Social media was abuzz this morning with rumours that Transportation Minister Claude Williams had said there was a possibility of re-instating the toll on the Harbour Bridge.
The comments were made to the media yesterday. According the Honourable Dorothy Shepherd, the rumour was the result of a miscommunication when the Minister was talking about tolls in general.
Shepherd did say tolls are definitely on the table as an option for generation revenue--but not on the Harbour Bridge. It was a platform promise of the Tories to remove the toll, which was widely believed to unfairly penalize Saint Johners.
About 260 thousand illegal cigarettes have been confiscated by the RCMP with two men from Burton now facing charges and hefty fines.
Police say the seizure of 26 cases of illegal tobacco happened after the two were stopped in Charters Settlement.
An 81-year-old man and 54-year-old man have court appearances scheduled in September. Their names won't be released until they are formally charged in court.
Irving Oil has been added to the list of defendants in a proposed class-action lawsuit stemming from the train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
The oil in the train cars that derailed and exploded was destined for Irving's refinery here in the city
An Irving spokesperson says the company did not own or control the oil or its transportation at any time.
The Carnival Glory will not be visiting Saint John next year and that could represent the loss of as many as 36 thousand passengers.
Higher costs in the North American Emission Control Area being cited as the main reason for the decision to keep the Carnival Glory year round in Miami.
Carnival will operate a variety of four to eight day Atlantic Canada voyages on Carnival Splendor from New York next year. Included will be 11 cruises to Saint John but with fewer passengers.
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation is reporting a $7 million decline in its profit.
The corporation's annual accountability report shows a net profit of more than $362 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year as compared to $369 million plus in 2011-2012.
While the sale of lottery tickets was up $19.9 million, video lottery revenues declined by $29.2 million.
$367.7 million in prizes were paid out which represents the largest amount in recent years.
It's time to celebrate the newly restored Mispec beach and park.
Back in 2011, weather caused significant damage to the shoreline and staircases.
Work on the site cost about $270,000 some of which will be reimbursed by the Department of Public Safety through the Disaster Financial Assistance Program.
Councillor at Large Shirley McAlary tells CHSJ News it's a partnership between the City and Canaport LNG.
She says they have fixed the wall going to the shore, replaced the old asphalt with gravel and demolished the canteen and a storage shed.
The event begins on Saturday at 11:30am and the rain date is Sunday.
For more info, click here
Correctional Officers at the Atlantic Institution have nabbed a visitor trying to bring drugs into the maximum-security federal penitentiary.
The officers seized25 g of Hydromorphone beads as well as Dilaudid, worth nearly $30,000 inside.
The visitor was arrested by the police and may face criminal charges. From April 12 to July 08, 2013 staff at yjr Institution have had a total of 7 drug seizures valued at over $65,000 and resulting in four visitor arrests.
The jail uses tools like ion scanners and drug dogs to search buildings, offenders and visitors.
Crescent Valley residents have a few days of sun and fun to look forward to.
Games, a street dance, a BBQ, Cutest Baby Contest and more will be happening in the North End community from now through the weekend as part of Crescent Valley Community Fun Days.
Janet McLaughlan of the Tenant's Association tells CHSJ News the biggest day will be Saturday, when there will be a street dance, Bingo and games for families.
For more information, contact the Crescent Valley Tenant's Association at 658-9658
The police in Rothesay have provided us with a few updates on crime in the area.
No injuries were reported after a vehicle crashed on Campbell Drive this morning. There were no injuries when the Mazda flipped over, and police say it isn't clear how it happened--other than the fact that there might have been an object on the road the driver swerved to avoid. Traffic was blocked for about half an hour.
Also, last night around 11pm at the Qplex, someone came into the facility and stole 7 cell phones, wallets and cash out of the bags of kids at Bantam hockey practice.
Police are looking for any tips on that theft, as well as the robbery at Cochrane's in which there are still no suspects. You can contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Provincial Green Party leader David Coon isn't buying assurances from Premier David Alward about provincial regulations being strong enough to protect the environment when it comes to shale gas testing.
Coon says the regulations are more like conditions that can be negotiated away.
He can't believe SWN Resources got a blanket exemption to carry out seismic testing for shale gas in provincial wetlands.
The top university soccer teams from across the country will be in Saint John this November competing for the national championship.
The coach of the U-N-B Saint John Seawolves Jason Brown says you're going to be seeing top flight players who have aspirations for bigger and better things in the pros and internationally for their home countries.
The matches involving 8 teams will be staged at the Canada Games Stadium from November 6th through the 9th.
