The Saint John Parking Commission have started a video campaign to educate us on ride sharing! Check out the video, then find out more at ShareYourRide.ca!

Part 1: What it’s all about.

Ride along with Tim as he begins his daily commute to work in his mostly empty car. He’s knocked over by the costs to run his car and the impact on the environment. Tim becomes intrigued about the idea of cutting his commuting costs in half or more.

See more videos here!

Who can use ShareYourRide.ca?

The Saint John Parking Commission ride-matching system was developed to include Saint John employees and residents working in Saint John. All residents and employees within the greater Saint John region – from St. Stephen to Sussex to Oromocto - are encouraged to try the new system.

What are the benefits of carpooling?

Carpooling lets you share the cost of driving; it provides you with company for your commute and saves you money. It is often the perfect solution for commuters located far from their worksite or without access to transit service. In some families, carpooling to work avoids the need for a second car.

Is there a charge to use ShareYourRide.ca?

There is no charge to use ShareYourRide.ca.

Why is ShareYourRide.ca one of the most advanced in the world?

ShareYourRide.ca uses state-of-the-art geo-coding technology, searches for matches along a route from your origin to your destination, and offers extensive user-controlled search defining abilities. It defaults to searches within employer groups and maximizes accessibility and usability for users.

Check out ShareYourRide.ca!

Wards, wards, wards. It’s all the rage in the Telegraph Journal this week! Saturday’s story suggested that two-thirds of Saint John residents want councillors elected through a ward system. The poll surveyed 377 Saint John residents over the age of 18. A survey sample that size would be expected to be accurate to within five percentage points, 95 times out of 100. The poll, conducted from June 7 to June 21, showed that 66 per cent support a change to a ward system and 21 per cent oppose a change, with the remaining people either indifferent or unsure. My favorite part is that when voters were first asked if they were satisfied with the current “at-large” system of electing councillors, two thirds also said, yes, they were satisfied. When presented with the idea of a ward system in a follow-up quesion, two-thirds supported the change. What does this tell us? Two-thirds of Saint John residents support change regardless of understanding our current system and the one being proposed.

The “At-Large” System

In the interest of education, let me explain out what we have now. The current system for municipal elections in Saint John is referred to as an “at-large” system. This means that everyone, who is running to become a councillor in the election, will be listed on your ballot when you go to vote. When you get your ballot, you can vote for up to ten councillors and for the mayor. The main issue with this system is the fact that many people will be shown on the ballot. Just image a list of fifty people! This can become confusing for the average person and leads to people voting on name recognition - which leads to the same people being elected year after year. So what’s the advantage? Well according to advocates, electing people “at-large” means that they are not focused on just one area of the city. They are expected to look after all areas equally.

The “Ward” System

But didn’t we already vote to change the system? That’s right, there was a vote on the ward system held during the 1998 civic election, where 54 per cent voted in favour of wards. But anything under 60 per cent is not enough. The final decision in this case was left to the discretion of council. The end result? The ward system didn’t make the cut. Most recently, in April, common council voted 8-3 against switching to a ward system. In favour were: Michelle Hooton, Stephen Chase, and Peter McGuire. In May, council agreed to put a question about wards on the ballot of the May 2008 election, meaning that if the public voted in favour of a ward system, it would not take hold until the mandate of the 2012-2016 council.

So it will be on the ballot for the May 2008 election? Yes. Then what is all the fuss about? Well, supporters of the ward system want it voted on right now so it can take effect for the 2008 election. So who is pushing for the change? A Telegraph Journal story on Monday explains that Anne-Marie Mullin’s has been gathering signatures for a petition calling for a ward system that involves electing five “at-large” councillors, along with five councillors each representing five wards. This is different the question on the ballot in 2008. It will ask for a decision on four wards with two councillors in each, along with two councillors at large. Mullin doesn’t believe ward proponents would get bogged down on what the specific system should be, should they succeed in fast-tracking the vote.

She says she is working with both Elections New Brunswick and the city’s common clerk’s office about the best way forward. Mullin believes she has “five and three quarters” councillors on her side so far, ready to reverse council’s previous vote and hold the plebiscite sooner than the May 2008 ballot. To rescind a previous motion, somebody who voted in favour would have to step forward. It would then require a two-thirds majority vote: if all 11 council members were in attendance, it would require eight votes. This all sounds complicated, but if the citizens can show enough support for a ward system, then it is very likely that other councillors will change their mind. We don’t have to look far for support though! This story explains that a full 71 per cent of Saint Johners support a public vote on whether the city should switch from the current at-large system to a ward system. Further, 67 per cent support of those polled said they want the vote to happen before the next election.

