News From Restigouche County
Published Wednesday September 3rd, 2008
Business Profile
On July 21, Mohammed Altrash arrived in Dalhousie and started building a new life here. His had been a long journey:
one that started in the Gaza Strip, a strife-torn bit of coastal land between Israel and Egypt.
Altrash holds a Ph. D. in mathematics and taught at a university there. It was a good job, but as he explained last week, life had not been easy. Rockets could fall in the area at any time; the noise terrified his children and the explosions shattered his windows. He decided to look for another opportunity and took a year’s sabbatical leave.
For the past two years, he’d been teaching math at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Altrash said that the cost of living there was a problem.
Renting a house could cost $1,600 to $2,000 a month. His children came to Canada with little knowledge of English and none of the culture. His wife, Malak, speaks no English. They were all dependent on him.
That led to a heart attack. Altrash decided to try to find a home elsewhere. He found a house in Dalhousie on the Internet for about what a year’s rent would be in Alberta.
Dalhousie would be a great place to raise children. There was no crime to speak of, and no gangs. He said that he likes peace and quiet, and found it here.
They drove for five days and nights, with the family’s belongings in a small trailer he built himself. He’s been picking up furniture and turning a house into a home.
He has to find work. There are few openings in the education system.
Although he’s fluent in English, his French isn’t adequate for teaching at CCNB Campbellton.
He hopes he’ll be able to find something.
He points out that over the years he’s taken part in a number of international conferences and even organized some of them. He has computer skills and managerial experience. He just wants “to feed the kids”, seven of whom are now in Dalhousie.
Dalhousie has been through its own hard times, with two of its major employers ceasing operations in the last six months. Altrash is one of those who have seen the advantages of a town with low real estate prices and a simpler way of life.
En français : Mohammed Altrash a trouvé la paix et la sérénité à Dalhousie après avoir demeuré à Edmonton et enseigné les mathématiques à l’Université de l’Alberta pendant les deux dernières années.
Is a northern beer battle brewing?
NB Liquor wants to curb the purchase of cheaper Quebec beer by Restigouche county residents.
A case of beer costs about $40 in New Brunswick, while some brands may be purchased in private convenience stores at Listuguj First Nation across the J. C. Van Horne Bridge from Campbellton in Quebec for a dollar per can or bottle, plus deposit — and sometimes for less than that.
Under the NB Liquor Control Act, only 12 “pints” of beer may be imported from another province.
NB Liquor spokesperson Nora Lacey defended the monopoly’s position.
“This is not a new issue; however, the situation is getting worse. We have developed some measures to help stem the loss; we have notified the breweries of the situation and are in discussions with them and we have made an inquiry to the RCMP as to the legalities around the transportation of beverage alcohol across provincial boundaries.”
Lacey said that the Campbellton liquor store sells less beer than expected for the size of the population.
“Public beer sales volumes are down 23 per cent yearover- year at the Campbellton store. For example, Grand Manan with a population of 2,460 (2006 Census) outsells Campbellton/Atholville/Tide Head with a combined population of 9,776 by 20 per cent.
From April-July 2008, Grand Manan sold 53,472 liters vs.
Campbellton at 44,603,” she said.
“This issue is significant and given our intent to provide the city of Campbellton with a new and larger store we must make every effort to understand the situation.”
Lacey continued, “In the process of exploring all options, we inquired as to [the RCMP’s] capabilities with respect to enforcement of the provisions of the Liquor Control Act of New Brunswick and the federal Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act.”
District Commander Insp. Roland Wells of the Restigouche- Chaleur RCMP said “…generally, we concentrate on larger importation issues that are more straightforward to prove.”
Mayor Bruce MacIntosh of Campbellton was outraged, and said he would complain to the Premier.
“Once again we have someone down in Fredericton, who probably has never been to Campbellton, deciding what is best for our city.”
En français : La Société d’Alcool NB veut freiner l’achat de bière moins cher au Québec par les résidentsducomtédeRestigouche.
New unit at CHA
Campbellton Regional Hospital will receive $405,000 this fiscal year to purchase a new digital radiography unit, Health Minister Michael Murphy announced on Aug. 22.
“This equipment is used for general radiographic exams, and will replace an older unit,” said Murphy. “This upgrade in technology will allow for improved image quality and viewing/diagnosis in a filmless environment.”
Ruth Lyons, senior vicepresident of the Restigouche Health Authority, said that the new radiography unit will slash wait times for exams.
“The acquisition of this new equipment will significantly improve our wait times for diagnostic imaging procedures,” she said. “Efficiencies with this unit will allow an increase of 50 per cent over present workload capacity.”
