Linked Header

Monday, September 16, 2013

Board Of Trade Asking To Change Sunday Shopping Hours

The Saint John Board of Trade has asked its members what they think about Sunday shopping--and they've spoken loud and clear.

81.5% of the Board of Trade members surveyed said they'd support store owners being able to choose their own hours on Sundays. 1.3% were undecided. 

The overwhelming support numbers means the Board of Trade will ask Common Council to amend the Sunday Shopping by-law. There had been some discussion of only afternoon hours on Sundays, but the response to a second survey question confirmed the Board of Trade members want full flexibility, including the morning.

Pension Coalition To Host Meeting at qplex

The information tour across the province by the Pension Coalition continues with another stop in Quispamsis tomorrow morning.

Provincial retirees do not like a proposal by the Alward to switch their pension plan from defined benefits to a shared risk model.
 

Clifford Kennedy tells CHSJ News they have been talking with government and now they need direction from the retirees on what to do next.  

He says they had an actuary and they retained a lawyer so they want to update the retirees on what they have been doing for the last six months.

The Pension Coalition meeting is coming up tomorrow morning at 10 at the qplex.

Teen In Court After Trying To Rob Tim Horton's

A teenager charged in connection with the attempted robbery of a Tim Hortons on the weekend pleading guilty.

Just after 3am on Sunday morning, 19-year old Jacob Michael Byers came into the coffee shop on Landsdowne Avenue.


As he walked towards the counter, he put his hand in his hoodie so it looked like a weapon and said "Gimme the money from the till...all of it."

When staff told him they didn't have a key, he took off.


He was later arrested at a traffic stop. The woman driving the vehicle was detained.

Byers will make his next court appearance on October 23.

Education Is The Key To Solving NB's Woes

We always say our kids are our future, but it's time to put our money where our mouth is: that from Mariner Partners CEO Gerry Pond who was recently honoured for his contributions to education in the region. 

He explains New Brunswick, like a lot of places, is in a period of challenge at the moment and we need to look to our schools to get us out of it.

Pond further explained we need to crush the silos and stop bickering about the wrong things in order to move ahead.

Not Guilty Pleas In Home Invasion Last Night

Two men in their early twenties pleading not guilty to charges in connection with a home invasion on the lower West side last night.

Greg Campbell and Paul Hamilton-Smith facing charges of forcible entry at 96 Duke Street West. The pair also face charges of assault. 


Another man also in his 20's is in hospital suffering from a possible stab wound.

Campbell is back in court for a bail hearing tomorrow, while Hamilton-Smith returns on Thursday. 
A third person arrested in the incident is due in court at a later date.

Project Aims To Eliminate Breastfeeding Stigma

A local dietician wants to erase the stigma surrounding breastfeeding in public. 

Giselle Powell of Horizon Health says they're piloting their Breastfeeding Friendly Community project in Quispamsis and they're hoping to roll it out in other municipalities as well. 

Powell tells CHSJ News, as it stands, many women don't feel comfortable breastfeeding their child when they're out of the house. She says moms should be able to breastfeed in the food court, at sports games, anywhere they want to.


The first week of October is Breastfeeding Week in Canada.

Three Face Charges In Home Invasion and Possible Stabbing

One man is in hospital with a possible stab wound after a home invasion involving three men who forced they way into a home on Duke Street West last night.

Three men in their early twenties are in custody.    Two of the suspects are in court today and the third at a later date.

Major Crime is looking into the incident and if you have any info you are asked to contact Police or Crime Stoppers.


Call City police at 506-648-3333 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or click 
here

Financial Update Coming Soon

Finance Minister Blaine Higgs says a financial update is coming.

He says the government is waiting for the auditor general's office to finish with the first quarter results and the fiscal year end results.

Higgs tells CHSJ News the department's are doing well controlling expenses and staying on budget adding last year was the first in 11 years under the previous year's spending.

Higgs says revenue has dipped again and they expects those financial results to be released by the end of the month.

N.B. School Launching Rights-Respecting Initiative

An elementary school in Fredericton is going to be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada to launch an initiative teaching students about rights and respect. 

The program was created by UNICEF and is called Rights Respecting Schools. It's been adopted by Park Street Elementary on the North side of Fredericton.

The province's Child & Youth Advocate Norman Bosse tells CHSJ News changing someone's behaviour has to start at a very young age. Bosse says this will, hopefully, create an entire generation of children who know their rights and the rights of others and respect them. He says they're looking at implementing a similar educational process in other elementary schools in New Brunswick.

Bosse will be at Park Street Elementary when the initiative officially launches on Nov. 20.

Sussex Mayor Warns Regionalisation Will Be An Uphill Struggle

The vote in Sussex last week was the second example of the folks in the local service districts not willing to see their tax rates rise in order to help pay for an arena in the town, in this case the 8th Hussars Arena. 

Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne tells CHSJ News what is does mean is an increase in user fees of 200 to 300 dollars a person to use the arena.


Thorne says regionalising costs will be an uphill battle because the people in the local service districts will oppose anything that would raise their tax rates.

The same vote result happened in Grand Bay-Westfield with the River Valley Community Centre and, despite that,  Mayor Grace Losier, who chairs the Fundy Regional Services Commission plans to keep pressing to have recreation services regionalised and cost shared.

Premier Bullish On Economic Future Of Province

The sluggish provincial economy is causing Premier David Alward's poll numbers to decline but he remains upbeat about the long term economic future of New Brunswick, claiming it has never looked brighter. 

The Premier tells CHSJ News his government's plan to grow the provincial economy is patterned after what was done in Saskatchewan with what he calls the responsible development of natural resources. 

Alward points out Saskatchewan was in the same boat as New Brunswick a few years ago but has managed to turn things around to the point where there's now a labour shortage.
 

He says the energy pipeline to Saint John could open the door to other new industries springing up like petrochemicals.  

Two Fires With One Apparently Set On Purpose

A couple of fires had to be put out. 

It appears a car was set ablaze at the compound in the North End. Police telling us the cause is suspicious. 

The other fire took place on the west side, destroying a body shop on Dever Road.

Two Arrests Made In Attempted Robbery

An attempted robbery in the North end over the weekend at Tim Hortons.

It happened just after 3:00 Sunday morning on Lansdowne Avenue. 


A man and woman were arrested a short time later.

West Side Stabbing

Several police cruisers and crime scene tape visible late last night in two areas of the lower west side after a reported stabbing with one man taken to hospital.
 

One location is Duke Street West and the other around the corner on Market Place.
 

City police would not confirm for CHSJ News if the stabbing is somehow connected to a "home invasion" that took place on Duke Street West.