SAINT JOHN - Last Wednesday evening will prove to be a watershed for uptown development. Common Council voted 8-3 to award a $ 20.6-million tender to build a new police headquarters in the historic city centre district. What else could bring people back from the suburbs and encourage more visitors to the city?

SAINT JOHN - It's been a mixed bag here in the Port City lately. Tuesday marked the 225th anniversary of the incorporation of Canada's 'original city'; Commercial Properties presented a town clock at the corner of King & Prince William streets, with organizers putting on a gala celebration at Harbour Station marking the beginning of an eight month extravaganza. The day before the festivities, marked the beginning of $35 million worth of construction work on the Saint John Harbour Bridge. Harbour Passage, the pedestrian route between the North End and West Side of the city and Uptown, is to be effectively closed this summer, autumn & next year (photos here). See you in 2012!

HALIFAX - If you happened to be one of the many unlucky car owners who left their cars parked on your neighbourhood street on the night of December 14th, you would have woken up to a $50 ticket on your windshield. With nary a snow flake on the ground or in the forecast, welcome to HRM's Winter Parking Ban [PDF] (not to go off on a tangent, but this is a document that equates pedestrian traffic with congestion... uh what?). Merry Christmas! The Grinch came by early.