Copper & Car Tire Thefts Troubling SJers

According to Sergeant Jay Henderson of the Saint John Police Department,  copper thefts have increasingly become a problem in Saint John.

A total of 8 break-ins by thieves seeking copper plumbing have been reported in the New Year alone.

Another new scheme has been hitting car dealerships, as well.Thieves quickly put cars up on blocks, then stealing the new tires.

As well, police are investigating a break-in at a home on Mason Road on the East Side in which a phone and camera were stolen while the homeowners were sleeping.

VIDEO: JDI Announces $450 Million Investment At The Pulp Mill

The pulp mill on the west side never heard so much applause or saw so many standing ovations.  

 A huge crowd on hand as JDI annnounced it's investing 450 million dollars in a modernization program at the West side pulp and paper mill.

It will generate 1.2 million in person hours of construction over two phases which is the equivalent of 600 full time equivalent jobs.

Jim Irving says there will be further announcements in other locations.
He says there will also be money spent at mills in Doaktown, Chipman, St. Leonard's and Sussex.

Premier David Alward was asked about the timing, one day after his government's new forestry strategy was laid out.
He says a stable wood supply was essential to see any sort of investment back in the industry.
He's says it is a direct link but he feels very positive because they have found the balance of environmental sustainability.

The land available where the old Simms Brush factory used to stand will be used for overflow parking and staging but no new buildings will be constructed there.

The total investment is $513 million in three phases.   Phase 2 begins this spring with a price tag of $198 million and will last for two years.   It will include building a new chip screening and handling system.

Saint John To Get Lots Of National And International Coverage

Curling fans from around the world will have their eyes on Saint John beginning Saturday afternoon at Harbour Station with the Ford World Womens Curling Championship. 

There will be 50 hours or so of TV coverage on TSN and 50 hours on Euro Sport. 

Canada hasn't won this competition since 2008. Rachel Homan, representing Canada, won bronze last year. 

Host Committee Chair Jeff Lacey tells CHSJ News curling turned out to be the hot sport at the recent Winter Olympics and is getting popular in the unlikliest of places such as Turkey and Brazil.
 
The opening ceremonies at noonhour on Saturday are free. Canada plays Russia on the opening day. Three of the teams taking part competed in the Sochi Olympics including Sweden which won the silver medal.

Forestry Plan Denounced As "Devastating", Will Result In Local Extinction of Wildlife

As politicians and business leaders celebrate JDI's $513 million dollar investment in its mills, environmental groups are condemning the Alward government's new Crown forestry plan as a tragic blow to our forests and wildlife.

Close on the heels of the new forestry plan in an announcement today at the Irving Pulp and Paper Mill, JDI spokesperson Mary Keith stated the $513 million dollar investment will create 326 new jobs in Saint John.

Tracy Glynn of the New Brunswick Conservation Council tells CHSJ News the idea this investment in mills will create long-term jobs is patently false--in fact, she says, modernizing the mills will ultimately reduce the amount of manpower needed. 

The new forestry plan announced yesterday reduces the amount of protected old growth forest and deer habitat from 30% to 23%, and allows for 20% more softwood to be cut annually on Crown land. The rationale is that a stable supply of wood will result in greater investment in our forestry industry.

Glynn says we can expect to see the local extinction of wildlife species in the province due to the destruction of their habitat.

SJPD To Start Wearing Cameras On Duty

Earlier this month police fatally shot a 27-year-old Rothesay man who allegedly threatened police with a knife--and the whole thing was captured on tape thanks to small cameras worn by the police officers involved.

Saint John Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News the SJPD is looking to adopt similar devices. In fact, they're already talking to vendors and are hoping to roll out a pilot project this year.

Reid says they've been looking at cameras since long before the Rothesay incident, but that's a prime example of why cameras can be useful.

Gas Prices Down Again

Drivers getting another price break if they have to fill up after the weekly setting. 

The maximum price for self serve regular is lower by half a cent a litre.

Diesel decreasing by almost 4 cents a litre and heating oil by just under 2 cents a litre. 

The maximum price of propane falling by almost 15 cents a litre.

Storm Causes Disruptions

Schools are closed in Anglophone South from Sussex to St. Stephen including the Saint John area as well as schools in Francophone South, Anglophone West, Eastern College and Eastern Trades College. 

Classes at the New Brunswick Community College in Saint John and St. Andrews won't begin until 10:30 this morning. Classes at U-N-B Saint John have been delayed until 10:00.

Gelas Duguay of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News Saint John won't be getting as much snow as earlier forecast with just another 2 to 4 centimeters along the coastline with more the further inland you are.
 
In the Fredericton area, they're expecting 30 or more centimeters of snow. Duguay also telling us it will be turning a lot colder as we get into the afternoon. 

Air Canada flights from Toronto and Montreal into Saint John Airport have been cancelled through noon hour, meaning  no departures for Montreal and Toronto until later this afternoon. The only flight leaving the airport this morning will be at 9:40 for Halifax.

The Province Makes Big Claims With New Forestry Strategy

A new forestry management strategy from the province claims it will encourage investment, maintain thousands of jobs, create hundreds of new jobs and manage Crown forests in a sustainable way.

The Alward government says the new plan is expected to lead to the harvesting of an additional 660,000 cubic metres of softwood on Crown land, creating more than an additional 500 permanent private-sector jobs and 1,200 construction jobs as mills modernize.

Premier David Alward says the strategy will be put boots in the woods by providing clarity and a framework for businesses and workers to plan for the future.

