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* Merrill A. Henderson - Ward 2
* Merrill A. Henderson - Ward 2
* Brian A.Q. Hicks - Ward 3
* Brian A.Q. Hicks - Ward 3
* Vacant - Ward 4
* Louisa Barton-Duguay - Ward 4
* Pierre Boudreau - At Large
* Pierre Boudreau - At Large
* Steven Boyce - Ward 1
* Steven Boyce - Ward 1

Revision as of 12:59, 24 May 2007

For the parish, see Moncton, New Brunswick (parish).
City of Moncton, New Brunswick
Nickname: 
Hub City
Motto(s): 
"Resurgo"  (Latin)
"I rise again"
CountryCanada
ProvinceNew Brunswick
CountyWestmorland
Established1855, 1875
Government
 • City MayorLorne Mitton
 • Governing BodyMoncton City Council
 • MPBrian Murphy
 • MLAsJohn Betts
Chris Collins
Joan MacAlpine-Stiles
Mike Murphy
Population
 (2006)
 • City64,128 (rank 78th)
 • Metro
126,424 (rank 29th)
 from Stats Canada
Time zoneUTC-4 (Atlantic (AST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT))
Websitehttp://www.moncton.ca/
1Source: Stats Canada


Moncton is a Canadian city in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.

The Moncton Census Metropolitan Area is the fastest growing urban region east of Toronto and is one of the top ten fastest growing metropolitan areas in Canada, tied with Vancouver at 6.5% in the period between 2001-2006. The CMA includes the neighbouring city of Dieppe and the town of Riverview, as well as adjacent areas of Westmorland and Albert Counties.

Moncton is the second largest city in the province with 64,128 residents in 2006, slightly smaller than Saint John. The Moncton CMA however has a population of 126,424 which slightly surpasses the Saint John CMA thus making metropolitan Moncton the largest population centre in New Brunswick .

Moncton is named after Robert Monckton, the British military commander who captured nearby Fort Beauséjour in 1755 and who subsequently oversaw the Acadian deportation.

The municipal coat of arms illustrates Moncton's agricultural, industrial and railway heritages, along with the Petitcodiac River's tidal bore.

Geography

The Pedicodiac River

Moncton is located in southeastern New Brunswick in the Petitcodiac River valley, along the north bank of the river at a point where it bends from a west–east flow to a north–south direction. The sharp bend of the Petitcodiac River at Moncton has figured prominently in the names given to the community. "Petitcodiac" in the Mi'kmaq language translates into "bends like a bow". The early Acadian settlers in the region decided to name their community "Le Coude" which translates into "the elbow". Subsequent English settlers changed the name of the community to "The Bend of the Petitcodiac".

Moncton was the original head of navigation on the Petitcodiac River but a causeway to Riverview constructed in the 1960s has caused extensive infilling by sedimentation of the river downstream. As a result, the river in the Moncton area is no longer navigable by large craft.

Moncton is at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. For this reason, and also because Moncton has historically been the railway and transportation hub for the Maritime Provinces, the community has been nicknamed the "Hub City".

Climate

Despite being located less than 50 km from the Bay of Fundy and less than 30 km from the Northumberland Strait, the climate can feel more continental than maritime during the summer and winter seasons whereas maritime influences tend to temper the transitional seasons of spring and autumn.

File:Nb-moncton.PNG
Moncton Skyline

Winter days are cold but usually sunny with solar radiation generating some warmth. Daytime high temperatures usually range between -5 and zero degrees Celsius. There are usually several cold snaps during the winter when temperatures can fall to the range of -15 to -25 degrees. Major snowfalls can result from nor'easter ocean storms moving up the east coast of North America, following the jet stream from the southeastern United States. Large amounts of precipition can result from the counterclockwise rotation of these storms picking up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and dumping it on southeastern New Brunswick as the storms pass by to the south and east of the region. This can be amplified locally by "sea effect" snow squall activity from the nearby Gulf of St. Lawrence. In February 1992, a nor'easter lasted for two days and dropped 162 cm (65 inches) of snow on the Moncton area, paralyzing the city for nearly a week. Major snowfalls typically average 20-30 cm and are sometimes mixed with rain or freezing rain.

