Winter Parking Debate Continues

Common Council is considering putting into place a parking program allowing on street parking during the winter after the roads have been cleared, or when it is not snowing. Councillor Gary Sullivan says the idea is to let those who have no where else to put their vehicles to park on street after the necessary work has been done.


Sullivan says the only way this will work is if there is a notification system by email or voicemail telling people when they have to move their cars. City staff are going to look at the option and report back to council.

Cry is Being Heard for City to Host CFL Game

The Chair of the City's Recreation and Leisure Committee wants to bring a CFL game to Saint John. Barry Ogden has sent a letter to council asking that they contact the league's commissioner to play an exhibition game when refurbishment work at the Canada Games Stadium is finished. The stadium has played host to a pair of CFL games since it was built back in 1985 and the CFL will play a regular season game next year in Moncton.

Ogden says if we ask now, the city might be able to get a game booked for 2011. Ogden is also encouraging Mayor and Councilors to take the lead on finding a venue suitable for the city to start hosting an outdoor concert.

Are There Any New Jobs on the Horizon

There has been a gradual rise in the Saint John unemployment rate over the past few months but the latest hiring outlook from Manpower is painting a brighter picture for the new year. Its survey of local employers is suggesting 22 per cent plan to hire from January to March with 69 per cent staying with the status quo and 3 per cent uncertain of their future hiring intentions.

That outlook is not as good as it was for the same time last year but it is better than it has been of late.

GageTown Ferry Shutting Down For The Winter

If you use the Gagetown Ferry on a regular basis, keep this in mind. The vessel is being taken off the river for the winter as of midnight Thursday before heavy ice builds up. It will rest for the winter in Evandale and will be given a full inspection by a naval architect as per recommendations of the community working group.


This is to see if it meets federal standards and outline and necessary upgrades and what it will cost. The vessel was saved from permanent drydock earlier this year after protestors were able to reverse a budget decision by the Graham Government.

Tax Revenue for the City

The Commissioner of Finance says the province suggesting the city lower it's tax base rate by 5 cents will not provide the municipality with enough cash to efficiently operate. Greg Yeomans says the tax rate now doesn't provide the city with enough money, and it needs to find ways to generate more revenue.
He says his department is looking at solutions, such as increasing fees such as arena rentals, as well as more money from federal and provincial grants. The final decision on what the tax base rate will be is completely in the hands of common council.
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase says municipalities should be getting revenue from the sales tax. He maintains Saint John could generate a lot of dollars due to it's investment in shopping centres on the East side. Chase says as it stands right now, the provincial government is enjoying increased revenue on the backs of the city.

Hydro-Quebec President and CEO Speaks

The President and C-E-O of Hydro Quebec made his first appearance in Saint John to talk about the proposed sale of NB Power's major assets. Thierry Vandal says there is no intention to sweep NB Power or its current suppliers away:


Vandal says Hydro Quebec assumes the risk for the Point Lepreau refurbishment and any upgrades at Mactaquaq while homes and businesses get stable electricity rates.

Opposistion Leader Responds to Speech

               (Opposistion Leader David Alward)
                               (File Photo)

Opposition Leader David Alward says he heard only generalities about what would happen after the sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec.

Alward wants to have a sit down with Quebec Premier Jean Charest to talk about the proposed agreement.

Open House in Rothesay Tomorrow Night

[M-L-A Margaret Ann Blaney---File Photo]
If you've been looking for a forum to voice your opinion about the NB Power-Hydro Quebec proposal, look no further than Rothesay tomorrow night. Conservative MLA Margaret Ann Blaney is hosting a town hall meeting and tells CHSJ News, it's vital she hear from her constituents:


Blaney says she has received hundreds of calls and e-mails from people not in favor of the proposal. Tomorrow nights meeting gets started at seven o'clock in the cafeteria of Rothesay High School.

Compu-College Changes it's Name

Feeling it has outgrown it's name........CompuCollege is changing the name over the door of it's seven campuses in Atlantic Canada to Eastern College. Officials says they want to let people know they offer more than programs in computers with over 40 diploma programs including public relations and massage therapy.


Since it opened it's doors 20 years ago, Eastern College has handed out over 20,000 diploma's. Along with Saint John, there are campuses in Fredericton, Moncton, Charlottetown, Dartmouth and St. John's.

City Works Deals with First Winter Storm

The City Works Department has it's first winter storm under it's belt and for the most part, everything went smoothly. Kevin Rice is Deputy Commissioner of Municipal Operations and tells CHSJ News, minor equipment issues were one of the things they had to deal with.


The winter operations center was activated with a full compliment of staff and resources on hand. Rice adds it was nice to get the first storm out of the way to test the gear and give it a good run before the wilder winter weather arrives.

Update on Man Killed Late Last Week

More details are being released after the death of a 23-year old man from Passakeg last week. Jeremy Shaw was killed when his vehicle left the highway heading to Hampton and rolled. The reconstructionist team says it looks like the vehicle missed the off ramp to the North side, hit the shoulder and then over-steered to try and get his vehicle back on the road.


