The coming storm has begun in the Fundy Isles.
Campobello Island Community School and Grand Manan Community School closed early due to weather conditions.
A blizzard warning extends from Fundy National Park to Saint John county.
Environment Canada says heavy snowfall, strong winds and blowing snow will cause blizzard conditions overnight and tomorrow.
Near zero visibility is expected for these regions.
Saint John is looking at 20 centimetres of snow tomorrow before it turns to flurries by the evening.
The KV, Kings County, Sussex, St. Stephen and Northern Charlotte County are under a blowing snow warning.
The snow is due to start falling around midnight.
A mechanic in his 50's has been injured after an industrial accident.
He suffered cuts to his head and has been taking to hospital to be checked out.
Crews responding to Universal Sales on City road about 10:30 this morning.
Worksafe NB has been called in to look into what happened.
Whether information from the search warrants in the investigation of former Common Councillor Donnie Snook can be made public will be the subject of a court hearing scheduled this morning.
An application has been made to unseal the search warrants. The 41 year old Snook is facing 8 charges of child exploitation but Police Chief Bill Reid says more people have come forward with allegations and additional charges are possible.
The details in the search warrants were sealed by court order to protect the identities of the young people who have come forward with allegations and to maintain the integrity of an ongoing investigation.
A shed that was pretty much destroyed by fire earlier this week at 88 Free Lane off the Acamac Backland Road ignited again prompting another visit by city fire crews.
They were also called to a home off the Hillcrest Road where some clothes caught on fire.
Three City officers receiving an extra special honour today.
Constables Roger Paris, Nicholas Roy and Neal Fowler will receive the Medal of Bravery from Governor General David Johnston for their role in the rescue of a man trapped in a tractor trailer four years ago.
The flipped transport knocked down a telephone pole spilling fuel onto Loch Lomond Road and downed wires arced in a large ball of flames.
The officers climbed on to the top of the cab and kicked at the windshield ignoring the electrical shocks they were getting in the process.
Once they broke a hole in the glass, they helped the driver out and got him to safety.
The three officers will receive their award in a ceremony Rideau hall today.
Why can't insurance cover it?
That was the buring question at the public meeting in St. Stephen concerning the future of the Maxwell Crossing Covered Bridge.
The bridge was significantly damaged last month after a car crashed into it.
Department of Transporation representative Alan Kerr says they are currently pursuing an insurance claim, but it would be highly unlikely that insurance would cover the entire cost.
Many payment options were discussed including provincial funding and fundraising.
Kerr estimated the cost of repairing the bridge at $500 thousand dollars versus $300 thousand to build a new modular version.
Members of St. Stephen Town Council were on hand.
Councillor Jim Maxwell spoke on stage saying we know you're not here to tell us you're tearing down that bridge.
Councillor Allan MacEachern says repairing the bridge makes sense adding its worth more as a covered bridge.
Before Local Service District President Vern Faulkner closed the meeting, he handed out parting gifts to each of the government representatives--Covered Bridge potato chips.
The coming storm hasn't begun yet but it's already having an impact locally.
The organizing committee of Investors Group Skate to Care has decided to postpone the 2013 event due to the impending winter storm.
Organizers tell CHSJ News the move is out of concern for the safety of fundraising teams and volunteers.
The event was to be held this Saturday but will be postponed to a later date.
A 47 year old Saint John man is facing several charges relating to recent break, enter and thefts in the uptown area.
The man is being held in custody pending a court appearance.
If you know anything about this crime you can contact City police at 648-3333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or click here
From the deep freeze to a winter wonderland.... Southern New Brunswick is bracing for a weekend storm.
Claude Cote of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News the snow will start falling tomorrow.
He says when expect about a centimetre of snow during the day tomorrow with conditions worsening Friday night and most of the snow will fall Saturday along with high winds causing reduced visibility.
Cote says the storm's track has changed so they are now predicting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow by daybreak on Sunday.
Frank McKenna will be back in Saint John on Monday.
The former Premier and current TD bank chairman will speak at a Board of Trade luncheon at the Delta.