Spring is usually delayed as the sea ice in the nearby Gulf of St. Lawrence requires time to melt and this affects the local micro climate. Daytime temperatures above freezing however are typical by mid to late March. Occasional snowfalls in late April and early May are not unheard of and trees are not in full leaf until the end of May.

Summers are usually hot and humid with daytime highs usually reaching the mid to high 20s. Temperatures in the low to mid 30s rarely occur more than five times per year. Rainfall is modest and periods of drought are not uncommon. The heaviest rainfalls tend to occur during thunderstorms.

Autumn is influenced by the retention of heat in the nearby Gulf of St. Lawrence and daytime temperatures remain mild until mid October. First snowfalls usually don't occur until mid November and consistent snow cover on the ground doesn't happen until mid to late December. Both October and November tend to have heavier precipitation and the Fundy coast of New Brunswick occasionally experiences the effects of post-tropical storms.

History

For a more complete discussion, please use the link below:

Main article: History of Moncton
Fort Beausejour in 2006
Deportation of the Acadians
File:Forteviot, Jacobsen.jpg
Wooden Shipbuilding
File:UP Big Boy 4012.jpg
Steam locomotive
Intercolonial Railway Logo
File:Eatons logo.gif
Eaton's logo
Year Event
1670s Chignecto settlement established by the Acadian People.
1686 The earliest reference to the "Petcoucoyer River" on the de Meulles Map.
1689 The Acadians travel to the Shepody River.
1700 Chipodie Acadian settlement established.
1733 Community of "Le Coude" (The Elbow) established near Halls Creek, at site of present day Moncton.
1751 Fort Beausejour at Aulac built by France in response to the British construction of nearby Fort Lawrence.
1755 The British, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monckton, take Fort Beausejour and rename it Fort Cumberland.
1755 Expulsion of the Acadian people.
1761 English Tantramar Township established.
1766 Captain John Hall arrives from Pennsylvania with land grant from the Pennsylvania Land Company and establishes Monckton Township with eight immigrant "Deutsch" families. The community is named "The Bend of the Petitcodiac"
1780s Acadians begin to return from exile and resettle in New Brunswick.
1810s Wooden shipbuilding industry begins to become an important factor in the local economy.
1836 Regular stage coach and mail service starts, connecting Halifax, Monckton Township and Saint John.
1855 'The Bend" is incorporated as the town of "Moncton"; misspelling is due to a clerical error. The first mayor of the new town is the shipbuilder Joseph Salter.
1857 The European and North American Railway opens its line between Moncton and Shediac
1859 E&NA RR opens second line between Moncton and Saint John
1860s Wooden shipbuilding industry collapses. Westmorland Bank falls into bankruptcy. Severe economic recession occurs in Moncton.
1862 Moncton loses its incorporated status.
1871 Moncton selected to be the headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway of Canada.
1875 Moncton able to reincorporate with the motto "Resurgo" (I rise again).
1890 Moncton achieves city status.
1906 Massive fire destroys ICR shops. City successfully lobbies federal government to have the shops rebuilt, preserving the local railway industry.
1912 Moncton selected as the eastern terminus of the National Transcontinental Railroad.
1913 Moncton Public Library Opened
1918 ICR and NTR merge, forming the Canadian National Railroad. Moncton becomes headquarters of the CNR Maritime division.
1920 Eaton's catalogue warehouse opens in Moncton.
1922 Moncton’s first radio station, "CNRA" goes on the air.
1926 Capitol Theatre opens.
1928 Moncton Airport established, first commercial air traffic into and out of the city.
1940 CFB Moncton is established as the main military supply base in Atlantic Canada.
1954 Moncton's first TV station, CKCW-TV goes on the air.
1963 Université de Moncton is founded.
1968 The Petitcodiac River causeway is built.
1970s Social unrest as Acadians become politically assertive over minority rights.
1980s Severe economic recession occurs due to several major employers terminating operations in the city, including the Eaton's catalogue division, the CNR shops and CFB Moncton.
1990s "Moncton Miracle" occurs as the economy restructures with a shift towards information technology and call centres, as well as a refocussing upon the retail, distribution, transportation and light manufacturing sectors.
1996 The Wildcats of the QMJHL established. Atlantic Baptist University relocates to a new campus and achieves full university designation.
1999 Moncton hosts the Francophonie Summit with the heads of state from 52 nations in the city for the conference.
2001 Following the World Trade Centre attacks, over a dozen international flights are diverted to Moncton as North American airspace is closed.
2002 Moncton becomes Canada's first officially bilingual city. Moncton Airport achieves International designation.
2006 Metro Moncton becomes the largest population center in New Brunswick.

