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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Man Dies near Florenceville in a Single-Vehicle Crash

RCMP report a 57-year-old man died after a single vehicle crash yesterday east of Florenceville.
The man's vehicle left Route 107 in Glassville, rolled down an embankment several times and came to rest on its roof.
Marshall Ronald Cormier of East Brighton died at the scene.

Trouble at the West Side Mill

City Fire Crews have been busy since just before noon at the Irving Pulp and Paper mill. This after fire broke out in a molten sulphur tank which is 20 feet high and ten feet wide at the back end of the mill. District Chief Mark Gillian says it appears at this point, the fire is knocked down but they are keeping a close watch on readings from the tank to make sure the flames have been extinguished and it is not smouldering.



Gillan says there are no vapours which have left the mill but J.D. Irving crews are monitoring an area in Indian Town which is the direction the wind was blowing when the fire broke out. Nobody was hurt and the area of the fire remains shut down to staff.

Education and Technology Key To Business Progress
















[Stephen Lund Addressing the Board of Trade Luncheon-----Photo by Dave Briggs]

The President of Nova Scotia Business says the key to growing business in Atlantic Canada is through education.
Stephen Lund tells CHSJ news, traditional businesses are going to have to adapt to the evolving information technology sector to stay sustainable.
Lund says if you're not up to speed on current technology you are going to limit how far you can progress in business.
He says another factor in progressing the business community in the Maritimes is educating the youth---he says kids need to be trained for the jobs of today....not yesterday.

Route 111 Upgrades

The provincial government is fast-tracking plans to upgrade the Route 111 interchange from the MacKay Highway into Quispamsis and Rothesay. MLA Stuart Jamieson tells CHSJ News the upgrades will include expanding the overpass from two lanes to four lanes.

Three contractors are currently bidding on the contract which is expected to be awarded early in 2010. Jamieson says construction is slated to begin in 2011 and be complete by 2013.

Irving Oil in Negotiations with City and Port for Long Wharf

Andy Carson with Fort Reliance, the umbrella company for Irving Oil, tells CHSJ news they are still in negotiations with the city and the port regarding the Long Wharf land deal.


Carson says they are willing to pay fair-market value for the former Lantic Sugar site to make the land swap with the port happen. He says they hope to come up with a solution within a matter of weeks.

ILA Fights to Put Land Liability on Irving Oil

The International Longshoreman's Association is taking issue with the Saint John Port Authority's standards for cleaning up the old Lantic Sugar refinery site. The site is at the centre of a deal that would allow Irving Oil to build its headquarters on Long Wharf. The port says it won't take ownership of the land until the metals are removed. But ILA Business Agent Pat Riley tells CHSJ news the port authority isn't pushing for a thorough clean up.

Under the deal, the city would sell the land to Irving Oil for 1.2 million dollars, which would then swap it with the port authority for Long Wharf where Irving Oil plans to build its headquarters. Riley says tax payers should not be on the hook for cleaning up the contaminated land in the future. He says that liability should fall to Irving Oil. The company is currently in negotiations with the city.

Animal Shelter Fundraiser Kicks Off Saturday

The Saint John Animal Rescue League is hoping to raise 20 thousand dollars this weekend with its annual ball drop at the Rockwood Park Golf Course. Executive Director, Janet Foster tells CHSJ news tickets are still on sale and there are two spots left for teams who want to join in the tournament.

Foster says the funds raised on Saturday will be used to care for the animals at the shelter. Tickets for the ball drop are $5 each or three for $10. The shot-gun start for the tournament is at 11am and the helicopter ball drop will take place at 5pm.

Dream House Lottery Tour



Tickets are now on sale and the house is open for tours.

Health Critic Weighs in on Doctor Settlement

The Conservative Health Critic says the dispute over a wage freeze for the province's doctors has already done damage to New Brunswick's reputation as being physician friendly. Margaret Ann Blaney's comments come as the provincial Medical Society and the Graham Government have reached a settlement in principle. Blaney tells CHSJ news this never should have happened in the first place.