Brown admits the Seawolves will be under more pressure because they're the home team.
A big surprise in court.
All 9 charges of sexual assault against a City doc have been withdrawn.
At a court appearance this morning, all 9 charges were withdrawn but a reason has not been given.
8 of the 9 charges against Dr. Alan Cockeram were laid back in February.
Defence lawyer Brian Munro got into a heated exchange with the judge over the reason the charges were withdrawn, which was not revealed.
Munro says his client's name has been dragged through the mud for 14 months and deserves an explanation.
Munro tells CHSJ News the complaints against the doctor were organized by a group of people who knew each other with getting a payout as the objective.
In the meantime, Dr. Ed Schollenberg of the College of Physicians and Surgeons says its investigation will continue and a restriction on seeing female patients that was imposed a few months ago by Horizon Health remains in effect.
Another big rise in the price of gas after the weekly setting.
Self serve regular rising over 4 cents a litre to $1.34.8 around town while diesel increased just slightly to $1.33.3 a litre.
Propane went up by a cent a litre with a maximum price of 96.7 cents and heating oil is also more at $1.16.4.
A suspect in several car prowls and thefts from vehicles is now behind bars. City Police arresting a 25 year old man early this morning in the area of Leinster and Pitt Streets for theft from a vehicle.
Late yesterday afternoon, another man was arrested for assault with a weapon on Sewell Street. The victim who was another man was taken to hospital, treated and released.
An oversized truck snagging cable and phone lines in the North end.
City Police tells us the wires are down at the intersection of Millidge Avenue and Adelaide Street, and Rogers and Aliant are currently on the scene trying to restore service.
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement was called to check out the situation.
A group of young people are on their way to getting sworn in, as they tough it out in Mini Police Academy.
The program is called Kids 'n Kops, delivered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John and the Saint John Police Force, and is for youth aged 9-12.
Constable Tony Arsenault is the program's police leader for the second year in a row, and he tells CHSJ News they're teaching the kids uniformity and consistency. He says no other program compares to this one, where police officers and young cadets can build friendships, an experience he describes as 'phenomenal'.
Laurie Collins of Big Brothers Big Sisters tells us the program is an educational opportunity for the group of young people. They graduate from the academy on Friday at 2pm at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre.
You have no doubt heard of the mock arrest proposal making its way around the net.
Ben Vienneau and Marcy Belyea's proposal video featuring the Saint John police force has garnered attention from the Today show, the Daily Mail online and the Huffington Post.
Ben tells CHSJ News he was a bit nervous doing the interviews. He says they have had another 6 to 7 outlets call them today including online shows and other show throughout the US.
We asked Ben if he was worried when the officer in the video veered off script pretending to arrest Marcy for unpaid parking tickets, he tells us they know each other really well and he was only concerned for a minute.
To see their video and all the entries for Win and Wed by the Sea, click here for Ben and Marcy, click here for Lindsay and John, click here for Melanie and Dave, click here for Rob and Theresa, click here for Angela & Brendan, click here for Chris and Natasha, click here for Annie and Adam, click here for Courtney & Chris, click here for Amanda and Tim, click here for Lacey & Curtis.
When newly built neighbourhoods grow, residents can run into traffic problems — and that's exactly what's happening on Colchester Drive in Quispamsis.
People living on the street, and on adjoining Lexington Drive, petitioning town council to look into speeding, and drivers not coming to a complete stop at the stop sign.
Gary Losier, Director of Engineering & Works for the town tells CHSJ News traffic calming is the number one issue when a subdivision gets developed. He says it's such a common problem in growing neighborhoods because as it grows, so do the number of vehicles in the area.
Losier says they need to do an evaluation of the street before they implement traffic calming solutions, which they'll do later this summer. They'll install a counter on the stretch of road to see if speeding is an issue.
After the recent spell of hot, dry weather, the Department of Natural Resources has put a no burn order in effect for the entire province.
They're also reminding the public that all grass fires require permits, written burn plans and pre-inspection by a forest service officer.
The order stands until at least 2pm tomorrow...but there are some showers forecasted for late tonight and overnight which could help quell the dry conditions a little.
It's one of Saint John's most iconic summer events--and the kids will be especially excited to hear the 23rd edition of Buskers on the Boardwalk starts tomorrow.
The pay-what-you-can shows feature every variety of act from fire-juggling to sword-swallowers, contortionists to comedy. Stephany Peterson of the Hardman Group tells CHSJ News that's not all you can expect: events like zip-lining, bouncy rides, bumper boats and more making the event a magical one for families.
