Giant fireworks proposed for Petitcodiac restoration

Riverkeeper predicts $10 million in benefits

MONCTON, July 2 2004 - During the summer of 2006 or 2007, Greater Moncton could be the stage of the largest public event organised in our region since the 1999 Sommet de la Francophonie. The idea is being proposed by the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper should a decision to restore free flow in the Petitcodiac River be announced in the spring of 2005, the date set for the completion of the environmental impact assessment underway.

It’s the main theme coming out of the fourth and final poster of the Petitcodiac Renaissance Series unveiled this morning by graphic artist Pierre Blanchard of Éléphant Design and Daniel LeBlanc of the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, the promoter of the concept.

The poster introduces the idea that a gigantic fireworks display and a weekend-long celebration featuring world-class musical groups be staged to commemorate the end of one of the longest environmental battles in Canadian history. With investments of about $1 million, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper predicts that the region could reap as much as $10 million in benefits by hosting this weekend-long major event.

“Often missing from the discussion surrounding the restoration of the Petitcodiac River”, explains Riverkeeper Daniel LeBlanc, “is the enormous international goodwill that will be created by initiating Canada’s most important river restoration project to date. Ceremonies organised to unveil a future partial bridge opening on the causeway should be planned to truly reflect this historical moment,” he adds.

The Moncton region is no stranger to hosting large international events. In September 1999, the City hosted the 8th Sommet de la Francophonie, an event that generated over $20 million in economic benefits for our region. “A giant fireworks display has never before been organised in Atlantic Canada”, notes LeBlanc, “and we believe that such a celebration could draw tens of thousands of visitors.”

A standard July 1st fireworks display in the Moncton region costs on average $15,000, while a single giant firework show can cost over $100,000. The same order of magnitude applies for large musical events, where fees for world-class musical groups such as U2 could reach $500,000 for example, compared to $75,000 for nationally renowned groups. It’s the kind of event that proposes to promote the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper to highlight the festivities that will commemorate the renaissance of the Petitcodiac, currently designated Canada’s most endangered river.

With scientists and the government-sponsored $4 million EIA now stating that only free-flow will work to restore fish passage in the endangered Petitcodiac River, the Riverkeeper thinks that the community needs to start looking at the future.

The Petitcodiac Renaissance series, a set of four concepts designed to increase public awareness on the proposal to replace the Petitcodiac causeway with a partial bridge and to explore various opportunities associated with this restoration project, has this goal in mind.

Unveiled on April 21st, the first concept of the series, “The Great Tidal Bores”, suggested that our region could reap as much as $100 million in benefits over a 10-year period through an aggressive program to promote and develop our tidal bore attraction. The second concept, entitled “The Gates / Le Monument”, proposes to recycle the five metallic gates of the causeway into a giant outdoor sculpture, while the third concept, “The Wall”, proposes to transform the banks of the former riverside landfill into an urban promenade from where the Bay of Fundy’s giant tides could be explored.

The four posters of the Petitcodiac Renaissance series are now on sale at the Riverkeeper office in Moncton and can be seen on their website at www.petitcodiac.org.

Click here to see the other posters of the Renaissance Petitcodiac Series

INFORMATION :
Daniel LeBlanc
Tel. (506) 388-5337
www.petitcodiac.org