There is an announcement tomorrow (Thurs.) morning at the Irving Pulp and Paper mill on its New Brunswick forest products operation.

Rollover In Lepreau

Musquash firefighters had to break out hydraulic rescue tools to remove a woman from a vehicle after it rolled over and left the road in Lepreau yesterday night. 

The call came in shortly after 8pm to Route 790.
   
Firefighters found single vehicle on its side, and managed to get the woman to safety. Her injuries weren't life threatening. The roads were extremely slippery at the time.

Curling Prep at Harbour Station

Preparations are underway at Harbour Station for the Ford World Women's Curling Championships.

The international athletes are being spotted around Saint John.

Opening ceremonies begin at noon on Saturday.

For more info on the event, click here

(photo courtesy of John Dykeman)

Coast Guard Working To Remove Oil From Sinking Ship

photo courtesy of Frank Bailey

A Canadian Coast Guard official expects to be on scene for several more days to deal with the Cape Rouge.


The vessel began sinking on Monday afternoon in Bridgewater Harbour.

Fuel is being pumped out of the vessel's main tank before removing other oil from the ship.

Senior response officer Keith Laidlaw says it's a slow process but the environment remains their number 1 priority.

He says they are more worried about the oil in the water and they are looking to get the oil out so it's not longer polluting.

Laidlaw says they continue to have a boom surrounding the vessel, as well as absorbing pads soaking up fuel.

Most of the ship is now under water after it began sinking  off a port in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.

The Province Warns Against Travel In Storm

The Province is encouraging you to get ready for tonight's storm.

A statement on the government's website points out a significant winter storm bringing rain first then a mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. 




They do warn that heavy snow and freezing rain can lead to power outages and really bad driving.

Public safety suggests if you don't have to go anywhere don't travel during the storm.

To find the link for NB Power's list of power outages, click here 

To read the full Winter Storm Advisory, click here

Gallant Skeptical Of Forestry Plan Being Announced Now

The announcement by the Alward Government of a long term plan for forestry has provincial Liberal leader Brian Gallant questioning the timing. 

Gallant is wondering why now and why not a couple of years ago when the provincial economy needed a boost.
 
Gallant speculates the timing has more to do with a provincial election that will be held in late September or, perhaps, to divert attention from the obstruction of justice trial now going on of a senior official in the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture into the investigation of Deputy Premier Paul Robichaud's brother for an aquaculture violation.

Flights Cancelled Even Before Snow Starts Falling

We already have flight cancellations in advance of the impending storm we're expecting with the worst coming tonight into tomorrow morning. 

The last flight from Toronto today flew in at noonhour and left again just after 12:30. The rest of the Air Canada flights to and from Toronto and Montreal later this afternoon as well as tomorrow morning have been cancelled. 

Environment Canada is calling for as much as 20 centimeters of snow in Saint John and more in Fredericton.

M-L-A For Oromocto Talks About The End Of The Afghan Mission

Canada's military mission in Afghanistan has officially come to an end, more than 12 years after it first began. 

The M-L-A for Oromocto where C-F-B Gagetown is located, Jody Carr says it represents closure, sorrow, anger and pride. 

Carr says there would be worry and stress whenever word came that a Canadian soldier had died. He vividly remembers the conversation he had with his daughter when she was in grade 1 and told him her friend's father wouldn't being coming home from Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded in April of 2007. 

Since February 2002, 158 Canadian soldiers have died in that war-torn country including Private David Greenslade of Saint John in that same roadside explosion during the Easter weekend of 2007.

The Port City Ranks 89th Overall On MoneySense Survey

MoneySense Magazine is out with its annual survey of the Best Places to Live in Canada.

The Port City does not far too well sitting 89th in the overall rankings.

Two other New Brunswick cities are ahead us with Moncton coming in 16th and Fredericton at 22.

Halifax is listed at 26.

The best place to live in our country according to the survey is St. Albert, Alberta.

To see the complete list, click here

Lots Of Room For Improvement In Health Of NBers

High blood pressure, obesity, mental health, and preventing injuries: those are the big areas in which New Brunswick needs to improve according to the Health Snapshot released by the New Brunswick Health Council.
 
CEO Stephane Robichaud tells CHSJ News identifying the problem is half the battle--and then we need to look at some strategies to fight the alarming trends.
 
Robichaud says another area we need to work is is making sure that young people facing mental health crises get seen by a professional in a timely way. 

For a link to the full Population Health Snapshot, click here

Want To Help Out The SJPD? Here Could Be Your Chance

Saint John's auxiliary police force will be growing in the coming years.

Currently, 20 volunteer members put in over 3,000 hours helping uniformed members with everything from special community events to crime prevention.

 Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News they always ask people why they want to volunteer with the police department--and while they get a variety of answers, it's also a plus to see people interested in the real life aspects of policing, and not just what they see on TV and in movies.
 
Reid says many of the people who start on the auxiliary force end up becoming full-fledged police officers. They'll be looking to expand the auxiliary force and train 10 new members by 2016. 

For more information, click here

2200 Without Power in St. George

2200 NB power customers in St. George are without power.

According to the utility's website,  it's an unplanned outage.

The power should begin coming back in some areas by noon and be fully restored by 1:30 today.

United Way Exceeds Fundraising Goal

The United Way campaign in Saint John, Kings and Charlotte Counties has exceeded 1.4 million dollars in donations. That represents an increase of 110 thousand dollars over the past two years.