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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Crews Remain Dealing With Propane Leak, Though Highway 1 Re-Opened

Crews are still working to transfer propane from the leaking tanker car that caused traffic problems for much of the city this afternoon.

Highway 1 was reopened at about 6pm.

If you see some flaring in the area Divisional Fire Chief Mark Wilson tells the public not to be alarmed--they're simply disposing of the excess product. 

He says things should be back to normal by tomorrow morning. 

Fire In Hampton Causes Serious Damage

Hampton Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire around noon today. 

Upon arrival,  crews found a one storey building totally engulfed by fire, which they were able to quickly knock down. 

There was one person home at the time and they were able to get themselves and their pets out safely. The house sustained considerable damage.

The cause is still under investigation but isn't being thought of as suspicious. Crews from Hampton, Nauwigewauk and Kennibecasis valley were on the scene.
 

Bosse Doesn't Support Inquiry Into Estabrooks

Inquiries don't stop pedophiles, people stop pedophiles. 

That word coming from the province's Child & Youth Advocate, who is not convinced a public inquiry into the late Ken Estabrooks, who may have sexually abused over 260 youth, is the right way to go.

Norman Bosse, who is a lawyer, defended the victims during the Kingsclear inquiry as a lawyer in the 90s, and he tells CHSJ News this one would be hard to pull off because of how much time has passed and he also doesn't believe it would deter other people from sexually abusing children in the future.

Bosse thinks a better option is police doing their own investigation now. He says police are there to protect the public, and it would stand well for them to explain why they dealt with Estabrooks, a former City Police Officer, the way they did.

Mayor Says Supporting Airport Key To Bolstering Business

If you want to bring business to the city, you need to invest in the airport. 

That word coming from Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll in response to the Airport Authority's request for $600,000 for advertising from the city, towns and local service districts that make up the Fundy Regional Services Commission.

Driscoll, the vice-chair of the committee, tells CHSJ News we have to be competitive with airports like those in Moncton and in Bangor, and we may need to add more destinations in order to achieve that.

He's hoping at the next commission meeting they'll get more information on how the airport plans on spending the money. After that, he says they'll be prepared to consider the allocation.

Fire Chief Calls Propane Leak Scene "Stable"

Although propane is still leaking on and off from the railway tanker car in the Haymarket Square area, there's a very low probability that something is going to go wrong.

That word from Fire Chief Kevin Clifford, who says crews are getting very low readings, and the wind seems to be taking the propane away and leaving little opportunity for it to settle. 

He says the train was parked when staff on site realized there was a leak and called the fire department. Buildings within a 300-yard area of the railyard were evacuated and Highway 1 from Garden Street to Ashburn Lake Road, both eastbound and westbound lanes, have been closed.

Clifford says residents can take comfort in the fact that crews are being very cautious.

Division Fire Chief Mark Wilson tells CHSJ News crews are re-entering the scene to mitigate the leak.

Getting Home Is A Challenge Tonight


It's traffic chaos for people trying to get home from work this afternoon.

A tanker leak forcing the closure of Highway 1 in both directions during rush hour.

We are told traffic on Rothesay Avenue is backed up all the way to Haymarket Square near the scene.

Highway 1 is closed between Crown Street and Ashburn Road and has been for several hours.


No word yet on when the Highway may be re-opened.

Thanks to the road warrior for letting us know it's slow-going coming from the hospital on Foster Thurston towards the highway.

UPDATE: Propane Still Leaking & Hwy Closed

UPDATE: Division Chief Mark Wilson of City Fire tells CHSJ News there is still propane leaking from the rail car and they are re-entering the scene to mitigate the leak. 

Emergency crews called out early this afternoon to deal with a propane leak from a rail car near Haymarket Square.
 

Buildings within a 300-yard area of the railyard were evacuated and Highway 1 from Garden Street to Ashburn Lake Road, both eastbound and westbound lanes, have been closed.
 

Members of Irving Oil's hazardous materials team are on scene as well as NB Southern Railway officials.


Mom Stands Trial For Leaving Her Baby Outside In Cold

A 27 year old mother is on trial charged with leaving her baby outside in the cold alone last January along Paddock Street. The court was told the baby was dressed for the weather with only her face exposed and appeared to be no worse for wear.
 
Norma Cusack, who lived across the street, testified it was more like 15 to 20 minutes from the time she heard a baby crying to the time when police arrived. 

Shea maintains the baby was only outside for a few minutes while she took her groceries inside along with her other young children. 

When Police got there, Constable Amy Cunningham told the court Shea came out of the house dressed in a tee shirt, jeans and no shoes. Cunningham believes Shea didn't realise her baby had been left outside after telling her she had looked through the house twice for her baby who was 4 or 5 months old.

BREAKING: Highway Closed, Tanker Car Still Leaking Propane

Propane is still leaking from a railway tanker car behind Haymarket Square. Fire crews are on scene working to isolate the leaking car and determine the cause of the leak.

The call initially came in about an hour ago. Workers on the One Mile Interchange were evacuated as well as a number of buildings in the immediate vicinity.

Due to concerns about the propane drifting over the road, the east and westbound lanes of the highway are closed until further notice from Crown St. to Ashburn Rd.

Police Department Expected To Finish Year On Budget

Despite the SJPD's ongoing contract negotiations, the quarterly reports are looking good and they're expecting to finish the year on budget.

That's the word from Police Chief Bill Reid who also tells CHSJ News there were some questions raised at Police Commission about the amount of overtime being used.  He says they're down 17 officers from what they were a year ago, and sometimes that means they have to take officers off patrol and put them on criminal investigations.

Reid says watching the dollars and cents has been the responsibility of everyone on staff--and the administration has really had to watch the bottom line.

Traffic To Be Detoured On West Side

The city telling us Main Street West between Ready Street and Charles Street West is closed to thru traffic today with a detour in place because of roadwork.

Mayor Hopes Police Name Is Changed By New Year

You could soon be saying goodbye to the RRPD and hello to the KV Police Department.
  
Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News he's hoping to see the name change happen by the new year. 

The town pays for two-thirds of policing in the valley, and Driscoll says it's only fair they're included in the name. He adds, the change will undoubtedly come with a cost, but it won't be what he calls a phenomenal cost. He says Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop seems to be on board with the idea, and he doesn't believe there's any objection from police, though he hasn't heard from them personally.  

The fire department changed their name from Rothesay Regional to Kennebecasis Valley back in 2006.

Three Months To Go--Chief Still Predicts Oland Arrest Before 2014

As 2013 winds down Police Chief Bill Reid still has a New Year's resolution to fulfill: an arrest in the investigation into the murder of Richard Oland. 

Reid tells CHSJ News the Crown will be reviewing the file in the next month, and then will come back with either a recommendation for further investigation or the green light to lay charges. He says it's impossible to magically declare "today's the day" when in fact a legal process has to be followed, as everyone is aware.
 

Reid says only a small amount of information is available to the public so it's discouraging for some people when assumptions are made about the lack of charges. At the same time, the Chief maintains the SJPD is transparent in all of their operations, and he's confident at the end of the day the police will be successful.