunity to sell as many tickets as possible," he said.

Loving all this talk for the new arena. Can't happen soon enough:

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/n ... cle/571341

Act now on metro centre: mayor

George LeBlanc anxious to move downtown development file forwardMoncton Mayor George LeBlanc says it is urgent his council get the professional advice that will come with a study being conducted on the feasibility of a multi-use civic facility in downtown Moncton. And then it will be urgent to act upon it.

"These are the times you have to get up off your chair and do something," LeBlanc said. Time is an issue, he said, with massive federal funding suddenly available for infrastructure projects and a stated federal bias towards those that are "shovel ready."

LeBlanc made the comments during a meeting with the Times & Transcript's editorial board yesterday morning.

The City of Moncton's chief financial officer, John Martin, was also on hand and he said he was anxious to read the fine print on the economic stimulus package being offered by Stephen Harper's Conservative government to help communities improve infrastructure and promote growth.

"That money isn't un-tethered," Martin said. "Unfortunately, we don't yet have details on the federal money. Is it a 50 cent share or a 30 cent share?"

LeBlanc said the feasibility of a metro centre would indeed depend on the federal government and the province "coming to the table in a significant way."

LeBlanc will travel with his counterparts from Dieppe and Riverview to Ottawa on Feb. 24 for a meeting with the federal public safety minister regarding the federal rebate long denied the tri-community for RCMP services.

While he's there, he plans to meet with Greg Thompson, the regional federal minister for New Brunswick, to talk about the possibility of helping fund a multi-use facility. Given the argument such a facility would benefit the whole region, LeBlanc said he believed Dieppe Mayor Jean LeBlanc and Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland would be willing to attend that meeting in a show of unity.

Meanwhile, Moncton's mayor has already had talks with the province on what such a facility could do to help make Metro Moncton the event centre of the Atlantic region.

Saying "the more multi-purpose the better," LeBlanc said he has also had informal discussions with leaders of the business community. He envisions a centre which could be funded and held to reasonable operating costs through what he called a "Four P" arrangement, bring private developers into the fold along with the three levels of government, as well as private interests who would be tenants.

n Metro Centre study begins/NEWS A4.


http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/o ... cle/571384

Evidence abounds for Metro Centre

It may not be articulated in an official report yet, but it is obvious a good business case already exists for construction of a multi-use Metro Centre in Moncton.

Enlarge Photo Thursday city officials revealed that while it is only February, they already have 27 dates for which concert promoters have asked for a "hold" on the Coliseum so they can bring in major acts. The year is still young and we've just been through the slowest period of the year for such activity but already Moncton is looking at an average of more than two concerts a month. And that is despite the Coliseum's well-known limitations, including a low ceiling that prevents many large acts from stopping here.

Imagine what could be done with a Metro Centre if 27 possible acts for the Coliseum are already lined up for this year; imagine how successful a larger capacity venue without the Coliseum's drawbacks could be; imagine how attractive it would be to promoters who know Moncton is a hot entertainment market and would like to bring acts in but do not in many cases because of the drawbacks, including limited capacity.

A Metro Centre is not merely a good idea, rather the evidence is there that Moncton is a hot market that would support such a centre; a hot market with considerable potential to grow even hotter with larger name acts and bigger productions.

This speaks directly to the business case that is being prepared now by consultants studying a Metro Centre's viability. It also speaks directly to the concerns of some city councillors, many of whom like the idea and are ready to support it but want to see a solid business case first.

There is already plenty of evidence, including the comments recently by the president of the Gillette Entertainment Group, one of Canada's larger promotion firms, that a larger more flexible Metro Centre would bring immediate benefits and make the city much more attractive to firms such as his. And with a similar centre in Halifax, Moncton's would help achieve an economy of scale for touring acts that make stops in the region much more likely.

And all this is just the concert business. As a multi-use facility, including ice-surface for ice sports, A Metro Centre offers further economic benefits. As well, it would have some supplemental convention facilities to complement facilities downtown hotels already have, making it much easier for large conventions to consider Moncton. This too is an area with great potential for growth and only the lack of facilities has held us back in recent years.

