New Home Starts Sagging

New home construction in the greater Saint John area has taken a nose dive according to figures from Canada Mortgage and Housing.


The federal agency says there were 33-new units started last month -- down from 90 in May of last year.

Fredericton and Moncton were also showing dips in new home construction last month.

New UNB Saint John Building Is Now The Hans W. Klohn Commons

The new commons building at UNB Saint John now has an official name thanks to a huge donation -  the building will be named after longtime Irving business associate Hans W. Klohn thanks to a 3-million dollar donation from the families of Arthur and the late Jack Irving.

Klohn has worked on many projects in the city, such as Harbour Station and the Loyalist Burial Ground. 

He tells CHSJ News he is very thankful and greatly admires K.C. Irving for his business sense.

Vice-President of UNB Saint John Robert MacKinnon says the Hans W. Klohn Commons will help grow the school in years to come as it will attract both international and local students.

The 25 million dollar facility will feature study centres, a library, and teaching rooms.

It is set to open on September 7th.

Traffic Advisory For Harbour Bridge

The Department of Transportation advises that the Saint John Harbour Bridge eastbound right lane and Chesley Drive exit ramp will be closed until 3 p.m. today, Wednesday, June 8th.

The eastbound left side lane will be closed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 10th and 11th.

The Chesley Drive exit ramp will be closed from 9 a.m. on June 11th until late September 2011.

The Westbound lanes and the Chelsey Drive on ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. on June 11th for about three weeks.

These temporary measures are in place due to the work of the second phase of renovation of the bridge.

Drivers are reminded to exercise caution while these temporary measures are in place.

Open House Tonight At Landfill

If you have old paint, oil, batteries and computers, you can drop them off tonight during an open house at the Fundy Solid Waste Commission from 5 until 8:00.

The open house being held to commemorate 10 years of composting which began back in 2001 and since then, the landfill has 77 thousand fewer tons of organic material.

There has been a bit of a decline in composting over the past two years which the Waste Commission would like to turn around.

Brenda McCallum of the Waste Commission tells CHSJ News energy is also being generated at the landfill from all that trash you throw away by capturing the methane.

The Waste Commission and Irving Oil will be getting together this weekend to collect hazardous materials and old computers.

Big Lobster Caught In Bay Of Fundy

A fisherman is auctioning off a 40 year old, 22.3 pound lobster that he and his son hauled up Monday from the Bay of Fundy.

Troy Mitchell says the lobster, which he named "Tiny," is the largest he's ever caught in his 30 plus year career.

Mitchell has put the lobster up for sale in hopes someone might want to save Tiny, either to donate to the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews or to set him free.

Troy Mitchell says he will donate the proceeds to the Charlotte County Cancer Society.

If you're interested in bidding on the huge lobster, call 755-2695.

Mayor Speaks Out On City Pension Plan

There will be modifications to what the city proposed as a solution to fix its pension plan after a closed door meeting with provincial officials.

That admission from Mayor Ivan Court who says the two sides will have to talk more in order to find common ground but a solution has to be found in the next two months.

The Mayor says the worst case scenario would be if the province did nothing pwhich would necessitate a 12 to 14 cent rise in the city's tax rate which does not see happenjing.

Court says his message to Saint John taxpayers is there's no intent to raise taxes to fix the city's pension plan.

The city is asking for changes that under the current legislation cannot be approved by the Superintendent of Pensions.

Harbour Bridge Lane Closures

The Department of Transportation advises that the Saint John Harbour Bridge eastbound right lane and Chesley Drive exit ramp will be closed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today, Wednesday, June 8.
The eastbound left side lane will be closed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 10 and 11.
The Chesley Drive exit ramp will be closed from 9 a.m. on June 11 until late September 2011.

The Westbound lanes and the Chelsey Drive on ramp will be closed from 8 a.m. on June 11 for about three weeks.
These temporary measures are in place due to the work of the second phase of renovation of the bridge.
Drivers are reminded to exercise caution while these temporary measures are in place.

Work Begins On Phase Two Of Harbour Bridge Upgrades

Work on phase 2 of the 35-million dollar Harbour Bridge upgrade will begin this week - and - will be extended over two years with completion set for next year.


Transportation Minister Claude Williams made the announcement in the Legislature this morning.

Work this year will include the Chesley Drive exit ramp and the enter span of the eastbound lanes with the balance of the work on the eastbound lanes scheduled to be completed next year.

Also tenders for demolition of the toll plaza will be called by the end of this month with work on that project to begin by the middle of July and be completed by the fall.

Minister Set To Reveal Some Details About Harbour Bridge Work

The cone of silence is about to be lifted about what's happening with upgrades to the Harbour Bridge.


CHSJ News has learned Transportation Minister Claude Williams will be making a statement in the Legislature today - and - a traffic advisory will be posted shortly after the statement.

The Minister told CHSJ News in early April the toll plaza would be demolished and changes made to the traffic lanes in that area by June -- he also indicated negotiations were underway regarding the planned upgrade on the eastbound lanes of the bridge.

That work was originally scheduled to get undeSaint Jorway last month - but - that was before the deal was announced between Ottawa and the province to remove the tolls from the bridge.

Back To Square One With City's Pension Plan

Uncertainty continues to shroud any fix to the city's pension plan with its estimated 129 million dollar deficit. The city filed papers with the province asking for permission to delay topping up it's employee pension fund.

The province responded by identifiying additional options for the city to consider and will continue to discuss the issue according to the Mayor's office. Mayor Ivan Court will have more to say about the situation this afternoon.

The changes to the plan will be finalized and submitted for the fall session of the Legislature which would be in time for the city's budget deliberations later this year.

The city's pension plan is facing an estimated 129-million dollar deficit.

Fire In The K-V

A fire in a mobile home at 14 First Street in Quispamsis last night. 

K-V fire crews responding to the call around 6:20 last night and were on scene for an hour putting out the small fire. 

No word on a cause and no one was hurt.

Quispamsis Has Plenty Of Water

A model showing how groundwater flows through Quispamsis is now in the hands of town council.

Kent Weazel with Stantec Engineering is one of the people who worked on the model. He says knowing how groundwater flows will help the town when it decides to expand the municipal water system, when it wants to develop a new subdivision or when there is a contamination issue.

Overall, Weazel says the town has lots of available, good quality groundwater but there can be areas that have more or less water than others.
 
Mayor Murray Driscoll says everyone in Quispamsis won't be getting municipal water overnight but it's good to know where the water is for when the town needs to draw on it.
 
Town councillors have been told using municipal water instead of individual wells does have it's benefits including safety.

Debate Continues Over Condition Of Local Roads

The issue of poor road repairs coming up again at Common Council.

Councillor Bruce Court asking Commissioner of Municipal Operations Paul Groody why the city isn't doing road repairs itself instead of hiring contractors given the roads are breaking down too quickly.

Groody says the city used to go that route but it is more cost effective to contract the work out but can take another look at the numbers if council wants to.

The city is looking into adding quality guarantees or extended warranties into all future tenders for road repairs.

Two Local Police Officers To Be Honoured In Ottawa

Governor General David Johnston making two Greater Saint John police officers Members of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces this morning.

Staff Sargeant Steve Patterson of the Saint John Police Service and Rothesay Regional Police chief Stephen McIntyre both receiving the honour in a Rideau Hall ceremony this morning.

Patterson is retiring from the force in September after 40 years on the job. This ceremony will mark the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. 7 police officers and 36 members will be invested in the Order.