There's a real generational difference on what should happen to the Rothesay Common.
Students at Rothesay High and Rothesay Park Elementary were asked what they would like to see and their suggestions included a splash pad, an outdoor movie screen, walking track, beach volleyball, rubber surfacing for the playground and even mini golf.
The adults, on the other hand, want better drainage, an ice surface but no splash pad. George Teed got up at the end of the meeting and had his say, telling CHSJ News he doesn't want to see the covenants removed which stipulate the Common be a public park with no buildings. He warns if that's done, you could very well see hog dog and ice cream stands in the Common.
Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop opened up the meeting by trying to disspell rumours of condos being built on the Common.
Another winter storm could be headed our way even though it's supposed to be spring.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement which warns a low pressure system is forecast to pass just south of Nova Scotia late Friday night and Saturday. As of now, it's possible regions along the Fundy Coast and eastern New Brunswick could get close to 15 centimeters of snow by Saturday afternoon.
Another boil water order has been issued and this is for part of the east side because of a construction mishap near the Champlain Heights Pump Station. The city telling us a contractor ruptured the line that feeds water into parts of Forest Hills.
The city tried to use a temporary water line but that was not able to provide sufficient water to the higher elevations in Forest Hills.
The areas affected are from 116 to 236 Mountainview, from 76 to 84 Mountain Road, Vista Ridge, Candace Street, Lynn Avenue, Beverly Drive, Kelton Street, Colter Court and Kennington Street as well as Carquest at 550 McAllister Drive.
The people in those areas also will not have any water available at times on Thursday
For our economy to grow, our province needs to get itself on the radar of potential investors, and finance minister Blaine Higgs tells CHSJ news that's exactly what they're doing by marketing New Brunswick so that people see our province as a potential investment.
Higgs tells us he remains optimistic about our economic prospects, calling the big projects like the pipeline game changers for the province and telling us they'll attract other investors.
Teens are finding it harder and harder to find their first jobs these days...and regardless of age, more and more people are in the same boat as they struggle with unemployment.
If you think flipping burgers is better than nothing, McDonald's is holding a National Hiring Day tomorrow, April 11th. They're looking to fill 6,000 positions nationwide, and Saint John franchise owner Michael Schulze tells CHSJ News they plan on hiring as many qualified people that walk in the doors.
To apply simply visit any McDonald's location and fill out an application. Where time permits, someone will be available to do an on the spot interview.
The people in Rothesay get a chance tonight to have their say on what should be done to make the Common better. The town has 2 and a half million dollars to work with but judging by what's on social media, there are fears of too much change altering the nature of the Common. The meeting tonight runs from 6:30 to 8:30 at Rothesay Park Middle School. Additional drainage, replacement of the skate house, installation of an artificial ice plant, improved accessibility to the playground and a permanent stage are among the suggested changes.
A consultant will bring ideas and several possible options to another public meeting before any final decisions are made.
Two towns in the valley will soon be getting a lot greener.
TD has awarded a grant worth $15,0000dollars to Rothesay to plant trees and give citizens a chance to appreciate and preserve the environment. Quispamsis will also receive almost $14,000 to support the development of a street tree planting program in the community.
Quispamsis Parks and Facilities Manager Barry Brown tells CHSJ News it'll be a pretty major project, in which homeowners will be able to apply to get red maples, elms, and other trees planted near their property. Brown says they'll be accepting applications on where to place the trees in the near future.
Some of us can still remember when fast-food vendors like Fat Freddy's operated in the uptown. They've now been prohibited for a number of years but Common Council is debating whether to change that by-law. Our listeners had a chance to have their say.
Lisa says: Bring them back!
Daniel agrees saying "A city councilor said people thought food trucks were 'noisy' and produced too much garbage. So why does everyone here want them? Gee, our town's leaders really have their finger on the pulse of what we want..."
But Courtney says it's a good idea for a big city like New York maybe, since they have the population to fill them, the restaurants, and the bars and hotels.
Stewart points out food trucks are significantly different than other takeouts. They don't pay tax, they don't provide bathrooms, they take up parking areas, they don't typically provide clean up of their locations.
Barb says her only concern is hygiene.
But Anne thinks it's typical of the councilors in Saint John to shoot down an idea that could improve the city.
Should food trucks be allowed back on city streets? You can join that conversation on Facebook or Twitter.
With his rock-star father's fortune dwindling, how can agoraphobe Jack Madigan make money to survive? That's the plot of Canadian author Tish Cohen's Town House, this year's pick for the Big Rothesay Read.