Performers from across the globe will be performing their unique routines from Thursday until the 21rst. For a full schedule and description of the performers click here.
With the news the city's composting and recycling programs need an overall boost of as much as $9 million, taxpayers can expect an increase in tipping fees in the near future..
Common Councillor Bill Farren is worried increased fees will also lead to an increase in illegal dumping with people looking to dodge paying. Mark McLeod of Fundy Region Solid waste assures the public that probably won't happen in light of case studies from areas that have adopted similar regulations.
Councillor Farren saying he's all for anything that cuts down on pollution, but he can't support double-taxing people for putting out garbage either.
Even with cost overruns of over a billion dollars, provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard is calling the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant, a good deal for New Brunswick
The leader of the Provincial Green Party David Coon is scoffing at that, saying if Provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard considers that a good deal, he would hate to see what a bad deal is.
Coon, who formerly was at the Conservation Council, points out the plant is still not up to full power and predicts there will be new problems cropping up to force it to shut down for more repairs.
City Hall was evactuated shortly before 11am due to a suspected natural gas leak.
According to sources on the scene, the suspected leak was actually caused by natural gas being vented in the building as part of maintenence on the building's boiler.
The building was evacuated briefly until crews were able to give the all-clear.
Things are going well these days at Saint John Airport which is reporting a ten per cent increase in passenger traffic for the first half of the year. That represents the highest rate of growth of any airport in the Atlantic region.
The airport also announcing Sunwing is planning its seventh season with direct flights and vacation packages next year from Saint John to Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic starting in February.
The economic impact of the Airport on the Saint John economy is estimated at 66 million dollars as well as the creation, directly and indirectly, of 570 jobs.
A group of residents in one neighbourhood is taking action to get kids out of the house and onto a set of monkey bars.
Town council hearing a presentation about building a playground on the Kings Way Care Centre property. Dave Aube of the Squire Drive Neighbourhood Group, tells CHSJ News he often takes his four year-old to other playgrounds, and with the number of young children in their area, he'd like to see a place they can play that's closer to home.
Judy Lane of the Kings Way Care Centre says they've offered a portion of their land as a project site. Lane tells us she believes it'll be a win-win for everybody involved because seniors enjoy watching children play, and the children will be able to soak up their wisdom.
The playground would cost $60,000 in total; they're asking the town for $40,000. Aube says they've already raised $800 for the playground, which would geared towards kids aged 2-12. It would be 2400 square feet in size.
City Police investigating an armed robbery at Greco Pizza off Magazine Street near Fort Howe. This happened shortly after 11:30 last night.
One person armed with a weapon making off with an undisclosed amount of money. There were no injuries.
Meantime, a collision in the Hampton area between a car and a motorcycle at the Lakeside Road intersection sent a man and woman who were riding the motorcycle to hospital.
As another heat wave blankets the region, some areas are struggling with smoke from forest fires.
Environment Canada meterologist Claude Cote tells CHSJ News people in the Moncton area and in Chaleur are seeing the plume and smelling the smoke.
He says another fire in Restigouche county is sending smoke drifting along the Maine-New Brunswick border and in the Saint John River Valley.
While we search for a cool basement to hide from a humidex in the mid-30's today, we are in for a break with highs up to 27 inland tomorrow but highs near 21 for Thursday and Friday.
Cyclists can now make cross-community treks as the city announces the opening of the Campus-Harbour Connection.
The route, which spans 4.5 kilometres, links the UNB Saint John campus, Tucker Park Collaborative and the Saint John Regional Hospital with the uptown area.
The Saint John cycling club will bike on the route this Thursday evening during an inaugural ride starting at the Red Rose parking lot.
A year and a half after his daughter disappeared -- a man from Waterville, Maine is in the news again.
Portland Police say 26-year-old Justin DiPietro is charged with domestic violence assault after an officer watched him grab and push a woman on July 6th.
Police say the woman, who is DiPietro's ex-girlfriend, was not hurt and the two were arguing when the incident happened.
DiPietro has since been released on bail.
Back in December 2011, 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds was reported missing from her father's home.
Police confirmed Ayla's blood was found in DiPietro's basement, but no charges were ever laid in the child's disappearance and she was never found.
It's a busy hot day in Uptown Saint John with high temperatures and potentially thousands of extra people visiting on the Carnival Glory cruise ship.
The ship is in port until 7pm.
Composting and recycling facilities in the province are suffering from 15 years worth of wear and tear...and they'll need 9 million dollars worth of upgrades in order to bring them up to speed. Mark McLeod of Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission explains the blue bins are basically rusting out and have been repaired to the point they have to be replaced...and that's not all.
