Moncton could still have motorcycle festival
Published Saturday February 13th, 2010
Organizers of the Shediac Motorcycle Rally hope to expand into an annual regional festival
ALAN COCHRANE
As the popular Atlanticade Motorcycle Festival leaves Moncton for St. Andrews, organizers of the annual Shediac Motorcycle Rally are gearing up to expand their event to regional status and would definitely consider staging some of their events in Moncton.
LeBlanc gives a 2010 Truimph Crusier a final rubdown yesterday at the 3rd Annual Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show at the Moncton Coliseum. But it would take a hard-working group of volunteers to put organize events in Moncton and so far no one has stepped forward to pick up the torch.
"We want to be able to do events that will encompass not just Shediac but the whole region, so we could have special runs to Moncton or other communities. If there is somebody out there who would like to work an event into the weekend, we'd love to do something like that," Gary Aucoin, a spokesman for the 2010 Shediac Motorcycle Rally's organizing group, said yesterday.
The Shediac event is one of several motorcycle festivals in Atlantic Canada with booths at the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show at the Moncton Coliseum this weekend.
Organizers of the Shediac Motorcycle Rally, in its seventh year in 2010, are excited because Harley-Davidson has agreed to bring a trailer full of demonstration bikes. The Shediac event, set for Aug. 26-28, will also include a downtown street party, biker breakfast, dealer displays, burnout competition and other events that were part of the Atlanticade schedule over the last three years.
Organizers of the Shediac Motorcycle Rally, in its seventh year in 2010, are excited because Harley-Davidson has agreed to bring a trailer full of demonstration bikes. The Shediac event, set for Aug. 26-28, will also include a downtown street party, biker breakfast, dealer displays, burnout competition and other events that were part of the Atlanticade schedule over the last three years.
Aucoin said Shediac Motorcycle Rally has raised over $60,000 for charity. The event is now incorporated and moving forward with expansion plans. It is overseen by a volunteer board of directors who want to work with others to promote motorcycling as a safe and secure form of recreation and tourism.
"I think we have to be able to work around the whole region and make it work because if we have a rally it should be for the whole region."
Aucoin said many of the riders coming to Shediac will likely be patronizing hotels, malls and the casino in Moncton anyway, so it would make sense to incorporate some events in the city.
"We're hoping to work with as many people as we can to make this grow but I think it would be a great asset to include Moncton."
The Atlanticade motorcycle festival drew thousands of motorcyclists from across Canada into Moncton for several days. The festival included guided touring rides of the rural country roads in southeastern New Brunswick, social events, a parade, trade show and a downtown street party. One of the most popular Atlanticade events for local people was the downtown show and shine, where Main Street was closed off to create a big showcase of motorcycles. Each year, thousands of people made the trip downtown to see the bikes in the same way they make the pilgrimage to see the custom cars during the Atlantic Nationals car show. Events like these are organized by volunteer groups but depend heavily on corporate sponsorships and municipal support for cash and other resources.
Ian Fowler -- Moncton's general manager of Recreation, Parks, Tourism, and Culture -- said last year the city would be open to ideas from organizers of another motorcycle festival. But the city doesn't want to support events that are essentially the same as those held in other parts of the province. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Moncton already has a comedy festival, wine festival, seafood festival, hot rod festival and other big events which draw tourists who spend money at local hotels, restaurants, gas stations, retailers and other attractions. Moncton's new casino is expected to be open by this summer.
Organizers of Atlanticade said it was a tough decision to leave Moncton, but they couldn't come to an agreement with the city on sponsorship arrangements.
As Moncton loses its festival, other communities are expanding theirs to draw on the increasing number of motorcycle-riding baby-boomers who are looking for new destinations and adventure in their years after the kids have left the nest. In Charlottetown, organizers of the first Red Island Run Motorcycle Rally are hoping for up to 1,000 motorcycles to visit P.E.I. in late August and spend about $1.5 million. In the small town of Digby, N.S., the annual Wharf Rat Rally (Sept. 1-6 this year) drew an estimated 20,000 bikers and 80,000 people. Its popularity has made it the envy of other motorcycle festivals in Atlantic Canada.
