Scorching summer weather can be downright dangerous. With the humidex reaching the high thirties across the province over the last couple of days, people are at a high risk of getting sick from the heat.
Chief Medical Officer Eilish Cleary says muscle cramps, fatigue, headache, or nausea are symptoms of heat-related illness. If you experience these, go to a cool place, drink a cold, non-alcoholic drink and rest. Cleary says this could save your life.
Click here for a list of ways to prevent heat-related illness.
A busy Saturday shift for firefighters included a slew of fire alarms going off, one of which was at an industrial site.
Acting Platoon Chief Brian Wilson says a small fire in a belt at 30 Jervis Lane was extinguished by employees, while firefighters made sure the blaze was out and cut off power to the equipment.
They were also called to the South end to respond to a house fire. When they showed up at 132 Broad Street, they discovered the cause of the blaze was a pot on a stove. They aired out the building and cleared the smoke.
They also responded to half a dozen or more medical calls across the city.
A husband and wife team from Ontario are in the Musquash Estuary capturing nature. But they're each doing it differently and for different reasons.
Naturalist Fred Schueler, a retired biologist, is conducting biological inventories at the site and will catalogue what he sees. Aleta Karstad, an artist, will be painting the lower Bay of Fundy. Karstad tells CHSJ News it's a marriage of art and science.
She says there are challenges to painting outside, everything you'd expect when you're immersed in the environment; the changing of the light and weather, insects and the cold and wetness have to be taken into consideration when you're painting.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is inviting the public to meet Schueler and Karstad at an open house today at 1pm in the Musquash Community Centre, 31 Malcolm Meehan Road. At 3:30pm, Karstad will lead a talk on what it's like to paint in the field. The NCC is hosting a free painting workshop tomorrow from 10am to 3pm. To register, call 1-877-231-4400 or e-mail brittany.cliffford@natureconservancy.ca.
Click here to view and bid on Karstad's paintings.
A man is dead after being struck by a train.
Saint John Police tell us it happened at 5:45am near Haymarket Square. An autopsy is being performed this morning. The incident is under investigation by police, though no foul play is suspected.
The hum of fans and air conditioners blasting will be a sound heard in homes province-wide today as the scorching weather continues.
Doug Mercer, lead meteorologist with Environment Canada, tells CHSJ News we can expect more of the same for all of the Maritimes. We'll see temperatures near what we had yesterday for today and tomorrow, with a humidex of between 35°C and 39°C degrees forecasted. A humidex advisory has been issued for Southeastern portion of the province.
Mercer cautions you to stay out of the sun today, and says make sure to do any strenuous activity early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures have dropped. He says to use common sense when it's hot outside; stay out of the sun, drink lots of water and wear something to cover your head.
Three
heat records were broken in the province yesterday. One in Saint John,
the second in Saint Leonard and the third in Moncton.
A highway crash sending a motorcyclist to hospital.
The 39 year-old man driving the motorcycle collided with a car that was coming onto the highway from a driveway. He was brought to hospital with multiple fractures, while the 53 year-old woman driving the car was not hurt.
The collision happening on Highway 3, near St. Stephen. The Mounties are investigating and say speed was not a factor in the crash.
A boating accident in St. George sending one person to the Saint John Regional Hospital.
RCMP say around 9:30 Thursday night on the Canal Waterway, a boat collided with old cement railway foundation near the Route 770 Bridge and Old St. Andrews Junction.
Sgt. Bob MacKnight tells us one person had a lacerated forehead, while the other passenger in the boat suffered serious head trauma and was transported to hospital.
MacKnight says there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol.
With TRI St. Andrews starting up tomorrow -- comes an announcement that makes this weekend seem like a practice run.
St. Andrews has been chosen for the Challenge Family global series of long distance triathlons.
Race Manager Scott Bevington tells us the team was absolutely floored when they heard the news.
He says they have 21 races around the globe in every corner of the planet with the top pro athletes in the world.
This marks the Challenge Family's 1st half distance triathlon in North America.
The event is set for next July.
You can almost hear the squeals of joy from long suffering West siders.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claude Williams says work will be finished by this fall.
CHSJ News asked Williams if any extra work will be needed on the westbound lanes of the bridge due to a dip and potholes.
He says the company that has the contract will have to do the appropriate rehabilitation that is supposed to be done as part of the contract.
Williams says despite a problem with the original contractor the work will be completed with no extra cost to provincial taxpayers.
It's looking more and more like Alberta crude will be making it's way to the Irving Oil refinery in a few years.
In a big show of support to the project, the province's government is on board with up to 5 billion dollars over 20 years to get the crude east.
