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Friday, August 2, 2013

M-L-A Praises Efforts Of First Responders

Charlotte-Campobello M-L-A Curtis Malloch is singing the praises of emergency personnel in the wake of last week's flash flood in the St Stephen area.

Record rainfall dumped on the area causing road washouts and flooded basements - and - Malloch can't say enough about the efforts of volunteers and first responders trying to help those affected by the rising water levels.

Malloch says he toured a number of businesses and homes in the area - the flooding wasn't near the disastrous levels experienced in the December 2010 flooding - but - he says it did cause damage and upset for a lot of people.

Man Pleads Guilty In Child Porn Case

60-year-old Eugene Marshall of Moncton has pleaded guilty to breaching probation by accessing the Internet for something other than work, as well as breaching a prohibition order by communicating online with someone under the age of 16.

He will be remanded until sentencing on September 5, 2013.

Marshall pleaded not guilty to luring a child under the age of 16 over the Internet. His trial has been set for late October.

Simms To Cease Operations In Saint John

It's the end of an era.

Simms has announced it will stop manufacturing, warehousing and shipping on the West Side of Saint John this fall.

In a release, CEO Tom Simms said it was a tough choice to let go the team of employees they have worked with for decades, and they will be looking to find the affected employees new jobs. No word yet on how many employees will lose their jobs.


Saint John will remain the site of Simm's home office, and the company is saying there won't be any interruptions in their cusomer service. Simms has been a family business since it was founded in 1866.


Calls to Simms for comment were not immediately returned.

Provincial Green Leader Opposes Pipeline

The Council of Canadians and Greenpeace aren't the only opponents against the proposed 12 billion dollar pipeline from Alberta to Saint John. 

Provincial Green Party Leader David Coon is also opposed and he tells CHSJ News most of the crude coming from Alberta, much of which will resemble cold molasses, won't be processed at the Irving Oil refinery because an upgrader is so expensive.
 

Coon says the pipeline project will increase carbon pollution and, as such, make extreme weather like the recent flooding in St. Stephen more likely. 

On the other hand, provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy is supporting the proposed pipeline.

Talk Of Expanding Oil Refinery Is Premature

One big question over the pipeline announcement is how much of the 1.1 million barrels of Alberta crude a day will actually be processed at the Irving Oil refinery. 

Irving President Paul Browning concedes the refinery can't handle all that without an expansion. It has the capacity, at the moment, to process 300 thousand barrels a day
 

Browning says its way too early to talking about any upgrade or expansion of the refinery because the pipeline itself won't be completed for another five years.

Vandals Cause Blackout, Damage To Electrical Equipment

Clearly someone wasn't listening to Louie the Lightning Bug.

Around the end of June vandals destroyed $20,000 dollars worth of equipment on NB Power property in Durham.  Police and NB Power are now looking for your help finding them.

The damaged to the electrical equipment caused a lengthy blackout for some customers, and NB Power reminds the public that handling electrical equipment can lead to deadly consequences.
They're asking anyone who has any information about this crime to contact them at 648-3333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also provide information anonymously on the NB Crime Stoppers Website: www.crimenb.ca

Tory MLA Responds To Accusations From NDP

It's turning into a bit of a war of words between provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy and Fredericton Silverwood MLA Brian MacDonald.

Yesterday, Cardy issued a press release accusing MacDonald of buying publicity photos by handing out portraits of the Queen to senior's centers.

Silverwood tells CHSJ News Cardy cherry-picked quotations to make him look bad and effectively mislead the public.

MacDonald says the entire point of his original quote was that he gives out the portraits to schools, the military, and many other institutions--and it has nothing to do with where he can court the most votes.

TransCanada Says Environmental And Safety Concerns Top Priority

The official announcement about the west-east pipeline is only a day old and already environmental concerns are being raised about the 12-billion dollar project.

TransCanada President of Energy and Oil Pipelines - Alex Pourbaix - says the pipeline proposal is environmentally friendly and will existing pipe and rights of way as much as possible.

Pourbaix says electric pumps along the route will reduce noise and air pollution with the line constantly monitored by the company's high-tech monitoring centre on a 24-7 basis.

He says TransCanada is spending billions on improving safety making the Energy East pipeline proposal the most responsible solution to the country's current and future energy needs.

Well Known Lawyer In City Passes Away

One of the most colourful lawyers in the city has died. 

Defense lawyer Wilber MacLeod was 72. He was born in Glace Bay but moved here in 1954 and graduated from Saint John High. 

MacLeod served in the Merchant Marines and travelled around the world, before attending St. Mary's University and then Dalhousie Law School. 

He started as a lawyer in 1976 and handled many high profile criminal cases. 

There will be a funeral service on Sunday afternoon at 3 in Brenan's Funeral Home Chapel at Paradise Row with visitation tomorrow from 2 to 4 in the afternoon and 7 to 9 at night.