Item
St. Croix Courier
Feb 2/1993
Algonquin on the rise. (Photo of wing under construction. Roof partly in place; work on overhanging gables proceeding)
St. Croix Courier
Feb 23/1993a
Another shot of new wing under construction. Another March 16/1993. Caption: "It looks a little like Chateau Lake Louise." Exterior work largely complete.
St. Croix Courier
March 30/1993
Algonquin Expansion—final completion in June. (Part to be ready May 12)
St. Croix Courier
May 11/1993
Photo—Algonquin Opens next week. Equip. still in place near wing.
Telegraph Journal
May 11, 1993
Stephanie Brown
Minister's Island will be open to the pedestrian public during the tourist season, town council announced Monday night at its monthly meeting. The island will be open only to make the public aware of this additional attraction, and no formal plans have been made for the island's development. Councillor Walter Kozak said proposals from individuals or small groups interested in accessing the island for tourism promotion have been received.
According to Minister of Supply and Services Laureen Jarrett, the province put an ad in the newspapers for the proposals, and four have been received. "We are looking at the viability of those now," she said in the legislature May 5. "we are opening the island up for the public and small tourist events in order to make people are of the facility."
There is a beautiful mansion on the Island, and one of the rooms will be prepared for outside meetings," she added. Jarrett said there were no plans for a $21 million renovation scheme for the island as mentioned in the legislature, which include the expansion of the mansion into a 50-room facility
CAMPBELL, A. Kim
Prime Minister of Canada
Progressive Conservative 1993.06.25 - 1993.11.03
St. Croix Courier
June 1/1993
Algonquin unveils expansion at June gala.
Completion of a $10 million expansion of the Algonquin Resort will be celebrated next Wednesday. Fifty-four new guest rooms and suites will be unveiled during a reception for media, guests and dignitaries. Over the years, The Algonquin has undergone a number of renovations and expansions to keep pace with the growing demands of the modern tourist. As part of the Phase II expansion plans, New Brunswick Architects Gerald J. Gaudet Architect Ltd. Designed a three-story new wing which continued The Algonquin's unique architecture and striking façade around the front lawns and gardens. The new interiors house the most modern of facilities and are linked with the main building by an enclosed walkway at the second floor level. The corridor is designed to present an attractive gateway-like entrance from the existing late 1800's manor house architecture—a well known trade mark of the Algonquin.
Phase I of the expansion initiative was completed and in use in July of 1991. This earlier property development resulted in two conference and banquet rooms of 400 seats each, an expanded health spa featuring racquet ball and squash, and a roof garden. "Expansion was necessary to improve the profitability," says Jim Frise, general manager. "With the limitations of a five-month season it is extremely important to be able to accommodate the demand highs as they come—this reduces the overhead cost ration sending more of the revenues to the bottom line." Frise states that, "Although interrupted somewhat by the recession, there is a positive demand trend from a variety of market segments for the Algonquin as a resort destination. This momentum is very much influenced by recent renovations throughout the property, and ongoing improvements in service standards which have contributed to customer satisfaction."
Situated in south-western New Brunswick, overlooking the historic seaside town of St. Andrews by-the-sea and only 30 minutes from Maine, The Algonquin is Atlantic Canada's Premier Resort. It is considered the largest and most complete resort east of Quebec. The Algonquin now offers 250 guest rooms, 16,000 square feet of conference space, a variety of restaurants and lounges, live entertainment and recreational facilities, as well as children's programs for family vacationers.
St. Croix Courier
June 13/1993
Walker Estate to be auctioned.
One of St. Andrews' biggest attractions to residents and tourists is its number of magnificent summer homes and family estates. On June 19, the mansion known locally as the Walker Estate will be sold at absolute auction, with the opening big at $550,000. The home will be sold to the highest bidder over the opening bid. The estate has been valued at $1,250,l000. "If the property goes at $550,000, it would be a shame for the owners," says Helen Langley of Prudential Preferred Properties. The summer home at 109 Reed Ave., was built at the turn of the century by E. C. Walker of the Hiram Walker Distillery family. "The Walker Estate Auction will prove to be most exciting to all parties involved and most rewarding to the winning bidder—the buyer," says President and Auctioneer of Vendors Auctioneers of Canada Ltd. Ken Maynard. The vendor has made extensive renovation to the estate. The main level features large principle rooms with strip hardwood floors and 10-foot ceilings. It also boasts a library, complete with bookshelves, fireplace and French doors. The impressive formal atmosphere of the dining room and living room also include fireplaces. The designer kitchen and breakfast areas, as well as the main staircase rising from the grand entrance, have plenty of natural light. Three Walkouts lead from the kitchen and breakfast area to a large patio are the perfect places for brunches or barbecues. The estate includes 11.5 acres of property and is adjacent to the Algonquin Golf course for a quarter mile.