Language and Demographics

Moncton's linguistic majority is English, however the city has an active French-speaking Acadian minority population (30%), many of whom speak the Chiac variant of Acadian French. The adjacent city of Dieppe is about 80% francophone and has benefited from an ongoing rural depopulation of the Acadian Peninsula and areas in northern and eastern New Brunswick. The town of Riverview meanwhile is heavily (95%) anglophone. The different linguistic characteristics of the three communities have defeated several attempts at metropolitan amalgamation.

Since the previous national census in 2001 the metropolitan area has grown by 6.5%. This rate of growth is within the top ten amongst major cities in Canada and Moncton currently has the fastest growth rate of any city east of Toronto. The census metropolitan area had a population of 126,424 as of the 2006 national census, which makes it the largest metropolitan area in the province of New Brunswick and the second largest in the Maritime Provinces after Halifax.

Population by Census Subdivision

Moncton (city) 64,128
Dieppe (city) 18,565
Riverview (town) 17,832
Moncton (parish) 8,747
Memramcook (village) 4,638
Coverdale (parish) 4,144
Salisbury (village) 2,036

Historically, the population of the city has been racially very homogenous with almost all residents originating from northwest Europe (United Kingdom, France and Ireland). This is slowly changing but it still remains a challenge to attract visible minorities as new immigrants to the city.

About 40% of the metropolitan population of Moncton is bilingual, (the remainder being mostly unilingual anglophone). The only other cities in Canada that approach this level of linguistic duality are Ottawa and Montreal.

Culture

The Capitol Theatre, an 800-seat, meticulously restored 1920s-era vaudeville house on Main Street serves as the centre for cultural entertainment for the city. The theatre routinely hosts live stage productions (Theatre New Brunswick), as well as symphony orchestra and dance performances. The smaller Empress Theatre, located immediately behind the Capitol provides a more intimate venue for smaller productions and performances. A school for the performing arts has been organized by the Capitol Theatre. The Atlantic Ballet Theatre is based in Moncton and has recently been garnering national attention. Theatre l'Escaouette is a francophone live theatre company that has its own auditorium and performance space on Botsford Street. The Aberdeen Cultural Centre, an Acadian cultural cooperative containing multiple studios and galleries, is also located on Botsford Street close to Theatre l'Escaouette. There are two main museums in the city, The Moncton Museum on Mountain Road and Le Musée Acadien at Université de Moncton. Historic sites include the Free Meeting House ((1821), a New England-style meeting house next to the Moncton Museum) and Thomas Williams House ((1883), home of a former city industrialist maintained in period style).

Moncton is home to the Frye Festival, a bilingual literary celebration in honour of world renowned literary critic and favorite son Northrop Frye. This celebration attracts authors from around the world and takes place in the month of April. The World Wine and Food Exposition is the largest event of its kind in eastern Canada and takes place every November. The annual Atlantic Nationals Automotive Extravaganza, held each July, is also one of the largest events of its kind in Canada. Other notable events include the Atlantic Seafood Festival every August, the HubCap Comedy Festival in the Spring and "Le 15 Aout", celebrating Acadia's National holiday.