Picking a book that would appeal to an entire high school population wasn't an easy task, but event chair Mary-Ann Gallagher tells CHSJ News they're confident Cohen's novel fits the bill.
This is the fifth year the Big Rothesay Read has been running, an event where the entire population of Rothesay high school reads the same book at the same time and culminates in a visit from the author. Cohen will in the town on May 7th.
Fire Crews responding to the north end to yet another kitchen fire, the third in just the past three days.
Platoon Chief Joe Armstrong says it broke out in an apartment building at 68 McLaren Boulevard.
Smoke was seen from a second floor apartment in the building. The three people who live there were already outside when firefighters arrived. The other three apartments in the building were evacuated.
The fire was contained to the kitchen with a fair bit of damage and the cause is not thought to be suspicious.
The more we know about online scams and viruses, the more creative crackers and phishers have to get.
David Shipley of UNB's IT services department, tells CHSJ News the online crooks have started targeting smartphones, and Shipley says with scams like Facebook Black, social networking sites aren't safe either.
UNB is now offering an online IT security awareness course for students, faculty and staff. He says at the end of the day, the key to a safe and secure IT system starts with people.
If the west-east pipeline is built, it could be the modern equivalent of the railway that helped connect the country after confederation. MP Keith Ashfield saying that in a speech to a business audience, where he said that he wants to see Canadian refineries producing more Canadian crude, and see our reliance on foreign oil shrink. Ashfield saying because of the lack of the pipeline and its capacity for crude, Canada is losing millions every day. He says Canadian oil is selling at a much lower price than international oil.
However, if we had a secure supply of Canadian crude and stopped relying on offshore oil, Ashfield acknowledges that may be a national security issue.
The body of a 61-year-old Fredericton man missing since December has been recovered from the Saint John River in Wickham.
A local called the Sussex RCMP after they discovered the body of John Arthur Crabbe of Fredericton in the river. Mr. Crabbe was reported missing to the Fredericton Police Force on December 17.
A autopsy has been performed and police say they don't suspect foul play.
A program that allows North Enders to anonymously report ilegal activity and get criminals evicted from their apartments needs more funding.
Tourism Minister Trevor Holder is petitioning the Public Safety Minister to keep the SCAN program going. Wendy Barron Belmore of ONE Change tells CHSJ News there's no question people prefer the anonymous program to calling the cops, because police scanners are everywhere these days and they don't want to get a reputation in the neighbourhood as a police informant.
Barron-Belmore says SCAN has been effective in getting drug dealers out of the neighborhood but they don't want to simply shuffle the criminal activity from one neighborhood to another.
The 4 Seasons Complex in Saint Martins is getting some major work done to the tune of $96,000.
The project will both expand the complex and improve what's already there, including adding two dressing rooms, enclosing and insulating a section of the grandstand; and landscaping the parking lot to include proper drainage.
During the warmer months the facility hosts concerts, dances, floor hockey and basketball.
Commissioner of Transportation & Environment Services Bill Edwards has received a nod from Her Royal Highness for his work for the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. Edwards was presented last night with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Mayor Mel Norton thanked Edwards for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the citizens of Saint John.
Edwards was the Project Manager for Peel Plaza and was formerly the city's Building Inspector.
Roads and water top the list when it comes to things that annoy Saint Johners; now, it looks like some city streets will be getting an overhaul to the tune of $7.6 million.
Common Councillor Shirley McAlary tells CHSJ News she'll be happy to see streets like Somerset and Douglas Avenue get a facelift; however, it can't stop there. She says while this initial funding committment will definitely take us a long way, next year's budget will also have to commit further funds to repair the streets.
Allocating that kind of money to repair and resurface the roads is basically unheard of in recent memory.
One question many Saint Johnners ask is why isn't something done to develop the For La Tour site by Harbour Passage into a viable tourist attraction.
CHSJ News asked Elaine Geary of the Fort La Tour Development Authority that very question. She tells us it's on a provincially protected site but the province isn't interested in developing it unless what goes up there is financially self sustainable. Geary would like to see, at the very least, an interpretation centre because right now the tourism potential isn't being realised and an opportunity is being squandered.
There will be a talk tonight at 6:30 pm at H-M-C-S Brunswicker on the aboriginal and European artifacts that have been uncovered on the site by provincial archaeologist Brent Suttie.
A presentation was made to Common Council a few years ago by the Fort La Tour Development Authority which would have seen a fort erected but nothing ever came of it. Geary says, however, they remain hopeful.
