CHSJ News

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Green Party Forum in Fredericton

Fredericton is the backdrop today for the first of six policy meetings to be held by the provincial arm of the Green Party. The focus of this get together is Ecological Rights and Responsibilities, the first charter principle. Interim Leader Mike Milligan tells CHSJ News, they hope to have a full card of 55 candidates in time for the next provincial election.

Milligan says the environment and the economy must go hand in hand or future generations will suffer. Today's meeting goes between ten and three at the Charlotte Street Arts Center in Fredericton.

Attempt to Halt Obesity Rates

The Department of Culture, Wellness and Sport is hosting an open house at Market Square today. This is to mark the final event of phase two of their social marketing campaign to get people more active. Staggering figures show that only 54% of children and youth in the province are not physically active enough to achieve health benefits. Spokes-person Michelle Bourgoin tells CHSJ News, this is not a counselling or testing day.

Bourgoin says they are making strides in their wellness movement by getting people to be proud to try new things. Things gets started at 10:30am and run til 4:30pm.

PRUDE Hosting Open House

Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Prude Saint John is celebrating with an open house. Spokes-person Judy Eatman tells CHSJ News, this is a day when PRUDE's call letters take on their full meaning.

Eatman says they are opening their doors to a wider section of cultures including Asian, Russian, Korean and South African who are taking part in their womens program. The open house today gets started at one o'clock and runs until three.

Minister Not Budging On Ferry Cuts

2009-03-21

01:18:47

Meantime -- Transportation Minister Denis Landry isn't ready to back away from his decision to scuttle the three river ferries -- Landry met with representatives from Gagetown and Cambridge Narrows yesterday.
Gagetown mayor Randy Smith tells CHSJ News the Minister gave them lots of time to make their pitch which included options like scheduled runs.
Smith says Landry offered to sell him the Gagetown ferry for a dollar -- but -- he says his village doesn't have the resources to maintain and operate the service.

Belleisle Residents Want Ferry Decision Delayed

2009-03-21

01:04:30

Residents in the Belleisle Bay area are determined to keep the Graham government from docking the Belleisle ferry along with the Gagetown and Hampstead ferries permanently as of next Friday.
Close to 300 people packed the Belleisle High School last night to plot their strategy -- and -- they are smarting over what they term an attack on their way of life.
Meeting organizer Linda Watson tells CHSJ News there is no stopping now -- she meets with Tourism Minister Stuart Jamieson on Tuesday while residents from Belleisle Bay to Gagetown are planning a rally in Fredericton on Thursday.
And they want any decision to cut the Belleisle - Gagetown - and - Hampstead ferries delayed until a full economic impact assessment is done.

Friday, March 20, 2009

RCMP Seize Contraband Cigarettes

2009-03-20

17:52:48

RCMP have seized 300,000 contraband cigarettes from a van traveling east on the Trans Canada Highway, near Saint Leonard. Mounties says the haul is worth about $33,000. The driver was arrested and released pending a court appearance at a later date. The cigarettes were believed to be destined for the north west area of the province.

Refinery Could Open Door for More Polluters

2009-03-20

15:47:33

The Clean Air Coalition says approving a second refinery for East Saint John will open the door for other major polluters. Spokesperson, Gordon Dalzell tells CHSJ news if the Eider Rock refinery goes ahead, it will only be a matter of time before petro-chemical and plastics plants make their way to the city.

Coalition Member Gary Prosser says there is another problem to consider. He says industry belongs in industrial parks in order to make the city more people friendly--but--in Saint John industry is built anywhere.

Problem Tank Being Drained

2009-03-20

13:43:56

Irving Oil says it will be early next week before there is an indication about what is causing a problem in one of the giant holding tanks at the refinery.
Nearby residents started complaining about a gasoline odor in the area Wednesday night -- refinery crews found gas pooling on the floating roof the tank.
Irving spokesperson Jennifer Parker tells us when crews finish draining the tank -- they will get inside to see why the gas was pooling on the top -- meantime -- foam is being sprayed to keep the odor down.

Sustainability Network Launched

2009-03-20

13:23:58

The province has teamed up with Saint John to launch a Sustainability Network today. The goal is to work with government and business to encourage growth while protecting the environment. The Saint John Board of Trade has announced it will partner with the network to promote the efficient use of resources among its members.

The city has retained Dillon Consulting Limited, a national consulting firm with operations in Saint John and throughout Atlantic Canada, to coordinate Sustainable Saint John. Kim Hughes with the Department of Environment says Sustainability is not an end goal it's a way of operating.

Got Rythm? Check This Out

2009-03-20

13:22:21

Are you ready to bust a move? So You Think You Can Dance Canada is coming to Saint John. Auditions for the dance tour will be held at the Imperial Theatre April 21st beginning at 8AM. CTV has confirmed today that the charismatic cast from Season 1 will return, including host Leah Miller.

Cops Cracking Down On Overnight Parking

2009-03-20

10:52:16

Something to think about as we count down to the end of the month -- city police will be cracking down on people parking in no parking zones overnight in the uptown.
Police tell us they've received a number of complaints about vehicles being left in the "no parking midnight to 7" zones.
So beginning at midnight March 30th - police will be enforcing a zero tolerance policy and ticketing any vehicles parked in the no parking zones.

