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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Teachers Conference in Saint John

Close to 700 teachers have gathered in Saint John for the next three days. They are in the city for a seminar to discuss best practices in classroom assessments. Dawn Weatherbee is with the Department of Education and tells CHSJ News, assessment is a very powerful motivator or de-motivator for students.

Weatherbee says none of the teachers are being paid for their attendance and that shows the commitment each has to their students.

ICT The Partial Cause and Solution to Global Warming

The Chief Research Officer with a non-profit research organization says the Internet Communications and Technology sector has a huge role to play in global warming. Bill St. Arnaud with CANARIE Incorporated says ICT currently produces 2-3 per cent of the world's Carbon Dioxide emissions but that could reach 12 per cent within a decade. He says the cause is the energy used to power electronic devices and new appliances.

St. Arnaud says up the flip side, ICT can use smart technology to come up with ways to reduce the carbon foot print. He says one way to do that is by bringing whole data centres--- such as Google--- to Canada where they can run completely on renewable energy such as hydro power. St. Arnaud is one of the speakers at an industry and e-business convention underway at the Delta.

Third Tanker Arrives at Canaport

And then there were three. The third LNG Tanker docked at the Canaport Terminal late yesterday afternoon and will be off-loaded before the end of the day. Officials at the facility tell us everything is working the way it should.

Construction als continues on the third storage tank which is scheduled for completion early in the new year.

Looking for a New General Manager

Who will be the new General Manager of Saint John Waterfront Development? That is the question in circles around the metro today with the announcement that Michael Baldwin is stepping down at the end of next month. Baldwin took over the job almost a year ago on Sept.2nd from Ross Jefferson. Baldwin tells CHSJ News, his replacement is totally out if his hands.

No word on what Baldwin's new job is but he tells us it takes him back to Fredericton. He was in adminstration at UNB before taking the GM's job where he handled the development and leasing of university owned land.

A Fitting Tribute to Fallen Officer

A fitting tribute to a fallen RCMP Officer. Hampton RCMP has a new patrol boat which has been named after Constable Jason Porter. He along with his young daughter and son were killed in a head on crash back in February on Highway Seven. Officers were asked to submit a name over the past several months and ""Porter's Salute"" was the unanimous choice.

The vessel will be used to patrol the water-ways near Belleisle Bay and the Kennebecasis and St. John Rivers which is a combined distance of more than 320 kilometers.

Atlantic Province's Challenge Each Other to Eat Locally

The provinces agriculture minister is challenging New Brunswicker's to become locavores on September 4th. That's the day the four Atlantic province's are competing to see who can get the most people to eat locally produced food.

Agriculture minister Ronald Ouellette says the benefits of eating locally grown food will have environmental and economic spin offs for New Brunswickers. Ouellette will be joined by his Atlantic counterparts, John MacDonell of Nova Scotia, George Webster of Prince Edward Island and Kathy Dunderdale of Newfoundland and Labrador, who have all pledged to eat only food from the Atlantic region that day. To join the competition head to http://www.eatatlantic.ca/

Soup Kitchen Celebrates Fundraising Success

Former MP and chair of the Romero House Finance Committee Paul Zed says the soup kitchen will celebrate its success in raising more than 60 thousand dollars this summer. Earlier this year, Zed challenged the community to come up with 30 thousand dollars so staff at Romero House would not be laid off in August. Thanks to donations and fundraising--in large part by Irving Oil and its employees--the soup kitchen doubled that goal. Zed tells CHSJ News the work is never over.

A street party will be held on Thursday in celebration of the money raised.

World Congress Meeting

Industry along with the research and academic communities. Just some of the focus of the 2009 World Congress on Privacy, Security, Trust and the Management of E-Business which gets started today at the Delta. Several seminars are planned including a discussion about the Provincial Energy Hub. Provincial spokes-person Greg Sprague tells CHSJ News, E-Business plays a huge role in all this Energy Hub talk.

The conference gets started this morning at nine at the Delta.

Local Man Wins Writing Competition

Paul Healey of Rothesay has taken home top prize in one of five divisions for his short story. It's part of the 32nd Annual Atlantic Writing Competition where over 250 writers from all four Atlantic Provinces submitted novels, poetry, short stories, and works for children.

This is the third year for the competition and Healey was the only winner from this Province.