Peter Robertson, executive-director and co-founder of the Wharf Rat Rally, said the festival puts on a full slate of events without charging participants any registration fee (Atlanticade charges $50 per person), relying mainly on corporate and government sponsorships. In return, the festival generates about $5.5 million into the small Nova Scotia town and the surrounding areas.
Robertson, who has a booth at the Moncton motorcycle show this weekend, said it takes a dedicated team of volunteers and community support to make any festival a success.
"You've got to have the heart for it. Your organizers have to have passion. I put 24/7 into this because I'm a biker and it's my passion. Some of the people who organize events are just in it for the bucks and you can't be in it just for the bucks. The bucks will come but you've got to grow it organically."
Glenn McLaughlin of Moncton, district manager for Motovan Corp., a distributor of motorcycle parts and accessories, says motorcycle festivals are better suited for smaller communities because bigger centres like Moncton already have many events going on through the summer months.
"Atlanticade had a great turnout in Moncton but a motorcycle festival is about getting on your bike and riding, it's all about the destination."
Dave Sawyer, sales co-ordinator for Atlantic Motoplex in Dieppe, said he'd like to see another festival like Atlanticade in Moncton because it brings the bikers into the city, generates economic spinoffs and helps the motorcycle community to make a connection with people who don't know that much about the sport.
"Personally, I think Atlanticade should come back to Moncton and if it doesn't there should be some other event in Moncton," Sawyer said. "I work at all the trade shows and events and there should be something here. We do the Digby show every show and it is awesome, there's no reason why we shouldn't have one in Moncton. It's good for the community and businesses and it shows people that not all bikers are outlaws."
Harold Nesbitt of Waverly, N.S., who publishes a Motorcycle Tour Guide of Nova Scotia, says motorcycle riders from all over North America want to come to Atlantic Canada to experience our laid-back atmosphere, beautiful scenery and rural roads.
Nesbitt, who has listings of over 88 motorcycle events in his Nova Scotia guide, says Moncton is a "hustle-bustle town" that perhaps had too many other events on its plate to really understand or care about what a motorcyle festival would bring to the city, and perhaps in time will want to put more resources into another one.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Thompson: A little too much of a Nova Scotian?
A prime minister's final dinner with Queen Victoria
Posted By SEAN CHASE
Posted 3 days ago
President John F. Kennedy shares two things in common with Sir John Sparrow Thompson, Canada's fourth prime minister.
Both men were the first Roman Catholics to occupy the highest political offices in their respective countries. They also died before the end of their single terms-- Kennedy felled by an assassin's bullet, Thompson silenced by a heart attack. Kennedy is still remembered as a much beloved American president, in more mythological terms than substantive policy, who could have achieved so much more had Camelot not ended so suddenly. Thompson is largely forgotten, being one of Sir John A. Macdonald's four successors, but had he lived he may well have ranked as one of our greater prime ministers.
The son of Irish immigrants, John Sparrow David Thompson was born into a family of seven brothers and sisters. He attended the Royal Acadian School and the Free Church Academy in his native Halifax. His early life was marred by tragedy, with most of his siblings dying before he reached the age of 22. By the time he was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in 1865, Thompson was the sole provider for his surviving family members.
In 1870, he married Annie Affleck, a Roman Catholic girl who had lived just down the street. Although Thompson was a Methodist, he decided to convert to Catholicism shortly after the marriage. Months later his political career began with his election to Halifax city council. Six year later, he was acclaimed to the provincial assembly and served as attorney general in Premier Simon Holmes' cabinet.
In 1882, a caucus revolt over the consolidation of the province's railway companies forced out Holmes ahead of the election. Thompson briefly succeeded him but the Conservatives were defeated at the polls. Unable to form a coalition government, he resigned. As a reward for guiding the party through a difficult patch, Macdonald appointed Thompson to the Nova Scotia supreme court.
