City prepares for the added business, and well...getting along. Matt Carter Photo Kyle Cunjak

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By Matt Carter Photo by Kyle Cunjak

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As the temperature slowly drops, the leaves begin to turn, and the city prepares for another change of season, Frederictonians are getting ready to welcome back new and returning students for another university year. It's estimated this annual swell in population averages close to 12,000 people, raising the population of the city centre by over one-fifth.

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For a city with two major universities and a number of colleges, this dramatic influx of minds and bodies means many things to many people. For local businesses, it means increased sales and the hiring of extra staff. For the local government, returning students can bring new challenges in creating harmony with permanent residents, and finally, for local law enforcement, it means stepped up patrols, community outreach, and a noticeable increase in the ever-popular noise complaint.

One of the first priorities for new and returning students is to seek out the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained. Fredericton's downtown restaurant and bar scene has an establishment for practically every students' needs and wants. Whether it's live music and drink specials, or just a simple, cozy corner to meet with friends, Fredericton's downtown has it all.

Frank Scott, owner of The Lunar Rogue Pub on King Street has been welcoming students to his business since his doors first opened in 1989. He agrees that students have a definite affect on the local food and beverage industry, and that the effect is felt immediately upon their return.

"Students do have a direct impact. There's no doubt about it," he said. "There's definitely a surge in business, especially in the first couple months while they all have a few bucks in their pockets and want to check out all the bars and find good places to eat and socialize."

While the downtown area offers a little something for everyone's tastes, Scott feels each establishment attracts its own unique crowd.

"We tend to attract the third, fourth, and fifth year students, the more mature students looking for quality products like different kinds of drafts and things like that," said Scott. "I find the younger first and second year students are looking more for the cheap beer deals and the cheap prices, where the more mature student is looking to develop their pallet by looking for more interesting things like higher-end type beers and craft beers like Picaroons." According to Scott, students are always out to find three things when eating. They want good food and good prices without any major wait-time, something he feels his business is known for.

"Students want good food, that's cheap and fast," he said. "You can't always find the two of them. If it's cheap, it isn't usually fast, or if it's good, then it's most likely not going to be cheap." With all these people out to discover what Fredericton has to offer, transportation can be a major issue.

Wanda Poster of Budget Cab knows just how much of an impact the student population has on the city taxi business.

"In the taxi industry, the business goes up when the students come back," she said. "It's the same for everyone. We have to hire more drivers every year at this time. Things slow down when the students go away and things pick up again when they come back. That's just the way the business is in Fredericton." Things definitely do pick up all over town and not just on the business side of things. With so many new residents moving into the area, there's often an adjustment period for city residents living near campus or in major student housing areas, as both the students and the area residents struggle to achieve a certain level of balanced respect.

Last year, the area around Graham Avenue, one the city's most well known student villages, made headlines with a number of wild parties that involved burning couches on city streets and in private driveways. As a result of this action, city council formed the good neighbours/good neighbourhood sub committee as part of the of mayor's working committee on community/university relations. Bringing members of the Landlords' Association, city council, and representatives from both universities, together with the police, and fire departments as well as the area's long-term residents, the committee's goal is to establish means to a harmonious existence between residents and students.

"The challenges this year are going to be fairly evident," said Jordan Graham, city councillor for the UNB/East end area. "It's a community built around two completely different demographics. You have a really young, vibrant, dynamic community meeting with a more established and family focused community. There are a lot of people that blend really well there, but there are also individuals that don't want to contribute to the community, and that's where the problem comes from," he said. "We're going to see the regular things like couches probably. There's also going to be the noise problems, and I'm sure there'll be a few alcohol problems as well." Graham sat on the UNB student council last year before becoming a city councillor. His involvement with the this new city sub committee is expected to help communication from all angles.

"Last year we developed an action plan," said Graham. "It's pretty broad and targets just how we deal with things like garbage left behind by students in the neighbourhood. It's expensive to have garbage removed so a lot of this stuff ends up on the sides of the streets," he said. "We're also going to address things like landlord responsibilities, so a part of what we're doing is educating the business owners on the hill so they know what they're liabilities are. Essentially, we want to educate the young people and the permanent residents so everyone knows what they're responsibilities are. I think if people knew more about these issues, they'd be more conscientious about how they go about doing certain things," he said.

"Hopefully some of the issues we've been working on will curb some of the problems we've seen in the past," said Graham. "I hope to have a stronger presence within the community and help create an awareness of what an individual's responsibilities are in terms of being a good neighbour." The city police are also involved in welcoming the students back.

As Constable Ralph Currie, spokesperson for the Fredericton City Police explains, they try to take a more proactive approach in making their presence known, over the typical reactive one.

"There's reactive policing and there's proactive policing," he said. "We've taken a more proactive approach over the last few years than we probably have in the past and we're seeing some success. Having our people up there speaking with the student population, as a public relations sort of thing is important. We'd rather do that and not have people call about loud parties, loud music, or chairs on fire in the streets, because then when we go to that stuff, it's all reactive," he said.

"Our neighbourhood action team officers liaise with the community groups that work with the students to educate them on what they should know, like what the different laws are here in Fredericton. There are always students coming in from different areas that need to be made aware of what the bylaws are. When you get students coming in from different areas of the province, different parts of the country, and even different countries, we feel this education is essential."

Frosh week can be especially taxing on permanent residents as students let lose before buckling down for the term. This week has practically become a tradition on any campus and is commonly associated with its wild, rowdy parties that can easily get out of hand.

"Frosh week, we gear up for that," said Currie. "No one from our outfit is on leave that week. That gives the extra resources to put a little bit more body emphasis up in that area."

Fredericton has indeed, learned to roll with the rise and fall of its population based on fall's returning students and their spring departure. Businesses, government, and law enforcement practices have all been shaped by this annual routine of expanding and contracting. It's a unique dynamic that always proves to be both exciting and challenging. Such is life in a university town.