St. Croix Courier
June 13/1993
Part 6 of 6 on heritage. "The Algonquin an echo of the past that has adjusted to the present in order to sustain in the future."
St. Croix Courier
June 13?/1993
CP Rail talks to town and to landowners
Land owners are concerned over their legal rights once they purchase right-of-way property from CP's Railway.
The CP corporation met with more than 30 residents yesterday morning at the Algonquin Hotel to discuss possible land sale of the railway's property. The right-of-way properties in question extend from Limeburner's Lake into the town of St. Andrews and follow down to the Lighthouse Restaurant. Within that area, there is 9.7 miles of track with a width of 100 feet. It is 120 acres.
The total value of the proposal is about $800,000, according to Marc LaPierre, manager of land marketing for CP. The extension has been divided into three regions, the lake region, non-urban region and the urban region.
CP Resorts and Hotels
The Algonquin
Canada Post put Stamp on the Algonquin Resort
For Release: Tuesday June 1/1993
Following closely to the official June 9/1993 opening of The Algonquin Resort's expansion and addition of 54 new guest rooms, The Algonquin will also have the honor of having its image depicted on a Canadian Postage Stamp. Canada Post Corporation is commemorating five Canadian landmark "railway" hotels. The presentation of the stamps artwork depicting the legendary Algonquin, will be held in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea for invited guests on Monday, June 14 on The Algonquin's Roof Top Garden.
The Algonquin, originally owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), is managed by Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts (CPHR) for its owners, the Province of New Brunswick, and is one of the five properties in the CPHR chain to be represented in the upcoming stamp collection. The Algonquin, originally built in 1889, is revered for its unique manor-style architecture and picturesque setting. The majestic resort overlooks the seaside town of St. Andrews on the coast of New Brunswick. Other landmark properties to be represented in the 1993 Canada Post stamp collection include Le Chateau Frontenac, The Royal York, Banff Springs and The Empress.
Officiating at the stamp presentation will be the Atlantic Division General Manager of Canada Post Corporation, Mr. Steve Cameron and The Algonquin's General Manager Mr. J. W. Frise.
"Canada Post Corporation is pleased to have Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts as the official sponsor of the 1993 Historic Hotels stamps issue," says Steve Cameron of Canada Post. "This new stamp issue will pay tribute to five fine examples of Canadian architecture and allow these historic hotels to be showcased."
The Algonquin's Jim Frise states that, "This wonderful national recognition is testimony to the meaningful role which The Algonquin has played as a renowned vacation destination for over 100 years. The stamp spotlights the property's re-emergence as Atlantic Canada's Premiere resort and its significance as part of our Tourism package locally, provincially and nationally."
About the Algonquin:
It was the age of the great railways when The Algonquin first opened its doors in 1889, under the ownership of the St. Andrews Land and Algonquin Hotel companies. In 1901 T. G. Shaughnessy and Sir William Van Horne of the Canadian Pacific Railway offered to purchase the property and in 1903 the sale of the property to the CPR was finally secured and reported to the public. Many of the Canadian Pacific Hotels existed as way-stations for the weary traveller, as "urban" hotels in remote settings for visiting royalty and heads of state, or as resort hotels for the privileged. Over its 104 year history The Algonquin has had broad appeal, attracting visitors from Canada, US and Europe. It is well known to tourists for its traditional charm and its high standards in comfort and convenience.
The Algonquin has entered its second century of operation and has emerged as one of the finest resorts found in Eastern Canada or New England. To its credit, the property boasts having recently completed a 3-floor conference facility, including a 400 seat banquet room, a 450 seat meeting room, a roof top garden terrace, a racquetball/squash court and the 1993 addition of 54 new guest rooms and suites for a total of 250 rooms.
