Latest news with #NewBrunswickers
CBC
19 hours ago
- CBC
N.B.'s restrictions on beer from elsewhere in Canada have come to an end
New Brunswickers are no longer limited in how much alcohol they can bring back from another province for personal use.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Irvings donate $3M to new N.B. Museum
The New Brunswick Museum is launching a $36 million capital campaign for its revitalization project, starting with a $3 million donation from J.D. Irving, Ltd. The museum unveiled the campaign, titled 'Making History Now,' on Thursday as part of the $141.5 million project to improve the existing museum building on Douglas Avenue and expand it into 'a renewed, world-class provincial museum.' The campaign will be chaired by J.D. Irving co-CEO Jim Irving, according to a press release from the museum. 'We're really excited today to be launching the capital campaign,' Tracy Clinch, chair of the New Brunswick Museum board, told Brunswick News by phone Tuesday. She said the 'quiet phase' of the campaign began after the official groundbreaking last August, including discussions with donors, development of marketing, and assembling the 'campaign cabinet.' Funding for the project, building on the site of the existing 1934 facility on Douglas Avenue, was announced in March 2024 and includes $58 million from the provincial government and $49.9 million from the federal government. The campaign will cover the gap between government funding and the 'finished product,' Clinch said. She said the 'revised timeline' includes a planned opening in 2028, with construction work expected to wrap by the fourth quarter of 2027 or first quarter of 2028. Last August, Brunswick News reported it was planned to open in 2027. Construction has begun, Clinch said, with the fencing up, the first set of tenders are out and the next set 'ready to go,' Clinch said. She said the project remains on budget. Clinch said the capital campaign has been meeting with 'prospective major donors,' as well as possible partners for the museum project. She said the campaign is 'well over halfway there' already, with additional names to be announced 'in the coming weeks.' 'There are lots of opportunities for donations, for volunteering, for contributing in-kind materials, we have a number of ways that everyone can get involved in the campaign,' she said. The 'capital campaign cabinet' is chaired by Irving, and includes museum COO Brent Suttie, Clinch (who is CEO of Moncton-based Masitek Instruments Inc.), fellow museum board member Wayne Power, John McAvity of the museum foundation, Aldéa Landry, president of Moncton's Landal, Inc., Joel Richardson, vice-president of public relations for Saint John-based Cooke, Inc., Andy Carson, vice-president, government relations for JDI, Sonia Van Roestel, director of marketing for Kent Building Supplies, which is a division of JDI. Irving was not available Tuesday for an interview, according to JDI spokesperson Anne McInerney. In the press release, he is quoted as saying the museum project 'will inspire new generations of New Brunswickers, giving them a chance to learn more about our province's history and its importance to the rest of the country.' JDI has contributed a 'transformative $3 million lead gift,' according to the release. Clinch said she's 'thrilled' to have Irving as the campaign chair. 'The Irving family have been tremendous supporters of the museum over the years in its various locations,' she said. 'His business acumen and his wide-reaching network are assets to the campaign cabinet, but just generally he's been such an unbelievable supporter and such a great person to work with.' The museum had been located in Market Square until the location closed, with a research centre opening on Lancaster Avenue in 2023. A new museum went through 'more than 20 iterations' over the years through various boards, Clinch said, including a $100 million project on the Saint John waterfront which was cancelled by then-premier Blaine Higgs and the Progressive Conservatives after taking office in 2018. When asked what support, if any, the Irvings offered during the transition and search for a new location, Clinch said that selection of the location took place before any discussions around the capital campaign. She said the Irving family has been a 'supporter for having a New Brunswick museum' and cultural hub for the province. The project involves preserving the existing museum facades and adding new wings designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, with 'state-of-the-art exhibition galleries, discovery centres, research and teaching laboratories, a public auditorium, Indigenous engagement spaces, and a rooftop terrace,' according to the press release. 'We have a very rich cultural history, and the stories that need to be told ... are going to be represented in the museum,' Clinch said. 'We really hope and feel ... that everyone will see themselves in this museum. It's an inclusive space that is intended to be a teaching and learning museum as well as a working museum.' She said the building will be a 'lasting legacy for the entire province' intended to last 100 years. She said that offers an opportunity for families, industry leaders, artists, cultural figures and others. 'There are a number of cultural figures, there is a large population who have a piece of the story that's going to be in the museum,' she said. 'To be able to put your name to that legacy is I think a very important offering ... that the museum has to give to potential donors.' She said she's a 'relative newcomer' to the museum board and that the project owes much to previous boards, past chair Kathryn Hamer, Suttie and 'many many people over the years.' She said it's 'extremely rewarding' to see the satisfaction of those working in the museum with the new facility. 'You can't even imagine it, there have been people literally working 30 years on this,' she said. 'Seeing it come to fruition is a bit of culmination of all their hard work ... it's a really moving time.' More information on the campaign, including how to make a donation, is available at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