The Restigouche Health Authority will also receive an additional $442,650 this year to purchase various medical equipment valued at between $5,000 and $100,000 each.
The funding is from the Department of Health’s $13.22 million budget in fiscal 2008- 09 for new medical equipment and technology.
En français : L’hôpital régional de Campbellton recevra 405 000 $ pendant l’exercice financier en cours pour l’achat d’un nouvel appareil de radiographie numérisé, a annoncé le ministre de la Santé, Michael Murphy.
Dalhousie wharf work
There’s a lot of work going on in around the wharves, and David Walker, Manager of the Port of Dalhousie, says that’s the reason access to those wharves is being limited.
There are two projects underway at and around the west wharf. Crews are installing new steel ice shields to protect the wharf in winter. This creates situations that could be dangerous to the public, including those who would like to use the wharf for fishing.
When ships are at the wharf, there are also security concerns.
In recent years, regulations have become stricter. As a result, access is limited to those who have valid reasons for visiting the wharf. Walker said that it is primarily because of safety concerns that people are being denied access.
The east wharf is under lease to AbitibiBowater, which is limiting access. Walker said that the port does not control access to this wharf.
There have been recent changes in the port. The former ferry wharf, which had deteriorated greatly since the service ceased, has been removed.
En français : L’accès aux quais du port de Dalhousie est limité en raison des travaux qui s’y déroulent à l’heure actuelle.
New tourism officer
Jean-Claude Paradis is the liaison between Restigouche tourism-based businesses and the provincial government.
A few years ago, this post was merged with that of the Chaleur region. After that, one officer was responsible for the two regions. But Dalhousie- Restigouche East MLA and Natural Resources Minister Donald Arseneault wanted an officer appointed for Restigouche alone.
“I was looking at other places in the province and I saw that there was an agent for Miramichi, another for the Acadian Peninsula, but for Restigouche- Chaleur, there was only one officer covering these two major regions. I have always said that if one wants to capitalize on the tourism sector, with this area’s many tourist attractions and opportunities, someone should deal with Restigouche alone,” said Arseneault.
Paradis will help regional tourism operators develop their products to ensure they are aware of the opportunities that are available to them, such as advertising or trade shows.
En français : Jean-Claude Paradis, agent touristique, agit à titre de liaison entre les commerces touristiques de Restigouche et le gouvernement provincial.
Wind power in north
Shear Wind Inc., a Halifaxbased energy development company with an office in Alberta, is studying two Restigouche County sites as possible locations for windmill parks.
Recently, the company announced that it is looking at sites at Benjamin River and Mann Siding.
Speaking from her office in Calgary, Shear Wind’s managing director, Louise Clarke, said that the Benjamin River site is some distance back from the coast. She was not sure about the exact location of the Mann Siding site.
Mann Siding is northeast of Kedgwick, about 16 miles by highway.
The two sites have a combined area of over 100,000 acres of developable land and a wind development capacity of over 1000 Megawatts.
Both would begin as 150 Mw parks that could be expanded as needed.
Clarke said that they will have to collect data for one to two years so that they will have proof that the wind at those sites has the potential the company believes it has.
En français : Une entreprise de Halifax, Shear Wind Inc., étudie la possibilité d’établir des parcs éoliens dans le comté de Restigouche.
Cleaning up after the party
In summer, hundreds of canoeists take the Restigouche River by storm to relax — and to party.
“Last year at this time, we picked up 120 bags of rubbish in a day on the Hafford campsite. This year we got a dozen,” says David LeBlanc, general manager of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Committee (RRWMC).
In the late 1980s, government introduced a system of campsites on the river. After the departure of the campers, the sites are often dumps.
This year’s cleaning has been entrusted to RRWMC. It now has nine employees, some of whom are at a welcome centre located in Kedgwick.
Some campgrounds on the Restigouche are in a sorry state due to overuse, even without the trash. Overuse of these sites considerably affects surrounding vegetation.
“The sites have been planned for about 10 to 20 tents. But some weekends, there may be up to 300 people at the same place. It is causing serious problems,” says LeBlanc.
To that end, the RRWMC is currently trying to obtain the necessary permits to create new sites. They are aiming to double the number of sites.
Ideally, he would like camping on the Restigouche to be more structured, such as a model where reservations are made for specific camping locations.
En français : Le Restigouche River Watershed Management Committee tente d’obtenir les permis nécessaires afin d’ajouter des terrains de camping pour les canoéistes qui circulent sur la rivière Restigouche.
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