The Winner?

Clearly a mixture of the two. My choice would be a mixed system with councillors elected “at-large” and through city wards. I especially like Anne-Marie Mullin’s petition calling for a ward system that involves electing five “at-large” councillors, along with five councillors each representing five wards. I think it makes the most sense. The important thing is that we, as citizens, look at all of the options, form an opinion, and most importantly of all - vote when the time comes. Only time will tell which system will win, but my guess is that the ward system will be here sooner rather then later!

When I received my free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, I left space on my hard drive to setup a dual boot using Ubuntu Linux. Everything worked great, my devices all work; however, I was limited to standard resolutions on my monitor! The issue? My monitor, a LG 204WT, is a wide screen, and the standard resolutions makes everything look stretched and terrible! Well, until the day that wide screen monitors are easily detected in Ubuntu, you can simply add the resolution yourself! Note: Remember to make a backup in case anything goes wrong!

Simple open up a terminal window and follow the steps:

1) Navigate to the folder:

cd /etc/X11

2) Now is the time to make a backup of the xorg.conf file!

sudo cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.backup

3) Open the configuration file:

sudo gedit xorg.conf

4) Search for the Monitor section and modify it to match the configuration below:

Section "Monitor"
     Identifier     "Generic Monitor"
     VendorName     "LG"
     ModelName      "LG L204WT"
     HorizSync       28.0 - 83.0
     VertRefresh     56.0 - 75.0
     Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

5) Search for the Screen section and modify it to match the configuration below. Note: The option’s information should all be on one line.

Section "Screen"
     Identifier     "Default Screen"
     Device         "x1800"
     Monitor        "Generic Monitor"
     DefaultDepth    24
     Option         "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1680x1050 +0+0" #; DFP-0: 1280x1024 +0+0;
                       DFP-0: 1024x768 +0+0; DFP-0: 832x624 +0+0; DFP-0: 800x600 +0+0;
                       DFP-0: 640x480 +0+0"
     SubSection     "Display"
          Depth       24
          Modes      "1680x1050" #"1600x1200" "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
     EndSubSection
EndSection

6) Save and close the window. Now you will need to restart the environment. Press the key combination below, then login as usual:

Press Crtl+Alt+Backspace

7) Once logged back in, you can set the resolution by clicking on:

System->Preferences->Screen Resolution, then select 1680x1050!

Recently, there have been new updates in the Rockwood Park pipeline saga. This week, Friends of Rockwood Park have teamed up with Sierra Legal to launch a lawsuit against Emera Inc. and the National Energy Board. They are attempting to prevent permits and approvals for the pipeline. They say the board did not do what it should have in its environmental review (released back on May 31).

“We allege that the NEB review panel failed to do what was perhaps the most fundamental task it had been charged with, and that most fundamental task was considering, as an alternative to the route through Rockwood Park, an alternative marine route through Saint John harbour,” said Sierra Legal lawyer Lara Tessaro. Also, the Friends of Rockwood Park say they collected 15,000 signatures from people in Saint John who support a marine route.

So what is this all about?

The Canaport Liquified Natural Gas Terminal (located in Mispec) wants to build a pipeline to the US border, which will allow them to connect to an existing pipeline into the United States. The best route through Saint John, according to the company, involves Rockwood Park, not through the harbour. The argument for going through Rockwood Park can be found on this website of information on the proposed pipeline: Brunswick Pipeline - Corridor Selection.

Their arguments are listed below:

• it is the safest option
• it follows existing power lines
• it provides the smallest footprint
• it is the shortest land-based route
• it avoids more populated areas
• it is consistent with North American regulatory standards
• it can be restored as a walking trail in Rockwood Park

From Route 1, the proposed pipeline corridor continues to follow the existing power transmission line as it proceeds through a rugged and remote section of Rockwood Park. This existing utility corridor runs for 2.4 kilometres and exits Rockwood Park near the Howe’s Lake landfill area. The requested width of the corridor through Rockwood Park (100m) allows for the ability to align the 30m-wide final pipeline route from the south side (or vice-versa) of the existing power line to avoid any identified environmental or construction constraints during the detailed route phase.