All in all, the evidence is out there and it is accumulation almost daily; it's real: there is a solid business case for a Metro Centre.

I've written letters to the paper over the years saying that the Coliseum was outdated. Whoever designed that building must've been on crack.

But I don't know where downtown a good place is to put a metro center. Surely not on the marsh-- they'll have problems in the years to come if they decide that. And the Highfield Square area is too close to the tracks. Where would anyone park?

I think the coliseum should just be torn down and replace with a better building. It's the perfect location, right by the highway.

The only place available downtown would be on the marsh unless they used the Beaver Lumber site and put parking on the marsh. And if that is the plan I may not live long enough to see it happen. No-one seems to be able to come up with a plan for that site. But the downtown is really where it needs to be according to the urban planning models that every city is following these days

I agree that the coliseum area is still a good place to put a bigger building, and it HAS to be 15 - 20K or don't bother wasting the money.

Harper is in town (Moncton) today for a funding announcement with Shawn Graham. Could this be funding for a new Moncton arena???

no its for the fundy trail

Well, that's boring!

I'm not about to argue about maritime arenas..in my opinion I feel that probably every large arena in the maritimes needs some sort of upgrading...this is a few things which I recieved in the TCL Newsletter which refers to a new convention centre in Halifax
================================================================================================New convention centre to attract world-class events to city and province


Halifax is gearing up to welcome large international congresses, meetings, and major events, thanks to a memorandum of understanding signed Monday, May 4, 2009 by Premier Rodney MacDonald and Mayor Peter Kelly. The document commits the Province and Halifax Regional Municipality to work together in an effort to have a new convention centre up and running in downtown Halifax by January 1, 2013.

"This is a critical piece of our overall major events strategy," said Scott Ferguson, Interim President & CEO for Trade Centre Limited, the Nova Scotia crown corporation that manages Halifax’s World Trade & Convention Centre. "A new convention centre will catapult Halifax onto the world stage when it comes to vying for major conferences and events."


"This is tremendously exciting news for our city," said Patricia Lyall, Destination Halifax President & CEO. "Halifax has long been a preferred destination for meeting and convention planners. However, we do know event planners have often bypassed Halifax because our existing facilities have presented us with space challenges."

While many details about the proposed convention centre are still being determined, the plan does call for approximately 150,000 square feet of meeting space. This effectively triples the 50,000 square feet of space now available in the World Trade and Convention Centre (WTCC). "The WTCC has served our clients very well for the past 25 years," said Nina Kressler, Trade Centre Limited’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We have managed to attract and retain a lot of satisfied customers who have told us Halifax is, without a doubt, one of the best places to hold a convention.

"However, being a major Canadian city and having one of the smallest convention centres, it has become increasingly difficult to attract new business," adds Ms. Kressler. "One of our biggest challenges has simply been that we have been unable to host multiple, large-scaled events; but, all that is about to change. We are thrilled that we are now able to share the terrific news with past and future customers wanting to host large conferences that, as of 2013, we will be much more likely to accommodate their needs."

The proposed convention centre complex is slated to include a 400 to 500-room hotel, a 14-storey office tower and retail space. Detailed designs are expected by this summer. For more information, contact:

Sydney's Centre 200 pales in comparison to Halifax's Metro Centre and big plans..but even here Centre 200 is going through upgrades adding more sky boxes and increasing seating capacity for hockey games to 5,000...I'm assuming concerts(if they ever have them there again) will hold 7,000..I have to do more research on that part..as it was never mentioned(not suprising)

Shit, must be nice! Here in Monkeytown, they reduced capacity at the Coliseum due to fire regulations.

Moncton Council was having a special meeting today (Monday June 15th) to discuss a new multipurpose facility for downtown....let's cross our fingers!

The consulting firm hired by the city has determined that the best place for the new 70 million dollar multi purpose centre would be downtown at the old Beaver Lumber site. Now the city wants to go over the numbers and make sure the findings are accurate.

I hate politics!