Daily News Archives » Page 30 of 231 » CHMA, Voice of the Marshes

Dr. Yves Bourgeois to join Mt A as Dean of Social Sciences and Business

Dr. Yves Bourgeois. Photo: Mount Allison communications

Mount Allison University has hired a new Dean of Social Sciences and Business.

Dr. Yves Bourgeois, currently the Dean of Studies at l’Université de Moncton’s Shippagan campus, will join Mount Allison on July 1, 2024. He replaces Interim Dean of Business and Social Sciences Dr. Jennifer Tomes, and before that, Dr. Nauman Farooqi, who formally parted ways with Mount Allison about one year ago when he took the position of president of St. Thomas University in Fredericton.

Bourgeois holds a PhD in Urban Planning from UCLA. He is also a Rhodes Scholar, with graduate degrees from Oxford and Edinburgh in philosophy, politics, economics and technology studies.

In a statement published by Mount Allison, Bourgeois says he is “honoured and excited to join the Mount Allison community”. He says Mount Allison and its faculty are unique, and “very aligned with [his] own personal commitments” to a “vibrant academic environment, emphasizing collaborative growth and innovation.”

Bourgeois’ hire leaves Mount Allison still short on a number of key senior positions. Currently the university President, Vice-President Academic, and Dean of Arts are all serving on an interim basis. … Continue

The Sweetest Little Thing offers nearly 100 art works for auction, in support of Struts and Owens

On today’s show, we talk with Struts director Paul Henderson about The Sweetest Little Thing fundraising art auction which opens for bids online today. This year marks the 25th year for the annual event which raises money for Struts Gallery and the Owens Art Gallery, and features art works contributed from artists across Canada and beyond.

Plus in news briefs, Mount Allison has hired a new Dean of Social Sciences and Business, and Tantramar hopes to have a new website by July. … Continue

Remembering Green Hill, once the ‘locus of Black life’ in Westmorland Parish

On today’s show, we get local with Black History Month, and hear about Green Hill, a primarily Black settlement near Aulac where Tantramar’s Deputy Mayor Greg Martin grew up, as did generations of his family before him.

Plus in briefs, the trial of Roger Crossman on first degree murder charges will begin in September 2025, and Tantramar puts out a call to painters and sculptors for this year’s Sackville Art Fair. … Continue

The latest from Tantramar’s World Wetlands Day and how to become a stem cell donor

On today’s show, local wetland initiatives were presented to about two dozen people at the Wetlands Centre at Tantramar Regional High School in honour of World Wetlands Day last Friday. Some groups are looking for volunteers, another is hoping to spread information about the benefits of the natural environment.

… Continue

‘We know it’s needed’: Freshwinds Co-op plans for up to 60 households on Fairfield Road

Freshwinds Eco-Village Housing Co-operative co-chairs Sabine Dietz and Eric Tusz-King, at CHMA studios. Photo: Erica Butler

The latest stats are in from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and the rental housing economy in New Brunswick continues to get worse for those renting. Average rents in the province were up 10.5% in October over the previous year, and the vacancy rate is down from 1.9% to just 1.5% according to the CMHC. At the same time, the price of buying a home in Tantramar is up over 86% since 2019, according to MLS data from local realtor Jamie Smith.

It’s a situation that makes finding affordable housing challenging, and one that Sabine Dietz and Eric Tusz-King have decided they can do something about.

Last week, Dietz and Tusz-King, and the rest of the members of the newly incorporated Freshwinds Eco-Village Housing Co-operative, announced plans for a major new village-style development in Sackville that could provide co-op housing for up to 60 households. Freshwinds has made the first step, purchasing 21 acres of land on Fairfield Road, the former farm of Bill and Inez Estabrooks, for $450,000.

“In order to afford this land, we are selling that house that’s at 64 Fairfield,” says Tusz-King, “and then we’re going to be selling some of the lots along the road.” The Freshwinds development will take place on the acreage behind the roadside lots, and if all goes well, Tusz-King says work on the property could start as early as this fall, with construction starting in spring 2025.… Continue

Tantramar’s newest climate change coordinator is working to include climate in decision-making

Janie Brooks took over as Tantramar’s newest climate change coordinator in November, the third person to hold the job in the three years since it was first established by the former town of Sackville.