He says the compost buildings are 15 years and an engineering report suggests they should replace the buildings in 2015.
McLeod says with no money to be made in recycling both the recycling and composting program are subsidized by tipping fees....which will need to go up to cover the cost of the upgrades.
Mayor Mel Norton sees greater regionalisation as a way to save money and turn the local economy around but will he be able to persuade the other members of the Fundy Regional Services Commission to go along with that.
Norton wants to see data on what, if any money, can be saved from greater regionalisation.
Grand Bay-Westfield Mayor Grace Losier who chairs the Commission points out its mandate is limited to solid waste collection along with building and planning services for the local service districts.
She says beyond that, it's collaboration but does expect recreation to be talked about at the Commission. Losier failed to persuade people in the local service districts around Grand Bay-Westfield to help pay for the upkeep of the River Valley Community Centre.
Rothesay Regional Police are looking for three robbers who got away with some cash after an armed holdup at Cochran's Country Market on Hampton Road early this morning.
It happened about 1:30 with two employees were being tied up but otherwise unhurt.
If you know anything about this crime, contact Rothesay police at 847-6300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Cleanup crews are mopping up a fuel spill that took place near the lights on Bentley Street as you make your way up the hill towards the Reversing Falls Bridge.
At last night's meeting of common council, the mayor and council appeared to want to drive home to the public their support for Saint John's police force. The motion came in light of the largely unsuccessful bid to win support for greater regionalized policing.
Mayor Mel Norton explained he sees regionalization as an opportunity for the region to save money and catch up with the pack--and that goes for waste management and other sectors as well as police. In no way, said the mayor, does investigating regionalization mean the city feels the current services are sub-par.
Further, he said we need to look into whether we have more facilities and equipment than we know what to do with, and whether the status quo is actually giving us the best police service.
Grand Bay-Westfield
Mayor Grace Losier has said that a study on greater regional policing would be a waste of time,
given the complete lack of interest from the outlying communities.
A stolen truck has been found a long way from home.
A 2003 Dodge Caravan stolen in Toronto earlier this month was recovered in a gravel pit near Musquash by the community's fire department, who reported it to the St. George RCMP.
They're asking the public for any information they have in connection with the case. You can contact them by calling 755-1130 or Crime Stoppers at crimenb.ca or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
It's official. The dog days of summer are here, and they're scorching.
A humidex advisory is in effect for the Kennebecasis Valley today, among many other places across the province, including Fredericton, Oromocto and St. Stephen.
The communities will see a high of 35 today, with a high UV index.
The fact the fire department is getting too many of the emergency calls before Ambulance NB is prompting Deputy Mayor Shelley Rinehart to seek answers as to why.
Rinehart is giving her fellow members of Common Council a list of questions for Ambulance NB to answer.
They include what the response times have been in the city over the past year? What the expected response times are? What the coverage is? How many ambulances are there in Saint John? How often has the fire department arrived first? What the time difference was and what type of call was it?
The city has been told by consultant Todd MacDonald, responding to medical calls could be adversely affecting response times to fires and in 3 out of 4 cases, medical intervention doesn't happen.
400 low income householders will get their homes retrofitted over two years under a new energy efficiency programme announced by the Alward Government.
The 2 million dollar program will help to pay for the retrofitting of homes and save from 50 to 100 dollars a month.
Homes in need of major upgrades, particularly insulation and heating systems, will be given priority.
The program will start in November.
How are we doing? That's the question Rothesay Regional Police is posing to the public.
They've released a citizen satisfaction survey to get the public's opinion on what they're doing right and what needs improving with questions about traffic and patrol, major crime, victim services, and more.
Constable Krystal Daley, their Community Relations Officer, tells CHSJ News they take the results shown in the final report very seriously, and the survey will help them map out where the department is headed in the next five years.
The survey is released every three years. This is the first year that the survey has been released online. For a link to the survey, click here.
Rob Moore has to be smiling. A massive cabinet shuffle sees the Fundy Royal MP land a promotion.
Moore has been named Minister of State for ACOA and Regional Minister for New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
In welcoming 8 new faces to cabinet, Prime Minister Stephen Harper kept New Brunswick MP Bernard Valcourt right where he was in Aboriginal Affairs.
The newbies include Shelly Glover as Heritage Minister, Michelle Rempel in the Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification and Kellie Leitch takes on the Labour portfolio.
Rona Ambrose is now Minister of Health while Julian Fantino becomes Minister of Veteran's Affairs.