A release says McKenna will connect the dots between shale gas, pipelines and refining capacity leading to a thriving energy sector and more prosperous New Brunswick.
The St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation is hoping to raise 250 thousand dollars at this summer's Dragon Boat Festival. The theme will be "I Can See More Clearly".
The Foundation's Executive-Director Laurie Flood tells CHSJ News the proceeds will be used to buy an Ultrasound for Diagnostic Imaging and a Surgical Microscope.
It's expected more than a thousand paddlers will be taking part in this year's event on August 24th.
Flood says the Foundation gets to choose what it will use the proceeds for from a list of priorities it receives from Horizon Health.
New technology for the treatment of glaucoma, which was bought with the proceeds from last summer's Dragon Boat Festival, being rolled out at St. Joseph's Hospital in the Eye Clinic.
It's called the S-L-T machine or gentle laser and is a big improvement on what was used before. The S-L-T activates the pigment cells while the old laser treatment worked by punching holes and the gentler laser treatment can be repeated.
It takes six weeks to get the full effect and with the new treatment, people who had been using eye drops on a daily basis will no longer have to do so.
Dr. Chris Symonds says many people forget to take their drops on a daily basis or find it difficult and he warns damage from glaucoma is irreversible.
That friend or family member you know working for NB Power in Shediac and Sackville may be moving soon.
Staff at those operating centres will be relocating to Bouctouche and Moncton to improve efficiency and productivity.
NB Power's VP for Customer Service Sherry Thompson tells CHSJ News the goal is to save time and money by relocating staff to centres that are closer to the majority of their work.
Work on the relocation will start right away and no NB Power employees will lose their jobs but, the buildings in Shediac and Sackville will eventually be put up for sale.
An inmate has died at the Dorchester Penitentiary.
46 year old Antonio Roussel was found unresponsive in his cell last night and Correctional officers immediately performed CPR but were unable to revive him.
Roussel was serving a two and a half year sentence for various offences.
The police and coroner have been notified and Correctional Service Canada will review the circumstances surrounding the incident.
More charges of sexual assault have been laid against a doctor who has practiced medicine in the Saint John area for more than 25 years.
8 of 9 charges were laid a couple of days ago against Dr. Alan Cockeram, a gastroenterologist who has an office in the north end.
In response, Horizon Health has announced restrictions will be imposed on Dr. Cockeram when he treats female patients for an undetermined amount of time. No decision has been made on whether his license to practice medicine will be suspended.
A preliminary hearing on the charges will in June which will determine if there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.
You're going to have to dig even deeper into your wallet to pay for gas after the weekly setting.
Self serve regular is up by just over 4 cents a litre to $1.32 a litre in the city.
Diesel is higher at $1.44.4 a litre, a rise of a couple of cents.
Heating oil also more expensive with a maximum price of $1.21.9 a litre according to the Energy and Utilities Board.
One woman taken to hospital with undetermined injuries after a two vehicle collision in the north end.
It happened early last night at Lansdowne Avenue and Main Street.
NB Power responding to the Conservation Council's claims Point Lepreau is 40 times more likely to suffer an earthquake leading to a nuclear accident than previously thought.
The Crown utility says Point Lepreau is safe and the misleading comments by the Conservation council are an attempt to undermine trust in the generating station.
In a release, NB Power refers to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission who state the structures and systems have been designed to safely survive earthquakes.
It goes on to say that Point Lepreau is located in an area of much lower seismic hazard risk than Fukushima.
Maintenance is finished on the Princess of Acadia but because of a rough weather system coming up the Eastern seaboard, the ferry won't be running until next Tuesday.
Money the taxpayers don't need to spend.....that from Common Councillor Bill Farren on the purchase of a new street line-painting truck approved by common council. Transportation Commissioner Bill Edwards says the 250-thousand dollar vehicle has some much-needed features.
He says the new truck has the capability of heating the paint which means it dries much faster when its put on a street and crews can work in weather that is somewhat damp where they can't today.
