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Friday, January 25, 2013

Health Minister To Meet With Provincial Medical Society

A meeting will be held this weekend between the Provincial Medical Society and Health Minister Ted Flemming.

Flemming tells CHSJ News he was simply doing his due diligence when he investigated the feasibility of the suggestion that doctor's pays be made public.

Further, Flemming says it wasn't even him that wrote the proposal--rather, it was penned by the auditor general. The health minister has already met with the Saint John Medical Society and they say they're satisfied with Flemming's clarifications.

Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels---Or, Suspcious Fives

Your mama always warned you not to take any wooden nickels....and if you're in Charlotte County you might also want to watch out for counterfeit fives.

District 1 RCMP is investigating four incidents where counterfeit $5.00 Canadian bills were passed...... two at grocery stores and a pub in St Stephen, N.B. and in the elementary school cafeteria in St Andrews.

All the notes were 1986 series with the same serial number.Police have interviewed at least one person suspected of passing the counterfeit money. If you think you've received a fake bill contact the police or Crimestoppers.


Sick And Premature Babies To Receive Even Better Care

The Saint John Regional Hospital has received a big boost to its Neonatal Unit in the form of $2 million combined funding from a record-breaking The Give fundraiser and the provincial government.

Dr Luis Monterossa tells CHSJ News the new eqiuipment for treating conditions including jaundice makes all the difference when you're dealing with severely premature infants.

The $2 million dollar upgrade to the facility featuers specialized equipment, 10 patient care rooms and three hostel rooms for mothers to remain in hospital and care for their babies.

Green Party Leader Calls For Tax Increase

You don't hear this too often........A provincial party leader actually calling for taxes to be raised but that's what David Coon of the Green Party is advocating. 

He says Provincial Health Minister Blaine Higgs only has two choices.....Raise taxes or implement deeper cuts to health and education. 

Coon says income taxes are good and he is calling for the tax cuts instituted by the previous Liberal government in 2009 to be rescinded because in his words, they were reckless and left provincial coffers short of much needed revenue.

He goes on to say raising income taxes would mainly affect those people who already enjoy luxuries and maybe mean one less trip south in the winter.

Alward Government Will Not Be Balancing Its Budget In Its First Mandate

The provincial books will not be balanced anytime in the next two years. 

That means the Alward Government will not reach its goal of a balanced budget by the time the next provincial election is held in 2014. 

Provincial Finance Minister Blaine Higgs says the only way it will happen is through a balanced approach of containing costs and raising more government revenue.

Higgs doesn't see any big improvement with the deficit happening. He says the provincial economy is not bouncing back from the 2008 recession and New Brunswick is at the bottom when its comes to economic growth as compared to the other provinces.

A Stark Message About The Provincial Economy

The provincial economy is not bouncing back from the recession of 2008 with New Brunswick at the bottom of the scale in economic growth. That message delivered by Provincial Finance Minister Blaine Higgs at his first pre-budget consultation meeting. 

Higgs heard from alot of union members at the first of his pre-budget consultation meetings with the message from them being it's time to tax the rich more. Higgs says if you tax small businesses too much then more people won't be hired.

Peter Woychuk, who teaches skilled trades at Simonds, fears the province is failing its students even though Higgs pointed out student enrollment is falling but costs are still rising.
 

The leader of the provincial Green Party David Coon advocated personal income taxes be raised and a new tax created on junk food.

City Drug Coverage Advocate Loses Cancer Battle

He was a familliar face in the battle to get catastrophic drug coverage for this province and he has lost his fight against cancer.    John Phillipe passed away Wednesday. 
He brought national attention to the need for this province to start covering these medications.
Premier David Alward points out one aspect of this coverage is the same across the country.

He says every drug is not included in castrophic drug coverage, it's based on what the long-term results are of a particular medication.

Alward expressed his condolences to the Phillipe family.