One of the youngest judges on the bench, at age 36, Thompson was a courteous, confident and competent man who had little taste for politics. He loved the law and embraced all aspects of the judiciary. After a tour of Harvard and Columbia universities in the U.S., he returned and founded the Dalhousie law school. The Liberal administration even requested Thompson reorganize the supreme court. A happily married family man with nine children, Thompson had no grand ambitions other than to continue on the court.
By 1885 Macdonald was looking for new blood in his tired government and badly wanted Thompson. However, twice the judge politely rebuffed Macdonald's overtures, saying he wanted to stay out of the 'slime' of Ottawa politics. After pressure from members of parliament, newspaper editorials and, even his wife, Thompson accepted the post of justice minister and was elected MP for Antigonish.
He worked hard in his new portfolio and quickly proved to be indispensable. He played a pivotal role in the fisheries negotiations between Canada, Britain and the U.S. As justice minister, he mastered in precise detail every issue put before him from the Alaska boundary to the Manitoba schools question.
Thompson grew to become a close and trusted friend of the prime minister. Macdonald once claimed the recruitment of Thompson was "the greatest discovery of my life," although he found him to be "a little too fond of satire and a little too much of a Nova Scotian."
As Macdonald's health failed, many considered the justice minister to be the natural successor to the prime ministership. Thompson was the last minister to visit Macdonald before he suffered the final stroke which led to his death on June 6, 1891. The government was immediately in crisis because Macdonald had not named a successor in his will. When Governor General Lord Stanley called on Thompson to form a government, he declined (partly because he believed his Catholicism would be unacceptable to Ontario Conservatives). Thompson instead recommended Sir John Abbott, a senator, who accepted the job.
In the period following Macdonald's death, a corruption scandal involving the public works department threatened to bring down the government. However, nervous Conservatives rallied when Thompson promised, as government house leader, to conduct a comprehensive investigation. They past their first electoral test when the Tories picked up most of some 50 byelections, strengthening their majority by 65 seats. The result was Thompson was able to pass legislation enacting the Criminal Code of Canada -his greatest legacy.
Advertisement
Posted By SEAN CHASE
Posted 3 days ago
President John F. Kennedy shares two things in common with Sir John Sparrow Thompson, Canada's fourth prime minister.
Both men were the first Roman Catholics to occupy the highest political offices in their respective countries. They also died before the end of their single terms-- Kennedy felled by an assassin's bullet, Thompson silenced by a heart attack. Kennedy is still remembered as a much beloved American president, in more mythological terms than substantive policy, who could have achieved so much more had Camelot not ended so suddenly. Thompson is largely forgotten, being one of Sir John A. Macdonald's four successors, but had he lived he may well have ranked as one of our greater prime ministers.
The son of Irish immigrants, John Sparrow David Thompson was born into a family of seven brothers and sisters. He attended the Royal Acadian School and the Free Church Academy in his native Halifax. His early life was marred by tragedy, with most of his siblings dying before he reached the age of 22. By the time he was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in 1865, Thompson was the sole provider for his surviving family members.
In 1870, he married Annie Affleck, a Roman Catholic girl who had lived just down the street. Although Thompson was a Methodist, he decided to convert to Catholicism shortly after the marriage. Months later his political career began with his election to Halifax city council. Six year later, he was acclaimed to the provincial assembly and served as attorney general in Premier Simon Holmes' cabinet.
In 1882, a caucus revolt over the consolidation of the province's railway companies forced out Holmes ahead of the election. Thompson briefly succeeded him but the Conservatives were defeated at the polls. Unable to form a coalition government, he resigned. As a reward for guiding the party through a difficult patch, Macdonald appointed Thompson to the Nova Scotia supreme court.
