Letters: Hold the line on assessments; indoor tennis facility needed

Article content

When will Moncton get proper indoor tennis facility?

Can you tell me why there is no dedicated indoor tennis facility in the Greater Moncton Area? While the CEPS facility at the Université de Moncton does provide some court time, its mandate is mostly to serve the student population, which means the general public has limited opportunities to play tennis.

The time has come for the people of the Greater Moncton Area to have a facility that will allow them to play their favorite sport all year round, regardless of weather. Several other sport groups in our area, such as soccer, basketball, hockey, squash, and volleyball, are fortunate to have this option. So why can’t tennis? Tennis is not solely a summer sport. It can be played all year with the right facilities. Also, being an individual sport, tennis is ideal for people less inclined to play to team sports.

As soon as fall arrives, tennis players in our area must travel to Fredericton, Truro or Halifax to get easy access to courts. This is why I am proposing a project to build an indoor tennis facility be undertaken. This project could include other racquet sports, such as pickleball. The number of adult and junior players is more than enough to make this project feasible. So, this begs the question: Shouldn’t officials in the Greater Moncton Area be sitting down with various stakeholders to develop a project that will be the envy of other cities, while meeting the needs of its residents? Everyone knows sports and health go hand in hand, so let’s all work together to make this a reality.

Johanne Leger

Shediac

Shortly after COVID hit, Ontario and Western families started an influx of migration to the east,  getting top dollar for their homes and buying comparable homes for a fraction of  what they sold theirs for. More power to them. Even with the skyrocketing prices in the east they would still have a handsome bank account after buying a home. 

Because of this migration, and the high prices that were paid, most New Brunswick property owners are looking at significant increases in their property assessments for the last two years. A one time event ,such as COVID, should not ignite assessment values out of control. Home prices have stabilized. Once assessments go up they rarely come down. 

New Brunswick property owners should not be penalized because of these ridiculous high prices. Minister Mary Wilson stated the strong real estate market is largely responsible for the higher than normal property assessments. Both local and provincial governments set the stage for the end result. Depending on who you talk to, blame is the easy way out.

Most local governments held the line or made minor cuts to the tax rate, but the province went into overdrive and sent shock waves with some assessments up nearly 50 per cent. This is unacceptable. 

With the high cost of living, would it not make sense for the powers to be to at least hold the line on property assesements?  

Bud Cavanagh 

Saint John