Stamp information:
The five hotels will be depicted on stamps available in a booklet to be issued on June 14, 1993. The hotels will also be reproduced on a five postcard set. The stamp booklet and first day covers will be available at the St. Andrews Post Office, The Algonquin's gift shop and selected postal outlets across Canada.
For further information: Melanie Coates, Director of Media Relations.
Telegraph Journal
June 9/1993
Algonquin Hotel Launches New Wing Today
Brian Kemp
This town will be the scene of a really big show today. The Algonquin Hotel is celebrating the completion of a $10 million expansion project with a launch ceremony starting today at four o'clock.
More than 250 invited guests, including representatives from the provincial government, will be in attendance for the opening of the new 54-room wing. Along with the dignitaries, the hotel has invited some old time guests of the resort to witness a ceremony which features live entertainment, a ribbon cutting and a ceremonial smashing of a bottle of champagne on the building. The Algonquin is over 100 years old. With the new addition it now offers over 250 guest rooms and 16,000 square feet of conference space. In 1991 it was honored as Canada's resort of the year.
Hotel general manager Jim Frise has high hopes the additional conference space will put the Algonquin on a "new market level." "Corporations are looking for everything under one roof. With the additional space we will be able to handle larger crowds in one room." Frise, who has been general manager of the hotel since 1985, says the new wing will allow the hotel to cut a niche in the profitable market of corporation getaways.
Hotel bookings for conventions have picked up since the addition of the new wing, Frise said. In July, the Algonquin is hosting the annual Maine State Bar Association's annual meeting. More than 400 lawyers will descend on the town for three days. "You figure at $500 to $1,000 a head, a lot of money is going to be pumped into the local economy," Frise said.
The $10 million expansion project was completely funded by the provincial government. The first phase, which resulted in the addition of two banquet rooms of 400 seats each, was completed in 1991. Frise didn't' back down from defending the hotel from critics who have maintained spending $10 million on the expansion of a hotel is not warranted in a time of fiscal restraint. "It's important to keep things in perspective when looking at the money spent on the Algonquin. A lot of people look at the health cuts and other government cuts and criticise money being spent on a hotel. The thing is the government has to have some sort of revenue generator, and that's what we are." The Town of St. Andrews is going to be the main beneficiary of the spin-offs, Frise maintains. "I think over the next few years we will prove our worth."
St. Croix Courier
July 6/1993
Shiretown eyes expropriation of CP right-of-way land. (Jim Stewart opposed, of course)
St. Croix Courier
Sept 7/1993
Chuck Brown joins Courier.
T. Journal
July 30, 1993
Hundreds Flock to Island to Glimpse Van Horne History
Stephanie Brown
Minister's Island has been visited by roughly 700 people in the two weeks the island has formally been open to the public. As many as 90 people ventured to the island on one tour.
People are welcome to access through the island at scheduled tour times with their own transportation, or take HMS escorted tours to the island. The basic tour includes driving over the bar (ocean floor) to the island, visiting Covenhoven, the former summer home of the Van Horne family, the bathhouse with its tidal swimming pool, the livestock barn, and the view from Chaisse's Hill.
Sir William Van Horne was the man who, as the tour pamphlet reads, "was able to almost single-handedly lay down thousands of miles of twisted steel, uniting the nation from seaboard to seaboard, during the 1880's."
Van Horne's first commercial connection with railways was in 1857 when at an early age he was hired as a telegrapher with the Illinois Central Railway Company. IN 1879 he became general superintendent with the large Chicago Alton Railway in 1879. On the last day of the year in 1881, Van Horne was chosen to head the construction of a $100 million plus coast to coast railway line, and moved to Winnipeg to begin the building of the CPR.
Over the next two years, the railway had been pushed even through the Rockies, and was far ahead of schedule. In 1888, Van Horne became CPR president, and was royall rewarded with a knighthood in 1894.