Recreation

Sports Facilities

The Moncton Coliseum, a 7,000-seat arena, serves as a venue for major concerts and trade shows and is the home of the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The CN Sportsplex is a major recreational facility built on the former CN Shops property. It includes nine ballfields, six soccer fields and an indoor rink complex with four ice surfaces (the Tim Horton's 4-Ice Centre). An indoor air supported multi-use building (the Dundee Sports Dome) has also been constructed at the Sportsplex. This building is large enough to allow for year-round football, soccer and golf activities. A newly constructed YMCA near the CN Sportsplex has extensive cardio and weight training facilities as well as three indoor pools. The CEPS at Université de Moncton contains an indoor track and a 37.5-metre swimming pool with diving towers. The only velodrome in Atlantic Canada is located in Dieppe. There are a total of 12 indoor hockey rinks and three curling clubs in the metro area.

Sports Teams

File:MonctonWildcats98.gif
Moncton Wildcats Logo


Major Sporting Events

Moncton is known for it's ability to host large sporting events. Moncton hosted the 2006 Memorial Cup with the hometown Moncton Wildcats losing in the championship final to their arch rivals the Quebec Remparts. Ted Nolan, a former head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL (and current head coach of the New York Islanders), coached the Wildcats for their Memorial Cup run. Moncton hosted the CIS Mens University Hockey Championship in 2007 and will do so again in 2008. Moncton has been awarded the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics. This will be the largest sporting event ever held in Atlantic Canada. The federal and provincial governments have committed to help in the construction of a 10,000 seat outdoor stadium to host this event. This stadium will be built on the U de M campus.

Major Sporting Events Held in Moncton:

Golf

There are nine 18-hole golf courses in the metro area, two of which are residential courses and two more of which are in the process of being converted to residential courses.

Golf Courses in Moncton:

  • The Moncton Golf and Country Club (Riverview)
  • Fox Creek Golf Club (Dieppe)
  • Royal Oaks Golf Club (Moncton)
  • Magnetic Hill Golf Club (Moncton)
  • Lakeside Golf Club (Moncton)
  • Memramcook Valley Golf & Country Club (Memramcook)
  • Maplewood Golf Club (Irishtown)
  • Country Meadows Golf Club (Catamount)
  • Burro Hills Golf Club (Hillsborough)

Royal Oaks and Fox Creek golf clubs can be rightfully considered as championship courses. Royal Oaks is the first Rees Jones designed golf course in Canada.

Urban Parks

  • Centennial Park - Located in the city's west end; and well over one sq. km in area. The park contains a boating pond, artificial beach, lighted cross country skiing and hiking trails, a childrens splash park, the city's largest playground, Rotary lodge, a children's day camp and Rocky Stone Field - the city's only football field with artificial turf.
  • Mapleton Park - Located in the rapidly growing northwest part of the city adjacent to the trans Canada highway. Also well over one sq. km. in area. Contains hiking trails, a skating pond and a Rotary lodge.
  • Irishtown Nature Park - Located north of the trans Canada highway on Elmwood Drive and at 10 sq. km.; is one of the largest urban nature parks in Canada. Scenic location surrounding a resevoir. Is principally a wilderness park but with numerous hiking trails.
  • St. Anselme Park - Actually located in Dieppe, also is over one sq. km. in area, contains a lodge, children's play facilities, hiking trails and the only velodrome in Atlantic Canada.

There are numerous neighbourhood parks throughout the metro Moncton area, the most important of which are Bore View Park, which overlooks the Petitcodiac River and the downtown Victoria Park which features a bandshell, flower gardens, fountain and the city's cenotaph.

There is an extensive system of hiking and biking trails in the metro area. This is most developed along the riverfront of all three communities. The riverfront trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail system and various markers, monuments and pavilions can be found, especially along the downtown components of the trail.

