C7

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

2 Comment(s)

Re: Thefts in Fredericton

Enlarge Photo

I was a proud Frederictonian. I was born and spent my childhood here in the beautiful river valley city.

I love the rich heritage, the trendy nightlife, and the friendly people here.

Recently, my career has taken me westwards to British Columbia. While B.C. certainly has its charms, it makes me appreciate more so what a beautiful and special city Fredericton is.

Anywhere I go in B.C., I rave about the East Coast and Fredericton especially - the friendly people, the safe downtown, the relaxed environment.

But recently, while visiting a friend, my purse, which is actually a black cloth grocery bag, was stolen out of my vehicle on Loyalist Court.

In it was $20 (if that), all of my identity and bank cards (which will make travelling back to B.C. in a few days rather difficult) and a new camera (Kodak Easy Share V1003) which had photos of my baby nephew, whom I had just seen for the first time.

If nothing else, I sincerely hope the person who did this could at least return my photos of my young nephew to me. Those are irreplaceable.

This is not the first time I have been a victim of theft. The last time I visited New Brunswick, near Halloween, my wallet was stolen right out of my purse while I was downtown. In this case, the principle of the whole matter bothered me more than what was taken.

Beware, citizens of Fredericton. I had no idea that it had become unsafe to trust your neighbours and leave doors unlocked. What happened to this city?

Now, I return to Prince George, B.C. (actually the fourth most dangerous/high crime city in Canada, according to Maclean's Magazine) with a very bitter taste in my mouth regarding my "safe,-peaceful" and "friendly" hometown of Fredericton.

Will I tell anybody in B.C. how wonderful Fredericton and the East Coast are anymore?

If this behaviour keeps up, how can I, in good conscience, do so?

Madelaine Cote

Prince George, B.C.

Keep a tidy establishment if you want customers

Re: Restaurant service

I normally do not voice my opinion on much, but lately it seems I have to.

On Friday, Aug. 22, we went out for supper, like we usually do on a Friday.

We decided to go to a particular pizza restaurant which is normally very busy, but since Montana's was open, there was not a big crowd.

So we got there and had the choice of where we sat, so we took the bar section.

Upon getting to our table, we noticed that the previous diners' mess was still on the table. It took a few minutes before anyone came to our table, and then we had to ask the server to clean our table.

After taking our order and receiving our drinks, we were relaxing and enjoying the scene but noticed something attracting our attention.

Around the bar area, where the servers gather to place and pick up drink orders, the floor was a mess of napkins, papers, bottle caps - you name it.

But the one thing that kept being kicked around was a fork that a server had dropped after cleaning a table, but never reached to pick up.

They walked on it, pushing it around, and I'm not even sure it was ever picked up. It finally got pushed around the bar so we couldn't see it anymore.

I have to admit, the food was good. But I find Fredericton's restaurants do not seem to care about their appearance nor the service they provide to the public. No wonder lots of them close.

If I had a restaurant, I would make sure my staff was properly trained in serving the public, taking care that the restaurant was spotless at all times.

There are many things that can be done to make sure customers have an enjoyable dining experience.

Denis Bourque

Fredericton

Aboriginal Team N.B. does the province proud

Re: North American Indigenous Games

As the minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, I wish to congratulate Aboriginal Team New Brunswick for their success at the 2008 North American Indigenous Games held in the Cowichan Valley of British Columbia.

The team won four gold, one silver and four bronze.

I was fortunate enough to attend the opening ceremonies and I was very proud of the way these athletes represented New Brunswick.

They were outstanding role models for their communities and wonderful ambassadors for our province.

The performance and success of Aboriginal Team New Brunswick at the games will hopefully motivate other young Aboriginal people to become involved in sport and remain involved for the rest of their lives.

The North American Indigenous Games play an important role in Aboriginal sport development and help foster a culture of health, fitness, and achievement within the Aboriginal youth community.

It was a great experience for our athletes and one I am sure they will treasure. The participants made new friends from across North America, and their victories, big or small, will help them to become the best they can be.

Ed Doherty

Minister responsible for the Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat

Your favouritism is showing

Re: Racing at Geary

Since the racetrack opened in Geary, I've attended all the races, but each year it is very noticeable who the favorites are.

Certain drivers can do whatever they want.

Saturday night, a couple of drivers were driving like idiots, causing four other cars to crash. Then to say in Monday's paper that a couple of them were scolded was pathetic. They should have been put to the back.

One car was treated unfairly and he is one of the cleanest drivers out there. The first announcement that was made was that he pitted. That was why he was put to the back, which wasn't accurate. Come on guys, get your stories straight.

Maybe the owners of the track should take a look at the stands on race night. The seats are empty and it's not the sport of racing that keeps the fans away.

The same rules should apply to all divisions in the prostock race. A couple of cars caused a caution, and guess what? They were put to the back.

Why? Because they don't carry a certain number on their car and are painted the wrong color.

To Matt and his pit crew, we heard you were no longer racing, but you would be letting your fans and sponsors down. If you're not racing, there will be a lot more empty seats. Hope to see you and the crew on Sunday. Keep your chin up.

Nancy Stennick

Geary, N.B.

Politicians are correct in this case

Re: Story called Veterans Affairs minister, Scott trade barbs over Agent Orange money

I read with interest the story of the "finger pointing" between Fredericton MP Andy Scott and Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson regarding the Agent Orange compensation package.

This is an occasion where the two parties are correct.

They both did nothing.

Art Connolly

London, Ont.