News From Restigouche County
Published Wednesday August 6th, 2008
Kudos for Dalhousie hotel
Dalhousie businessman Jimmy Abud says he is very proud of the staff at his downtown hotel, the Best Western Manoir Adelaide.
Abud spoke about what he called a remarkable feat, made more exceptional because both his wife, Marielle, who usually runs the hotel, and himself were away from the office for at least six months, due to family reasons.
“Of all the Best Western Hotels in this region of the world, which includes Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes and the New England States, only five had not one single complaint in the previous 12 months. We’re one of the five,” Abud said.
That puts the Dalhousie hotel among the top 20 per cent among the 4,200 Best Western Hotels in the world.
And Abud points out that they were completely employee run and operated.
“This can’t be done without a very high level of skills in every department:
housekeeping, front desk, food and beverage, everywhere,” he said.
He went on to say that this level of expertise and experience is usually achieved by employing graduates of hotel schools and a lot of on-the-job training. That’s simply not available in a place like Dalhousie, and to Abud that makes the accomplishment even more exceptional.
He said that the recent closures of the AbitibiBowater mill and the Olin chemical plant, both major customers of the hotel, has hurt the business.
“Every business in Restigouche County is hurting,” he said. “The businesses are surviving largely due to the dedication of the staffs. There has to be exceptional delivery of services if they are to survive. People are still in business because of their employees.”
And, as far as the hotel’s performance, he said, “You can fake it in one department or for one month, but you can’t fake it for 12 months in all departments.”
Français: Tout un accomplissement pour le Best Western Manoir Adelaide de Dalhousie qui se retrouve parmi les cinq des 4 200 Hôtels Best Western au niveau mondial à n’avoir eu aucune plainte au cours des 12 derniers mois.
Huge funding write-off defended by Byrne
It was a case of lose some, or lose it all.
That’s how Greg Byrne, Minister of Business New Brunswick, explained the government’s decision to write off $37.5 million in the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act proceeding involving Atlantic Yarns of Atholville and Atlantic Fine Yarns of Pokemouche.
The two plants, which make yarn or thread for export to third world countries where it is made into clothing, were made subject to a proceeding under federal law late last year to protect them from creditors.
They remain closed, although hope has been offered for their reopening in August.
The government wrote down huge sums: $21.6 million for Atlantic Yarns, and $15.917 million for Atlantic Fine Yarns. The company will still owe $23,683,000 for Atlantic Fine Yarns. There is also a $2,660,000 guarantee left over for Atlantic Fine Yarns, on top of that. The company will owe $15 million for Atlantic Yarns.
Numerous private companies also wrote down millions.
However approval of a plan acceptable to creditors was granted by the Court of Queen’s Bench in late June, when the last unwilling creditor, GE Capital Canada Equipment Financing Inc., signed onto the plan. The company will also have $18 million in working capital.
In an interview with The Campbellton Tribune, Bryne defended the huge write-offs as the most viable option open to the government at this time.
“It is important to recognize that we have dealt with this file and had to make a decision on it obviously because of the receivership we were facing. We could have lost it all. We had to look at what is the best decision here. If we had walked away from the table here, we would have lost our investment with little chance of any recovery. And we would have lost all the jobs and been looking obviously to replace those jobs in this region.”
He conceded that settlement didn’t come cheap.
“It is a significant sum of money by any standard.”
Français: Le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick a décidé d’annuler les prêts totalisant 37,5 $ millions d’Atlantic Yarns d’Atholville et d’Atlantic Fine Yarns de Pokemouche.
City discusses waterfront projects
City Councillor Gilbert Cyr says that a detailed tourism plan is needed for Campbellton. “The potential for this region is going to rely on tourism,” Cyr told council recently. “There are so many components to the history of this area that we need to work on our strengths to connect those themes under one big plan.”
Cyr said that in Campbellton there are between six or seven different areas where tourism could be promoted, starting on the waterfront where a reference to the naval Battle of the Restigouche of 1760 could be made. Other themes could be Atlantic salmon, birding on Walker Brook marsh, and Sugarloaf Park.
“There are many untapped resources that with the right plan, could be used to promote the city on a larger scale. We have a horseshoe of themes that we need to tie together.”