Transportation

File:Monctonairport.jpg
Greater Moncton International Airport
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Codiac Transit
Mountain Road

Air

Moncton is served by the Greater Moncton International Airport (YQM). A new airport terminal with an international arrivals area was opened in 2002. The GMIA handles over 550,000 passengers per year, which is greater than all other airports in New Brunswick combined. Scheduled carriers servicing the GMIA include Air Canada Jazz, Westjet and Continental Express. Current regularly scheduled destinations include Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton and Newark. Charter airlines include Air Saint-Pierre, Air Transat, Canjet, Condor Airlines, Corsairfly, Skyservice and Sunwing Airlines.Seasonal destinations include Paris, Hanover, Orlando, Saint Petersburg, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, Varadero, Cancun and Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

The GMIA is also a major air cargo centre with both FedEx and Purolator having their Atlantic Canadian bases located at the facility. In addition, the GMIA is the home of the Moncton Flight College (the largest flight college in Canada), the New Brunswick Air Ambulance service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police regional air support service and Transport Canada's regional hangar and maintenance facility.

The Moncton Air Traffic Control Centre, located in Riverview, is responsible for high level air traffic control over the Maritime Provinces. All flights between Eastern North America and Europe pass through Moncton Centre airspace.

Railways

Moncton is served by two freight railway companies: Canadian National Railway and the New Brunswick East Coast Railway. The city is also served by VIA Rail Canada, which provides rail passenger service to Halifax and Montreal six days per week with the Ocean.

Highways & Urban Roads

Moncton is located on Route 2 (the Trans-Canada Highway), at the junction of two other major divided highways. Route 2 leads to Halifax in the east and Fredericton and on to central Canada in the west. Route 15 runs from Riverview, encircling Moncton, then heads east to Shediac and on to Prince Edward Island. Route 1 intersects Route 2 approximately 15 km west of the city, leading to Saint John and on to Maine.

Major city thoroughfares include Main Street, Assomption Boulevard, St. George Boulevard, Vaughn Harvey Boulevard, Mountain Road, Elmwood Avenue, Morton Avenue, Lewisville Road, Paul Street, and Shediac Road. The Trans-Canada Highway (Route 2) bypasses the northern perimeter of the city. Wheeler Boulevard (Route 15) serves as an inner ring road and is remarkable in that it is a high speed (100 km/h), divided highway bounded at either end by traffic circles.

Urban Transit & Regional Bus Service

The Greater Moncton Area is served by Codiac Transit (Operated by the City of Moncton) which operates on 24 routes throughout Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview. Moncton also is a hub for the Acadian Lines interprovincial bus service. Currently the city is working to double the capacity of Codiac Transit.

Attractions

Crystal Palace Amusement Park
Cape Enrage

The Moncton area has several major attractions:

  • Champlain Place - At 816,000 sq ft, and with over 160 stores and services, is the second largest shopping mall in Atlantic Canada,
  • Crystal Palace - An indoor amusement park with rides such as a rollercoaster and a Tivoli swing; located adjacent to Champlain Place. The facility also includes a hotel, conference centre, restaurant, eight cinema multiplex and a Chapters bookstore/Starbucks Cafe.
  • Tidal bore - A phenomenon created by the extreme tides of the Bay of Fundy which actually reverses the downstream flow of the Petitcodiac River at high tide. A causeway to Riverview was built in the 1960s, which has significantly diminished the effects of the bore. Efforts are underway to have the causeway replaced by a bridge in order to restore the river flow but there is a great amount of opposition from land owners on "Lake Petitcodiac" (the recreational headpond created on the western side of the causeway), who fear that their property values will plummet as a result.
  • Magnetic Hill - An optical illusion created by local topography, is also the site of a major tourism development. Components include:

Moncton is well situated as a tourism destination. There are two major national parks (Fundy National Park and Kouchibouguac National Park) within a one hour drive of the city. The warmest salt water beaches north of Virginia can be found on the Northumberland Strait, only 15 minutes away at Parlee Beach in nearby Shediac. New Brunswick's signature natural attraction (the Hopewell Rocks) are only a half hour's drive down the Petitcodiac river valley. The Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island is only an hour's drive east of the city.

