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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Gallant Says It's Not A Real Shuffle

The Provincial Liberal Leader says it's also the same people around the table..it's not a real shuffle.
 

Brian Gallant tells CHSJ News this is an old political tactic when things are not going well politically.

He says it's only changing the roles for a few ministers adding it's like they are playing musical chairs with an extra seat.

Gallant says making Ted Flemming the Attorney General is only because of Marie-Claude Blais's move to education meaning they needed a lawyer in that post.

Cardy Calls Cabinet Shuffle "Rearranging Deck Chairs"


Provincial NDP Leader Dominic Cardy is predictably unimpressed with Premier David Alward's major cabinet shuffle unveiled today.

He tells CHSJ News he's a bit confused by the reappointment of former Education Minister Jody Carr to Postsecondary Education, Training and Labour since that's a ministry that needs stronger leadership.


Carr says it amounts to little more than putting individuals in potions with which they're not familiar--and that's unlikely to spark any major change in direction.

Environmentalist Wonders If Canaport Could Have Done More

The Canaport Community Environmental Liaison Committee is fit to be tied because the first it heard about the huge bird kill late last week was on the news. Thousands of birds died after apparently flying into the flaring at the L-N-G plant.

 A member of that committee, David Thompson tells CHSJ News if other birds had died the same way before last week, he wants to know if anything was done previously.

He wonders if they turned down the lights, tried to turn down the stack flare or put on sirens or made other noise to deter the birds away.

Thompson also speculates many more birds may have died than the estimated total of 75 hundred if they fell into the Bay or nearby woods.

NB Breast Cancer Deaths Are Declining

Breast cancer deaths in the province have been going down since 1996 according to the first report on breast cancer from the New Brunswick Cancer Network.

The number of breast cancer deaths has declined by 12 per cent with the number of mammograms and proportion of women screened rising dramatically. 


Breast cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the province. 110 women have died so far this year.

New RiverCross Mission Helping North Enders

Nearly $50,000 from the Feds will help a mainstay north end church continue to help the community in its new form.

Main Street Baptist outgrew its space and built a new one on Forbes drive now called the RiverCross church but the old space is still in use.
 

Community Outreach Pastor John Knight tells CHSJ News they have a number of improvements to make for their drop in program and other services.

Wright says that includes the North End Food Bank who moved into their building earlier this month after renovations were made to the building.

All of the work making the new space accessible which includes adding a chair lift should be complete by next spring.

Saint John Youth Shelter One Step Closer To Reality

Right now there could be hundreds of homeless youth in Saint John--although the exact number is difficult to determine--and no shelter exists that is tailored specifically to their needs. 

Colin MacDonald of the Safe Harbour Youth House tells CHSJ News it's an unacceptable situation; however, a $37, 500 grant from the New Brunswick Children's Association is bringing organizers one step closer to opening a youth shelter.

MacDonald says the exact timeline isn't clear yet but they are expecting to see a shelter built within the next year.

Man Charged With Bestiality

A 29-year-old man has been arrested in relation to incidents of bestiality in the Moncton area.

A search warrant carried out on his home on September 18. Images and other items were seized.

He will appear in court on October 4 2013, to answer to charges of bestiality and corrupting morals. All the incidents, involving dogs, are said to have occurred from January to September 2013.

Imperial Theatre Celebrates 100 Years In Show Biz

A pretty big birthday for the Imperial Theatre today as it marks 100 years of show biz.

General Manager SG Lee tells CHSJ News the Imperial's continued success is even more sweet in light of the demolition of the Paramount right across the Square.

A centennial concert tonight will feature artists as diverse as dancer Matt Marr, Clinton Charlton and the Saint Mary's Band. Tickets range from $30 to $50.

Big Changes In The Alward Cabinet

Some changes in the Alward cabinet just 12 months before the next provincial vote.

Rothesay MLA Ted Flemming remains Health Minister and also becomes Attorney General.

Jody Carr is no longer Education minister but takes over in related portfolio...Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour.


Marie-Claude Blais is the new minister for Education and Early Childhood Development.

Troy Lifford is the new minister of Justice and Robert Trevors moves out of Public Safety into Human Resources.

Bruce Northrup takes over Public Safety and Danny Soucy takes up his former role in Environment and Local Government.

Claude Williams remains in Transportation and Trevor Holder in Tourism, Heritage and Culture.


For more on the cabinet shuffle, click here



Imperial Marks 100 Years With Gala Award Dinner

The Imperial Theatre is  marking its 100th anniversary this week, and a gala dinner paid tribute to the man whose vision made the uptown icon what it is today.

Jack MacDougall being given The Show Must Go On Award after he initially bought the theatre from the Pentecostal Church for a million dollars--with one dollar down. He tells CHSJ News he initially came in to look at an organ for sale but fate had other plans.
 

When MacDougall bought the theatre back in the 1980s the main stage venue in Saint John was Saint John High School. He says he fully anticipates the theatre to be going strong in another 100 years.

Province Wants To Find Out What Your Healthcare Needs Are

What are the healthcare needs in the Saint John area? 

That's what Health Minister Ted Flemming wants to find out in order to improve your access to primary health care services. To that end, an advisory committee has been formed. Its job will be to identify what the healthcare needs are and how the services can be best delivered to meet those needs with the assessment expected to be complete by the end of the year. 

An assessment is also underway in the St. Stephen area and one that was done in Fredericton is under review.

Gas Prices Down Again Especially Self Serve Regular

You won't have to pay as much for gas if you have to fill up after the weekly setting. 

The price of self serve regular taking a big dip by over 4 cents a litre to $1.26.5 around town. 

Diesel is also a bit less expensive at $1.37.6 a litre. 

The maximum price for heating oil is $1.18.6 which is down by a couple of cents a litre but propane has increased with the maximum price listed at $1.06.9 a litre.