Mayor Bruce MacIntosh said that he and Deputy Mayor Greg Davis had already had a meeting in Fredericton about specific plans and requests, amongst them waterfront development, which had gone well. He said the city was awaiting word on possible funding for current and future projects.
Français: Selon le conseiller municipal Gilbert Cyr, un plan touristique détaillé s’avère une nécessité pour la ville de Campbellton.
Is mill sale near?
Natural resources minister Donald Arseneault says that the situation with the idle paper mill in Dalhousie is “like a big puzzle.”
For some time, there have been rumours that Kruger, an American company, is interested in purchasing the mill and converting it to a Kraft mill. As well, a German company had expressed interest in using it to produce fuel pellets and an American firm considered using it to produce biofuels.
The mill closed on Jan. 31 and the provincial government persuaded the owners, Abitibi- Bowater, to heat the mill during the winter in the hope that a buyer could be found by this fall. The company has stated that it will sell the facility, but not to any firm that would produce newsprint or other products that would be in competition with it.
Arseneault confirmed that there is an “interested party” from outside the region, but would not identify that party.
He denied that it was either the fuel pellet company or the biofuels one. He also denied that it involves Kruger.
“I don’t know why everybody keeps thinking that,” he said.
Arseneault said that the company is working with Abitibi- Bowater and other stakeholders to “make it happen.”
Français: Les rumeurs persistent entourant la vente de la papetière de Dalhousie. Le ministre des Ressources naturelles, Donald Arseneault, qualifie le dossier comme étant un gros casse-tête.
Heavy equipment course
Mayor Nick Duivenvoorden of Belledune wants the village to sponsor a heavy equipment course. He noted that there were middle-aged people who could not get jobs because they did not have their Grade 12. Duivenvoorden said some had already been unable to get local jobs because of this. Some may not want to get Grade 12 at this late stage and so they might be able to take another course. He asked council at its July 7 meeting if it would be willing to subsidize a heavy equipment operator course for the benefit of these people so they would have the proper papers to get work in the area. Council agreed and CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Brenda Cormier has been pricing options.
Français: Le village de Belledune entend parrainer un cours d’équipement lourd pour les personnes qui ne peuvent dénicher un emploi en raison du manque d’un diplôme au niveau secondaire.
City declines asphalt plant
The city of Campbellton has declined a request to allow an asphalt plant in a quarry within city limits.
At its July 21 meeting, council received a request that it consider allowing a rezoning of the quarry on Lily Lake Road to permit this use. Mayor Bruce MacIntosh recalled that when the quarry in question started operating a rock crusher, residents in the area were very vocal in their opposition. The city forbad the crusher, but the operator took the matter to court and won a ruling that it was permitted as a legal nonconforming use.
Français: Le Conseil municipal de Campbellton a refusé une demande visant l’établissement d’une usine d’asphalte à l’intérieur des limites de la ville.
Chamber festival gets grant
The Baie des Chaleurs International Chamber Festival has received a substantial grant from the federal government.
The Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Member of Parliament (New Brunswick South West), on behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages and Minister for La Francophonie, recently announced the funding.
The $32,000 in funding helped the organization present its 12th festival, which took place from July 10 to 13. Since 1997, the Baie des Chaleurs International Chamber Festival has presented chamber music ranging from the baroque to the romantic styles and drawing from both ancient music and works by contemporary composers.
Français: Le Festival de musique de chambre de la Baie des Chaleurs a reçu un appui financier important de 32 000 $ de la part du gouvernement fédéral.
Community development officer M ayor Nick Duivenvoorden of Belledune canvassed council on July 7 about going ahead with plans to hire a community development officer.
The previous council had put a procedure in place to find one. Only he and Deputy Mayor Emmie Flanagan remain from the last council. Duivenvoorden wanted to know if the new council wanted to proceed, and councillors voiced their intentions in favour of doing so.
Flanagan wanted to know if the selection committee would provide a list of candidates, or narrow it down to one top candidate and present that.
Duivenvoorden said that the committee would recommend a candidate. Council could ask for other names considered, however. It was determined that council would have the selection committee recommend a candidate, with the possibility that council might ask particulars of who were the second and third choices.
The process is continuing.
Français: Le maire de Belledune, NickDuivenvoorden,poursuit son projet d’embaucher un agent de développement communautaire. Il a reçu l’appui des membres du Conseil municipal actuel.
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