The Memory Project Comes To Saint John

The Memory Project: Stories of the Second World War is travelling the country archiving the memories and memorabilia of veterans.

Project Coordinator Jenna Meisner tells CHSJ News that veterans can even participate over the phone.

Meisner says vets can sit in their favourite chair and tell their stories and they can also mail their memorabilia free of charge and fully insured and they will return it.

The Memory Project will visit Saint John at the Hilton on July 28th.

To find out more visit www.thememoryproject.com or call 1-866-701-1867.

Rothesay May Lead In Recycling

(Rothesay Council)
(File Photo)

Recycling in Rothesay may soon be as easy as walking to the end of your driveway.

Mayor Bill Bishop says they've been looking at curbside recycling for a while, and now they've had a response from the Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission recommending a 6 month trial period.

Bishop says the tricky part will be finding a contractor that will bid for only six months. He says they may have to ask the Waste Commission for a 12 month deal instead.

If the project goes through Rothesay will be the first town in Southern New Brunswick to adopt curbside recycling.

Court Talks Assessments

(Mayor Ivan Court)
(File Photo)

The Cities of New Brunswick are demanding a meeting with the Premier and Opposition Leader David Alward to talk about assessments.

Mayor Ivan Court maintains the way the province funds municipalities around the province is inadequate with Saint John getting shortchanged.

Court points out the unconditional grant from the province has gone down from 108 million dollars in 1990 to 68 million dollars today.

Court says at the same time, the provincial government generated more than 300 or 400 million dollars in new revenue through increased assessments.

Irving Oil Refinery Celebrates a Mile-Stone

The place most people refer to as a city with-in a city is celebrating a mile-stone this week.

Tomorrow, the Irving Oil Refinery is marking 50 years of operation.

Construction of the facility took two years and cost $50 million dollars. 20,000 tons of steel were used to put the original frame-work in place which includes 15,000 cubic yards of concrete and more than 65 miles of piping.


The original storage tanks were designed to hold 80,000,000 million gallons of crude which is equivalent to the capacity of a string of tank trailer-trucks stretching from Saint John to Amherst, NS.

Three Killed In House Fire

Two women and one man are dead after a house fire in Bellisle early this morning.

Fire crews arrived at the Rogers Road at one o'clock to find the home engulfed in flames.

Investigators continue to comb through the rubble of the home to try and figure out what started the fire.


The names of the three people killed are not being released until family have been notified.

Mayor Thinks Of Millrats Name

Even the Mayor is getting in on the naming competition for the Saint John Millrats.

The pro basketball team announced a name competition late last week to find a name that fits the city and put forward five options for the public to choose from.

But Mayor Ivan Court has come up with his own original name of "The Port City Saints."

He even has some ideas for the team's mascot, suggesting something with a halo or a knight in shining armour.

The five official voting options are The Saint John Millrats, The Saint John Fog, The Saint John Riptide, the Saint John Fire, and the Saint John Shamrocks.

Bay Of Fundy Big In China

The Bay of Fundy is getting some international exposure today at the World Exposition in China. This is Bay of Fundy Day at the Canada Pavilion in Shanghai.

Terri McCulloch of Bay of Fundy Tourism tells CHSJ News this is part and parcel of the effort to be voted one of the world's 7 new natural wonders.

She says the site in Shanghai is getting an estimated 40 thousand visitors a day.

Right now in the voting, which ends in November of next year, the Bay of Fundy stands in the top 28.

Deputy Mayor Critical Of How Common Council Spends Taxpayer Dollars

              (Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase)
                  (Photo by Brian McLain)

Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase is skeptical growth in Saint John will continue at the pace it has over the past few years and this could adversely affect the city's tax rate and what money will be available for roads which drivers in the city never tire of complaining about. Chase maintains Common Council has not been spending taxpayer dollars wisely and points to a report prepared by the head of municipal operations for the city, Paul Groody who says at least 25 per cent of roads in the city have to be rebuilt.
Chase says he is also worried about a 13 per cent in new housing starts with housing completions off by 58 per cent as compared to last year. He is also dubious about Common Council having the fiscal discipline to restrain spending next year.

Kings Landing Fashion Show

If 21st century fashion is wearing you out, you can revisit a simpler time at a 19th century Loyalist fashion show this weekend in Kings Landing.
Bonnets, Bowlers, Buckles and Bows is the title and theme of the show which will feature a range of fashions from colonial times to the Victorian era.


Many dresses and suits from the historal settlement's collection will be modelled by staff including Georgian and Victorian wedding gowns and a 19th-century swimsuit.

Kings Landing is 20 minutes west of Fredericton on Route 2.
For more info go to www.kingslanding.nb.ca

Warnings About Food Safety In The Summer

(Provincial Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eilish Cleary)

The chief medical officer of health wants everyone in the Province to follow common sense precautions to avoid food poisoning.

Two specific concerns about food handling during the summer are backyard barbecues and picnics.


Dr. Eilish Cleary says the risk is especially high for certain kinds of food poisoning when preparing raw meat for the bbq including infection caused by the bacteria E. coli.
People who get sick with E. coli experience a wide range of health effects including stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.

For more info on food safety: go to
http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/he/2010e1221he.htm

South End Days Kick Off Tonight

The third annual South End Days kick off tonight a five o'clock.
Carl Trickey of the Organizing Committee says some dignetaries will speak followed by a BBQ and music.