The doctors launched legal action when the government threatened to impose a two-year wage freeze. That came after the medical society had reached a tentative agreement with the province that was not implemented, but was ratified by the doctors. Blaney says both sides are now pretty much back to square one.

Break and Enter in Sussex

Sussex RCMP have released few details but say they are still investigating a break and enter at a business on Vail Court. A sum of money was stolen but police currently have no suspects. RCMP say there is no sign of forced entry and there is only minimal damage to the inside of the building.

Trailer Fire in Bloomfield

The good news is no one was hurt but the bad is fire has destroyed an abandoned house trailer in Bloomfield.


Not alot of details at this point except the trailer wasn't insured and the blaze is suspicious.

ATV Trail Being Improved in Sussex Area

The federal government has announced funding to improve local trails in the Sussex area. Fundy Royal MP Rob Moore says the Conservative government, along with the National Trails Coalition, will spend ten thousand dollars to construct a 30-foot span bridge across a small stream that flows into the Big Salmon River near Londonderry.
The federal government will contribute five thousand dollars to the project, which is the result of hard work and support by the Sussex Valley ATV Club and the New Brunswick ATV Federation.

Mixed Housing Project Update

Progress on getting the mixed housing development Abbey Saint Andrew moving is going slowly. Chair Peter Jollymore tells CHSJ News, there is no update right now because they continue to wait on approval from Canada Mortgage and Housing, as well as the bank.

Jollymore says he is confident the project will be approved. He expects construction will begin sometime in October.

Wind Farm to be Toured Today














(Energy Minister Jack Keir ---File Photo)

It's almost finished and Energy Minister Jack Keir along with Premier Shawn Graham will tour the new wind farm in Caribou today. It's a 99-mega-watt generation facility and Minister Keir tells CHSJ News, the site is set to come on line in November and this is just part of their orgininal promise.

Keir adds they will reach their goal of 400-mega-watts of wind power by next year. The Caribou Wind Park is located 62 kilometers past Bathurst.

New Denmark Residents Talk Wind Power

Residents in New Denmark are hoping for changes to regulations regarding wind farms. They have presented a petition to their MLA looking to have the set-up rules for turbines changed. Instead of the current 500 meters, residents would like to have a buffer zone of 2000 meters between the turbines and any home, school or business. Spokes-person Sam Porter tells CHSJ News, new studies indicate there are dangers associated with the turbines.

Energy Minister Keir tells CHSJ News, he understands the concerns and the private sector that is investing in the wind farm must talk to the community to iron these issues out.

Board of Trade Luncheon

The President and CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc. is in Saint John today. Stephen Lund is the guest speaker at a Board of Trade Luncheon this afternoon. Lund is from Saint John and leads a team of business-driven professionals who sell Nova Scotia to the world and bring the world to Nova Scotia.

Lund will speak about his pro-active and results driven approach to business and the economy and what businesses in Atlantic Canada must do to remain competitive.

Family Centre Kick-off Today

Politicians from all three levels of government will be at a news conference this morning on the Loch Lomond Road. It's to officially launch a one million dollar fund-raising effort by St. Josephs Church. The money will go towards the construction of a multi-functional facility to meet the existing and future needs of the community.

Church officials say the new facility will improve access to a range of services for the community. A name for the new facility has not been chosen. Things get started at eleven o'clock.

Top Marks for Saint John Port











(Saint John Port)

Plenty of smiles from the people who work for the Port of Saint John. A panel of industry judges has voted this port as one of the top three transit ports of call in the world. Captain Al Soppitt, President and CEO of the Port Authority, says the nomination is a gratifying recognition of the region and it's people.

The bulk of the cruise ship season continues to unfold with two ships in port today and the date most have circled on their calendar, the arrival of the Queen Victoria next Thursday.