Tag: New Brunswick

How much is your rent? New project aiming to grow capacity for non-profit housing wants to know

Illustration: Madeleine Hansen

There’s a dearth of information when it comes to housing—especially rental housing—in areas of New Brunswick outside of the three big cities. But Peter Corbyn is hoping to change that, and he’s looking for help from Sackville renters.

Corbyn is a consultant working for the New Brunswick Non Profit Housing Association on a housing asset data map. He’s gathering information on housing costs, vacancies, suppliers, and basically anything that can help support further development of desperately needed affordable housing options.

“We need to come close to doubling our number of housing starts in the province relative to the 1990s,” says Corbyn. “And we’re facing a number of challenges to get there.”

Corbyn cites changing demographics leading to a reduction of skilled tradespeople in smaller communities, the rise in prices of construction and real estate, the pandemic in general, and the influx of new people moving to the province. Corbyn’s project will attempt to gather information to help smaller communities get in a better position for developing and financing affordable housing.

One component of Corbyn’s research is the gathering of accurate rental market data, especially for communities with populations under 10,000, for whom data is not currently published. “The average or median market rental rate in any given community in rural New Brunswick, whether it’s Charlotte County, Kent County, even Sackville, the peninsula, Carleton County… The rental rates are assumed to be the same for all of those regions,” says Corbyn, “which as we all know is not the case.”… Continue

The Three-Man Weave

Your source for major league sports news, second takes, and the kind of banter that deserves a banner. Tune in to the Three-Man Weave every Monday morning at 8:30 AM as Joe Hubley, Brian Neilson, and Geordie Miller look backwards and forwards at the world of sports. Sometimes erudite, occasionally erratic, always entertaining… Get ready for some Major League Radio on CHMA 106.9FM.

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Heritage Trust hopes to commemorate Sackville foundries by turning steel press into monument

Dan Bowser and his family have agreed to donate a 300-tonne steel press to serve as a monument, according to Susan Amos. The machine is shown in a screenshot from her presentation to town council.

A local organization hopes to commemorate Sackville’s historical foundries by turning a 300-tonne steel press into a monument.

Susan Amos of the Tantramar Heritage Trust asked Sackville town council for support with the project on Tuesday.

She said the Heritage Trust plans to apply for federal funding to establish the monument, a 14-foot tall steel press that was formerly part of the Enterprise Foundry. 

It belongs to Dan Bowser, owner of Bowers Construction, and his family, who have agreed to donate the machine, she said.

Amos asked the Town of Sackville to contribute by preparing the ground and building a pedestal for the monument.

Chief Administrative Officer Jamie Burke said town staff would look into the question ahead of next week’s regular council meeting.

The monument would be placed on the former site of Fawcett’s Foundry on Main Street, which is now a parking lot for Mount Allison University. The university has already agreed to the idea in principle, Amos said.

She told councillors the foundries were a major presence in the community for more than 150 years. 

Local foundries employed thousands of people over the course of eight generations, producing items such as stoves, water heaters, pots and pans. 

This year marks the 170th anniversary of Fawcett’s Foundry and the 150th anniversary for the Enterprise Foundry, according to Amos. … Continue