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Civic Centre Funding

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The politicians came, and they brought the government checkbooks. Canada and New Brunswick will provide an additional $1.5 million and $900,000 respectively to help complete the E. & P. Sénéchal Centre in Grand Falls. Mike Allen, Tobique-Mactaquac MP, and Ron Ouellette, Minister of Agriculture and Aquaculture and Grand Falls-Drummond-Saint-André MLA, announced the funding increase during the recent sod turning ceremony for the new facility.

That brings the federal funding commitment to $4.5 million. After the sod turning, Allen said it was not easy to get more federal dollars, but he felt the project was worth it.

“It wasn’t easy. I think it is recognition though, in the past three to four months, of the significant cost escalation on some of these projects.

It is a sign of things to come. This was tough because of the short time line that we had, with construction already underway,” Allen stated.

The Tobique-Mactaquac MP said once the tender came in he knew funding the project would be a struggle.

“I look forward to following the construction and I look forward to seeing this fine facility up and serving the people of the Grand Falls area,” Allen commented.

Minister Ouellette said the celebration of the official start to construction of the civic centre shows a successful partnership between all levels of government and Grand Falls area residents.

Ouellette said the extra federal dollars meant that he could keep his campaign commitment to pay one-third of the facility’s cost up to $5 million.

“The other $900,000 that I made today was easier to get because of the previous commitment. I am happy that we didn’t have to cut corners and reduce the project. The cost is more than expected. If we had to cut corners we wouldn’t have the civic centre that we are building today.”

Grand Falls Mayor Marcel Deschênes welcomed the news of more government funding for the large project.

“The project construction is underway and we have received the funding that we were looking for. It’s a $15 million project. The construction will be going on for a year and that’s good for Grand Falls. Once the centre is complete we will be open for the public to enjoy this beautiful facility.”

Mayor Deschênes said with the provincial and federal governments fully committed to the project, he expects many businesses and individuals to come forward and complete their pledges. René Sénéchal, a native of Grand Falls now living in Montreal, earlier donated $1.5 million towards the project in memory of his parents, Emile and Philomene Sénéchal. The local committee is expected to raise $2.3 million.

Once completed, the centre will feature seating for up to 1,200 spectators, a rink surface, a walking trail and physical fitness facilities, as well as rooms equipped with the required technology for business meetings and conferences.

En français: Les gouvernements fédéral et provincial ont contribué une somme de 2.4$ million pour le nouveau centre civil, E.P. Sénéchal. C’est un projet de 15$million qui se terminera en juin 2009.

Mayor protests hospital closure

It`s a bit like there`s been a death in the community, Mayor Judy St. Peter said as she scans the press release detailing the changes at Tobique Valley Hospital. Everywhere in the village, people are talking about the loss of emergency services and inpatient beds with an air of sadness but Mayor St. Peter knows Tobiquers are a resilient, resourceful people and they will make the best of whatever comes their way.

“We have to stay strong and keep working to regain whatever services we lose,” Mayor St. Peter affirmed. “People here are courageous and very capable of dealing with life`s ups and downs.”

Running an emergency department and having inpatient beds go hand-in-hand. Mayor St. Peter said the hospital can`t have inpatient beds if it doesn`t have access to a doctor on a 24-hour basis.

A physician is scheduled to come to Plaster Rock on July 2 but isn`t interested in providing ER service. Another physician is supposed to come later in the summer along with a nurse practitioner.

“It all has an impact on the community,” she said, noting the economy of the village has suffered in recent months due to shutdowns at the Fraser Papers sawmill. “We`ve had our troubles.”

The mayor said village council along with the ACCESS committee will continue its campaign of phone calls and letter writing as they speak out against the changes.

En francais: L’hôpital de Plaster Rock doit fermer ses portes à cause d’un manque de médecin.

Le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick prend à la légère les demandes locales et les préoccupations de la mairesse Judy St. Peter.

Pétrole: situation alarmante pour les agriculteurs

Ce printemps, les cultivateurs ont vécu une période stressante à cause de la montée fulgurante du prix de pétrole. Depuis les trois dernières années où le prix du marché des pommes de terre fut à son plus bas niveau, les cultivateurs font face à de nombreuses incertitudes.

Une des incertitudes est l`ajustement des coûts de production.

«Le printemps a été une période alarmante dû à la montée considérable du prix de pétrole. La continuité des prix élevés de pétrole a des conséquences négatives, soit directement ou indirectement sur la demande de produits et services reliée à cette industrie», a déclaré le président de Pommes de terre Nouveau-Brunswick, Jean-Marie Pelletier.

Par exemple, le prix de l`engrais chimique a connu une hausse de 365 $ à 514 $ la tonne lorsque le prix du marché de la pomme de terre se situait entre 3,50 $ à 4 $ par 100 livres. Aussi, les cultivateurs prévoient une hausse assez considérable de l`engrais chimique pour le printemps 2009, environ 1200 $ la tonne. À l`ajout du prix élevé de pétrole durant cet hiver et ce printemps, le prix du transport pour livrer leur produit à la consommation a connu une hausse de 50 cents par 100 livres.

Des signes d`espérance sont-ils à l`horizon pour les agriculteurs? «Oui, il y a de l`espérance parce que la pomme de terre est une excellente source de nutrition et de plus en plus de consommateurs réalisent que la pomme de terre a son choix particulier selon ses variétés et ses goûts. La pomme de terre peut parcourir un long chemin pour nourrir notre population et nous devons nous unir ensemble afin de trouver de meilleurs moyens à réduire nos coûts de production et d`unir nos efforts à mieux contrôler notre propre domaine de l`offre», a précisé M. Pelletier.

