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CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Developers aim to create vibrant new communities in old buildings
Claire Taylor just moved to Saint John to get ready for her first year at the University of New Brunswick this fall, and she has the exuberance that comes with new experiences. It's her first time away from Newfoundland and Labrador, and she already loves Saint John. "Holy cow, I can see the sun," she said about a recent clear day. "It's beautiful here." She's good-humoured about the fog, which she encountered her first night in town. "All the cars are going slow, and I'm like guys, I'm a bayman. Follow me, and I got out in front of them all. I'm good at driving in fog." She also found a job right away. The one thing that slowed her down was finding an apartment. " Nothing was in the price range," she said. 'Nothing was a good fit." Then she and her boyfriend found a place near St. Joseph's Hospital, in a renovated, 25-unit building that's phase one of the Hospital Hill Development. The average rent is $1,600, including heat, lights and parking. It also has new appliances. "This is beautiful and the views are amazing," Taylor said. "It's like the best thing that's ever happened to me." WATCH | 'This is the perfect, perfect price': How these developers are resurrecting old buildings 4 hours ago Duration 4:13 Developers Michael Wowchuk and Deanna Adams see opportunities in converting former office buildings and churches into apartments for the 'missing middle' rental market in Saint John. All this in a three-storey building that until recently sat empty, beside a vacant site once home to the city's largest hospital. It used to be Red Cross offices, then administration offices for the Catholic church Diocese of Saint John. "I just kind of fell upon this place," developer Michael Wowchuk said. "I just noticed it was for sale and I'm like, 'Why isn't anyone buying this site?'" To address housing shortages, local developers are doing a lot of new builds in the city centre. Others, like Wowchuk, are repurposing and renovating existing buildings no longer occupied. "These are challenging times," he said. "The top end of the market is, I would say, saturated. For this area, we want to look at [what's] affordable, and we want to look at addressing the 'missing middle,' as I call it, people who are working but they can't afford a home, they can't afford $2,000-plus a month in rent." He said creating housing in unlikely spaces can be cheaper than building new, and the savings can mean lower rents. "Buying an existing building helped us because we already had the bones, we already had the structure," he said. "All we had to do was [demolish the inside] and then rebuild." Wowchuk originally thought his target market would be seniors because St. Joseph's was nearby. He still plans to set aside five subsidized units for seniors, with an office in the building for their support workers. But now that the units are for rent, it's mostly young people like Taylor showing interest. "One of the mainstay demands is 20-year-olds looking for a place to live, and it's close to uptown," he said. "That's how it works, right? You pivot with the market. There will still be seniors here and maybe it's going to be half-and-half, but that younger demographic really wanted it." In the north end, Ontario-based developer Deanna Adams recently received approval for a zoning change that would allow her to turn a former church into apartments. The three-storey wood structure operated as a church for more than 100 years. It was a hub of community activity, a spirit Adams wanted to honour. "Although that original purpose may no longer be true or valid in today's world, I'd like to find a way to bring them back to life and make them relevant again," Adams said. "The satisfaction that you get from seeing a building that looked like it was in despair come back to life and see people living in it and being happy and proud about where they're living … is very rewarding and addictive." Adams said the building will have up to 18 apartments — a mix of bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units — after renovations and a three-storey addition. "When I walked into the church, I saw an amazing structure, a clear-span structure. There's no support structure within. … What it means is that it was well built from the beginning. There are no sags in the floors, no creeks, no squeaks. It's solid." There are advantages to working with a wood structure over stone or brick, she said. It's easier to move windows, which you need to do when converting a building from a church to apartments. It's also easier to find local labourers with experience working on wood structures. Whether it's a new build or a renovated older building, renters like Bobola Adanikan appreciate the sense of "newness" about the places. Adanikin, who moved to Saint John from Nigeria two years ago to attend New Brunswick Community College, recently moved into Wowchuk's building and likes the renovations and the new appliances. He also likes the tech features. Wowchuk is going to enable facial recognition technology to gain entry to the building, for those who want that feature. In partnership with NBCC and the Université de Moncton, Wowchuk is developing a robot that will carry garbage from people's apartments for disposal and deliver packages to a tenant's door. "The security, the fresh paint, there's this feeling of peace in this building," Adanikin said. Like Adams, Wowchuk was partly inspired by the idea of reanimating what was once a hub of activity. The old Saint John General Hospital had a commanding presence on a hill overlooking the Mount Pleasant and Rockwood Park areas. "Frankly, I was not really pleased with what the landscape had turned into along the hill," he said. "There was no great building that replaced the old General." The Hospital Hill Development, will eventually include two more buildings and a landscaped pedestrian walkway and green space to connect all three.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.L. is putting decade's worth of revenue on the books now, from a pending tobacco lawsuit
