Highway 1 Accident Update

RCMP are still on Highway 1 at the scene of a three vehicle crash earlier today.Just before 11 o'clock, a cement truck, tractor trailer and car were involved in a crack up.One man was taken to hospital, and his injuries are not believed to be serious.The mounties brought down an accident reconstructionist from Moncton to examine the scene, and they are currently still on site.Traffic is moving extremely slow on the highway, as well as Rothesay Road.

President and CEO Of WorkSafeNB Responds to MLA Abel LeBlanc

President and CEO of WorksafeNB Doug Stanley is publicly addressing comments made by Lancaster MLA Abel LeBlanc that he is not doing his job.Stanley says entitlement to workers compensation benefits are determined by law and policy set out by WorksafeNB's board of directors.
He says he will not overrule a decision in favour of injured workers or employers based on political interference.
His comments come after LeBlanc publicly slammed Stanley during a news conference for injured worker Tammy Gray.

Business as Usual At Regional Health Authority B Facilities

A spokesperson for Regional Health Authority B says it's business as usual in the area in regards to medical isotopes.
Sonja Green Hache tells CHSJ News, procedures are still being conducted, and there are contingency plans in place if required.This comes after Atomic Energy of Canada reported the Chalk River reactor will be offline until the end of the year.
The reactor supplies a third of the world's medical isotopes, and early last month former health Minister Mike Murphy said if it stays down than rationalization will need to be used.

School Programs to be Reinstated

Here is some news educators across the province have been eagerly awaiting---the provincial government will be putting $2.9 million dollars towards reinstating services to school libraries and intervention programs.
Education Minister Roland Hache made the announcement after reviewing the department's budget, and consulting stakeholders.The money is coming from the Innovative Learning Fund, which Hache had put a freeze on.
The ILF will still exist, but at a budget of $1 million dollars rather than $5 million.
School districts and the department of education will be collaborating with union representatives in the coming weeks to ensure staff is in place before school opens in September.

Weston Needs More Details

[Saint John M-P Rodney Weston-----File Photo]

Even after a meeting with the Mayor, M-P Rodney Weston still wants further clarification on how the Harbour Clean Up project is in the red by $19 million dollars.Weston says he met with the Mayor yesterday and says a report from city staff is on it's way to his office.He tells CHSJ News, a particular cost is outlined under the agreement with the provincial, federal and municipal governments, and any further costs need to be explained.
The city has not requested more money from any level of government for the project, and Weston says if it's needed, he's not in a position right now to say if the feds will or will not give further funding.

Update on Highway 1 Accident

The RCMP are bringing an accident reconstructionist down from Moncton to help make sense of what happened on Highway 1 earlier this morning.Around 11 o'clock a cement truck, tractor trailer, and car were involved in an accident in front of the Dolan Road Irving service station.One man has been sent to the Regional, but his injuries are not believed to be serious. Traffic is expected to be moving slowly for most of the afternoon, as the eastbound lane is down to one.

Court Says Costs Were Unavoidable

Mayor Ivan Court says the cost of the Harbour Clean up has escalated due to unforeseeable factors.Court tells CHSJ News, over the past 4 years the price of materials has gone up nearly 24 per cent.He says the two major factors in going over budget is the cost of labour, and materials.Court says he will be giving more information today to M-P Rodney Weston about the project, and maybe possible ways to get the price tag down.
The comments come after Weston said the city is mishandling their projects, and wants to clearly understand how the project has gone $19 million dollars over budget.

Swine Flu Cases Jump to 20

There have now been 20 confirmed cases of the H1N1 swine flu virus in the province. The latest cases are two children - a boy and a girl - and a woman in her 40s from the Moncton area.

Deputy chief medical officer of health, Dr. Paul Van Buynder, says so far only one person has required hospitalization -- a woman in her 30s from northern New Brunswick ---and she is recovering. He says between 100 and 200 people from New Brunswick die each year due to the regular flu season.

Agri-Businesses Focusing on Local Markets

Atlantic Canada’s agricultural industry will need to focus on local markets in order to succeed in the future, according to a new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Report author Erin McGrath-Gaudet says the key to future growth lies in marketing goods within their local area.

She says Atlantic agri-businesses are also looking towards new niche markets that may attract a higher return-- such as crops for biofuels, organic crops and livestock.

Longshoreman Support Renaming of Park in their Honour

No objections from the Longshoreman's Association with one man's efforts to have the lower west side Market Square renamed in their honour. Business Agent, Pat Riley, tells CHSJ news the Longshoreman's Square may be the perfect name for the park and could be the right location for the old labourers bell.

Saint John resident John Campbell says longshoreman have done a lot for the West side community and deserve some recognition. City staff are researching the history behind the Market Square name and if council is able to change it.

Rothesay Road Reconstruction Already Over Budget

First it was Harbour Clean Up--with a cost over-run of nearly 20 million dollars--and now the project to reconstruct Rothesay Road is also over budget. City staff say the installation of sanitary sewer and storm sewers, along with reconstructing and paving Rothesay Road will cost 300 thousand dollars more than was planned for. Galbraith Construction has been awarded the tender for 2.8 million dollars.

300 thousand of the 400 thousand dollars set aside for the Howes Lake Landfill Closure will be used to offset the cost. Councillor Bill Farren says it's important to close the Howe's Lake Landfill and the money should not have been diverted to the Rothesay Road project.

Three Business Men to be Inducted into Business Hall of Fame

Three provincial business leaders have been named to the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame. The 2009 laureates are Glenn Cooke, the late Claude Savoie and Robert Zildjian. Cooke is the co-founder and CEO of Cooke Aquaculture in Blacks Harbour, Savoie founded Acadian Properties and established several businesses in Moncton and across the province, Zildjian founded SABIAN in 1981 in Meductic.

All three men will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at a gala dinner on October 20th at the Delta Beauséjour in Moncton.

Police Issue Bear Warning for West Side Residents

City Police are warning residents on the West side to watch out for bears. Sgt. Joe Ferrar tells CHSJ news there have been several sightings of a momma bear and her three large cubs over the past couple of weeks--particularly in the Montecristo Park and Gault Road areas. There have also been sightings along Ocean Westway. Ferrar says the bears are hungry and one family got a surprise last night while cooking when they saw a bear with its nose pressed up against their kitchen window.

Police are asking residents to keep all garbage and compost bins inside their homes or garages until the bears are caught using live-traps set up by the Department of Natural Resources.

Police Investigate Armed Robbery

City police are looking for one man in connection with an armed robbery last night at the Grove Lounge on Golden Grove Road. Police say one man entered the bar around 11 o'clock with a weapon and stole an undisclosed amount of money.

No one was hurt.

Quispamsis Home Goes Up in Flames

A home in Quispamsis has suffered extensive damage in a fire last night. Fire crews were called to 211 Hammond River Road just before ten o'clock. No one was home at the time except for the family dog, which was safely removed from the building.

No word on the cause of the blaze.

Gas Prices Drop

Oil prices are down 18 per cent so far this month, closing in New York yesterday at just over 60-dollars U-S a barrel. Gas prices are dropping in many Canadian cities today including Saint John. The Energy and Utilities Board has set its maximum price schedule with a litre of self-serve gasoline coming in at 99.3. Gas stations in the greater Saint John area are posting between 95.7 and 96.7 cents a litre.

Diesel fuel has also dropped to land at a maximum of 97.4, while propane is about the same as yesterday at 97.4 cents a litre.