English: Valley potato famrers are very concerned about the skyrocketing price of fuel and the inflation pressure on their crops.

N.B. helps upgrade mills

The future of Fraser Papers sawmill in Plaster Rock is looking brighter thanks to a $40 million loan from the New Brunswick government for the struggling forestry company, government and industry officials stated at a recent announcement.

While company officials have yet to release details of their plans for the Plaster Rock sawmill, the Juniper mill and their paper operations in Edmundston, getting rid of expensive oil-fired boilers in favour of biomass energy sources for the Plaster Rock mill operations is obviously high on their priority list.

“Energy today plays a much greater role than it did even last year. It`s up 15 per cent over last year. To eliminate the use of oil would mean dramatically reducing our energy cost,” stated Peter Gordon, president and CEO of Fraser Papers during the funding announcement in Edmundston.

Gordon said the company is still examining their options to reduce costs at their three locations.

“It`s likely we`ll have to concentrate on one mill before the other and it`s likely we`ll concentrate on the mill in Plaster Rock….. One is to improve the efficiency of the saw mill itself, the other handicap that Plaster Rock has is the fact that they have lumber kilns that are currently fired by oil. And obviously we all know that in today`s environment it`s very expensive to do that. So the opportunity at Plaster Rock is to consider a bio mass process to replace the oil fire process.”

The $40-million loan is for up to six and a half years at the government`s standard industry rate of 4.7 per cent interest.

“Combined with a recent $60-million equity offering, the loan will allow us to upgrade our equipment and lower costs,” said Gordon.

Fraser Papers employs 820 people in New Brunswick.

En francais: Le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick octroie un prêt de 40$ million à la compagnie de Fraser Papers sawmill de Plaster Rock. Le but du prêt est d’aider la compagnie forestière à devenir de plus en plus énergétique et environnementaliste.

Ouverture officielle du poste frontalier

Le ministre de la Sécurité publique, l`honorable Stockwell Day, qui était accompagné du député de Tobique-Mactaquac, Mike Allen, a procédé à l`ouverture officielle de la nouvelle installation du poste frontalier de Perth-Andover le 10 juillet dernier. La nouvelle installation fournit des services améliorés tant au public voyageur qu`aux clients commerciaux qui traversent la frontière entre Perth-Andover, au Nouveau- Brunswick, et Fort Fairfield, dans le Maine.

«Notre gouvernement s`est engagé à promouvoir la sécurité et l`efficience à la frontière, a déclaré le ministre Day. Cette installation moderne contribuera à faciliter la circulation des voyageurs et du commerce légitimes, tout en préservant la sécurité de notre frontière pour tous les Canadiens.» «Le poste frontalier, qui est situé sur la route 190, à la hauteur de la route 6, est un important carrefour de tourisme et de commerce dans notre région, a indiqué le député Allen. Cette nouvelle installation contribuera à favoriser la prospérité économique du Nouveau-Brunswick.» Une étude menée sur le bâtiment initial, construit en 1954, avait conclu que les volumes de circulation avaient augmenté bien au-delà de la capacité de celui-ci.

Avec l`aménagement de cette nouvelle installation, le poste frontalier peut désormais répondre aux besoins opérationnels actuels et futurs.

L`an dernier, plus de 341 000 véhicules commerciaux et privés sont entrés au Canada par ce poste frontalier.

Le ministre Day a aussi profité de l`occasion pour dévoiler une plaque commémorative soulignant le dévouement de deux agents de l`Agence des services frontaliers du Canada (ASFC) morts dans l`exercice de leurs fonctions au poste frontalier de Perth- Andover. En effet, le 16 avril 1994, l`agent de l`ASFC David Moore et le surintendant de l`ASFC Jim Finnamore ont perdu la vie quand ils ont été emportés lors d`une crue soudaine de la rivière Aroostook.

English: Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day officially opened the new Canada Border Services Agency port in Perth-Andover.

Companies face globalization challenges

“As a community economic development agency, our first role is to provide the necessary leadership to allow our region to deal adequately with the many challenges and opportunities it faces. During the last fiscal year, many companies in our region have been confronted with the challenges of globalization.

Furthermore, as an exporting region, we have seen a few promising projects being abandoned and/or postponed because of energy costs and the rising value of our dollar,” stated Kevin Shiell, president of Enterprise Grand Falls Region`s board of directors during the agency`s annual meeting held recently.

“Companies involved in forestry were especially affected during the past few years.

Important direct and indirect employment losses occurred and have resulted in the exodus of many specialized and qualified workers toward other regions of our province or elsewhere in Canada. New niches with added value projects in this sector need to be developed,” he added.

The rising value of the Canadian dollar as well as energy costs had an impact on several sectors of the economy, especially on the manufacturing sector which relies on exports. Company officials involved in this sector are aware that in order to keep their market share and remain competitive, they must evolve in a context of continuous improvement based on new technologies, and new processes while striving to meet high quality standards.

En francais: La hausse du dollar canadien et les coûts d’énergie ont des impacts considérables sur l’économie, surtout dans le secteur manufacturier.

Pour devenir plus compétitif au niveau mondial, les compagnies manufacturières doivent être au sommet des technologies pour survivre.