The Alberta government has signed a memorandum of understanding to take up to 100,000 barrels-a-day of firm capacity on TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline.
In a tweet, Mayor Mel Norton says the next step is Trans Canada committing to building the pipeline.
You might notice a strong taste and odour of chlorine in your water if you live on the west side.
Work on the Lancaster Water Storage Reservoir on Fundy Drive means more chlorine is being distributed from the Spruce Lake Water Treatment Plant.
The work will continue into next week.
A headsup for drivers.......The eastbound lane on Wright Street, east of Spruce Street in the North End remains closed due to a rock fall. Detour signs has been placed in the area.
The city warns ignoring the signs and concrete barricades could cause a major collision as it's a blind hill in both directions.
Drivers travelling eastbound are advised to left turn to Spruce Street, right to Seeley Street, straight to Allison Road then right to Gilbert Street.
The detour will remain in effect until further notice.
A warning from the Insurance Bureau of Canada for those people in the province in the market for a new or used vehicle........Be wary of buying any vehicle that's been damaged by recent flooding in southern Alberta because insurance companies may consider them to be non-repairable.
Consumers are being advised to buy only from a licensed automotive business.....Look for any discoloured upholstery or carpet that fits poorly or does not match exactly....Have a certified automotive service technician inspect for signs of water or silt in the vehicle's fuse box and electrical junction boxes.....Get information about the history of vehicle from a registry agent and an inspection before you buy.....Check underneath the hood and look for a water line that was marked by mud or silt or for evidence of a recent engine shampoo......Check the heater and air conditioner several times and look in the vents for signs of water or mud.
Either they'll get what they're looking for in Saint John or they will move outside the city. So claims Kamal Debly of Debly Construction who's answering criticism about allowing 80 mini homes outside Plan SJ's prime development area on the east side.
Debly, who says he applauds the effort to get more development closer to the urban core, warns you have to be a bit flexible when deciding these things.
Rick Turner of Hughes Surveys says while housing prices are low in Saint John when compared to other cities, there's a lack of affordable new housing.
He warns if young people are renting, they're more mobile and can leave the area at a moment's notice, taking their skills with them.
Port Saint John has a new building after buying the Harbour Bridge building for about $470,000 from the Province.
Port CEO Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News it gives the port access by land and water and expands the area where they can do business.
He says there are no other ports that have this kind of access.
Quinn calls the building a great operational type facility with garage bays that their maintenance crews can use.
Saint John now has the highest unemployment rate of any city in the national survey by Stats Canada at 11.2 per cent in June, up one percent from May. By contrast, Regina has a jobless rate of only 3.7 per cent.
The provincial jobless rate also rose to 11.2 per cent from 10.5 per cent in May with the loss of 52 hundred jobs.
Provincial Liberal leader Brian Gallant tells CHSJ News the rising unemployment rate, which is now the highest of all the provinces, is proof positive the Alward Government is bankrupt of ideas to get the economy going.
Gallant charges New Brunswick is the only province in the country to experience a decrease in population during the past year and the economic indicators over the next year don't look good.
The organizers of the Salty Jam must be beaming with excitement at the perfect weather this weekend.
Festival Chair Karla Maclean tells CHSJ News the music kicks off at Market Square tonight.
She says Chris Colepaugh is playing on the Boardwalk from 6 to 8pm and the Salty Jam tent opens at 7 with Earthbound Trio, Two Hours Traffic and Hey Rosetta.
The music continues all day Saturday in the City Market, King Square and on the Board and in the tent at night with the Joel Plaskett Emergency, The Reason and Stephen Lewis and the Big Band Of One.
The tent is located on Water street in the Coast Guard parking lot.
For ticket info, click here
The tragic deaths of two toddlers in Ontario and Alberta after being left in hot cars should teach us about the seriousness of extremely hot weather.
A heat wave continues with a humidex of 37 at 11 o'clock this morning at the Saint John Airport.
When you work or play outside in these high temperatures, drink plenty of fluids, apply sunscreen before you head into the sunshine and reapply as you sweat or swim.
Police also advising people not to leave pets or children in a hot vehicle during this heat wave.
Westmorland Road between Northumberland Avenue and Loch Lomand Road is closed to all traffic except for buses and emergency vehicles because of repaving until 8:00 tonight.
A man and woman are safe and sound after some anxious moments in Rockwood Park last night. They lost their bearings after going for a walk along one of the paths.
City police were using their patrol sirens and lights along with cell phone location info to help get the pair safely out just before 11:00.
Luckily, they had a cell phone with them and could keep in contact with 911 operators who then conveyed information to police who were searching for the couple.