There are many pipelines buried under parks, golf courses, and recreation areas throughout North America. In Saint John, the M&NP lateral pipeline was safely built under Harbour Passage several years ago.

A specialized construction plan will be developed for this sensitive area, and with input from the community, we would restore the corridor as a trail from one end of the park to the other.

Here are maps of the areas discussed above:

• Map of the proposed route through Rockwood Park.
• Map of the proposed route through Saint John.
• Map of the proposed route through New Brunswick.

So why do I support the proposed pipeline through Rockwood Park? Simply because it can be done in a way that will not destroy the park (just look at Harbour Passage as an example).

The pipeline will be underground, running along existing power lines. Once construction is complete, we will not even notice the pipeline! My advice to people? Support the pipeline, but also fight to get as much from the companies as possible. Make conditions that forces them to build trails, upgrade infrastructure, and promote the park! Remember how the company has said it would cost too much to run the pipeline through the harbour, take even a quarter of that potential cost and make them invest it into the park, image what could be supported with that!

The companies have been more then willing to support the park, just take the Pavillion as an example. Turn this into a win-win, where the Park is supported in return for allowing the pipeline!

I never thought I would be saying this, but tonight I was watching Rogers television (channel 10 in Saint John), and saw something interesting. A woman was on talking about a Saint John magazine called See Saint John. They also have an online website that lists local events, city attractions, local features, maps of the city, and places to eat of course!

I headed to their website, and I found some interesting content!

Attractions (see more here):

• LOYALIST HOUSE was built by David Daniel Merritt in the early 1800’s. It survived the Great Fire of 1877 and is the city centre’s oldest standing wooden structure. It has been restored as a museum with period furnishings.
• CITY MARKET, located in the heart of uptown was built in 1876. It is the only commercial building still in use in the uptown area which survived the Great Fire of 1877. The market stalls sell hand-crafted items, local produce, and special delicacies in season: lobster, fiddleheads, salmon and dulse.
• KING’S SQUARE is one of four ‘royal’ squares included in the original town plan of 1783. The pathways were laid out in a Union Jack pattern. King’s Square is the site of many monuments commemorating Saint John heroes.
• QUEEN SQUARE situated four blocks south of King’s Square is another of the ‘royal’ squares designed by Paul Bedell in 1783. Most of the trees in this square were planted in 1883 by descendants of the original Loyalist settlers.
• OLD COUNTY COURTHOUSE was built in 1829 and is still in use as a courthouse. A notable architectural feature is the free-standing spiral stone staircase leading from the ground floor to the upper floors.

Features (see more here)

I am quite partial to Moosehead beer, so I liked reading this feature:

MOOSEHEAD COUNTRY STORE is located at 49 Main Street, Saint John West adjacent to Moosehead Brewery. This store is a celebration of Moosehead Brewery which began in 1865 when John Oland and his wife Susannah, along with their seven children, came from England to Halifax, Nova Scotia. John worked on the railway but Susannah began brewing a few batches of an old family recipe for “brown October ale”. In 1867 the Oland family opened their first brewery known as the Army and Navy brewery. In 1918, Susannah’s son George W.C. moved to Saint John with his son, George B. They purchased two breweries here and eventually the larger brewery became Moosehead Breweries Limited.

The Moosehead Country Store is extremely popular with visitors from around the world. Some of the most popular comments in their visitor book reflect the appeal the store has - “I always come back here” wrote David from the Isle of Man. A visitor from Ontario wrote, “We come all the way here just to visit this store”. The store sells a large variety of products all of them with the logo of the various beer brands made by Moosehead. Their hours are: Monday - Wednesday 9 -5 Thursday 9 - 9; Friday 9 - 9; Saturday 10 - 5. Telephone: (506) 635-7020. www.mooseheadcountrystore.com

The other interesting link was to the Tide Schedules. I never realized it was available online. Check it out here!

Check out their website, http://www.seesaintjohn.com, for more information on Saint John!

Following my last post on the Saint John Motocross issue, I was able to find the contact information for Michael McGovern, who gave the presentation last week. I sent off an email and received a reply soon after with presentation materials attached. I am making the power point slide available for download right here! I would encourage you to view it, as it provides a lot of information that will explain the situation. I fully support the citizens in the effected areas, and I will be watching common council tonight and hoping that the motocross track will be closed!

