More Call Center Jobs Announced

The premier, Postsecondary Education Minister Jody Carr, and other government officials were on hand this afternoon for the announcement of some more new call center jobs in the Port City.

The most recent job announcement comes at home-grown knowledge management consultant firm Innovatia. Premier David Alward tells CHSJ News his government is hoping to meet a new target of 850 new jobs under the One Job Pledge by the end of this fiscal year, which is in March.
 
Yesterday, TD Insurance announced the creation of 275 jobs at its Rothesay Avenue call center. Twenty-three of the jobs at Innovatia have already been filled by new graduates--and according to co-CEO David Grebenec they are looking to fill 45 more.

Armed Robbery At East Side Convenience Store

A robbery at the Kwik Way on Golden Grove Road just before 4pm today.

The caller reported a masked man with a gun came into the store and made off with cigarettes. No money was taken.

Police are currently looking for the suspect. No one was hurt.

Power Outages For Thousands Due To High Winds

3166 NB Power customers in the dark throughout the province with outages in Fredericton, Bouctouche, and St Stephen.

High winds have hit Charlotte County the hardest with over 2-thousand people without power.

Crews are working to get power back no but there's no word yet on when that will be.

Local Companies Encouraged To Join Shipbuilding Supplier Registry

Local companies being encouraged to try and get a piece of the shipbuilding action in Halifax. 

Enterprise Saint John hosting an information session for people looking to learn more about joining the supplier registry for the Irving Shipbuilding program.

Janet Scott of Enterprise Saint John tells CHSJ News there are over 100 different categories of materials and services that will be needed throughout the modernization program.

Scott says there are over 70 companies from the Port City on the registry, and about five have already have contracts, including Hemmings House Pictures who are documenting the upgrades to the Halifax shipyard. Mary Keith of JDI tells us there are about 2000 businesses in total currently registered on the site.

Irving Shipbuilding investing $300 million to upgrade the shipyard in Halifax.

One Swallow Does Not A Summer Make For Grits

One swallow does not a summer make--and just because the Liberals came close to toppling the Tory stronghold of Brandon-Souris in Manitoba doesn't mean they're a shoo-in against the Tories despite Justin Trudeau's apparent confidence. 

UPEI political science professor Don Desserud tells CHSJ News the Conservative Party needs to listen carefully to the rumblings of discontent with the Harper government.

Desserud says the NDP is probably the most disappointed party with very little to grab on to in terms of recent successes, and Thomas Mulcair's attacks on the senate are an easy way for them to score points with very little risk considering there are no New Democrat senators.

Broken Windows And Car Crashes Yesterday

Messy weather yesterday resulted in a number of minor crack-ups on the roads...but none of them were serious according to Sergeant Jay Henderson of the Saint John Police Department.

As well, the front window of a car on Young Street was smashed out and a purse taken--ditto for the window of the STR Convenience on Loch Lomond Road, although in that case nothing was stolen.

If you have information about these or any crimes, contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Provincial Health Minister and Liberal Leader Go Toe To Toe

Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming and Liberal leader Brian Gallant locking horns in the Legislature on the Alward Government's promised catastrophic drug plan. 

Flemming refused to be pinned down on an exact date when the plan will be in place and then turned the tables, asking Gallant about his proposed moratorium on shale gas development, calling it a raw attempt to win votes and predicting it will be over the day after the provincial election is over.

Flemming says the catastrophic drug plan will be coming down during the current sitting of the Legislature but anything good takes time to put in place.

Ferry Crossing Cancelled

Bay Ferries letting us know the 4:00 sailing of the Princess of Acadia from Digby this afternoon and tomorrow morning's 9:00 sailing from Saint John are cancelled because of the weather.

East Side Breakin

City Police are investigating a breakin at the S-T-R convenience store along Loch Lomand Road. 

They don't believe anything was stolen, telling CHSJ News it appears whomever was responsible got in through the front door but was likely scared away when the alarm sounded.

Car Goes Off Road At Lepreau

(Photo Courtesy of Lt Paul Poirier)

Musquash Fire reporting a single vehicle crash along Route 790 in Lepreau, likely caused by icy road conditions. 

A car with four people inside went off the road and rolled down a deep ditch before landing on its wheels. 

The people inside managed to get out of the car by the time firefighters arrived. Two of them were taken to hospital with what looked like minor injuries.

Learn To Manage Your Money This Month

November is dedicated to helping you learn how to take control of your cash.