Edwards says the large amout of sand and salt we put on the roads acts liker sandpaper and constantly repainting lines with older equipment is costly.
Security is now a little tighter at city hall, after the theft of several voting computers from Council Chambers.
The equipment was stolen from where Common Council holds its regular Monday night meetings--one of them from the mayor's seat
A source at City Hall telling CHSJ News someone made off with the devices after a meeting last week. Chris Dever, the mayor's executive assistant, tells CHSJ News the stolen equipment did not contain any sensitive information--and besides, the thief left the power cords behind.
Staff have changed the locks and are ensuring the Council Chambers are secure when not in use.
The leader of the Provincial NDP introducing two draft bills in hopes of cutting patronage within the government.
In the first bill, Dominic Cardy suggests that once an MLA is defeated or resigns, they can't get a government job appointed by the government for a year. Cardy says that cooling off period would leave positions open for competition. He points to Margaret Ann-Blaney's appointment as CEO for Efficiency New Brunswick as an appointment that could've been stopped.
The second bill relates to NB Liquor, with the aim of removing political influence when appointing a new president and CEO of the crown cooperation. Cardy says the province has a weird history of hiring campaign managers, like the current CEO Daniel Allain and former premier Shawn Graham's campaign manager Dana Glendenning.
Cardy says people should be hired on their merits, not by who they know. He says New Brunswick is far behind many provinces in Canada and places across the world that have rules such as this in place to stop patronage.
Mayor Mel Norton might see Saint John as the "renaissance city"; however, the fact remains that there are still more boarded up storefronts in the uptown than most would like to see.
Common Councillor Donna Reardon tells CHSJ News despite the effort put into of PlanSJ the focus of retail development is still the sprawl of big-box stores on the East Side.
Reardon proprise Saint John should strike the same sort of deal with big-box retailers as have some European countries, in which have to put a satellite location in the uptown if they want to open up in the mall area.
It will soon be that time of year again..when local charities apply for grants from the Greater Saint John Community Foundation.
Executive Director Clare Northcott tells CHSJ News they made some changes so busy local charities are not spending a lot of time filling out a complicated application for a $3000 grant.
She says they streamlined the application process with two majors categories. The Community Support Grants program offers grants of a maximum of $3000 and the Vital Impact Grants offers support between $3000 and $15,000.
The application deadline for these grants in April 15th.
Northcott says wonderful donors put the Foundation's assets at 9.9 million dollars. She tells us the investment income is used to support grants in our community.
For more info, click here
Police in management and professional positions are getting a cost of living increase after living with a wage freeze for 3 years.
The decision for a 1.25% increase followed by another 1.25% in July getting the final approval by Police Commission after it was decided earlier this year by Common Council. Police Chief Bill Reid says the economic increase is long overdue, and puts the 16 managers in line with other forces in the province.
The increase applies to the Chief and Deputy Chief of Police, staff sergeants, director of HR and finance among others.
NB Power is being accused of grossly underestimating the risk posed to the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant by an earthquake.
The charge being made by Chris Rouse of the Conservation Council's Action Group who is using the preliminary results of NB Power's own study released recently to make the case.
Rouse says a new seismic study shows a severe nuclear accident occurring at Point Lepreau is 40 times more likely than previously said and the chance of a severe accident happening with a large release of radiation is four times more likely than believed at the time of licensing. He goes so far as to say the Lepreau reactor is one of the most dangerous in North America.
Rouse warns the next significant earthquake in New Brunswick is expected to be centred in Passamaquoddy Bay with Lepreau nearby.
There was an electrical fire in an apartment at 906 Grandview Avenue, next to the Community College, causing alot of smoke.
It's believed the fire started through the careless use of an extension cord.
Debate continues over compensation for the city's pension trustees.
Union representatives have been digging in their heels on being compensated for lost wages incurred while sitting on the board. Mayor Mel Norton tells CHSJ News the city employees were not seeking compensation; on the contrary, the city is sensitive to every additional dollar being paid out of the beleagured plan.