Trickey says the singers on tonight between 6 and 8 either live now or have lived in the south end and that will be followed by an all-ages hip hop competition.

Saturday's events include a chance for residents to meet the candidates in the riding of Saint John Harbour and speak to Elections NB about getting on the voter list for the September 27th election.

Energy Minister Doesn't Disagree With Fitch On The NB Power Split

The Energy Minister does not disagree with Opposition Critic Bruce Fitch and his view that is was not a mistake to separate NB Power into 5 separate companies back in 2005.

Jack Keir tells CHSJ News it may have been the right thing to do at the time but, the right thing to do now is to put it back together.


He says the first reason for separating the companies was so the private sector could come and compete with them individually which never happened.
Keir says the second reason was to sell off assetts and he says his government heard loud and clear this past winter people in the province do want them doing that.

Opposition Energy Critic Says NB Power Integration Not A Mistake

The reintegration of NB Power by the Liberals is a repudiation of what the previous government under then Premier Bernard Lord did when it broke up the utility six years ago. Conservative energy critic Bruce Fitch was a member of that government and he maintains the breakup of NB Power into separate components was not a mistake and whether putting it back together as one large company isn't a done deal because there has to be a vote in the provincial legislature.

Fitch says breaking up the utility was better for determining which parts needed financial help and what had to be cut back and many millions of dollars would have been saved has the Liberals carried through with the original plan.

Opinion Divided On What To Do About Flooding In Glen Falls

(Meeting At Exhibition Park On Flooding In Glen Falls)
                    (Photo by Sherry Aske)

It was a packed house at Exhibition Park as people came out to hear about solutions to flooding in Glen Falls. The city wanted to know whether people wanted a water diversion system or if they were open to the idea of relocation. Dave Nicholson has lived in Glen Falls for five years and says if it's going to take years to build a diversion system, he'd consider relocation.
Mayor Ivan Court says at this point relocation is just an idea but adds it would likely be a quicker solution than building a multi million dollar diversion system. Laurie MacDonald of Simpson Drive says he has lived in Glen Falls for 20 years and doesn't want to move.

City Police Warning Saint Johnners Of Funny Money And Internet Scam

The City Police fraud section is warning of counterfeit one hundred dollar bills circulating in the city.The funny money is from the Canadian Journey Series from 2004. They have the holographic strip from a ten dollar bill attached where it should be on a real one hundred dollar bill.
Police say you can easily verify which one's are real with the security features in this series such as the raised surfaces on the money, tilting the bill to look for the changing colours from the holographic strip.
You can also look for the fine line printing in the portrait and background patterns.
Meantime, The latest scam making the rounds on the Internet involves rental properties. An advertisement for a house or apartment shows up and even uses photos from a previous listing. The phoney owner or landlord then offers to send the keys in the mail. The victim then wires some cash and never hears from the person again. City Police remind anyone looking for a new place to call home to go see it and get a written contract.

City Police Seek Suspects In Indecent Acts

Saint John police are looking into three indecent acts that took place in Millidgeville and Uptown.
The incidents occurred near University Avenue and Mahogany Terrace and at Wentworth Street and King Street East near homes and apartments.

One suspect is between 25 and 35 years old with a large build with greying brown hair and unshaven.
The man was wearing a red sports jersey and had his light-coloured pants open.

The other suspect is white, in his mid-40's around 5 foot 10 with salt and pepper medium length hair, about 220 pounds with a broad face wearing blue jogging pants and a blue shirt.

If you have any information, contact police at 648-3311.

Saint John's Bell Aliant Contact Centre May Close

Bell Aliant is talking to its employees in Atlantic Canada about cost-cutting measures since a collective agreement was turned down last month.
Alyson Queen of Bell Aliant tells CHSJ News that some of those measures include increasing the numbers of contractors and closing contact centres.
Queen says no decisions have been made about what contacts centres will close and that includes Saint John.
Queen adds they will take time over the coming weeks to determine those details and work with their employees once those decisions are made.

City Man Gives Guilty Plea on Two Break and Enter Charges

Hampton RCMP arresting a Saint John man soon after he tried to break into a Damascus home.  The 19-year-old was trying to pry open the door of a home yesterday when he saw a woman inside and fled.

Justin Keith Johnston was in court today and entered guilty pleas on 2 counts of break, enter and theft and one of attempted Break, Enter and Theft.
Two of the charges relate to Damascus while the other was in French Village.


RCMP tell CHSJ News that all of the stolen items have been recovered.

Saint John Family Physician Dies

A well known Saint John doctor is being mourned with word that Dr. David Craig has died unexpectedly. He served as President of the Saint John Medical Society and also served as team physician for the Saint John Flames and the Sea Dogs. A funeral service will be held this Saturday afternoon at 2:00 in the Main Street Baptist Church. His three brothers are also doctors.

City Manager Addresses Concerns Over Peel Plaza On Tax Rate

One of the big worries among many Saint Johnners is what sort of impact will constructing the new police headquarters building at Peel Plaza will have on the tax rate. City Manager Pat Woods says the likely scenario is the tax rate will be anywhere from $1.79 to $1.81 by 2013 but there could very well be new housing constructed as part of the Peel Plaza development.
 Woods says during the development design phase there has been unsolicited walk-up interest in places like the Jelly bean houses and the synogogue and other community based groups for arts purposes.
Council members have been warned they will have to restrain spending.