Book Review: Irving vs. Irving

Being a student, one of the best parts of summer is the chance to trade my school readings for a good book. With exams over, I took the opportunity to finally get down to reading Jacques Poitras' Irving vs. Irving, which came out in September of 2014. Anyone who knows even a little about New Brunswick knows that the Irving family plays an immense role in the province's economy. In many ways, this role-if not dominance-is visible to anyone who so much as passes through the province: you'll likely fill-up with Irving gasoline, be passed by Irving trucks on the highway, and see signs for numerous attractions named after or featuring the Irving family and its companies. There is, however, a lot more below the visible surface, from the companies owned by family members (including trucking, rail, and food companies) to the Irving's role in provincial politics. Irving vs. Irving focuses, primarily, on one of those Irving-dominated industries in particular: print media.

   Himself a former employee of both the Telegraph-Journal and the Times-Transcript, Poitras uses Irving ownership of virtually all English-language print media in the province (and some French-language print media) as a vehicle for exploring the dynamics of New Brunswick's wealthiest family. In particular, Poitras often zeroes in on the apparent, if not inherent, conflicts of interest involved in coverage of Irving-centric stories. Through this lense, Poitras takes us through a chunk of New Brunswick history, Irving history, and the history of the newspapers themselves.

   Irving vs. Irving is a well-written, and extremely well-researched book that offers a look into an important NB topic. Poitras has an approachable and thorough writing style. The story of the Irvings can at times be hard to follow- Poitras provides charts, such as family trees, to help clarify, and gives the occasional reminder of just who he is talking about, making it a little easier to grasp exactly what is going on.

For those not from the region, Irving vs. Irving provides an excellent backgrounder on the Irving family, with an in-depth look at the family's role in NB media. In doing so, Poitras also gives helpful nods to other topics- events in NB politics, provincial dynamics and, perhaps most interestingly, the limitations of small news markets. Anyone who would like to get a closer grasp on these elements of New Brunswick would be well advised to read this book.

For those from the Maritimes, Poitras provides an important investigative-style account of aspects that play a major role in NB (and, at times, regional) politics. The background and insights provided by Irving vs. Irving are, in my opinion, important for anyone interested in the issue of media in the Maritimes.

Fredericton's Lovely, Lovely Trails

One of the best things about Fredericton in the summer, hands down no doubt, is being outdoors. I've always been a fan of a run jaunt leisurely stroll through Odell Park, or a walk along the river. But what I've discovered this year is just how great Fredericton's network of trails is. This Handy Dandy Trails Map shows 17 different official trails. There's quite a variation in them- a few aren't actually connected to the network, but take you around parks or tracks. The rest generally link up, meaning that not only are they great for exercising on a beautiful day, but they make a great way to get around town too-the fact that many are on old rail beds means that they generally take you everywhere you need to go, including straight through the middle of downtown. This summer, I've actually made a point of commuting on my bike as much as possible-and hope to write a post about utilitarian cycling in the near future.

Seriously though, this could be your commute.

Commuting aside, Fredericton's trails have become my new weekend pastime, especially on nice days, and so today's focus is more on recreation and making the trails network a part of your visit or day out.

The Trails
  South Riverfront Trail Number 3 on the trails map (link above), this path follows the South bank of the Saint John River between Waterloo Row and the Delta Hotel. Most of the path is paved, with the exception of the short portion between the walking bridge (more on that great spot below) and the park fronting Waterloo Row. This trail passes a number of the City's main attractions, and offers spectacular views of the river.

Lincoln Trail Number 6 on your handy-dandy map ,the Lincoln trail starts at the South end of the pedestrian bridge, following a tree-lined path between the houses of Town Plat to the University, and then veering East, following a gentle slope up a cliff overlooking the Princess Margaret Bridge and the Saint John River before sloping back down towards the river near the Potato Farm. This path is paved from the bridge through to near the potato farm, and is a good way to get to the market and the universities, takes you through some older neighbourhoods (with some earlier houses still visible), and connects conveniently to most of the other paths. Connects to the Trans Canada Trail

  Crosstown Trail Number 8 on the map, this one is more utilitarian than anything else, bridging the distance between the Lincoln Trail near UNB, and the Valley Trail near the Exhibition grounds. It's not paved the whole way, and parts of it follow along the streets. This is one of the more confusing paths.
  Valley Trail Number four on the map, picks up where the Crosstown leaves off and follow the south bank of the river west of Fredericton. I can't write as much about this one since I've yet to have the pleasure, but based off where it goes, I expect fantastic river views.
  North Riverfront Trail Number 11. This trail runs between the walking bridge and the Nashwaak Commons on the North Side of the river. This path offers some really great views of the river and takes you through some nice parks (and past an assortment of businesses). There is a big caveat though: the condition of the trail between the Westmoreland Street Bridge and Carleton Park (near the walking bridge) varies from small path perched near the river, to steep tiny path. Heed the signs that warn of rough trails ahead!
  Northside Trail Number 12 on the good ol' map,this trail heads west from the Trail Visitor Centre, starting through the backs of neighbourhoods heading behind houses, and eventually veering closer to the river. This one provides a useful connection between the different trails on the North Side, and would probably be useful for commuting. Paved.
 