In the meantime, in 1890, William Van Horne was on a tour of New Brunswick's rail system when he was overcome with the beauty of the island and Passamaquoddy Bay. He then purchased the island, and constructed a 50-room summer home, named Covenhoven after his father, to where he boarded his family, friends and all of his servants onto a train, after wintering in Montreal. He completed the island simple beauty with flower meadows, trees and shrubs.
The Van Hornes continued to summer in St. Andrews, even after Sir William's death, until 1941, when his daughter Adeline passed away. The province purchased the island in 1977, the same year the entire island was declared a Protected Historic Site.
Ray Bishop, involved with the island's publicity and opening to the public, says visitors and town residents should check the St. Andrews tourist Welcome Center for complete tour listings and information. . . . All tour participants must remain together. No smoking is allowed on the island, nor household pets. Removal of any plants or disturbing any wildlife is forbidden. There are no picnic or food service facilities on the island, and no alcoholic beverages are permitted.
Developer Studying Minister's Island
Fredericton Gleaner
Nov 13, 1993
Sandy Morgan
Premier Frank McKenna announced to a group of community leaders in St. Andrews, plans a developer has proposed for Minister's Island. Once the summer residence of Sir William Van Horne, Minister's Island is now owned by the Province and its once magnificent buildings and gardens have fallen into a state of disrepair. Mr. McKenna was visiting St. Andrews yesterday as part of his cross-province, pre-election tour. "We have a major proposal in front of us for Minister's Island," said Mr. McKenna, "from very responsible people with a history of successful development."
He added that the company, that he did not name, also proposed the making a video and writing a book, "which would do for Minister's Island, what Anne of Green Gables has done for PEI," he said. He said the developer estimated "there would be 400,000 visitors to the island each year. It has impacts, both negative and positive and it's something you're going to have to think about."
Premier McKenna added the proposal represented a $35 million investment of both private and public funds, "but we aren't going to spend a nickel unless the people of St. Andrews want it."
St. Croix Courier
Nov 23/1993
Premier drops Island bomb. The Province has received and is studying a major proposal to purchase and develop Minister's Island. See A-2.
The province has received and is studying a major proposal to purchase and develop Minister's Island. premier Frank McKenna dropped the bombshell while attending a meeting of business and community leaders in St. Andrews last week. He told them the proposal comes from a very responsible people with a history of successful development in other places, but he refused to reveal who the developers are or where they are located. According to the premier, the total package is $35 million and would be a combination of public and private money. He says the developers feel they can attract 400,000 people to the St. Andrews area each year. Major facts of the proposal, as revealed by McKenna, include: purchase of the land on Ministers Island; rebuilding the historic gardens made famous by Sir William Van Horne; creating a working, historic farm; purchasing back the antique furniture which was on the island in previous days, presumably the furniture in Covenhoven, Van Horne's home, together with Van Horne paintings; development of a major health spa, including sea baths;; development of a health food restaurant; turning part of Covenhoven into a bed and breakfast. McKenna told the group the province would not spend a nickel on the development unless the people of St. Andrews want it, and he stressed he believes the developers are very serious about the proposal.
He wants to know if the development has community base support because moves on the proposal are going ahead very quickly. Mayor Ray Peterson says she was surprised by McKenna's comments which came following a presentation to the premier by Ray Bishop of the Minister's Island Advisory Committee. In the brief which Bishop gave to the premier, the committee asked the government not to sell the island because of its positive economic impact on the area in the future. Peterson wondered if Ministers Island should be brought within the St. Andrews municipal boundaries in view of the proposal but did not get a response from the premier on her question.
"We are always interested in plans which benefit the town,' Peterson says, "And I know everybody in this town has been really working to bring it alive, to made it vibrant again. This includes things like our heritage developments, the Regional Economic Conference, the wharf project.
"I don't know who the developers are or where the money is coming from but there are rumours it is North American in origin."
Bishop says the position of the Ministers Island Advisory Committee is to wait until they have more information. "I presume we will get this when we have the meeting on Dec. 8 in Fredericton with the departments of Supply and Services, Tourism and Heritage," he states. "We need more details on the proposal but our initial feeling is we want to approach it with a positive rather than negative reaction."