Norton says trustee will now receive up to $700 daily for the lost wages, which will come out of the pension plan. That figure is considerablt less than the $1,500 requested in the initial document received by counsel.
This snag is the most recent in a series of revisions to the Declaration of Trust, including caps on travel expenses for job-related training.
Prevention and education are the tools used to put a stop to fraud.
Sgt. Tony Hayes giving a presentation to Police Commission on how to identify fraud and what are some common schemes. Popular scenarios that circulate around Saint John include a Microsoft telephone scam saying you're computer is infected, being a mystery shopper but getting "paid" through fraudulent cheques, the Nigerian scam and counterfeit bills. Hayes says the rule of thumb is if it's too good to be true, something must be up.
The biggest victims are seniors. Hayes says they're less internet savvy, and if they suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's it makes tracking down the scammer that much harder. He says often seniors will put their trust in care takers, giving them their cards and pin numbers to run errands for them. That can turn ugly, if the senior finds the trustee has misused their account.
Hayes admits there's a slim chance anyone schemed out of their money will ever get it back. A big problem is internet scammers are across many borders, making it tricky to track them down and take direct action.
Hayes says when you learn to drive you study a book and practice. He believes that should be the same with protecting yourself on the internet, where you can google "common frauds" and educate yourself on what's out there.
City Police has 2 full-time investigators that deal directly with scams. There work with an average of 400 cases a year, where priority cases come first but everyone gets dealt with.
Even more alleged victims are coming forward against former Common Councillor Donnie Snook.
Police Chief Bill Reid says they're investigating anyone coming forward and suspect they'll be doing this investigation for awhile. They're interviewing parents, children and working closely with RCMP to uncover as much as they can. Reid says their main concern is working with the alleged victims and putting the charges together.
Reid couldn't specify how many more people have come forward, but doesn't believe it will push back Snook's bail hearing on March 11. He suspects by then they'll have more cases to push forward.
40-year-old Snook is facing 8 charges in total, relating to child pornography, child exploitation, and sexual interference with a child under 16. Snook was arrested at his home on January 9th and resigned as a Councillor on the 17th.
A man found guilty of impaired driving causing death has been granted day parole.
Jordan Sullivan will eligible for full parole June 12 after serving 8 months of a 3 year sentence. His license will remain suspended for 3 more years.
50 year old Sheila Bayers died after Sullivan hit her car on the Airport Arterial in March of 2011 when he was going the wrong way.
Bayer's friend Sue Dale tells CHSJ News the sentence is totally inadequate when she and Bayer's family must endure the rest of their lives without her.
The Provincial Liberal leader says women govern with civility, consensus and co-operation and he says that's why we need to have more involved.
Brian Gallant says in 100 years only 40 women have been elected provincially in this province.
He says they are some practical barriers they have to look at and the Liberal party has a women's commission that will be giving recommendations on how to get more women involved in provincial politics.
Gallant says Canada now has 6 premiers that are women while this province is lagging behind when women make up less than 15 per cent of the legislature.
It was tense situation for City and Grand Bay-Westfield firefighters and a homeowner in South Bay as flames from from a large shed fire came close to severely damaging a nearby house.
Acting Platoon Chief Mark Wilson tells CHSJ News about 10:15 this morning crews got a call of a structure fire in an out building.
He tells us the shed was located less than 30 feet from the home which did suffer damage but firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading any further.
Wilson says the shed was about 20 feet by 20 feet is a total loss for the owner.
He says the cause is being looking into with investigators interviewing the owner and going over the scene.
Activities and workshops will be taking place across the province this month to increase awareness and share ways to prevent suicide.
Suicideologist Dr. Greg Zed tells CHSJ news there are around 17 suicides around Southern New Brunswick a year, a number that's on par with the rest of Canada. Zed says about 7% of the deaths in the province are from suicides, but that number is much lower than it was 30 years ago.
Zed says suicide is more common in people in their late 50's and early 60's, a time where a lot of people have suffered many losses between friends, divorces and employment.
