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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Online Crooks Now Targeting Smartphones

The more we know about online scams and viruses, the more creative crackers and phishers have to get. 

David Shipley of UNB's IT services department, tells CHSJ News the online crooks have started targeting smartphones, and Shipley says with scams like Facebook Black, social networking sites aren't safe either.
 

UNB is now offering an online IT security awareness course for students, faculty and staff. He says at the end of the day, the key to a safe and secure IT system starts with people.

Ashfield Calls Pipeline Modern Equivalent of Railway

If the west-east pipeline is built, it could be the modern equivalent of the railway that helped connect the country after confederation. MP Keith Ashfield saying that in a speech to a business audience, where he said that he wants to see Canadian refineries producing more Canadian crude, and see our reliance on foreign oil shrink.

Ashfield saying because of the lack of the  pipeline and its capacity for crude, Canada is losing millions every day. He says Canadian oil is selling at a much lower price than international oil.

However, if we had a secure supply of Canadian crude and stopped relying on offshore oil, Ashfield acknowledges that may be a national security issue.




Body of Missing Man Found In River

The body of a 61-year-old Fredericton man missing since December  has been recovered from the Saint John River in Wickham.

A local called the Sussex RCMP after they discovered the body of John Arthur Crabbe of Fredericton in the river. Mr. Crabbe was reported missing to the Fredericton Police Force on December 17.

A autopsy has been performed and police say they don't suspect foul play.


Anonymous Crime Reporting Working Well For The North End: Needs More Funding

A program that allows North Enders to anonymously report ilegal activity and get criminals evicted from their apartments needs more funding.

Tourism Minister Trevor Holder is petitioning the Public Safety Minister to keep the SCAN program going. Wendy Barron Belmore of ONE Change tells CHSJ News there's no question people prefer the anonymous program to calling the cops, because police scanners are everywhere these days and they don't want to get a reputation in the neighbourhood as a police informant.

Barron-Belmore says SCAN has been effective in getting drug dealers out of the neighborhood but they don't want to simply shuffle the criminal activity from one neighborhood to another.

Major Facelift For 4 Seasons Complex


The 4 Seasons Complex in Saint Martins is getting some major work done to the tune of $96,000.

The project will both expand the complex and improve what's already there, including adding two dressing rooms, enclosing and insulating a section of the grandstand; and landscaping the parking lot to include proper drainage.

During the warmer months the facility hosts concerts, dances, floor hockey and basketball.

Bill Edwards Granted Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal

Commissioner of Transportation & Environment Services Bill Edwards has received a nod from Her Royal Highness for his work for the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. Edwards was presented last night with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Mayor Mel Norton thanked Edwards for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the citizens of Saint John.

Edwards was the Project Manager for Peel Plaza and was formerly the city's Building Inspector.

Big News About Repairs To City Roads


Roads and water top the list when it comes to things that annoy Saint Johners; now, it looks like some city streets will be getting an overhaul to the tune of $7.6 million.

Common Councillor Shirley McAlary tells CHSJ News she'll be happy to see streets like
Somerset and Douglas Avenue get a facelift; however, it can't stop there. She says while this initial funding committment will definitely take us a long way, next year's budget will also have to commit further funds to repair the streets.

Allocating that kind of money to repair and resurface the roads is basically unheard of in recent memory.

Fort La Tour's Potential As Tourist Attraction "Being Squandered"

One question many Saint Johnners ask is why isn't something done to develop the For La Tour site by Harbour Passage into a viable tourist attraction. 

CHSJ News asked Elaine Geary of the Fort La Tour Development Authority that very question. She tells us it's on a provincially protected site but the province isn't interested in developing it unless what goes up there is financially self sustainable. Geary would like to see, at the very least, an interpretation centre because right now the tourism potential isn't being realised and an opportunity is being squandered. 

There will be a talk tonight at 6:30 pm at H-M-C-S Brunswicker on the aboriginal and European artifacts that have been uncovered on the site by provincial archaeologist Brent Suttie. 

A presentation was made to Common Council a few years ago  by the Fort La Tour Development Authority which would have seen a fort erected but nothing ever came of it. Geary says, however, they remain hopeful.

Lung Association Believes Most People Support Higher Tobacco Taxes

The New Brunswick Lung Association releasing the results of a survey which indicates 69 per cent of people in the province support spending more money to get people to quit smoking and 59 per cent support increasing tobacco taxes to come up with the funding needed. 

Lung Association President and CEO Barb MacKinnon tells CHSJ even though tobacco taxes bring in 157 million dollars a year, illnesses caused by smoking take quite a chunk out of the healthcare budget to the tune of 111 million dollars a year in direct costs and 429 million dollars in social costs which include lost workdays. 

She also points to research that shows for every dollar spent on smoking cessation, three dollars are save in healthcare costs.
 

The smoking rate in the province at 18.8 per cent is over 2 per cent higher than the national average.
 

According to the Lung Association, it usually takes from 5 to 7 attempts before someone can give up smoking.

Funeral Service Today For Tim Cameron

A funeral service will be taking place at noonhour in Our Lady of the Assumption Church for the late Tim Cameron, President and C-E-O of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation. 

John Irving of Commercial Properties worked with Cameron to raise money for healthcare in the region. Irving tells CHSJ News most Saint Johnners would be astounded to know Cameron helped to raise close to 200 million dollars to enhance their healthcare. 

Cameron died over the weekend from pancreatic cancer. He graduated from St. Malachy's and U-N-B Fredericton.

Pair Stopped After Emerging From Ferry With Copper

Rothesay Regional Police have mystery on their hands. A man and woman got off the ferry early this morning with a couple of bags of copper which struck police as being a bit odd. 

The two were interviewed and further investigation will be done to determine if the copper was stolen. 

Police have not received any complaints about missing copper so far but remain a bit suspicious because such thefts have been on the rise.

Should Food Trucks Be Allowed In The Uptown?

So-called "street meat" is as common in big cities as pigeons and skyscrapers.; however, folks who want to sell hamburgers and hot-dogs out of trucks will need to wait a while longer to do so in the Port City. 

Common Council is asking City Staff to gather more information about the food trucks after a request they change the by-law for the coming summer. Councillor Shirley McAlary tells CHSJ News she remembers issues ranging from garbage to noise and disputes over vendor locations when the trucks  were permitted.

Local entrepreneur John Campbell wants to install a diner in a double decker bus and operate it near King Square, and he's arguing it would be a magnet for tourists and increase the vibrancy of the uptown.


 City Engineer Bill Edwards cautioned it's very unlikely the trucks would be allowed to operate this summer.