Other nearby attractions (within 30-60 minutes of the city) include:

  • Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Preserve (at the base of the Confederation Bridge)
  • La Dune de Bouctouche Irving Eco-Centre (ecotourism site, beach, longest remaining unspoiled barrier dune system on the eastern seaboard (twelve kilometers))
  • Cape Enrage (historic lighthouse, fossils and adventure tourism)
  • Le Pays de la Sagouine (Acadian cultural theme park).

Education

File:DSCF1478.JPG
Université de Moncton
File:ABUArialview.jpg
Atlantic Baptist University

Moncton is home to two universities: Université de Moncton, the largest French language university in Canada outside of Quebec, and Atlantic Baptist University, a small Christian liberal arts and science institution. In addition, the University of New Brunswick Moncton Campus offers health sciences degree courses in Nursing and Medical X-ray Technology based out of the Moncton Hospital. Finally, Mount Allison University, one of Canada's top ranked undergraduate universities, is located only 25 minutes away in the nearby town of Sackville. Mount Allison provides first year and extension university courses in Moncton and is planning a formal affiliation with the Moncton Flight College to allow for a bachelors degree in aviation.

There are two campuses of the New Brunswick Community College located in the metropolitan area. The NBCC Moncton campus is anglophone while CCNB Dieppe is francophone. These institutions specialize in training for trades and technology. There are also a number of private colleges in the city including the Moncton Flight College, one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious flight schools.

There are 34 public schools in greater Moncton which are administered by separate anglophone and francophone school boards. District One is francophone and administers nine schools in the Moncton area. District two is anglophone and administers 25 schools.

High Schools in Metro Moncton:

Health facilities

There are two major regional referral and teaching hospitals in Moncton:

The Moncton Hospital has 400 active treatment beds and is affiliated with Dalhousie University Medical School. It is the home of the Northumberland family medicine residency training program and also hosts UNB degree programs in nursing and medical x-ray technology. Tertiary services include neurosciences (including neurosurgery and neurointerventional radiology), vascular surgery, orthopedics and trauma, burn unit, medical oncology, and neonatal intensive care. A new $48 million expansion to the hospital (currently under construction) will contain a new laboratory, ambulatory care centre and trauma centre.

The Hôpital Régional Dr-Georges-L.-Dumont (Dr. Georges-L. Dumont Regional Hospital) has 350 active treatment beds and operates a satellite medical training program affiliated with Université de Sherbrooke Medical School. There are degree programs in nursing and medical x-ray technology administered by U de M. The hospital is affiliated with the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (formerly the Beauséjour Medical Research Institute). Tertiary services include oncology (including radiation oncology) and nephrology. A cardiac cath lab and a PET/CT scanner have recently been announced for the hospital.

Between these two institutions, Moncton serves as the main medical referral centre for the central Maritime region.

Media

Television

Rogers Cable has its provincial headquarters and main production facilities in Moncton and broadcasts on two community channels (Cable 9 in French and Cable 10 in English).

Radio

There are a total of 14 broadcast radio stations (ten English and four French) in the city. These stations include:

Print

  • Times & Transcript (anglophone—New Brunswick's largest circulation daily newspaper according to Canadian Newspaper Association circulation data to March 31, 2006. (231,000 weekly vs. 227,000 weekly for the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal).
  • L'Acadie Nouvelle, (francophone, based in Caraquet).
  • Here (weekly)

Buildings

File:4lassR.jpg
The Assumption Place Building
  • Aliant Tower- A 127 metre microwave communications tower, built in 1971, which is the tallest structure in New Brunswick. (Formerly known as the NBTel Tower)
  • Assumption Place- A 20 storey office building which is the headquarters of the Assumption Mutual Life Insurance Corporation. This building is 80.8 metres in height and is tied with Brunswick Square, (Saint John, New Brunswick) as the tallest building in the province.
  • Blue Cross Centre- Although only 8 stories tall, this building is architecturally distinctive, encompasses a full city block and is actually the largest office building in the city in terms of square footage. It is the headquarters of Medavie Blue Cross.
  • The Delta Beauséjour Hotel - A 310 room, 9 floor hotel. The Delta is the city's premier hotel and major conference facility, it is scheduled for major renovation in 2007.