Battle Begins To Save Belleisle Ferry

2009-03-20

10:50:05

(Belleilse Bay Ferry - photo courtesy DOT)

Rural residents faced with losing their ferry service are gathering for a meeting at Belleisle Regional High School tonight.
The Graham government announced in its provincial budget the Gagetown and Belleisle ferry runs will end later this month while the Hampstead Ferry will not operate in May.
Meeting organizer Linda Watson tells CHSJ News, she hopes they can come up with concrete ways to persuade the government to keep the ferries.
The meeting gets started tonight at 7pm in Belleisle.

Medical Research Up For Discussion

2009-03-20

10:47:49

A full house is on hand at the Regional Hospital for it's Inter-professional Health Research Day.
Dr. John Steeves is the Director of Medical Education and tells CHSJ News a lot of medical research is underway between the hospital - UNBSJ - and - the Community College.
Steeves says the day long conference is really a chance to get familiar with all of the research underway in this part of the province and look for ways of better coordinating the efforts.

City Police Have a New Deputy Police Chief

2009-03-20

04:48:37

One of Saint John's finest is being promoted to Deputy Chief of Police. Inspector Darryl Scribner with Major Crime is taking the position and tells CHSJ News, he's got some big shoes to fill taking the post formerly held by Police Chief Bill Reid. Scribner says he looks forward to the challenges the new position will have.

Scribner reports to his new job Monday morning.

City Police Issue a Challenge to Mcleans Magazine

2009-03-20

04:47:25

City Police Chief Bill Reid is issuing a challenge to Maclean's magazine to do a follow up story on the city's Family Protection Unit. Earlier this month, the magazine named Saint John the most dangerous city in Canada with respect to sexual assaults. Reid says that is not the case and the numbers show the amount of sexual assaults reported.

Reid says his office sent the request Wednesday and expects a response, but isn't sure if the story will be done. Reid says no one is hiding behind bushes in the city, and this is a story that needs to be told.

Clean Air Coalition Standing Up Against Proposed Refinery

2009-03-20

04:46:20

The Clean Air Coalition is getting its act together to make sure the proposed Eider Rock refinery is not rail-roaded through the public review process. An Environmental Impact Assessment of the massive project is expected to be released within weeks. Coalition Spokesperson Gordon Dalzell tells CHSJ News, they want the public to have their say about the refinery while they have the chance.

The Coalition wants to be ready with reasons why the refinery should not go ahead and recommendations on how to lessen its impact if it does. There will be no public hearings for the project, just a meeting and a short window of opportunity for the public to submit written comments. Dalzell says if the refinery is approved, the air pollution on the East Side will double.

Tank Problems At The Irving Refinery

2009-03-20

04:45:13

Champlain Heights School got a visit from air quality inspectors yesterday afternoon when a gasoline leak at the Irving Oil Refinery caused a strong chemical smell in the area. The odor was first noticed Wednesday night and was apparently caused by a broken seal on the floating roof of the "G" tank which holds gasoline. The gasoline floated into the roof and pooled there.

Heavy equipment could be seen working around the base of the large tank yesterday as a precautionary measure in case the gas spilled over the edge onto the ground below. Gordon Dalzell with the Clean Air Coalition says he was told by Irving Oil officials the broken seal would take up to 2 days to fix.

Fire and Car Accident Last Night

2009-03-20

04:44:28

A fire and car accident kept Kennebecasis Valley and City Police emergency crews busy last night. First call came just before 7:30pm about a fire at 474 Bradley Lake Road. When crews arrived, they found flames and smoke coming from a mobile home but quick action saved the trailer from being destroyed. No word on how the fire started. Then just after eleven o'clock, city fire and police were called to Lancaster Avenue near the Hillcrest Cemetery for a single vehicle accident.

A car tried to pass a City Transit Bus, hit a patch of ice, last control of the vehicle and smashed into a utility pole. The driver is going to be alright but the vehicle is a write-off. With the quick dip in the temperature last night, officer's remind everyone to slow down for the ride into the office this morning.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Enough Talk - Action Needed On Teen Homelessness

2009-03-19

18:19:37

Agency coordination -- teens more involved in making decisions about teens -- and -- changing the image of teens -- all ideas coming out of a day long forum at the Delta on youth homelessness.
Heather Dobson is one of a number of young people taking part -- and -- she tells CHSJ News youth homelessness is a serious problem -- a couple of her friends were homeless with no where to turn.
One of the organizers -- Belinda Allen -- says she's heard the message loud and clear.
Allen says the recommendations coming out of the seminar will be taken back to the local committee on youth homelessness and an action plan will be developed.

Investment Company Accused of Offering Securities Illegally

2009-03-19

17:12:14

A Quebec based business, Groupe Financier CTIC, has been served with a notice of hearing today by the New Brunswick Securities Commission for illegally selling securities in this province. Commission staff allege CTIC did not comply with the disclosure or registration requirements.

The company has raised money mainly from investors in Edmundston and Grand Falls, but also from investors in the Acadian Peninsula, Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton. Securities sold in 2006, 2007 and 2008 involved 109 trades by 63 people and raised more than 5.7 million dollars in New Brunswick alone. Most investors earned between 12 and 14 per cent in interest--but--the Securities Commission warns what looks too good to be true may be just that. A preliminary hearing will be held April 15.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)