Huddle’s Top 10 Stories From New Brunswick In 2021
New Brunswick is changing – faster this year than in a long time – and the stories our readers cared most about this year all touch on that change.
Many highlight major developments happening in New Brunswick’s cities. These projects are a reflection of the rapid growth the province is experiencing and the pressure that’s putting on the housing market.
That housing pressure doesn’t just mean a bunch of big new buildings popping up in cities. It’s also felt at a very personal level, as evidenced by stories from people like Josh Murphy and Nikki Fournier, who almost lost their home after their landlord jacked up their rent by $2,000.
Of course, you were also hungry for news about Covid-19 and, as always, interested in the new businesses opening in your communities.
Here’s a list of our 10 most-read New Brunswick stories from 2021:
Moncton Landlord Reverses Decision to Increase Rent by $2,000 After Couple Speaks Out
One of the biggest stories in 2021 has been the housing crisis gripping the province.
As more people moved to New Brunswick, places to live have been harder to come by. That’s given shady landlords a license to jack up rents.
Josh Murphy, Nikki Fournier, and their infant son were facing a $2,000 rent increase. But after they went public their landlord backed down.
This story highlighted the power landlords can have over tenants in a province with relatively lax tenancy laws.
New Saint John Apartment Building Will Be A South End ‘Landmark’
The nine-storey apartment building planned near Saint John’s Tin Can Beach will be a striking addition to the area.
Many see it as a catalyst for more development in an area of the city that’s been underutilized.
As migration into New Brunswick has picked up, cities like Saint John are faced with increasing pressure on their housing markets. Readers’ keen interest in this story shows how much that’s being felt by residents.
N.B. Top Doctor Hopes To Share ‘Good News’ For Moncton, Edmundston
At times this year, New Brunswick struggled to keep Covid-19 outbreaks contained. Nowhere was that more evident than in Moncton and Edmundston.
This story about potential “good news” for the cities came as both were in the middle of harsh lockdowns, when residents were hungry for information and desperate for some good news.
Fredericton Planning Committee Approves Plan for 96 Affordable Tiny Homes
Former Radian6 CEO Marcel Lebrun’s plan to build a community of affordable tiny homes, supported by a social enterprise centre, was big news in Fredericton this year.
Lebrun’s not-for-profit organization is trying to tackle the city’s housing crisis in a new way, so the project got a lot of attention.
Lebrun—and this project—represents a new generation of business leaders who are turning away from straight profit-driven motives and using their resources to try and affect positive change in their communities.
Mrs. Dunster’s Owners Will No Longer Acquire Vermont Baking Company
Two weeks after Mrs. Dunsters announced the launch of a new company in Vermont, the beloved New Brunswick baking company had to go back on its plans.
Mrs. Dunster’s had planned to acquire a Vermont bakery but the business was snapped up from under them at the last minute by an American conglomerate.
Mrs. Dunster’s co-owner Blain Hyslop told Huddle he saw the failed deal as another example of big companies continuing their growth at the expense of regional players.
New Owners Of ‘Ritchie Building’ In Saint John Will Add Upper-Floor Apartments
The Ritchie Building is home to popular Saint John bar O’Leary’s. But the building had been falling into disrepair.
When new investors from Ontario bought the building and promised renovations, people were keen to learn more—especially since they promised to build apartments on the largely unused second floor.
Greco Returning To East Saint John After 10 Years
Greco has been a staple in the Atlantic Canadian pizza game for decades.
So of course our readers wanted to learn more when the homegrown chain announced it was coming back to East Saint John after a decade-long hiatus.
Moncton Developer Purchases Former Bell Aliant Building
Thrive Properties is a major player in the Moncton Development scene, with about 180 acres of property it plans to develop into a multi-residential apartment complex.
The former Bell Aliant building on Mapleton Road had been on the market for years, so when Thrive bought it readers were understandably interested in their plans.
The company later said it wanted to turn the building into a kind of headquarters.
Moncton Couple’s New Business Will Help You Up Your Charcuterie Game
Maybe it was because everyone was locked in their homes looking for ways to treat themselves. Maybe it was the popularity of Luc Doucet’s Black Rabbit Restaurant. Maybe it was just Monctonians’ keen interest in the new businesses opening in their community.
Whatever the reason, Huddle readers were extra interested in the opening of Doucet and his wife’s new Charcuterie business in Moncton.
Downtown Fredericton Apartment Building Under Construction Already Full
More evidence of the pressure on New Brunswick’s housing and rental market is how quickly new developments are filling up.
Developer Tony George’s new, nine-storey building in Fredericton is a great example.
The building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022, but in April 2021 George told Huddle the units had already all been claimed.
