Debate on Drinking Water Delayed

(Common Councillor Bill Farren)
              (File Photo)

Common Council may see clean, safe drinking water as the number one issue facing the city but it wasn't able to find the time last night to debate how it will be paid for. Common Councillor Peter McGuire complained there was too much grandstanding being done for the cameras which upset fellow west side Councillor Bill Farren, who called McGuire's comment harassment and intimidation. Farren did apologise to Enterprise Saint John for his previous criticism considering how many volunteers work for the organisation. The Council meeting was also one hour late in getting started. July 5th is the new date for the debate on water. In the meantime, the city will apply for a public-private partnership on water without being bound by that. The estimated price tag has risen to 259 million dollars.

Q-Plex Names "The Wave Pool"

(Murray Driscoll and David Boone shake hands on the Q-Plex partnership)
(Photo by Sherry Aske)

It may not have any waves, but the Wave Pool is going to be the place to be next summer.

Country94 and the Wave are the official radio stations of the new Q-Plex pool and walking track for the next ten years.

Mayor Murray Driscoll says it's a great partnership and he couldn't be more pleased.

The "Wave Pool" will be able to hold 370 people and has two water slides as well as a tots pool.

                













(Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll, CHSJ News Reporter Sherry Aske and
 97.3 The Wave/Country 94 General Manager Dave Boone)
(photo by Gary MacDonald)

NB Power To Be Grilled On Proposed Rate Hike

There will be many voices speaking against NB Power getting a 3 per cent rate increase for electricity at a hearing beginning this morning before the Energy and Utilities Board, more so since the utility made a 70 million dollar profit acrroding to Conservative Leader David Alward.

Bethany Thorne Dykstra of Voice of Real Poverty will be one of them. She's baffled as to why NB Power needs and increase and points out, if granted, such a rise will make life even more difficult for the 15 per cent of the population in the province who live at or below the poverty line.

She goes on to say all groups who would have to pay more for electricity are not equal economically so there should be a mechanism in place to offset the cost for the less affluent.

Prom Night Hijinks

City Police were called to an area behind the Community College on Grandview Avenue early this morning. They found a bonfire and about 200 high school students celebrating prom night. The students were all sent on their way and no arrests were made.

City Gets Out Of Tourism Business

(Common Councillor Peter McGuire)
                (File Photo)

The city of Saint John is getting out of the tourist business. Instead, an industry led group called Saint John Destination Marketing will be leading efforts to promote the city for tourism and will have more money to do that. The city is putting up a million dollars and the hotels are adding 470 thousand. Common Councillor Peter McGuire says there will be regular progress reports on what sort of job is being done and he wants it kept simple with no fluffy language abut branding and the like. Council members were told tourism generates 255 million dollars in economic benefits for Saint John annually but also creates civic pride when the locals know people from away want to visit the city..

Chief Promises Action On Graffitti Tagging

(Police Chief Bill Reid)
     (File Photo)

Despite an apparent increase in graffitti, Police Chief Bill Reid doesn't believe Saint John has a problem with it. He's vowing the police department will get on top of it and find who's responsible. The Chief went on to say police have a good idea who's responsible for the tagging where initials are spray painted.
Graffiti has been sprayed of late on the back of the Imperial Theatre, Hayward and Warwick and at the Duke Street construction site. Chief Reid says police are getting more co-operation these days from the public and told Councillors the number of breakins last year were down by 29 per cent and stolen autos were reduced by 19 per cent.

Council Member Misses Meeting Due To Tragic Death Of Her Cousin

Councillor Patty Higgins did not attend last night's meeting of Common Council after the death of her cousin, Caroline Higgins who was struck and killed by a motorcycle Sunday night on the sidewalk near the Reversing Falls. The 46 year old Higgins was a partner in the law firm, Gorman Nason. A burial mass will be held Thursday afternoon.

Green Party Candidate In Rothesay Speaks Out

The Green party candidate for Rothesay thinks its message on the environment resonates in one of the richest ridings in all of Canada.....A sustainable Rothesay and opening up access on the Kennebecasis River.
Sharon Flatt tells CHSJ news the town also needs to work on keeping young people here.
All three candidates vying to be the Rothesay MLA in the fall vote are women.
With Flatt for the Green party, incumbant Margaret Ann Blaney for the Conservatives and Victoria Clarke representing the Liberals.

Blaney Goes To The Blood Board

(Millidgeville Blood Distribution Centre)
(Photo By Sherry Aske)

The Canadian Blood Services Board of Directors is getting a visit from Margaret-Ann Blaney.

Blaney and a team of people are presenting on Wednesday on how closing the Millidegville Blood Distribution Centre will affect New Brunswick.

Dr. Andrea Garland will be presenting on behalf of medical professionals and says she is optimistic their message will be heard.

Garland says she is also concerned with the current plan to turn the centre into a storage unit.

She say there will be more blood on hand than will be able to be used before it expires, which means wasted blood.

Canadian Blood Services Stands By Decision

Amanda Cullen with Canadian Blood Services says they stand by their decision to consolidate production from New Brunswick to Dartmouth.

She tells CHSJ News that two years ago they moved a distribution centre from Sudbury, Ontario to Ottawa without any problems.

Cullen says they have to do what is right for the national blood system, not just what is right for the Atlantic Region.

As for blood expiring before it can be used, Cullen says they will not be shipping the blood that expires in five days to Halifax first, so wasted blood won't be an issue.