Also, here are the discussion points from last week’s presentation:

• Track is located close to residential neighbourhoods. The easterly parts of the track are located 832ft / 254m from the nearest houses in Monte Cristo.
• Geography is also an issue. The upper houses in Monte Cristo, the neighbourhoods of Gault Road and Alvic Place are at approximately the same elevation as the track.
• Residents of Ocean Westway face both noise and traffic issues.
• There are approximately 720 homes within 2 kilometres of the motocross track.
• Noise complaints come from beyond the immediate neighbourhoods. Noise complaints have come from as far as South Bay.
• Residents have been keeping track of the motocross track operation. It operates at least three times per week and has operated on every day of the week, including on a Sunday.
• The issue is not specifically the number of bikes that use the track at any time. The issue is noise. A few bikes can still make a lot of noise.
• The noise levels are not medically harmful. This is not a hearing loss issue. The noise is a nuisance noise.
• Residents have made hundreds of call to police. This has an impact on police operations. Residents have made many calls to Councilors too.
• Ocean Westway residents have made numerous calls to police regarding unlicensed motocross bikes on the streets and trespassing on private property.
• Commercial versus private operation has been raised by some as an issue. The residents do not agree that this is an issue. The zoning by-law prohibits this activity as it is written now. This is a PUBLIC track, not a private track.
• The Noise by-law is ineffective. It is too specific to be useful for unique situations like this. Council must consider an amendment.
• The zoning by-law clearly prohibits this use now. Rural zoning can only include some uses. A motocross track is not one of those uses. Other uses can be approved by the PAC, but a cycle track is specifically prohibited.
• The zoning by-law prohibits changing the use of a property without prior permission. The property use has changed. No permission has been requested or granted.
• This operation is not a “park” within the intended meaning in the by-law.
• This motocross track is an affront to Council’s Vision 2015 plan. The plan for this general area is for residential housing. A motocross track in this area with inhibit growth.
• The consequences of a recent provincial amendment will mean that the city will face this issue again if it is not resolved soon.
• The residents will request that Council act, and act quickly to resolve this issue.

Tonight, I watched the Common Council meeting; because, I was interesting in hearing more regarding the motocross issue occurring on the west side. I had heard about this issue while reading the local newspaper over the last few months, but did not understand where it was occurring and the impact it had on the residents in the area. The man that spoke against the motocross track at the meeting had an incredible presentation that included: maps, pictures, video, audio, and bylaw information. I was blown away by how well it was presented, and I can now say that I am firmly against the motocross track. I am going to try and track down some of the presentation that was shown tonight as I think it did an excellent job at explaining the situation with regards to the residents!

For some more background information, this CBC story explains the issue very well. It explains that Al Williams, earlier this spring, constructed a motocross track behind his used car business on the west side. The issue is the very loud and irritating noises that can be heard for kilometers, and the impact it has on nearby residents such as Monte Cristo Park. One resident, Tim Peterson, has said that the constant whine of dirt bikes has him considering moving. “It’s irritating for me to the point that I would be considering doing that,” Peterson said. “We don’t want to go. We bought our house in that neighbourhood because it was a quiet, very kid-friendly neighbourhood.”

Al Williams says in response that he built the motocross track on his property so riders wouldn’t have to travel to Moncton, where the nearest track was located. He said he plans to it turn it into a commercial operation. “These people have definite concerns on their side, we’re not trying to punch them in the nose with it or abuse them with it,” Williams said. “I’m not breaking any law, there’s six lanes of highway between us and them”.

The next week, things turned worse for the residents, as this CBC story explains. Al Williams now says he’s finished trying to appease his neighbours and has begun rallying his own supporters. The reason? He wasn’t invited to a public meeting with city officials regarding noise complaints. His response? “These guys spoiled it by doing that,” Williams said Monday, referring to his neighbours living in Monte Cristo Park. “I could have put the sound curtains up, I could have done all the water and dust issues I could have addressed.”

So where does it stand now? Looks to me like they are in violation of an existing zoning bylaw. That motocross track is simply not allowed. I hope that council can figuring things out soon, and they will take action. It is not fair for residents to have to deal with this problem. I would urge you to support the residents and call for an end to the motocross. Contact your councilors and tell them. Now is the time to end this!

It’s hard to believe, but after seeing this video, I can see why!

Here is the real life story of a transformer named Soundwave:

Tom Dickson, owner of BlendTec, is back in a new “does it blend” video! This time they attempt to blend an iPhone. Enjoy:

See more things being blended in my last entry here!