  Nashwaak Trail 14 Follows from the walking bridge on the west side of the Nashwaak River. Much of this path feels isolated, though it actually heads behind neighbourhoods and houses. The trail pops out near Marysville providing access to services, then heads back into the woods and over a great walking bridge with lovely views. Connects to the NB trail.
  Gibson Trail Number 15, connects the Trail Visitor Centre and Marysville, on the East bank of the Nashwaak River, although it goes further away from the river than the Nashwaak Trail tends to. Along this trail is Hyla Park, an amphibian preserve.
Pedestrian Bridge (Left) Number 1 on your map, this former rail bridge provides fantastic views of the river and both sides of the city, while connecting the North and South sides.









  Suggested Routes If you've been following my blog (or you've read back), you'll know that I previously did a post with a suggested walking tour downtown. The nice thing about the bike trails is that they actually reach most of the attractions you'll want to see downtown, connect to several hotels, and provide an alternative, tree-lined, and more leisurely route. I've also added a route that takes you a bit further out of town into Marysville.

Take a lunch! Eat in a park! 

  Touristy Downtown Fredericton The South Riverfront Trail and the Lincoln Trail (up to UNB) provide a good combined route that actually takes in most of Fredericton's main sites. The Legislature, the Garrison District, the Playhouse, the Former Governor's Residence and the Beaverbrook Gallery are all on Queen Street, just off this path (the Gallery actually sits on the path itself).







Things will be great!

From the trail, follow the overpass (sign pictured left) for easy access to City Hall and the arts and crafts shops of the Garrison District. This route also offers signs for attractions (pictured right), easy bike parking, washrooms, and the tourist information centre.





Beaverbrook, the Legislature and the Playhouse are actually more easily reached by turning off the path where it reaches the statue picture left-this offers the advantage of following the direction of traffic on Queen, which is one way, though bike parking is harder to come by, and signage is lacking.

From the Walking Bridge, follow the lovely tree-lined Lincoln Trail south, passing many older homes. The Fredericton Farmers' Market can be reached by turning off the path at George Street (pictured left when travelling north. Travelling south from the bridge, turn off at the first street the trail crosses).







The Crown Plaza Hotel's parking lot, (sign pictured left) and the Delta Hotel are both located right on the pathway. Bike rentals are available near the Lighthouse on the Green, and bike parking is available at the Library and the Lighthouse, amongst other locations.









  Loop Through Marysville The architecture of the former mill town of Marysville has always been some of my favourite in the city. The Nashwaak Trail and the Gibson Trail make a near-perfect loop through this area: from the TVC, pick one and head north until you reach the aptly-named Bridge street, cross over the bridge, and then head back down the other side. If you want to see more of the architecture, head east up the hill on Bridge St. for a few blocks. While heading along the Gibson trail, the Hyla Nature Park makes for a worth while stop.

  A few tips

Guidance Signs Notice that the name of the trail appears in the blue box, attractions (and their distance) in the green section, and little markers for washrooms and food in smaller blue boxes at the bottom. If you're coming from the US, remember that a Km is 1000 metres, and that a mile is about 1.6 Km or 1600m. See the picture on the left for an example.


Trail Maps are located at strategic locations along the trails, on big signs (left).

Parking is not always the easiest thing to come by, but can be found in many parks, as well as at the Lighthouse on the Green and the Fredericton Public Library

Shared Use Fredericton's trails are mixed-use. This means that, no matter whether you're biking, running with a friend, or walking with a stroller, all these other uses are also going on at the same time on the same paths. Bikes are supposed to be limited to 15 Km/h, yield to pedestrians, and ring their bells when they pass-if you're biking, keep these rules in mind. If you're not on a bike, remember that not everyone follows these to a T. Paths are much busier weekends and, of course, nice days.

Kids I wanted to make this a separate note. Pathways are great for families, especially on weekends and sunny days. Both people with kids and all other trail users need to keep in mind that sometimes kids are a bit unpredictable-I've seen way too many situations where parents aren't watching kids, or are watching them but let them run into the path of oncoming bikes. Similarly, bikes need to make sure to yield to kids (who, as pedestrians, have right of way), exercise extra caution around them.

Trail Visitor Information Centre (TVC) is located just past the pedestrian bridge on the North Side, and has bathrooms, water for dogs, and information.

As a final note, especially for people from out of town, it's important to be aware that while Fredericton's trails are excellent, they're not 100% perfect. Sometimes you'll see curb cuts that are missing, trails that unexpectedly become dirt paths or sidewalks, or cross the street without warning, and signs may be missing. Signage is better on some paths than others, but still often lacks indications for tourist attractions.

Back into the swing of things

Well folks, I've decided that it's time to get down to blogging once again. Yes yes, I know that the summer is already well in full swing, but better late than never, right? Over the course of the next few weeks, you can also, hopefully, expect to see some changes to the way this blog works. I'll be updating some of the info sections, fixing the tags that somehow went a bit askew, etc. I do, however, hope to get into some more in-depth content and return to the more narrative style I'd always intended this blog to have (hence this chatty little post. You'll also notice a change in what I'm writing about-I'm travelling less than in previous years, which will mean more articles focusing on familiar places, more posts about books/culture/news/events, etc. And now, without further ado, onto that post I was promising....