Crime Stoppers and the Woodstock RCMP are looking for a man responsible for an armed robbery in Lower Woodstock over four months ago.
About 10pm on February 24th, police responded to a complaint of an armed robbery at Maliseet Fuels in Lower Woodstock.
A man entered the gas station armed with a hand gun and demanded money from the cashier. He took off without getting anything and the clerk was not hurt.
The man is described as being about 5 foot 8, weighing 250 to 270 pounds wearing a blue or black cargo pants, a white shirt, a dark blue or black hoodie, black gloves with a balaclava over his face.
To see video and find the numbers for police or Crime Stoppers, click here
and click here
Whether you're a walker or a driver, a four-week project starting today could have an impact on your routine.
Part of Pettingill Road is barricaded and closed until approximately August 9th as Fairville Construction Ltd., the contractor for the town of Quispamsis, installs storm culverts and a sanitary gravity main.
Director of Engineering & Works for the town, Gary Losier, tells CHSJ News they're replacing an old line that was installed in the early 1970s. Losier says it could be a substantial job, but they don't anticipate needing more than four weeks to complete the work.
Click here to see a map of alternate routes.
The Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission will be making a presentation to Common Council tonight on the need for more of us to recycle and compost with less garbage going into the landfill.
It wants to see a long term plan put in place for the next 15 years or so.
Brenda MacCallum of the Waste Commission warns taxpayers won't want to incur the cost of another landfill before it's absolutely necessary because the cost would be immense. Crane Mountain cost 21 million dollars to open.
MacCallum admits there are challenges with the blue bins as well as how to make recycling and composting easier for people who live in apartments. The numbers for both recycling and composting have stagnated.
In Malton, Massachusetts, residents are charged 2 dollars per bag of garbage with the amount being thrown out dropping by half and recycling rising by 74 per cent. MacCallum adds in jurisdictions where limits have been placed, there has not been a problem with illegal dumping.
Support for the federal Liberals nationwide dropped by 5.6 per cent in June from May but they still lead in polling with 34.4 per cent support. The Conservatives are next at 29 per cent followed by the NDP at 24 per cent.
Saint John M-P Rodney Weston tells CHSJ News the Harper Government faced a number of tough issues during the last session of Parliament so he's not surprised at the numbers, especially if the Opposition is doing its job properly. Weston compares polling numbers to peaks and valleys.
In Atlantic Canada, support for the Liberals and their new leader Justin Trudeau is at 47.2 per cent and that's the highest of any region in the country.
The Saint John Auto Dealers Association has sent an open letter to Common Council complaining about the traffic tieups with the lights at Rothesay Avenue and Ashburn Lake Road by Deluxe French Fries and looking for a permanent solution.
The auto dealers claim businesses along Rothesay Avenue are getting fed up with the lights which are designed to lead up to Costco and Eastpoint from the highway.
The letter states drivers, at times, have to wait through 3 or 4 light changes before they can make their left turn.
This was supposed to be a temporary fix but it's been six years now and the auto dealers say there appears to be little concern after a meeting with the mayor and no time frame for constructing a permanent intersection with better traffic flow.
For
some, a sparkling fireworks display isn't a spectacle reserved just for
the first of July. However, the fire department is reminding people the
sale, display and setting off of fireworks in the city is not only
illegal, but downright dangerous.
Division Chief Mark Wilson tells CHSJ News fireworks are very hot and when they're set off, they may not fully
ignite. Meaning, a dangerous piece of material would be on the ground
which could lead to someone becoming badly hurt. He says they can be
especially dangerous if they land on someone's roof as they have the
potential to set a house ablaze.
Wilson
says if you're not qualified to set off fireworks, you need a permit,
signed by the Fire Chief himself, to have your own spectacle.
A motorcycle driver is suffering from serious injuries after a crash. It happened at 9pm yesterday at the intersection of 137 A and Route 111, in front of the fire station.
Rothesay Regional Police say from their preliminary investigations, they believe a car tried to make a U-turn and the motorcycle collided with the vehicle. The motorcyclist was brought to hospital.
Police say they had to bring in an vehicular accident reconstruction expert, and charges are most likely pending under the Motor Vehicle Act.
A man is dead following a confrontation with police early Saturday morning.
It began just before 6am, when Codiac Regional RCMP responded to a complaint of an armed person trying to break into a vehicle near the Moncton Coliseum. But by the time they arrived on the scene, the suspect was gone.
An hour later, as they were trying to track down the man, shots were fired in the Whitney Avenue-Jordan Avenue area of the city. Later, a man in his thirties was pronounced dead.
The incident is being investigated by the Fredericton Police.