New Brunswick premier tries to sell Quebec on natural gas pipeline
Quebec Politics Quebec Premier François Legault says New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt's pitch for a natural gas pipeline to extend from Quebec City to her province must benefit Quebecers if it's to go ahead. That's as Holt says she's told Legault it will do so. On the sidelines of premiers meetings in Ontario cottage country, Holt said she met with Legault in attempts to push forward her call for what amounts to a new 300-kilometre pipe through eastern Quebec into New Brunswick. Holt wants that pipeline to be part of the Eastern Energy Partnership, a collection of electrical grid upgrades and energy infrastructure projects to be sold to the federal government as a priority nation-building project. Legault was questioned about that possibility in a closing news conference at the premiers' meeting while sitting alongside Holt on Wednesday. 'There's no project right now,' Legault said in French, suggesting the proposal is an 'idea' with no proponent to date. He added that 'if a project is brought forward, I would like to have more economic spinoffs for Quebec. 'It has to be good for Quebecers,' Legault said. Holt then responded that it would be beneficial for eastern Quebec industry. 'We're talking to Premier Legault and private companies and I really appreciate his point of view that they need economic spinoffs,' she said. 'It would be for companies between Quebec City and the border (of New Brunswick). 'I think Rivière-du-Loup is an example. They would also like to have natural gas, so we're working on this so that it might be something positive for Quebecers and New Brunswickers, both.' Additional natural gas infrastructure would help to correct Atlantic Canada's growing dependence on the United States. The region currently relies on natural gas imported from the U.S., with some sourced indirectly from western Canada, although also piped up through the southern border. That reliance increased after the shutdown of Nova Scotia's offshore natural gas production in 2018. Natural gas is now piped from the northeastern U.S. to some markets in Atlantic Canada through a 1,100-km transmission pipe operated by Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline. It was initially built to transport natural gas from offshore developments in Nova Scotia to markets in Atlantic Canada and then south of the border, but the pipeline flow was later reversed. Meanwhile, there's no pipeline infrastructure to get any natural gas to northern New Brunswick or eastern Quebec. Natural gas pipeline infrastructure exists from the western provinces through Ontario, but terminates in Quebec City. If that pipeline is extended to New Brunswick, from there, additional pipe could stretch across the northern half of the province to the Port of Belledune, as well as south to Fredericton, connecting parts of New Brunswick to gas infrastructure that is currently only available by truck. Speaking with New Brunswick reporters after the news conference, Holt said 'there are communities that I think would also appreciate natural gas access, like Rivière-du-Loup and others.' 'So François has been clear about what he needs for it to move forward in Quebec and we continue to work with all the different players involved to see if we can make this happen,' Holt said. There were previous plans, now nearly two decades old, to build a liquid natural gas terminal and a pipeline network at Gros-Cacouna, near Rivière-du-Loup. It had the region's support, but was delayed indefinitely due to supply issues. Meanwhile, complicating talks over a natural gas pipeline are other proposals in front of Quebec. In his response to reporters on Wednesday when asked about a natural gas pipeline, Legault brought up prospective projects in Sept-Îles or Baie-Comeau, on the other side of the St. Lawrence River. He also said they were ideas without proponents. In recent months, Legault has mused about building an oil pipeline to an export terminal in Sept-Îles, on Quebec's North Shore, that would carry western energy and then ship it overseas. 'Could we imagine having a pipeline that goes through northern Quebec which could end, for example, in the Port of Sept-Îles?' Legault said in the interview. 'Projects like that were unthinkable before Trump,' he said. 'Quebecers are saying, 'There's no way Trump is going to control the oil we produce in Alberta.' So, can we export it to Europe through Quebec instead of being stuck with Trump? There's openness. I feel things are shifting,' the premier added. New Brunswick's pitch would also aid the potential multibillion-dollar repurposing of the Saint John LNG facility into an export terminal. Holt has previously said her government has been talking to Repsol, the owner of Saint John LNG, and TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Corporation) about projects. Repsol abandoned plans in 2023 to build a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Saint John, citing the cost of shipping gas from western Canada to eastern tidewater. That concept would have used existing pipelines that traverse through the United States. The company kicked the tires in a race to supply Germany and other European countries looking to replace Russian gas amid the war in Ukraine. But the project ultimately went nowhere. The premiers' meetings in Ontario concluded on Wednesday.