If someone is contemplating suicide, Zed says they have a drastic change in behavior, give away prized possessions, and usually tell someone they're having suicidal thoughts. If that's the case, Zed says you must immediately help them with local resources such as a mental health centre, a doctor, clergy and/or police.
Time to put on a toque today, and it's not just because of the cold weather.
Toques are being sold for $10 today at the City Market, Brunswick Square, Market Square and McAllister place all in support of building a transition home for kids transitioning from street life to a permanent home.
Called 'Raising The Roof', the national campaign seeks to find a home for over 65,000 kids across Canada. Project Coordinator Colin McDonald says when you buy a toque, 80% of the proceeds goes directly into building a 10-bed facility for Safe Harbour Transitional Youth Services here in Saint John. The other 20% goes towards research.
McDonald says this program not only helps youth on the street, but gives them a safe place to live if their home is full of abuse, neglect and violence.
Over the past 15 years, the Toque Campaign has raised close to $3.3 million dollars to support 145 community agencies serving the homeless across Canada.
Prospective candidates who are thinking of taking shot at being elected to Common Council in Ward 3 can find out what's they're in for at a meeting tomorrow night at 7.
The byelection will be held May 13th to fill the seat which opened up with the resignation of Donnie Snook.
Anne Marie Mullen is organising the meeting and she tells CHSJ News most people are surprised at the commitment you have to make and the fact you could be getting phone calls at 3 or 4 in the morning.
Mullen says the amount of money you have to spend to get elected might deter some people from running. How much you have to spend depends on what you want to put into it.
Chris Belyea, who ran for Council last May, says he spent something like 25 hundred dollars but adds you really need as much as 4 thousand dollars to do it right.
The meeting is taking place at Saint John High by the Canterbury Street entrance.
The future of the Maxwell Crossing covered bridge, which was damaged severely on January 21st after a car went out of control, will be talked about at a public meeting.
The covered bridge, built in 1910, is located near St. Stephen.
Vern Faulkner of the L-S-D advisory committee tells CHSJ News people are worried the covered bridge will be replaced by a boring, concrete run of the mill bridge. He says the locals consider it to be a piece of their heritage and would like it restored but there's no word on how much that would cost.
You can have your say at the meeting to be held tomorrow night at the St. Stephen Middle School auditorium beginning at 7:00.
City fire crews responding to a fire on Free Lane in South Bay.
A shed on the property is fully involved and crews are trying to determine if it has spread to a nearby home.
Free Lane is off the Acamac Backland Road.
Fire crews from Saint John and Grand Bay-Westfield are on the scene.
The latest update from NB Power on outages, as of early this morning, is reporting 15 customers are still in the dark with most of them living on the Kingston Peninsula.
Wasted water and lost revenue could be the grounds for a lawsuit filed by the city of Saint John against Rothesay; however, that eventuality would come only as a last resort.
Deputy Mayor Shelley Rinehart explains the Rothesay's sudden 2011 decision to switch K-Park and Hastings Cove from the city water system to that of the town was a breach of contract.
She tells CHSJ News problems with the dead-end infrastructure and water quality have arisen ever since switch. The large pipe to K-Park--built to service a larger number of residents--was filling with stagnant water and now needs to be drained off regularly, wasting untold liters of water.
Rinehart says Saint John is asking to extend the one-year statute of limitations to file legal action, until counsellors from both municipalities can meet and work out a solution.She says while neither municipality wants to go to court a viable solution must nevertheless be reached.
Readers are turning increasingly to non-traditional audio and e-books--and new stats from the New Brunswick Public Libraries show those forms are getting a foothold here in NB.
Over 1, 400 e-books and audio books were downloaded between December 26th and 28th this year, more than twice what was borrowed in 2011. Education Minister Danny Soucy says they hope the new formats will encourage New Brunswickers to read more often.
Close to 15,000 e-books and audiobooks are available through the Electronic Library. For more information, contact your local branch.
The Saint John man who caused the death of 50 year old Sheila Bayers on the Airport Arterial in March of 2011 when he slammed into her car going the wrong way is up before a parole hearing.