One of the youngest judges on the bench, at age 36, Thompson was a courteous, confident and competent man who had little taste for politics. He loved the law and embraced all aspects of the judiciary. After a tour of Harvard and Columbia universities in the U.S., he returned and founded the Dalhousie law school. The Liberal administration even requested Thompson reorganize the supreme court. A happily married family man with nine children, Thompson had no grand ambitions other than to continue on the court.
By 1885 Macdonald was looking for new blood in his tired government and badly wanted Thompson. However, twice the judge politely rebuffed Macdonald's overtures, saying he wanted to stay out of the 'slime' of Ottawa politics. After pressure from members of parliament, newspaper editorials and, even his wife, Thompson accepted the post of justice minister and was elected MP for Antigonish.
He worked hard in his new portfolio and quickly proved to be indispensable. He played a pivotal role in the fisheries negotiations between Canada, Britain and the U.S. As justice minister, he mastered in precise detail every issue put before him from the Alaska boundary to the Manitoba schools question.
Thompson grew to become a close and trusted friend of the prime minister. Macdonald once claimed the recruitment of Thompson was "the greatest discovery of my life," although he found him to be "a little too fond of satire and a little too much of a Nova Scotian."
As Macdonald's health failed, many considered the justice minister to be the natural successor to the prime ministership. Thompson was the last minister to visit Macdonald before he suffered the final stroke which led to his death on June 6, 1891. The government was immediately in crisis because Macdonald had not named a successor in his will. When Governor General Lord Stanley called on Thompson to form a government, he declined (partly because he believed his Catholicism would be unacceptable to Ontario Conservatives). Thompson instead recommended Sir John Abbott, a senator, who accepted the job.
In the period following Macdonald's death, a corruption scandal involving the public works department threatened to bring down the government. However, nervous Conservatives rallied when Thompson promised, as government house leader, to conduct a comprehensive investigation. They past their first electoral test when the Tories picked up most of some 50 byelections, strengthening their majority by 65 seats. The result was Thompson was able to pass legislation enacting the Criminal Code of Canada -his greatest legacy.
Advertisement
Let Nature Areas Stay Nature Areas
Here’s an update on the 66’ right of way corridor from the wind farm project in Gulliver’s Cove. The original proposal was to go straight up route 217 to the substation in Marshalltown (just outside Digby, Nova Scotia). For a number of reasons, including a striking lack of signatories, this route failed. With no announcements what- so- ever, Nova Scotia Power (Emera) immediately started collecting lease agreements for an alternative route. To keep public awareness to a minimum, the lease signers were told not to tell anyone. Fortunately, due to my work on the executive committee of the St. Mary’s Bay Marsh Body and a number of supporters of the Toymaker’s Marsh Wildlife Area, I learned that the alternative route was to end up going right next to the marsh and through the Wildlife Area.
Two days ago I met with Ken Meade from Emera to verify the rumors. He showed me a map of the new approach and the rumors were true. From Gulliver’s Cove, the route comes off the mountain and heads toward route 217. It then heads east along the south side of 217 to the community pasture land owned by the Farm Loan Board and Leased to the Digby Community Pasture Association. Why the FLB would do this, thus lowering the value of this property, I have no idea. What is their mandate? The corridor then crosses the community pasture land and enters marshland under the auspices of the Marsh Body and owned by a member of the Marsh Body. After traveling south for quite a distance, it then runs next to the Wildlife Area and turns to the east, toward the Middle Cross road. After crossing the road it wanders south and east to approximately the Old Poor Farm. Then it crosses route one and and heads toward Digby on the south side of the road. From there the substation is very close.
No doubt this route is a wish list for Emera. They do not have all the signatures yet. It saddens me to think of the damage this corridor is doing in our community before it’s even built. When one neighbor signs this lease, he can choose to decrease the value of his land in exchange for a short term financial gain. Every signer has neighbors who are affected by this corridor. They have no say in this process. Their views are destroyed, poison sprays cross their land and their land values will decreased. As a result of the corridor, four wheelers and dirt bikes will flood the area at all hours of the day and night There are no setbacks for these corridors and they can be placed right behind your garage!