The New Brunswick Lung Association releasing the results of a survey which indicates 69 per cent of people in the province support spending more money to get people to quit smoking and 59 per cent support increasing tobacco taxes to come up with the funding needed.
Lung Association President and CEO Barb MacKinnon tells CHSJ even though tobacco taxes bring in 157 million dollars a year, illnesses caused by smoking take quite a chunk out of the healthcare budget to the tune of 111 million dollars a year in direct costs and 429 million dollars in social costs which include lost workdays.
She also points to research that shows for every dollar spent on smoking cessation, three dollars are save in healthcare costs.
The smoking rate in the province at 18.8 per cent is over 2 per cent higher than the national average.
According to the Lung Association, it usually takes from 5 to 7 attempts before someone can give up smoking.
A funeral service will be taking place at noonhour in Our Lady of the Assumption Church for the late Tim Cameron, President and C-E-O of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation.
John Irving of Commercial Properties worked with Cameron to raise money for healthcare in the region. Irving tells CHSJ News most Saint Johnners would be astounded to know Cameron helped to raise close to 200 million dollars to enhance their healthcare.
Cameron died over the weekend from pancreatic cancer. He graduated from St. Malachy's and U-N-B Fredericton.
Rothesay Regional Police have mystery on their hands. A man and woman got off the ferry early this morning with a couple of bags of copper which struck police as being a bit odd.
The two were interviewed and further investigation will be done to determine if the copper was stolen.
Police have not received any complaints about missing copper so far but remain a bit suspicious because such thefts have been on the rise.
So-called "street meat" is as common in big cities as pigeons and skyscrapers.; however, folks who want to sell hamburgers and hot-dogs out of trucks will need to wait a while longer to do so in the Port City.
Common Council is asking City Staff to gather more information about the food trucks after a request they change the by-law for the coming summer. Councillor Shirley McAlary tells CHSJ News she remembers issues ranging from garbage to noise and disputes over vendor locations when the trucks were permitted. Local entrepreneur John Campbell wants to install a diner in a double decker bus and operate it near King Square, and he's arguing it would be a magnet for tourists and increase the vibrancy of the uptown.
City Engineer Bill Edwards cautioned it's very unlikely the trucks would be allowed to operate this summer.
Reveen the Impossibilist spent his career thrilling audiences all over the world, presenting more than 6,000 live performances over his 50 year stint in show business.
The legendary illusionist and hypnotist passed away at home today from complications due to diabetes and dementia. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia but toured extensively on the East Coast for decades.
Reveen has often been referenced in popular culture, including the Maritime hit show Trailer Park Boys in which his physical resemblance to the character Ricky is frequently remarked upon.
Police are investigating after a suspicious fire at a home near St Stephen.
Fire crews getting that call shortly after 2am that the home on Loop Road in Upper Mills was on fire. No one was home at the time.
The cause of the fire is suspicious according to fire officials.
Anyone with information about this fire is being asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers. You can reach St. Stephen RCMP at 506-466-7030 or Crime Stoppers at www.crimenb.ca or 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
Women taking a certain brand of birth control are being asked to check the lot number of their pills with the news the manufacturer is issuing an urgent recall.
It was discovered the birth control pill Alysena 28 may have only two weeks of drug-containing pills instead of 3: meaning, women taking it could get pregnant.The 28-day packs normally have 21 active pills plus seven placebos.
The lot number of the affected pills is LF01899A.
Alysena 28 is sold in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and elsewhere in Canada and some of the affected pills were sold in Saint John.
If you've been taking the pills, consult your local pharmacy to get your prescription replaced.
They're cleaning up the mess that the last government made. Finance minister Blaine Higgs saying that's what the province is doing with the highly-criticized budget in a post-budget speech.
Higgs tells CHSJ News that the income-tax rollback of 2008 was supposed to be offset by a bump in HST, but that didn't happen.
He says this has been the most difficult budget to date, and he tells us he acknowledges this tax increase hits every pocketbook, but that we need to get out of the hole that's been dug. The income-tax increase is a measure that's expected to generate $136 million in revenue for 2013-14.
A heads up for drivers on the east side.......Part of Rothesay Avenue between the intersection of Russell Street and the Staples Business Depot parking lot, will be closed to traffic for the next week to allow for construction of the One Mile Interchange.
The Reversing Falls bridge is back open to traffic both ways.
The Water Department has Waterloo Street closed between Cliff and Richmond until further notice.
The Transportation Department tells CHSJ News there will be just one ferry operating at Gondola Point from about 11 this morning until further notice to allow the larger 24 vehicle ferry to be brought back into service.