Jordan Sullivan was sentenced to 3 years in prison for impaired driving causing death and has served 8 months. Sue Dale tells CHSJ News the loss of her best friend has been emotionally devastating.
Dale doesn't think 8 months for taking a life is long enough.
The tragedy has prompted her to join Mothers Against Drunk Driving and now is on the board of MADD.
An investigation has been launched by the New Brunswick Law Society in the aftermath of prominent Saint John lawyer Rod Gillis's conviction for obstruction of justice which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
The Law Society's Executive Director Marc Richard tells CHSJ News the investigation is in its early stages and Gillis will be able to practice law in the meantime.
Gillis will be sentenced April 4th with the maximum sentence being 10 years in prison.
The charge was laid in connection with former M-L-A Frank Branch's civil lawsuit involving the North Shore Forest Products Marketing Board.
You can give a penny, but no longer take a penny.
Today you'll stop receiving pennies when paying with cash. Instead, the change will be rounded up or down to the nearest nickel.
Marcelle Saulnier from NB Liquor says they'll not be changing prices to reflect the change, but rather round up your cash back. She says they're trying to be very open with customers about the change, with signs of the new rounding rules at their counters.
Amounts ending in 1 or 2 cents will go down to the nearest 10, 3 or 4 will round up to 5 cents, 6 or 7 will go down to 5 cents, while 8 and 9 will go up to 10:
1/2 = 0 c.
3/4 = 5 c.
5/6 = 5 c.
8/9 = 10 c.
If you're paying with debit or credit, the price of your item will still be penny specific.
Doors are more open now in Saint John for people of colour than it was 50 years ago, but racism still turns it's ugly head.
That's according to Ralph Thomas, president of PRUDE (Pride of Race, Unity, Dignity through Education) and VP of NB Black History Society. He tells CHSJ news in tough economic times when opportunities are limited, people tend to look at differences and make decisions based on that.
Thomas grew up in the country in the Willow Grove are by St. Martins, and says people were much more accepting and helped one another. Whereas in the city 50 years ago, black people were excluded from certain buildings and functions.
Thomas doesn't believe racism will ever completely go away, saying people will judge anyone that's different, whether that be race, religion, sexuality, etc. But when racism does come around, PRUDE takes action through education and "nips it in the bud."
February is Black History month, for a list of events around the province, click here.
Musquash firefighters using hydraulic extrication tools to cut a man out of his overturned truck on Highway 1 in Lepreau on Sunday afternoon.
Once the vehicle was stabilized the roof was cut off and the man in the truck was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution.
Firefighters were on the scene for almost 90 minutes.
NB Power almost has everyone in the Rothesay District back on in the aftermath of last week's big wind storm but, as of early this morning, there are still ten outages being reported which affect 28 customers.
Julie Drummond lives in Upperton and she was still without power late yesterday afternoon while all the people who live around her were back on and wonders if she somehow fell through the cracks.
What's it like being without power for so long? Drummond says all her food is a writeoff but she does have a wood stove to keep the house warm, adding even during the ice storm, the power wasn't off as long.
One woman taken to hospital after her car crashed into a hydro pole yesterday afternoon along Sandy Point Road.
The fire department had to use the jaws of life to extricate her from the car but we're told she will recover from her injuries.
The Saint John Urban Transportation Initiative wants to get more people riding city buses and one way to do that is to lower the cost.
Project Co-ordinator Sara Stashick tells CHSJ News they want to get the word out to businesses about the opportunity to buy transit passes for their employees in bulk at a discount.
Stashick says this would improve access to public transit for workers who don;t get paid alot but there are only 6 businesses on board thus far but she's hoping for more once the word gets out.
In order to qualify, businesses need more than 20 employees.
Each person in the province should be able to get world class healthcare considering the government spends 3 billion dollars a year to provide it.
That's the view of Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming who says there's a big difference between cutting and spending smarter and that's how you can rein in the year to year increase in healthcare costs.
Flemming says they managed to reduce the individual costs of all those personal computers you see at virtually every desk in every hospital around the province by 450 dollars each by going with one manufacturer and one specification.