CHMA sat down with Brooks to hear about some of the ongoing projects she is taking on, and what might be in the future for the job, should it continue to be funded beyond the spring.

“I’m kind of balancing two part time positions rolled up into one full time position,” says Brooks, who technically works for local environmental group EOS Eco-Energy, and splits her time between energy projects at EOS, and duties as climate change coordinator for the town, funded by a grant from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust.

Brooks works out of the EOS office, but also attends council meetings, and serves as a resource for town staff. “Addressing climate change isn’t something that one person can do for a municipality,” says Brooks. “I can be a resource and an extra set of eyes and hands in their decision making processes, to try to steer things more towards taking climate action and building resiliency in Tantramar against the consequences of climate change.”

One of the recently implemented projects that Brooks continues to work on is the town’s climate lens, which appears at the bottom of all staff reports to council. The lens is a form or questionnaire that directs staff to consider the impact of what they are doing on climate goals.… Continue

‘More than just housing’: Freshwinds Co-op plans for eco-village to house up to 60 households on Fairfield Road

On today’s show, we talk with Sabine Dietz and Eric Tusz-King, co-chairs of the Freshwinds Eco-Village Housing Cooperative, which recently purchased 21 acres of land near the Sackville golf course on Fairfield Road. The two share their plans for the site, which they hope will be ready for construction in spring 2025.

Plus in news briefs, The Little Pantry bulk food shop opens tomorrow on upper Bridge Street in Sackville, and EOS Eco-Energy kicks off its Climate and Renewable Energy week on Saturday. … Continue

Mount Allison’s 5-year plan to renovate the RP Bell includes a temporary library and future athletic space

Senior administrators with Mount Allison University have announced plans for a five year, $85 million project that will begin construction this summer, and has been in the works since 2018.

The school will be breaking ground this summer on Landsdowne Street behind the Athletic Centre to build a 40,000 square foot building to temporarily house the university’s library for three years, while the octagonal Ralph Pickard Bell library undergoes a major renovation.

The plan is to have the new building ready in two years, by the summer of 2026, and then move library services onto Landsdowne until 2029, when the renewed Ralph Pickard Bell library is slated to reopen. After serving as a temporary library for three years, the new building will be outfitted as a multipurpose athletic facility for the school.

Mount A’s interim president Robert MacKinnon, vice president of finance Robert Inglis, dean of libraries Rachel Rubin, and director of facilities management Kris Kierstead presented the plan in two presentations to the university community on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Mount Allison’s Dean of Libraries Rachel Rubin, and Director of Facilities Management Kris Kierstead after a presentation on plans to build an interim library and renovate the Ralph Pickard Bell library. Photo: Erica Butler

Hear Rachel Rubin and Kris Kierstead talk about the project after their presentation on Wednesday:

The total project will cost about $85 million, says Inglis, with provincial and federal governments chipping in $36 million, and donations making up most of the rest.… Continue

Mount Allison’s multi-year plan to renovate the RP Bell includes a temporary library and future athletic space

On today’s show, we hear from Mount Allison’s Dean of Libraries Rachel Rubin, and Director of Facilities Management Kris Kierstead about a major new project at the university which involves a new building on Lansdowne Street to serve as a temporary library while the school undertakes a complete renovation and redesign of the existing Ralph Pickard Bell Library.

The school will break ground this summer behind the Athletic Centre for the new interim library building. Library services are slated to move into the new building in 2026, when the renovation of the Ralph Pickard Bell will begin. The renovation is expected to wrap up by 2029, at which point library services will move back to the Ralph Pickard Bell, and the new building will be outfitted as a multipurpose athletic facility.… Continue

Tantramar’s newest climate change coordinator is working to include climate in decision-making

On today’s show, we talk with Janie Brooks, the latest climate change coordinator for Tantramar, about her job and the projects she’ll be working on in the coming months, including a public interface to track power generated by the town’s solar array, and continued refining of the climate lens process. Brooks also talks about upcoming events for World Wetlands Day on Friday, and the upcoming CARE week put on by EOS Eco Energy.

Plus in briefs, Tantramar has issued a request for proposals for development of a new town website, and more on the town’s plans for World Wetlands Day.… Continue

Category: Daily News