The cops using a non-traditional method to track down a stolen cell phone over the weekend.
The Saint John Police Force tell CHSJ News that they used Find My iPhone, a free app that allows remote-location tracking of lost Apple devices, to find a swiped cell stolen from a coat in O'Leary's Pub uptown. Police tracked it to east side, and the thief was arrested and charged for possession of stolen property. The phone was returned to the owner.
If TransCanada's proposed pipeline project is given the green light, there could be spinoff projects for Irving Oil in the future.
Jeff Matthews, the company's business development manager tells CHSJ News that before that happens there is a long road ahead, but says it'll pay off if we can get there. He tells us their main focus right now is getting the pipeline to Saint John, and says that will open up opportunities for the company, the city, the province, and other third party companies.
The company has said the 14,000 kilometre pipeline would not only give them a wider base supply of crudes than they have right now, but it would also open up a new region of crude supply to Atlantic Canada.
It appears there is movement being made to get the Fundy Trail the necessary funding to complete it. Fundy Royal M-P Rob Moore is saying he hopes to be making an announcement soon.
The province is advertising the Bay Of Fundy on the giant screen in Times Square from now until June and Tourism Minister Trevor Holder tells CHSJ News finishing up the Fundy Trail is key to boosting the number of people from away who will visit New Brunswick.
Holder says completion of the Fundy Trail will be a game changer because it will tie the Bay of Fundy experience from the Roosevelt summer home on Campobello Island to the rocks of Hopewell Cape with Saint John smack dab in the middle.
Farmers in New Brunswick want to come up with distinct labelling to let shoppers in the province know what is produced locally.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees has also started a campaign to persuade people to spend at least 10 per cent of their disposal income with local businesses in your own backyard.
The Provincial President of CUPE Daniel Legere tells CHSJ News if enough people do this, it would make an enormous difference to local economies for the better.
Legere makes a distinction, however, between the big box stores and local businesses. He says if you spend $100 in a big box store, $15 of that stays in the community whereas if you spend the $100 at a local business, $45 will remain in your community. He believes there's a hunger among many consumers to buy local.
Common Council getting an update tonight on the resumption of major construction that will soon get underway again on the Harbour Bridge.
Beginning on April 15th, Harbour Bridge will be down to one lane each way until September or October and the off ramp to Chesley Drive will be closed.
The councillors are also being told there will be intermittent closures on Hilyard Street during construction and sections of Harbour Passage under the bridge are closed again to ensure the safety of walkers, roller bladers and bike riders.
City Staff would also like to see the two way bike lane along Main Street North and the Viaduct reinstalled.
A dramatic rescue last night in the south end after a fire broke out at 150 Britain Street between 10 and 10:30.
Platoon Chief Eric Garland says there was heavy smoke billowing from an upstairs apartment in the large two storey building.
One man was still inside the apartment after being overcome by smoke. He was unconscious when taken out of the apartment and rushed to the Regional Hospital where he's expected to recover at last word.
The fire was contained to the kitchen but 4 people who lived in the building have to find another place to live for the next while. It's not known when they'll be able to return and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Many victims of sexual assault live with what happened to them in silence and shame.
The executive director of the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre Lorraine Whalley tells CHSJ News that less than 10% of sexual assaults are reported to police.
This April is the third annual sexual assault awareness month in the province. The theme of this year's campaign is engaging youth in conversations of sexual violence. Whalley tells us they chose to zero-in on young people to try and clear up any misconceptions about what consent is amongst youth. She says the approach they're taking is that yes means yes, as opposed to no means no.
With our province's staggering rates of functional illiteracy, you'd think more people would be jumping on the free programs available to help people upgrade their reading skills, but Deanna Allen of Laubach Literacy tells CHSJ News their literacy programs are only reaching a handful of the people that need them.
Allen says adults who can't read well often avoid situations where they'll need to read, and often develop some creative strategies to cope with their sub-par literacy skills. But she says they'd like to see the number of people enrolled in their programs double or triple. She tells CHSJ News 60% of adults in New Brunswick are functionally illiterate, compared to 40% for Canada as a whole.
Brunswick Square security calling the city cops about a person wielding a knife in the uptown shopping centre this weekend.
The Saint John police force tell CHSJ News they showed up and charged the person with posession of an edged weapon. They were released and given paperwork to appear in court.
City fire crews called to a grass fire in Rockwood Park tonight. The call came in for a location near Hawthorne Avenue Extension. (photo courtesy of Nelson Hum)
The Port City and beyond mourning the loss of Tim Cameron. Cameron, the longtime president & CEO of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, died this morning after an 18 month battle with cancer.