While other provinces contemplate how to account for the settlement money, Newfoundland and Labrador's governing Liberals put $500 million worth of revenues on the balance sheet, despite the fact that the money will be paid out over CBC's Peter Cowan reports.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
N.L. artists bring home 4 East Coast Music Awards
Shanneyganock's rendition of 'Music and Friends' rang through the Mary Browns Centre Thursday night, in the absence of the band's lifelong friend and founding member, Mark Hiscock. Hiscock died earlier this week at the age of 53. His accordion sat on a stool as the rest of the band played. The loss set a sombre tone for the East Coast Music Awards, which was held in St. John's this year for the first time in a decade. Host Tom Power also lauded Hiscock's legacy and the role Shanneyganock played in representing the province's music throughout the world. "He was this province's most iconic accordion player, a tremendous accordion player, musician, singer. A driving force in sharing and preserving the music of Newfoundland and Labrador," Power said. Still, the music played on — and the gala celebrated just that. Four Newfoundland and Labrador artists and groups were awarded for their musical achievements Thursday. Deantha Edmunds Deantha Edmunds brought home the night's first award for the province. "This award means more than I can say, actually, in words," said the Indigenous artist of the year winner. As an Inuk classical musician, Edmunds says Indigenous artists in the genre are not often recognized. She says this award is proof that her voice is being heard and her perspective is being shared. "That is why I do the work that I do," she said. "To try to show people some truth — who I am and how I walk through this world — and hopefully I can uplift people." Edmunds, who won a Juno Award for classical composition of the year in March, says her mantle will need some cleaning up now as she introduces some new hardware. The artist was joined by her daughter as she posed for some celebratory photos. "Our voices matter," Edmunds said before heading back to the awards gala. "Everybody has something special, and when you can find that and nurture that and celebrate it, there's nothing that can hold you back from doing whatever it is you want," she said. Kellie Loder Kellie Loder has become a household name in the province since their appearance on Canada's Got Talent in 2022. They won both of Thursday's TD fans' choice categories: one for entertainer of the year, and another for video of the year. "I love performing live," said Loder, referring to the entertainer award. "I feel like it's really where I excel and it's where I connect with the fans the most." "You can make record over record over record, and it's not the same as when you're on the stage and playing it," they told reporters. They said people from N.L. are very proud of their neighbours, so Loder said they met many people who bragged about casting a vote for the awards. "Without Newfoundland, I would not have a career," said Loder. "They are the backbone. They are the foundation that I, you know, hang my hammock on." The Ennis Sisters As Maureen Ennis puts it, The Ennis Sisters have been on "the most incredible road trip" for the last 28 years. The trio was given the lifetime achievement award at this year's East Coast Music Awards. "My most favourite part of the whole thing is that we've brought the stories and songs of Newfoundland and Labrador to every place we've been," said Maureen. Even though she says she feels too young, Karen Ennis said the award is an "incredible honour." Karen also used some of her acceptance speech to highlight the impact music class in the public school system had on her. "In school we took every music program that was available for us to take. It's so important to keep music in our schools. It matters," she said. According to Teresa Ennis, the musician's road is not an easy one to take. She says she owes The Ennis Sisters' success to the rich musical history of the province, and the community it has fostered. That sense of community was in the air when the group paid tribute to Shanneyganock's Mark Hiscock, who died earlier this week. "I just want to say that our dad, who we lost back in 2018, is somewhere right now with Mark Hiscock, and they're having a jam on the button accordion," Karen said before The Ennis Sisters walked off stage. The East Coast Music Awards showcases and conference continues through Sunday, May 11. More music and industry awards will be passed out then. Rum Ragged Rum Ragged took home an award for traditional release of the year for Paddy Hyde. Mark Manning thanked the East Coast Music Association, and the people who have helped the band, like their sound engineer and graphic designer, "We also want to thank our family, friends and teachers, our supporters. And especially the Newfoundland and Labrador singers and players who handed down their wealth of traditional music to us," Manning told the audience. "One of which in particular we're thinking of and remembering together here tonight. This one's for Mark and his family and his friends and his bandmates and his many fans."