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
N.B. fast-tracking nursing home placements as hospitals struggle with overcrowding
FREDERICTON – New Brunswick's premier is blaming a lack of long-term care space for serious overcrowding at four regional hospitals, as her government tries to fast-track patients out of those facilities and into nursing homes. Susan Holt said Thursday that hospitals are struggling as they take on patients who should be in long-term care. 'This isn't a surprise I think to New Brunswickers or to our government since we have seen over many years the challenges that hospitals have faced,' Holt told reporters during her monthly address in Fredericton. Holt's comments come in response to a request on Tuesday by the Horizon Health Network for the urgent transfer of patients in four hospitals to nursing homes. In a news release, Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson said more than 650 patients no longer require acute care in hospital but aren't healthy enough to be discharged. Calling the situation 'unsustainable,' Melanson said the number of patients across New Brunswick waiting for transfer to a long-term care facility is the highest on record. 'If enough long-term care beds were available in our communities today, we would be able to immediately discharge 360 of these patients,' she said. 'Roughly 40 per cent of all our acute-care beds are currently occupied by patients who have no medical reason to be in hospital.' Melanson called her request to the provincial government a 'measure of last resort.' In response, Social Development Minister Cindy Miles agreed on Wednesday to open a 30-day window for patients at four hospitals to jump the provincial nursing home wait-list and be fast-tracked into long-term care. The hospitals are the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, the Upper River Valley Hospital in Hartland and the Miramichi Regional Hospital. Melanson told reporters on Wednesday that it's not clear how many hospital beds would be liberated over the next month by the government's move to prioritize some patients. 'It's difficult to say exactly how many because it depends on beds becoming available in these long-term care homes,' she said. 'Often they become available unfortunately when a patient passes away.' New Brunswick has 78 licensed nursing homes with 5,373 beds, along with 431 adult residential facilities offering care to about 7,600 residents. In 2018, the province launched a project to open 640 new nursing home beds; so far 460 have been created, and space for another 180 is under construction. Holt said that since her party was elected in October, the government has been working to bolster the long-term care sector and expand options such as home care to relieve pressure on the health system. 'The ideal situation is that people not find themselves in the hospital in the first place because they can get the care they need at home,' Holt said. 'We have been working … to get the right system and supports in place.' The premier said the number of seniors in the province waiting for care support at the beginning of the year was around 1,068. 'But as Horizon's call for crisis protocols reveals, there are more and more people in hospital right now waiting for the supports to return home or the ability to receive care in a long-term care facility,' she said. Holt said population growth in recent years has resulted in the number of people requiring care growing at a rate that outstrips the number of long-term care beds available. 'We are well behind the 8-ball and trying to play catch up,' the premier said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. — By Keith Doucette in Halifax
Global News
16-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
N.B. rent assistance program stops taking applicants after maxing out in fiscal year
A provincial benefit helping low-income New Brunswickers pay their rent is no longer accepting applications because most of the money allocated for this fiscal year has already been spoken for due to the popularity of the program. That's left some tenants in the lurch, including seniors. Edith Myers helps connect seniors in the rural community of Beausoleil with resources that enable them to stay at home longer. She says many seniors struggle with the rising cost of rent, as most rely on their pensions alone. That's why she was thrilled when she heard about the Direct-to-Tenant Rental Benefit. 'We were just told about this a month ago, so we started telling our seniors that they could get help with that, and of course they were happy with that, so we started to apply for them,' said Myers, who is a manager with the Bien vieillir chez soi Beausoleil program. Story continues below advertisement 'After 10 applications, we got an email that the program was being stopped.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The provincial government announced they were investing more than $21 million in the benefit on May 20. 1:53 Criticism ahead of New Brunswick's three per cent rent cap The email in early June said that all the money for the fiscal year had been allocated, Myers said. In a statement to Global News, Housing NB said there were still some circumstances in which people can receive the benefit. 'Two newly launched referral-based DTT pilot projects — aimed at helping those with disabilities and young people find more affordable housing — are now being processed by staff with Housing NB,' a spokesperson wrote. Housing NB will review any outstanding applications and if new funding is available, those applications will be considered. Story continues below advertisement Matthew Hayes with the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights says the province was hit particularly hard by the pandemic-era rent spikes because there was no rent control at the time. 'The fact that the funding wasn't adequate demonstrates that the Liberal government hasn't taken the housing crisis seriously enough,' said Hayes. While the province currently has rent control, it's tied to individual tenants. Myers says seniors are feeling the brunt of this and are cutting down on essentials, including groceries, to afford housing. 'I know that the younger people have trouble also, but the seniors have worked all their lives and also deserve help,' she said.
