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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation Wants Votes For Online Contest

Who would have thought that signing into your Facebook page can help the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation win some cash?

The foundation is currently second in the region for the Vivint Gives Back Project, an online charity contest where the top vote-getter in each region gets 100-thousand dollars.

Voting is done via connecting to the Vivint Gives Back Project website with your Facebook profile.

Foundation Director Victoria Clarke tells CHSJ News the money would be a huge boost for The Give Campaign, which is raising 680-thousand dollars for stem cell treatment.

The charity that rakes in the most votes overall will also get 225-thousand dollars.

You can vote here.

Confessed Robber Might Not Go To Prison

A Baxter's Corner man who pleaded guilty to robbing the Dolan Road Circle "K" May 4th will find out tomorrow morning if he will have to serve any time behind bars. 22 year old David Ryan Chamberlain also pleaded guilty to having his faced concealed while committing the holdup. 

His lawyer, David Rogers is pressing for a conditional sentence which would mean no prison time calling the robbery ludicrous, bewildering and out of character. He told the court Chamberlain doesn't have a criminal record, was not armed, he actually apologised to the victim while committing the robbery and confessed shortly after being arrested. 

The court has also been given letters of support from stellar members of the community who are speaking up for Chamberlain. 

The victim's father told the court his son accepts Chamberlain's apology but Judge Bill McCarroll says he wants to hear from the victim himself before making his decision.

Former Jail Guard To Serve 15 Months

47-year-old Joseph Patrick Allen receiving 15 months in jail for two counts of sexually assaulting an inmate.
The former jail guard earlier plead guilty to both incidents, the first of which occurred between 2003 and 2005 at the jail on Old Black River Road, the second at the city lock-up between 2009 and 2010.

Allen maintained the sex was consensual and his lawyer asking for a conditional sentence so he could receive therapy for sexual addiction.

The judge awarding jail time on the grounds that Allen was in a position of authority when the act occurred, and he did not seek counselling for his illness until after he was charged.

Allen will also serve two years of supervised probation.

Pain and Suffering Insurance Cap Consultations Begin This Week

Public consultations on a review of the injury cap on pain and suffering awards start this week.  The Auto Insurance Working Group holding its first sessions in Edmunston and Belledune but will visit Saint John on the 27th.
The focus of the working group is the $2,500 cap on pain and suffering awards for minor personal injuries and the legal definition of what constitutes a minor personal injury.
Meantime, the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company has been ordered by the New Brunswick Insurance Board to rebate more than 14 thousand New Brunswickers a total of 360 thousand dollars for their auto insurance. Each customer will receive something like 25 dollars each.  For more info click here

Crews Respond To Small Fire At A Hydrant Store


If it had been a little more serious, this might have been helpful.

Fire crews responding to smoke at Clow Canada in the industrial park on the East Side which sells fire hydrants and fire supression equipment.   The building at 245 Industrial Drive was quickly evacuated and smoke could be seen in the vents.
No one was hurt.

SWN Resources Looking For Natural Gas Deposits

A business audience in Saint John hearing about the exploration plans of SWN Resources Canada at a Board Of Trade breakfast.
The company made a discovery in Arkansas which now employs over 11, 000 mostly local people.
General Manager Tom Alexander tells CHSJ News it's too early to predict how much natural gas may be found in this province.
He says each location can have 20 wells and in Arkansas they had 500 locations but he says there are spread out to minimize impact.
Alexander says a lot of the concerning the impact of fracking to find gas deposits is just plain wrong.  He claims the film "Gasland" which is very critical of the industry is made by a filmmaker and not a documentarian.

Bay of Fundy Still In Race Of Wonders

A special event being held to raise awareness for the Bay of Fundy as the site competes to be one of the world's 7 Wonders of Nature. 

Terri McCulloch with Bay of Fundy Tourism tells CHSJ News, as part of this year's Canada Day celebrations everyone is invited to the Coast Guard site on June 29 to form a giant human seven. 

She says they'll be taking a picture to promote the Bay of Fundy, and they're hoping to get at least 777 people out. 

McCulloch says the Bay of Fundy is one of only 28 sites left in the competition, and is up against places like the Grand Canyon and the Dead Sea. 

This is the last leg of the race, with the 7 Wonders of Nature being announced November 11. 

To vote for the Bay of Fundy go to http://www.votemyfundy.com/ or text FUNDY to 77077 (25 cents per text).

Fatal First Street Likely Began After Electrical Problem

The City fire department and police department releasing a joint statement on the cause of a deadly fire in the North End last month.
In a release, they tell CHSJ News the First street fire originated between the ceiling of the main floor bathroom and the floor of the top floor bathroom and is likely to be electrical in nature.
The investigation is now over into the May 1st blaze that claimed the life of Sarah Connell.
Connell's family is asking they not be contacted by the media and they are still dealing with the loss.

Airport President Not Happy With Draft Municipal Plan For City

The President and C-E-O of Saint John Airport says there is a disconnect between Plan SJ's draft municipal plan and the future sustainability of the airport.

Bernie Leblanc says There needs to be an alignment between the city's land use policy and Saint John Airport's ability to grow.

He argues the airport will need the ability to diversify and have a variety of businesses around its area with offices and shops and he wouldn't want to see the municipal plan prevent that from happening.

LeBlanc says, according to the draft municipal plan, the land around the airport was designated primarily for transportation use and that that won't be sustainable because it generates very limited revenue.

He cites as an example of diversity at the airport could be housing the coast guard helicopter once the coast guard site is gone as well as allowing for commercial development.

You Can See Draft Of New Municipal Plan Tonight On Future Development

The public being invited to an open house tonight to help review the city's draft municipal plan.

Jacqueline Hamilton with Plan SJ says staff will be available to answer questions and a there's also a workbook to help guide people through the document.

Plan SJ is also presenting the draft plan to developers and outlying municpalities this week.

Tonight's session goes from 5:30 to 9 at Saint John High School with a presentation starting at 6pm.

The thrust of the new municipal plan is to have more development taking place closer to the urban core without an influx of big high rise buildings being constructed but the goal is to have greater density of population in a smaller area to reduce costs for the city.

Port Days Told The Provincial Government Can't Be "The Bank Of New Brunswick"

2011 Port Days coming to a close with Finance Minister Blaine Higgs speaking on how the province shares the vision of the port as a shared asset.

President CEO Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News he has a unique approach to our many financial challenges and it's essential to have the provincial government's support on major projects.

Higgs told the Port Days delegates the Province can't be the "Bank of New Brunswick" and that everyone must be part of the solution. The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan winning the Saint John Port Award of the Year.

The company is the port's largest revenue generator and has won the top award twice in 12 years.

Some Advice For Air Travellers To Avoid Delays

Passengers who will be flying out of Saint John Airport are being advised to arrive early, check in online if possible and bring less baggage than normal if they want to avoid delays because of the strike.

Unionised workers at Air Canada in the city are walking the picket lines at the airport and Millidgeville call centre after the airline and Canadian Autoworkers Union failed to reach agreement by the strike deadline.

Picket Captain Aaron Van Wart tells CHSJ News the mood of the strikers is positive and while run of the mill workers are being asked to give up benefits, Air Canada's C-E-O is guaranteed a pension of 300 thousand dollars and just received a bonus of 4 and a half million dollars.

The federal government is giving formal notice it will table back to work legislation within 48 hours, perhaps as early as tomorrow, if the two sides don't reach a deal.