Liberals Question Whether Elected Health Boards Will Have Any Clout

Former Deputy Premier Donald Arsenault is wondering whether revamped health authorities with half the members elected will have any clout or just be there as window dressing.

Arsenault is one of two Liberals who are on the Legislative Committee that's holding public hearings on electing health board members.

He tells CHSJ News the intent is to have the C-E-O report directly to the Health Minister so does that mean he or she will be under the hobnail boot of government.

The other Liberal on the committee, M-L-A Bill Fraser says the Lord Government fired the C-E-O of the Regional Health Authority in Miramichi back in 2004 when he displayed some spine and opposed cuts to healthcare publicly.

Premier Pleased With Provincial Storm Readiness

The Premier thinks we were ready for Irene.
In response to a CHSJ News question, David Alward says we were very well-prepared for that storm.
He says the provincial EMO team was in place and this province was lucky.
Alward realizes it's a direct impact for the famillies who without power for over four days but he says overall the province was very fortunate.


By mid-morning Thursday, all of the NB Power customers off the grid were plugged back in. The utility is now sending 12 crews to Massachusetts to assist there.

Traffic Is Open And The Power Is Back After Gas Leak

 A whole lot of upheaval in East Saint John after contractors working in Forest Hills struck a natural gas line just after 7:30 this morning.

City police barricading the area to traffic and some of the nearby residents on Braemar Drive, Mountain Road and Westmorland Road were evacuated.

District Fire Chief Joe Armstrong tells CHSJ News it's mandatory to evacuate during a natural gas leak.   He says right away they evacuate 30 metres from the leak site and will extend it if necessary. Traffic is re-opened in the area and the power is back on.

North End Apartment Building Battling Bed Bugs

They've been having a problem with bed bugs at Stephenson Tower in the north end but the province believes it now has the infestation lunder control.

There are 100 apartments in the building with inspections finding 9 of them with bed bugs.

A pest control company has been brought in and a spokesperson with Social Development tells CHSJ News the situation will be monitored.

Those people bitten by bed bugs could suffer from skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms.

In the developed world, bed bugs were largely eradicated as pests in the early 1940s, but have increased in prevalence since about 1995 and have been known to turn up in even the most expensive hotels.
 
Bed bugs are elusive and usually nocturnal which can make them hard to spot. They often lodge unnoticed in dark crevices, and eggs can be nestled in fabric seams.
 
Biological pest control is not very practical for eliminating bed bugs from where people live.

Natural Gas Scare Ends On East Side

No traffic is being allowed from the top of Westmorland Road at Golden Grove Road to the bottom at Braemar Drive near McAllister Drive because of the natural gas leak from a two inch main which was broken shortly after 7:30. Parkhill Drive was also closed at Golden Grove.

Construction has been taking place and the line was ruptured during excavation.

People were evacuated from nearby homes in the area of Mountain Road and Braemar Drive. Power to that area of Forest Hills had to be shut off as well and we're told by the city, it won't be fully back on until the middle of this afternoon. Westmorland Road in Forest Hills won't reopen until after 1:00.

Enbridge Gas had to shut down the line where the break occurred. Those people who live and work in the immediate vicinity have been allowed back.

Fire officials say the natural gas dissipated into the atmosphere which was better for all concerned because if it had entered the sewer line, it might then have drifted in to nearby homes.

Evacuations On East Side After Natural Gas Leak

There has been a natural gas leak on the east side and people have been evacuated. It occurred in Forest Hills shortly after 7:30 this morning.

No traffic is being allowed from the top of Westmorland Road to the bottom in Forest Hills after a two inch main was broken close to McAllister Drive where construction has been underway.

The evacuations are taking place in the area of Mountain Road and Braemar Drive on board buses.

Power to the area has been shut off and Enbridge Gas is shutting down the line where the break occurred.

Mayor Agrees City's Reputation Taking A Hit Over Metal Shredder Expansion

The Mayor agrees with the Port President's assessment that Saint John's reputation is suffering in the wake of a long drawn out debate over providing power for the expansion of a west side metal shredder.

The big bone of contention is over above ground power lines and whether they should be buried but who will pick up the cost of doing that.

Ivan Court tells CHSJ News he does not disagree with Jim Quinn's view.

He says a solution is long overdue and he's still working with all the players in an effort to resolve it. On a note of optimism. Court maintains they're getting closer every day to resolving this.

Traffic Disruption In North End

Hilyard Street will be closed from 7 this morning until 7 tonight to allow construction work to continue on the Chesley Drive off ramp from the Harbour Bridge.

Drivers heading both east and westbound will have to go along Main Street unless you're using the Harbour Bridge itself.