There are about a half dozen other buildings in Moncton that range between eight and twelve stories in height, including the Brunswick Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Terminal Plaza office complex. None of these buildings however are imposing enough to really help define the city. Moncton generally remains a "low rise" city and occupies a relatively large footprint for its size. Moncton's skyline however is unique, encompassing many interesting buildings and structures with differing styles from many different periods.

Economy

The educational and health care sectors are major factors in the local economy; the two hospitals alone employing over five thousand people. Despite this, the underpinnings of the local economy remain based on Moncton's commercial, distribution, transportation and retailing heritage. Moncton's central location in the Maritimes is the reason for this: 1.4 million people live within a three hour drive of Moncton. This is the largest catchment area in Atlantic Canada (there are only 750,000 people within three hours of Halifax). Despite the longstanding rivalry between Moncton and Halifax, the two cities have recently joined together to promote the concept of a Moncton-Halifax growth corridor, building on the strengths of the two cities as well as the intervening communities including Truro, Amherst and Sackville.

A number of regionally prominent corporations have their head offices in Moncton including Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Assumption Mutual Life Insurance, Medavie Blue Cross Insurance, Pizza Delight Corporation, Major Drilling International, and Co-op Atlantic.

There are a number of major call centres in the city including Asurion, BBM Canada, ExxonMobil, Royal Bank of Canada, UPS, Fairmont Hotels, Rogers Communications and America Online.

A burgeoning high tech sector includes companies such as Whitehill Technologies, Nanoptix, Spielo Manufacturing, OAO Technology Solutions, Inc. Canada, and Beltek Systems Design.

Several arms of the Irving corporate empire have their head offices in Greater Moncton. These include Midland Transport, Majesta/Royale Tissues, Irving Personal Care, Master Packaging and Cavendish Farms. Hub Meat Packers is a major employer in the city. Armour transportation group is based in Moncton and other trucking companies maintain large regional trucking depots in the city. Molson/Coors Breweries is nearing completion of a new brewery in the Caledonia Industrial Park.

A new four lane Gunningsville Bridge has just been opened, connecting downtown Riverview directly with downtown Moncton. On the Moncton side, the bridge will connect with an extension of Vaughan Harvey Boulevard as well as to Assumption Boulevard and will serve as a catalyst for growth in formerly industrial lands along the riverfront. An expansion to the Blue Cross Centre has already been completed and construction has started on a new Marriott Residence Inn. Construction will begin this year on new retail development along the Vaughn Harvey extension as well as a new regional courthouse on Assumption Boulevard. On the Riverview side, the bridge will connect to a new bypass around the town and is expected to serve as a catalyst for the development in east Riverview.

The retail sector in Moncton is increasingly becoming one of the most important aspects of the local economy. Major retail projects such as the Wheeler Park Power Centre on Trinity Drive have quickly become major destinations for locals and tourists alike. Major tenants of this development include Atlantic Superstore, Costco, Winners, HomeSense, Wal-Mart, Future Shop, Kent Building Supplies, Sears, Staples, Old Navy, Pier 1 Imports, Empire Theatres and the Home Depot.

Government

Municipal government consists of a mayor and ten city councillors elected to four year terms of office. The council is non partisan with the mayor serving as the chairman, casting a ballot only in cases of a tie vote. There are four wards electing two councillors each with an additional two councillors selected at large by the general electorate. Day to day operation of the city is under the control of a City Manager.

The current mayor of Moncton is Lorne Mitton (elected May 2004).