For those thinking about signing, please consider the following issues. Don’t be deceived; these leases (I’m told) last forever. Even though the poles are wood now, they will be steel towers later. Are you also giving them permission to spray dangerous chemicals to control plant growth? Don’t forget that previous signers of leases under Skypower, had liens placed on their deeds after Skypower went belly-up! Be careful what you sign. Two people I know signed generic lease agreements that did not specify where the corridor would go on their land. One had a verbal agreement allowing the corridor to pass through the back of his property. Imagine his surprise a week later when Emera’s map showed it going right between his house and the neighbors! I’m not certain that such a lease agreement is legal. You may be able to change your mind even if you’ve signed one.
One might ask what protection we have over this process. Are marshlands not protected? What about the environmental assessments of these projects? Well, friends, it’s time to bow our heads. First, the Marshland Conservation Act that protects marshland behind dykes from non-agricultural purposes, exempts roads and power-lines ! Second, the environmental assessment of the original wind farm project was approved and the size of the line is too small at this stage of the project ( 69 KVA ) to trigger a new assessment.
One more thing: In PEI the government forced a wind farm company to put these lines underground. Why? Because they had a negative impact on local communities and tourism! Sincerely, Warren Paton, (638-3025} Owner: Toymaker’s Marsh Wildlife Area.
Two days ago I met with Ken Meade from Emera to verify the rumors. He showed me a map of the new approach and the rumors were true. From Gulliver’s Cove, the route comes off the mountain and heads toward route 217. It then heads east along the south side of 217 to the community pasture land owned by the Farm Loan Board and Leased to the Digby Community Pasture Association. Why the FLB would do this, thus lowering the value of this property, I have no idea. What is their mandate? The corridor then crosses the community pasture land and enters marshland under the auspices of the Marsh Body and owned by a member of the Marsh Body. After traveling south for quite a distance, it then runs next to the Wildlife Area and turns to the east, toward the Middle Cross road. After crossing the road it wanders south and east to approximately the Old Poor Farm. Then it crosses route one and and heads toward Digby on the south side of the road. From there the substation is very close.
No doubt this route is a wish list for Emera. They do not have all the signatures yet. It saddens me to think of the damage this corridor is doing in our community before it’s even built. When one neighbor signs this lease, he can choose to decrease the value of his land in exchange for a short term financial gain. Every signer has neighbors who are affected by this corridor. They have no say in this process. Their views are destroyed, poison sprays cross their land and their land values will decreased. As a result of the corridor, four wheelers and dirt bikes will flood the area at all hours of the day and night There are no setbacks for these corridors and they can be placed right behind your garage!
For those thinking about signing, please consider the following issues. Don’t be deceived; these leases (I’m told) last forever. Even though the poles are wood now, they will be steel towers later. Are you also giving them permission to spray dangerous chemicals to control plant growth? Don’t forget that previous signers of leases under Skypower, had liens placed on their deeds after Skypower went belly-up! Be careful what you sign. Two people I know signed generic lease agreements that did not specify where the corridor would go on their land. One had a verbal agreement allowing the corridor to pass through the back of his property. Imagine his surprise a week later when Emera’s map showed it going right between his house and the neighbors! I’m not certain that such a lease agreement is legal. You may be able to change your mind even if you’ve signed one.
One might ask what protection we have over this process. Are marshlands not protected? What about the environmental assessments of these projects? Well, friends, it’s time to bow our heads. First, the Marshland Conservation Act that protects marshland behind dykes from non-agricultural purposes, exempts roads and power-lines ! Second, the environmental assessment of the original wind farm project was approved and the size of the line is too small at this stage of the project ( 69 KVA ) to trigger a new assessment.
One more thing: In PEI the government forced a wind farm company to put these lines underground. Why? Because they had a negative impact on local communities and tourism! Sincerely, Warren Paton, (638-3025} Owner: Toymaker’s Marsh Wildlife Area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
