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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Watch The Wedding At Brunswick Square

Royal wedding fever is hitting the Port City and you can celebrate at Brunswick Square.
Bright and early Friday morning you can head to the mall to watch the nuptials of William&Kate.  Brandi Cooper of Fortis Properties tells CHSJ News it gets underway at 7am.
She says the wedding will be broadcast on a big screen and it gives people a chance to be part of history.

Cooper adds Brunswick Square tenants are invited to take part and she hears one of the merchants is selling a lot of hats leading up to the Royal Wedding.  The broadcast runs 7am to 2pm in Level 1 of Brunswick Square this Friday.

Salvation Army Reveals New Community Response Unit

The Salvation Army in Saint John revealing a new Community Response Unit today that can provide mobile meals in the event of a disaster.
Divisional Commander Major Larry Martin tells CHSJ News depending on the need it can provide from 1000 to 3000 meals a day.
He says it will be available to assist first responders at a fire scene or another sitution where it may be needed.
Commissioner William Francis atthending the 1st annual Hope in the City luncheon today  saying this unit will help wherever it is needed. He thinks it will be a new underpinning of the community with many agencies coming together to make it happen not just the Salvation Army. Some funding for the unit came from the Harold Ballard Foundation.

Minister Says Key Generation Plants Will Be Included In Energy Policy

Energy Minister Craig Leonard says the Point Lepreau and Mactaquac generating stations will be factored into the government's 10-year energy plan.


The Liberal Opposition is questioning why there is no mention of either facility in last week's interim report from the provincial energy commission.

Leonard says these are key energy producers in our mix - but - we have to take an overall view of it and policy can't be guided by the assets themselves - it has to be the other way around.

The Minister also says the energy commission's report with its recommendations for a ten year energy plan will be tabled next month.

Risk Of Flooding Rises

The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organisation has issued a public alert to raise awareness about the possibility of flooding.

 River levels are expected to rise over the next 72 hours thanks, in part, to the rainfall we're expecting over the next few days combined with the snow. That word coming from Karl Wilmot of River Watch who tells CHSJ News some areas could be up to flood stage by the end of the week.

Wilmot says the Woodstock area appears to be vulnerable but there is still some leeway in Fredericton and no danger of any ice jams along the St. John River.

 He adds the flood situation will be dictated largely by how much rain we get over the next 72 hours.

Frustration Poverty Has Been Ignored In Election Campaign

There's a move afoot to establish a branch of the Common Front for Social Justice in Saint John where the poverty rate still exceeds 20 per cent. Jean-Claude Basque co-chairs the Common Front which is based in Moncton.

He tells CHSJ News in 2008, poverty was responsible for adding 189 million dollars to the cost of healthcare in the province. Basque cites a study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which estimates poverty costs each New Brunswicker from 15 hundred to 2 thousand dollars a year.

The Common Front is frustrated poverty has barely been mentioned during the current federal election campaign.

NDP Support Could Ensure Conservative Majority

The recent NDP surge in the polls leaving some people wondering whether the increased support will just lead to a Conservative majority.

Don Desserud, a political science professor at UNBSJ, tells CHSJ News something similar happened back in 2003. Desserud says when the Liberals were in power it was partly because the right vote was split between the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance.

At a rally on the boardwalk, Jack Layton maintained Canadians are tired of being told they can only choose between one of two parties. He also took a shot at the Liberals saying they continually back the Conservatives in the House of Commons.

City Urged To Approve Mixed Martial Arts Competitions

A mixed martial arts organizer is hoping Common Council will approve a bylaw that will allow M-M-A events in the city.

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport that consists of striking and grappling.

Chris Archer tells CHSJ News he's hoping to start an amateur foundation in the city.

A by-law exists in Moncton that allows M-M-A and Archer says events staged in Saint John at the L-B-R would bring much needed dollars to the city.

He maintains mixed martial arts is actually safer than other contact sports such as hockey, football and even soccer.

The issue will be before the councillors tonight. The regular council session gets underway at 6:30pm.