Councillors:

  • Kathryn M. Barnes - At Large
  • Norman Crossman - Ward 1
  • Merrill A. Henderson - Ward 2
  • Brian A.Q. Hicks - Ward 3
  • Louisa Barton-Duguay - Ward 4
  • Pierre Boudreau - At Large
  • Steven Boyce - Ward 1
  • Doug Robertson - Ward 2
  • Steve Mitton - Ward 3
  • René (Pepsi) Landry - Ward 4

Provincially, seven ridings (out of 55 in the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly) are in the greater Moncton area. Elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) (and party affiliations) include:

Moncton is in the federal riding of Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, which is represented in the Canadian House of Commons by Brian Murphy, (Liberal). Mr. Murphy had previously been a highly regarded mayor of Moncton. Portions of Dieppe are in the federal riding of Beauséjour, represented by Dominic LeBlanc,(Liberal), and portions of Riverview are in the riding of Fundy Royal, represented by Rob Moore, (Conservative).

Famous Monctonians

Although not everyone in this list was born in Moncton, they all live or have lived in Moncton and have had significant connections to the community.

Musicians

    • Eric's Trip and Julie Doiron, indie rock musicians
    • Hope Internationally known punk rock band. Toured with the Vans Warped Tour in 2002
    • Marie-Jo Thério, Acadian singer and actress
    • Lina Boudreau, Acadian songstress
    • George Hebert, guitar player and member of Anne Murray's band since the 1970s.
    • Theresa Malenfant, jazz and blues singer
    • Jasper Wood, internationally renowned concert violinist
    • Roger Lord, internationally renowned concert pianist, brother of former Premier Bernard Lord

Thespians

    • Marshall Button, artistic director of the Capitol Theatre, comedian, created the character "Lucien"
    • Sandy Gillis, comedian, better known as "Jimmy the Janitor"
    • Robb Wells, actor, plays "Ricky" on TV's Trailer Park Boys
    • Viola Léger, actress and retired Canadian Senator, known for her role as La Sagouine
    • Holly Dignard, actress, play "Nicole Miller" on the CTV series "Whistler"

Writers and artists

    • Raymonde April, widely exhibited photographic artist both domestically and internationally.
    • Dolores Breau, renowned and award winning Acadian photographer.
    • Sheree Fitch, children's author
    • Maurice Henri, photographer
    • Gérald Leblanc, author and poet
    • Dano LeBlanc, author of Acadieman
    • Antonine Maillet, francophone author, recipient of the "Prix Goncourt", the highest honour in francophone literature.
    • Archibald McLellan, founding editor of the Christian Science Monitor.
    • George Steeves, contemporary photographer

Athletes

Academics

    • Northrop Frye (1912-1991), scholar and literary critic
    • James E. Lockyer, law professor and former New Brunswick Minister of Justice
    • Donald Savoie, political scientist

Lawyers and politicians

    • Ivan Cleveland Rand (1884-1969), Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Creator of the Rand Formula which allows union dues to be automatically subtracted from workers salaries. Member of the UN Special Committee on Palestine which oversaw the partition of Palestine in 1947.
    • Michel Bastarache, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
    • Reuben Cohen lawyer and magnate
    • Henry Robert Emmerson (1853-1914), Premier of New Brunswick (1897-1900), Federal Minister of Railways and Canals (1904-1907)
    • Clifford William Robinson (1866-1944), Premier of New Brunswick (1907-1908), Canadian Senator
    • James Alexander Murray, (1864-1960), Premier of New Brunswick (1917)
    • Allison Dysart, (1880-1962), Premier of New Brunswick (1935-1940)
    • Frank McKenna, Premier of New Brunswick (1987-1997), former Canadian ambassador to the United States of America.
    • Raymond Frenette, Premier of New Brunswick (1997-1998)
    • Bernard Lord, Premier of New Brunswick (1999-2006)
    • Herménégilde Chiasson, artist, academic, current Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
    • Roméo LeBlanc, former federal Minister of Fisheries, Senator and Speaker of the Canadian Senate. Governor-General of Canada (1995-1999).
    • Claudette Bradshaw, former federal Minister of Labour (1998-2004)

Sister cities

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