It's Financial Literacy Month in Canada and Marissa Rignanesi of the Financial Consumer Services Commission tells CHSJ News part of using credit responsibly is knowing yourself and your habits so you can make smart decisions. She also says we should be learning how to be responsible with our money so that the younger generation can learn from our good habits.

A financial literacy expo is happening tomorrow at the UNB Saint John campus, at the Baird Dining Hall in the Thomas J. Condon Student Centre from 11am to 3pm. 

TD Announces Creation Of More Than 275 Positions

Some good news on the job front for a change and in the beleaguered call centre industry.

Mayor Mel Norton, Premier David Alward and former Premier Frank McKenna announcing 275 jobs over the next three years at the TD Insurance call centre on Rothesay Avenue. More than 120 positions have already been posted on the TD website. Alward says the insurance sector in the province is a significant economic driver.

The expansion will contribute about $40 million annually to the province's gross domestic product when all the jobs are filled.

Iron Mountain and ExxonMobil both announcing the closure of their city call centres in the Loch Lomond Mall next year. ExxonMobil is moving its operations to Moncton and some of the Saint John workers may be transferred.

HHN Wants Feedback from You

Did you have an experience at a Horizon Health facility you think they should know about?  Here is your chance to tell them about it.

Horizon Health Network President and CEO John McGarry says over the 15 to 20 years with more regionalization they have distanced themselves from patients and communities.

He says they want people to give them a call and they'll sit down with them and talk about their experience. He adds they are not looking for a blow by blow of there event in the hospital but the overall experience.

McGarry says they will inform the board about their progress and try and institute some of the common themes were are hearing about.

He adds they are looking  at everything from the admission process, the care received to parking.

To contact Horizon Health to get involved, call 1-855-661-0661.

Too Many Ice Rinks, Too Little Money

Saint John's got a lot of ice rinks for a city its size, which means some of them are falling into disrepair.

Mayor Mel Norton tells CHSJ News he still thinks it would make sense to build a 4-Plex recreational facility somewhere central like Long Wharf.

Norton says it naturally depends on whether or not the money is there--but a modern facility would mean tournaments stop going to places like Moncton and Fredericton and that we aren't missing in on sports tourism dollars.

Province Looking For Expressions Of Interest For Potash Rights

The provincial government is launching a request for Expressions of Interest for potash rights in New Brunswick.

Minister of Energy and Mines Craig Leonard rising in the Legislature to formalize the request, saying these are areas of potential potash deposits in the province that haven't yet been developed.

Leonard says they're being proactive in making the request in hopes it will bring more investment, jobs, and opportunities to New Brunswickers.

Notoriously Awful Roads Looking Somewhat Better This Year

Saint John has been known for its warzone-worthy roads for many years now--but with the investment of 7.1 million dollars into roads and sidewalks this year they're looking a lot better. 

Acting City Manager Bill Edwards says 14.6 kilometers of curb and 5.7 kilometers of sidewalk were replaced.

Mayor Mel Norton saying he's impressed with how far the investment has gone--and since there's still more to be done in the years to come, he'd support another substantial investment.

Cardy Calling On Grits & Tories To Join Forces Against Senate

Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy is calling on the Liberals and Conservatives to follow what they did at the Saskatchewan Legislature and pass a vote calling for the abolition of the Senate. 

Premier David Alward indicated earlier he wanted to see an elected Senate but Cardy tells CHSJ News that was then.


A recent poll by Corporate Rsearch Associates found nearly half of people in the province who gave any thought at all to the Senate wanted to see it abolished.

Police Seize Drugs And Cash At Uptown Home

Drugs and cash being seized in the uptown by City Police.

Sgt. Jay Henderson says a search warrant was executed at a home on Orange Street just before 8pm and a 23-year old man was arrested. 

He is being charged with possession for the purposes of trafficking both cannabis and hashish and the possession of property obtained by crime. He will be in court today.

McKenna Back In Saint John For Job Creation Announcement

Fresh from his lunch meeting with Mayor Norton in Toronto yesterday, former Premier Frank McKenna is in the Port City today for a job creation announcement.

It's happening this afternoon at the TD Insurance call centre on Rothesay Avenue.

The Premier will also be on hand.

McKenna is the deputy chair of the TD Bank Group.

Traffic Disruption Near Lorneville

Traffic being disrupted along Highway 1 near Lorneville after a tractor trailer wound up on the median after leaving the highway. 

The fire department was called to clean up the fuel that spilled. 

One lane going westbound is blocked for the time being. Both lanes going eastbound are open but the tractor trailer will have to be towed and, when that happens, traffic going eastbound will also be disrupted.