Acting Foundation CEO Victoria Clarke tells CHSJ News he was an incredibly humble leader deferring any accolades to their team and most often to the donors. Visitation will be held at Brenan's Funeral Home on Paradise Row Sunday and Monday night between 7 and 9pm. The funeral will be held on Tuesday at noon at Our Lady of Assumption Church on the West side.
Thousands of kids will be digging in dirt one day this summer, but they won't be playing. They'll be working to beat a world record.
Marigold Project founder Barry Ogden tells CHSJ News that the Fundy region has applied to the Guinness Book of World Records to try and beat the record for number of children planting flowers at the same time.
They'll try and beat the record, which is currently held in China, on June 6th at 9:30 in the morning. Ogden tells us that approximately 40 schools will be taking part.
Election day is on April 15th, but you can cast your vote in the Kent by-election early. The seat was vacated by former Premier Shawn Graham, who resigned after a conflict of interest scandal. Advance polls are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and on Monday, April 8th. Anyone who is eligible to vote can do so in the advance polls. Voters should have received a Voter Information Card in the mail, if you didn't, check your poll location on the Elections NB website or ring the returning office at (506) 955-6022 or (888) 326-9523.
A former Deputy Mayor of Saint John has announced her intention to run for the empty seat in Ward 3.
Michelle Hooten tells CHSJ News she's well-prepared to tackle the complex issues that Ward 3 is facing, which range from the poor condition of the roads on the East Side to a lack of affordable housing over west.
The other candidates include Allen Leslie, Brian Boyd, Gerry Lowe, Graeme Stewart Robertson and Mark Leblanc. The by-election is being held in mid-May.
If you've ever been the victim of a crime, you know how traumatic the experience can be.
It's the job of Victim Services to ensure people feel heard throughout the judicial process. Martin Ellen Martin of Victim Services tells CHSJ News they rely on highly trained volunteers to deal with the fallout from a wide range of crimes from assaults to murders, sudden deaths, and thefts. Martin says the most common call they get is when someone has unexpectedly died, and they have to counsel family members and others.
For more information on Victim Services including how you can volunteer, click here
Since parole is a federal responsibility, it's no wonder M-P Rodney Weston is hearing alot of concern about the release of John O'Brien, the so-called motorcycle rapist to a halfway house in the city.
Weston says the concerns expressed to him about John O'Brien are mainly about the nature of his crimes and his risk of reoffending which is described by Police Chief Bill Reid as moderate. He concedes it doesn't make him feel good as an M-P to hear the concerns and worry from his constituents.
The concerns voiced to Weston are being passed along to the federal minister of Public Safety.
Weston tells CHSJ News he even considered introducing a private member's bill to deal with the issue but points out statutory release is a fact of the Canadian judicial system unless you're deemed a dangerous offender.
The unemployment rate in Saint John actually went down last month from 9.6 to 9.1 per cent which is second highest behind London, Ontario of all the cities in the national survey.
The jobless rate in New Brunswick rose from 10.1 to 10.5 per cent.
Canada lost more than 54 thousand jobs last month which is the biggest decline in four years. The drop means Canada has about 26 thousand fewer jobs than at the beginning of the year.
A 39 year old man arrested in the city as part of a drug investigation by Rothesay Regional Police. They confiscated 47 hundred dollars in cash, 800 grams of marijuana and some hash oil. The man arrested is likely facing a charge of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
Rothesay Regional Police also reporting young people in a small silver car were driving around the Vincent Road and K-Park area throwing eggs at people and a 14 year old girl was struck by one of them which police are calling an assault.
Suspended Saint John lawyer Rod Gillis will be sentenced June 20th in Bathurst for attempting to obstruct justice.
A sentencing hearing was held in Moncton where the legal arguments were made before Judge Irwin Lampert who found the 66 year old Gillis guilty back in January.
Prosecutor Peter Craig is recommending a prison term from 30 to 36 months for what he calls breach of trust by a member of the bar and officer of the court.
The defense is asking for a conditional sentence that would be served in the community.
Gillis was charged in connection with how he represented former Liberal M-L-A and House Speaker Frank Branch in his legal battle with the North Shore Forest Products Marketing Board which included both a criminal prosecution and civil lawsuit. Branch was charged with fraud and extortion. He eventually pleaded guilty to fraud over 5 thousand dollars and was sentenced to house arrest as well as ordered to pay restitution.