The Millrats Are Coming

(Player David Cooper shoots hoops with Minor Basketball players)
(Photo by Sherry Aske)

If hockey isn't exciting enough, Saint Johners can now enjoy their own basketball team. The Manchester Millrats from the Premier Basketball League are now the Saint John Millrats. Mayor Ivan Court says he hopes people from Fredericton and Moncton will come down for the games at Harbour Station as well.

The team's primary owner Jason Briggs says their has been a lot of debate over the teams name and they give the public a chance to vote in the coming weeks. Briggs says he likes the name Millrats, but he also likes the name Wharf Rats, and the important thing is making this Saint John's team.

Province Offers Free Vaccine for Babies and Kids

(Health Ministe Mary Schryer)

(file photo)

Kids and Babies can now get a vaccine for free thanks to improvements to the Province's childhood immunization program.
Health Minister Mary Schryer announced today this province is among first to make the pneumococcal vaccine available to children and infants starting Thursday July 1.

Invasive pneumococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection commonly associated with severe respiratory tract infections.
It is one of the leading causes of illness, hospitalization and death worldwide.
The vaccine is publicly funded for kids 8 weeks to 1 year.

West Side Raid Nets Many Plants And One Arrest

City police conducting a raid on the West side home last Thursday getting quite a haul of drugs.

The Street Crime unit seized up to 150 marijuana Plants with a street value between $50,000 to $100,000 from a home on Mary Anne Court.

A 33-year-old woman faces production charges and has a court date in late September.

Another Uptown Business Gets Hit By Spraypaint

(Some of the graffiti spraypainted yesterday at Hayward and Warwick)

(photo by Tamara Steele)

Another Uptown business has been hit by spraypaint.
The back wall of Hayward and Warwick in the laneway next to Trinity Anglican church was hit by the graffiti yesterday in several places.

It's the second time the Princess street business has been the target of spraypainters in a month.

The owners of the store are calling on police, fellow business owners and citizens to work together to put an end to the vandalism around the city.
They also express concern over the expense of removing graffiti.

There are reports of another batch of spraypaint graffiti at a construction site on Duke Street.

More Details On Death of Jogger Near Reversing Falls

More details have been released by City Police about the fatality last night on Bridge Road near the Reversing Falls. Sergeant Pat Bonner says a 46 year old jogger was struck and killed by a motorcycle. Police say she was not running on the road at the time but was walking on the sidewalk when the motorcycle failed to make a turn and slammed into her causing serious head injuries.
Sergeant Bonner says the motorcyclist suffered just minor injuries. The Major Crime Unit is investigating to determine if the motorcyclist will be charged. The name of the victim will not be released at the request of the family.

Cost of Supplying Clean, Safe Drinking Water Skyrockets

The cost of supplying clean, safe drinking water to Saint Johnners has escalated to 259 million dollars. That message will be delivered tonight to Common Council. An unanswered question is how will a cost that high affect water rates in the city. Common Council still hasn't decided yet whether everyone will be metered. Brent McGovern of Saint John Water says the people using water meters now have reduced their consumption. McGovern concedes the more people in your family, the greater the liklihood is you will be paying more for water than if you were on a flat rate. That's what concerns Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase who isn't entirely sold on the idea of metering. The head of Municipal Operations for the city, Paul Groody argues the use of meters will encourage people to conserve and not waste water.

Jogger Dies After Being Struck By Motorcycle

A woman, who was jogging, suffered serious head injuries and died after being hit by a motorcyle shortly before 7:00 last night on Bridge Road near the Reversing Falls Bridge. Her injuries were described as life threatening by the fire department. City Police are now investigating but there's no word yet on any charges.
A few hours earlier, there was a collision in the intersection of Chesley Drive and Main Street North between a transport truck and a car. One person was sent to hospital with minor injuries.

Saint John M-P Promises More Federal Money Coming For Saint John

(Saint John M-P Rodney Weston)
               (File Photo)

Now that the smoke has cleared from the Federal Conservative infighting and accusations of holding back spending, the M-P for Saint John is confident money will continue to flow into Greater Saint John. Rodney Weston tells CHSJ News it's important to point out that The Minister in charge of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Keith Ashfield and Premier Shawn Graham shared the stage twice on Friday to make funding annoucements and Weston, himself, has a few announcements scheduled for the coming week.
As for the Harbour Bridge, Weston tells us Ottawa and Fredericton are still ironing out the details of what is the best option for everyone. Part of Weston's campaign pledge during the last Federal vote was to eliminate the tolls from the Harbour Bridge.

NB Power Set To Be Grilled On Raising Rates

As the Energy and Utilities Board gets set to begin a hearing for the proposed 3% increase by NB Power, a big number is being thrown around by the Conservatives. Leader David Alward tells CHSJ News, the public utility is showing a hefty profit for the past year of close to 70 million dollars.
A hearing isn't required for a three per cent increase or lower but Provincial Energy Minister Jack Keir has asked the E-U-B to review the rate hike. Saint John Energy announced it's rate is up by three per cent as of the first of the month. The hearing gets started tomorrow morning at the Delta.

P-E-I And New Brunswick Talking About Joint Lawsuit Over Point Lepreau

(Provincial Energy Minister Jack Keir)
                 (File Photo)

A lawsuit is not on the table yet. That from Provincial Energy Minister Jack Keir after word Prince Edward Island is joining this Province in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Atomic Energy of Canada for cost overruns and delays in the refuurbishment of the nuclear reactor at Point Lepreau. Keir tells CHSJ News, he has been in touch with P-E-I and legal action remains an option but they're not at that popint yet.
Keir says his preference is to sit down with Conservative MP Keith Ashfield and member of the federal cabinet and see if something can't get ironed out. The delays have forced the Island's utility to buy power costing two million dollars a month.