Officers believe in doing so, his vehicle shot across the road and rolled twice on the South side. Shaw was also not wearing a seatbelt.

Power Outages Around the Province

Moncton, Shediac and Sackville were the hardest hit area's of a good size power outage yesterday. The quick change from rain to snow made for heavy tree limbs and power lines which can wreak havoc for the public utility. NB Power spokes-person Marianne Limpert tells CHSJ News, the power went out just after six but was back on line by lunch time.

Limpert adds it's nice for the utility to get it's first winter storm related outage under it's belt to make sure they are ready for what-ever else winter may have.

Winter Storm in Saint John

Saint John received about 15 centimeters of snow over the weekend and it made for a busy Sunday for city police and the fire department. One person was taken to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle along Mcallister Drive last night around 7 near the Empire theatre. Fire Crews also responded to a house fire at 24 Muriel Avenue in Champlain Heights. One person fled uninjured. There was heavy damage to the livingroom. Fire officials say the blaze began in the fireplace.
Yesterday afternoon, a taxi van collided with a plow at Chesley and Main Street. The van was pinned against a light standard and the door had to be pried open with the jaws of life to take the driver to hospital. Another person was taken to hospital after a crash on Route One.
There were small natural gas leaks outside Prince Edward Square Mall and at a new building off University Avenue. Enbridge Gas was also called to Northumberland Avenue after a plow slid into one of the natural gas regulators.
Drivers and pedestrians being warned to watch out for black ice this morning as you make your way into work.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

For everyone who was saying it was tough getting into the holiday spirit with-out any snow, here you go. Over ten centimeters is down in Greater Saint John with the first snow-fall of the winter season. Rain changed over to the white stuff early last night when the temperature took a sudden dip and the flakes continue to fall. Environment Canada tells us the sky should begin to clear by this afternoon. Police forces are reporting a few minor accidents but nothing serious at this point.

A reminder to make sure your vehicle is entirely cleaned off before pulling out into traffic and give yourself some extra time to get where you are going.

Rally of?

Word on what the replacement event will be for Rally of Hope is still being ironed out. The final event was held back in June and officials have been meeting ever since to get all the details wrapped up. Executive Director of the Regional Hospital Foundation Tim Cameron tells CHSJ News, they are talking to everyone who had something to do with the Rally to get the best ideas.
Cameron says the new event might be something that runs through-out the entire year with the final details expected to be rolled out early in the new year.

Donate While You Doze

For anyone who can't seem to find the time to donate to a charity, the United Way has a new initiative that takes very little effort. Its called ""Donate While You Doze"" and is in conjunction with the Holiday Inn and Suites in the North End. The hotel is slashing it's room rate in half with twelve dollars from each room going to the United Way. Elizabeth Jadoo is Executive Director of the United Way and tells CHSJ News, giving to charity doesn't get any easier than this.
Moncton raised over eight thousand dollars last year with this initiative and Jadoo hopes they can raise three thousand dollars. It runs between December.20th and January.4th.

Daycare Owner Continues to Wait for Council Decision

Another delay for the rezoning of Janie's Kid Zone in Quispamsis.

The process started back in May, and last week's town council meeting was supposed to determine whether the area on Sugarmaple Lane would be rezoned for a daycare.
With more letters of support coming in to the town, the issue has been tabled until a public hearing can be held in February.
Owner Janie Stewart says it's frustrating the process is still going on, but at least it's winding down.
Neighbours previously opposed the location of the daycare, and the final chance to be heard on the issue is on February 2nd.

Tenders For Water Projects to Go Out Soon

Tenders for the first 3 of 6 projects relating to safe, clean drinking water will be going out soon.

That from Commissioner of Municipal Operations Paul Groody, who says these are the most important projects the city has ever undertaken.
Groody says the a public call for proposals on the final three projects will also be going out soon.
Mayor Ivan Court says he heard from the Federation of Canadian Muncipalities these projects need to be started by March 31st, because after that date any flexibility may be lost.

Seadogs look to Continue Winning Streak

Can the Seadogs up their winning streak to 19 straight games? We will find out tonight when they play host to Gatineau for a seven o'clock start at the Station. When the season started, goaltending was a big question mark but they along with every player in the line-up has or is exceeding expectation. The holiday trading period starts on the 19th and Head Coach Gerard Gallant tells CHSJ Sports, it's too early to say what might unfold.
Gallant says a strong show of discipline has been a huge turning point for this team.

Santa Claus Visiting Dairytown

Santa Claus will wrap up his tour of the Greater Saint John area with a stop in Sussex tonight. It's the town's annual Santa Parade with plenty of people expected to show up along the route to see the jolly old elf from the North Pole. This years parade has 50 floats which will start from Princess Louise Park at 6:30pm. It will then cruise down Main Street and finish up in the Walmart parking lot.

Children are reminded to bring their letters for Santa and members of the Kiwanis Club will walk the route picking up non-perishable food. The theme for this years parade is the Olympic Spirit of Christmas.