New Lampposts Going Up On Union Street

New lampposts are going up on Union Street in the area of Peel Plaza.

Oil Pipeline Gets Support From Port

The president and CEO of the Saint John Port Authority is enthused about the idea of a west to east coast oil pipeline.

Jim Quinn tells CHSJ news he thinks the timing is perfect to debate and discuss a pipeline that would bring Alberta oil to Saint John for global export. Quinn believes this is a real opportunity for not only Saint John but for the province and Canada. 

He agrees with Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver's opinion that exporting oil globally and diversifying our market would be a great benefit. Oliver announced in Saint John last week that Canada only exports oil to the United States, and shipping oil globally is in Canada's national interests.

Our Chances Of A White Christmas

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?

According to the latest stats from Environment Canada, Saint John has a 45% chance of the white stuff by December 25th.

They also say Fredericton has a slight better chance of having snow with 55%, whereas Moncton has a 65% chance. The chance of Port City having a perfect Christmas (snow on the ground while it falls) is 36%.

If you want a guaranteed white Christmas, head on up to Yellowknife and Whitehorse where a chance of snow is 100%.

Environment Canada analyzed 57 years of weather records to find out the probability of snow.

RCMP Seek Info On Woman Who Was Found Dead In Tent

RCMP releasing the photo of the woman who was found dead in a tent just north of Fredericton last month in hopes that someone will come forward with information that could help police in their investigation.

The body of Susan Lynn Burnside was found November 24th near the Penniac Bridge, but police believe her body had been there for at least a year. Police are still unsure how she died but say there were no signs of foul play.

This photo is the most recent of Burnside, although it was taken 15 years ago when she was 41. She was originally from Saint John but had lost touch with her family and was considered a transient with no fixed address.

Anyone with any information or who may have had contact in the past few years with Susan Lynn Burnside is asked to contact the RCMP at 1-888-506-RCMP (7267) or anonymously through N.B. Crime Stoppers online at www.crimenb.ca or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Our Listeners Weigh In On Clearing Sidewalks

The idea of homeowners being responsible for clearing sidewalks in front of their homes is not winning any fans on our Facebook page.

Nick calls it a very bad idea saying residents don't own the sidewalk in front of the house, the city does and it likely wouldn't be completely shoveled or salted so you would see more people slipping and falling.

He adds how can you expect poor elderly people to go out in the cold and shovel a sidewalk and break a hip just to save the city a buck.

Maranda goes to school in Halifax and says its a by-law there.
From her view, it works very well but she lives on a street without sidewalk.

She adds there are often patches of sidewalk downtown that are not shoveled within the 24 hours after a snowfall but its easy to walk through because the city comes around and plows back the remainer of the snow.

She thinks it's unreasonable to think that the city can plow ever sidewalk in the 24 hours after the snowfall.

Add your voice to the chat, click here  

Trial Date Set For Man Charged In Deadly Home Invasion

A court appearance for a 21 year old man who was stabbed, himself, and then charged after a home invasion on the lower west side back in early November where he lives.

Christopher Reid of 341 Prince Street has pleaded not guilty and will go on trial September 25th on a charge of possessing a knife.

Two other men and a 16 year old youth are accused of trying to rob 341 Prince Street. 18 year old A-J Dennison died after he was stabbed and a warrant is still outstanding for the arrest of 21 year old Bradley Saia.

City Could Save Big Bucks With Bylaw On Sidewall Clearing

The suggestion that homeowners in the city take responsibility for clearing show from sidewalks in front of their properties is generating a lot of comment, both pro and con on our Facebook page.

It's estimated the city could save 80 thousand dollars a year if homeowners were required to shovel the snow in front of their houses.

The city's Transportation Commissioner Bill Edwards warns Common Council, the idea likely would not be embraced by everyone around town. He points out the city already clears 61 per cent of the sidewalks around town and still gets dozens and dozens of complaints about not doing enough of them.

Consultant Todd MacDonald, who pointed out the potential savings, concedes it's a sensitve issue.

CCNB Announces New Exec. Director

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick has a new executive director.


Céline Delacroix replaces David Coon -- who's now the provincial leader of the green party -- to lead the environmental action group.

Delacroix tells CHSJ news she wants to shake the image of the CCNB and be more of an advocate for more policies and programs instead of just being an opponent. She says she'd like the group to appeal to more New Brunswickers and show how hard CCNB works. Delacroix wants to engage in more positive actions such as campaigns and finding true solutions to environmental challenges. 

Her #1 goal is to increase membership, but also engage more with the government to develop environmental policies.

Common Council Told City Could Save Money If Homeowners Shovelled Their Sidewalks

The city has been told if it wants to reduce overtime and save some money, Common Council should pass a bylaw requiring homeowners to shovel the snow in front of their properties. 

Todd MacDonald of Performance Concepts Consulting says the city would then be able to concentrate more on removing snow from sidewalks in the downtown core as well as near schools and the hospitals.
 
MacDonald says this is the trend in other parts of the country where there has been alot of voluntary compliance but also some court challenges and the results have been mixed. He adds there would have to be public consultation and concedes it might be a tough sell.

City Budget Vote Expected Tonight

Common Council is scheduled to vote on the 2013 city budget tonight with no increase in the tax rate. 

Common Councillor Bill Farren wants to see more money for lifeguards so they'll be on duty through the Labour Day weekend. Farren also says the city needs an upgrade to the Trade and Convention Centre and not in six or 7 years time.

When it comes to a proposed boost of 1.2 million dollars to the public transit budget, Ward 3 Common Councillor Donnie Snook believes it'll bring back ridership which has declined by 15 per cent since the cutbacks.

Common Councillor John MacKenzie would like to see the city generating more revenue to offset costs.

Investigations Launched Into A Pair Of Fires

Photo courtesy of Doug Epton

Two fires last night are under investigation to determine how they got started.

Acting Platoon Chief Roy Byers says the first one broke out around 7:30 on the east side destroying a storage shed at 105 Westmorland Road. The heat from that fire was so intense the siding on two nearby homes melted.
 
As fire crews were cleaning up from that, a call came in about another fire in a large warehouse at 62 St. James Street. There was significant smoke, fire and water damage to the building but no one was injured. Fire crews were on the scene for five hours.

Learning Exchange Launches Cleaning Business

The Saint John Learning Exchange is embarking on a new venture..a residential cleaning company called Voila.
Executive Director Christina Fowler tells CHSJ News a thorough business plan identified a real need in the community with busy families.

She says this company will enable them to bring in different streams of revenue and also employs two former learners get employment at a living wage which serves their goal of getting people out of poverty and create employment.

Fowler says marketing and finding customers is a new challenge for the Exchange but they are doing it.   For more info, click here