Bishop says his understanding is the proposal is just that. "What we know now is this us just in the proposal stages. Six years ago the Canadian Pacific had a proposal for 32 million. Now there is this new proposal but we need details. Do they plan to act soon? When will the government announce the money? When will the details come out? We all have a lot of interest in this but we need to know the coast and what the development means. We also need to know more about the numbers which would be attracted to the area. I think 400,000 people is a large group and unless there are facilities for them we could all be trampled to death. We'll just wait and see."
St. Croix Courier
Oct 15/1993
Blockhouse, gutted by fire in August, to be restored. Earl Caughey dies Sept. 27. 87 years old. Provincial court judge 1963; County court judge 1971. Queen's Bench 1979, retired 1981.
CHRÉTIEN, Jean Joseph Jacques
Prime Minister of Canada
Liberal 1993.11.04 - St. Croix Courier
St. Croix Courier
Dec 14/1993
Adjoining landowners purchase right-of-way. CP rejects offer from St. Andrews. See A-2.
Adjoining landowners have purchased the railway land abandoned by the Canadian Pacific Railway between Katy's Cove and the Bar Road. The unconditional sale, which took place November 30 for an undisclosed amount, involved nine landowners who acquire all of the interest in the right-of-way or easement held by the CPR adjoining their land. The agreement reached also states the landowners will, "upon the request of the Municipality of St. Andrews, grant it an easement or right for the installation and maintenance of a water line and sewerage line for the purposes of municipal services for the inhabitants of the Municipality of St. Andrews."
Controversy about the disposition of the right –of-way has plagued St. Andrews since the CPR announced it would abandon the railway in 1988. Under historic agreement, when the railway receives permission to abandon the railway, the right-of-way concerned is offered first to the federal government, then the provincial government and on refusal by those parties, the property traditionally is offered to the adjacent landowners. In February, 1988, the CPR gave advance notice it was requesting authority to abandon the operation of a portion of the St. Andrews Subdivision between mileage point 18.1 and the end of the line at mileage point 28.8 in St. Andrews.
There were subsequent meetings at various times involving the CPR, the province, the adjacent landowners and the town, the latter indicating an interest in acquiring the land to use as a recreational corridor. One of the adjacent landowners, Nancy Aitken, says several of the landowners from the various sections of the right-of-way met with Mayor Ray Peterson in September of 1992 to stress their concerns about safety, security, pollution, trespassing, noise and privacy. "In February, 1993, a questionnaire was sent to all known adjoining landowners. The response indicated that the adjoining landowners were opposed to a recreational corridor and favoured their right to purchase by a margin of two to one," she says. When the province decided not to acquire the rail line, Group Three, representing landowners from the Bar Road to the Gates at Katy's Cove, presented CP Rail an unconditional offer to purchase, an offer which CP eventually accepted.
"We were surprised to learn from CP Rail that the town was negotiating at the same time to purchase this land," says Aitken. "With more and more responsibilities bring transferred to the municipalities from the province, and many of our residents feeling that they are taxed to their limits, and in view of the fact that our town wharf is in such poor if not dangerous repair, that we are a maritime resort with no decent place to swim, I was very surprised that Town Council would consider purchasing something that the province walked away from after having g reviewed the issued of title, assessed the options and considered the liability that ownership would bring. I have cause to believe that the initial purchase cost to the town would have been over $150,000, followed by legal costs in addition to the future costs of maintenance, security safety and liability. CP Rail had informed the town that their water and sewage easement would be protected, which they are, and it was not indicated as a priority in the survey that the town concluded last summer."
In early fall, the St. Andrews Town Council approached the province to obtain authority to expropriate the land. Aitken says when property owners purchased the land they were aware there was a railway adjoining the property, but that it was not heavily used. "It was maybe a train a day," she says, "and it was in a way very quaint and appropriate. St. Andrews was a CP rail town. But to live beside a public trail for ATV's and snowmobiles is something that none of us ever imagined might happen. I'm not anti ATV's and snowmobiles, we own one, but that doesn't mean that I want to live beside a trail for them. These recreation groups are becoming very well organized. I think that it would be very difficult to spend money acquiring a trail and then turn around and prevent much of the public from using it. These trails certainly have their place but not less than 200 years from my front door."
Aitken says to consider the amount that such a trail would devalue her property is something she doesn't want to contemplate. "For most people your home is not just your home, it is your single biggest investment."