Ignatieff Blasts Harper Government Over Census

(Federal Liberal Leader Micheal Ignatieff)
                 (File Photo)

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff doesn't think scraping the country's long form census is a good idea.

Ignatieff was in town over the long weekend as part of his cross Canada tour and says the whole issue renders him speechless because we need more information about Canadians in order to have a better Canadian government.

Ignatieff says the Conservatives want the country to fly blind, and says he'll be fighting it as long as he has to.

Former Saint John M-P Paul Zed is a long time friend of Ignatieff's and argues the census has nothing to do with privacy but everything to do with New Brunswick getting it's fair share from Confederation.




           

Painting Completed To Mark Rothesay's Anniversary

There will be a presentation of a special painting done by local artist Norman Jackson tomorrow in honor of Rothesay's 150th anniversary.

Jackson tells CHSJ News, it isn't easy jamming 150 years into one portrait but historian Bill Thompson played a huge role in helping get this finished.

The painting is entitled "Rothesay's Journey" and features 28 vignettes from original photographs. James Crosby will present the work to the principal of Rothesay High School, Roger Brown, at 12:30 p.m on the Common.

Michael Ignatieff Tries Moosehead Beer

Fewer Forest Fires This Summer

The number of forest fires around the Province are way down this year and that might come as a surprise to many with the all the hot, humid weather.
 
So far, there have been 120 fires which have burned 110 hectares.
 
Jeff Betts is the Provincial Fire Center Operations Officer and tells CHSJ News, it doesn't seem like it, but the rain is spaced out enough that the woods are not tinder dry and campers are being very cautious to extinguish any fires before leaving their site.
 
Betts says last year, 230 hectares of forest was lost around the Province which is also low with the ten year average being close to 400.

Quispamsis To Host Next Year's Celebration

You won't have to travel far next year to take part in the biggest New Brunswick Day celebration. Quispamsis has been awarded the status as the Provincial Site.

MLA Mary Schryer tells CHSJ News, this is well deserved.

Schryer adds the status also brings plenty of Provincial exposure to the municipality and further details on the celebration will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Double Robbery in East Side

City police are looking into two robberies that happened in the East Side.

One man was assaulted near the Westmorland Road, McAllister Mall area at one o'clock in the morning on Saturday and had things taken from him.

The second happened just after 2:30am when a cab driver in the East end of the city was robbed.

No further details are available at this time, but both robberies are being investigated by a major crime unit.

Iggy Speaks On Lepreau Refurbishments

(Michael Ignatieff gives a speech at Paul Zed's BBQ)
(Photo by Sherry Aske)

A crowd of people turned up to watch Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff roll into town on the Liberal Express.

Ignatieff was in Rothesay last night for a barbecue at former MP Paul Zed's house.

He spoke about his stance on the Point Lepreau refurbishments, saying his focus as a federal politician is that Stephen Harper has walked away from the Canadian nuclear industry for the past four years.

Ignatieff says we need to make sure we have nuclear technologies and the capacity to repair our nuclear stations.

He says we're losing nuclear scientists almost daily now, and the responsibility for that is ultimately not with AECL, but with the Conservative government.

Darryl Olsen Dies

A man whose name was thrown into the spotlight after a massive case of vandalism back in April has died.

Darryl Olsen, Manager of the Saint John Catholic Diocese Cemeteries is dead after a motorcycle accident yesterday morning just outside of Petticodiac.

It was announced during a service at St. Pius Catholic Church this morning.

Olsen leaves behind his wife Brenda, mother, father and two sons.

RCMP tell us the crash happened near Elgin at 11:30am and a doctor on the scene pronounced Olsen dead.

Officers believe speed may have been a factor in the crash but continue to piece together what happened.

Olsen was the spokes-person and took the lead on re-storing over 300 grave-stones at St. Josephs cemetery after they were toppled over in a fit of rage by 20-year old Dana Bartlett back on April.25th.

He will be back in court for sentencing on September 23rd.

Call For More Diversity On EUB

An anti-poverty group would like to see even more change with the Energy and Utilities Board than what has been proposed by Provincial Energy Minister Jack Keir.

Bethany Thorne Dykstra of Voice of Real Poverty tells CHSJ News members of the Board should be elected instead of appointed.

She would like to see representation on the E-U-B from someone who can speak up for the interests of consumers, especially those who don't have a lot of money to work with.

Iggy Comes To Town

(Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff)
(File Photo)

Liberal Party Leader Michael Ignatieff continues his cross province tour this weekend with a stop-over in Rothesay today.

Former Saint John MP Paul Zed is hosting the get-together at his home and tells us he expects there will be several hundred people on hand to greet Ignatieff when he arrives.

Zed points out this is Ignatieff's fifth trip to Saint John and there is no political agenda, just a chance to come and have a more relaxed visit to the area.

Suburban Bus Service Well Used

(File Photo)

Despite early scepticism, the suburban bus service is getting a lot of use with a new route starting in Quispamsis on Tuesday.

Frank McCarey is the General Manager for Saint John Transit and tells CHSJ News people living outside the city are taking the bus more than he originally thought they would. 

He says he expected it to take 3 years to get the rider-ship they wanted in suburban areas, but it actually only took 8 months. 

McCarey says he thinks people using the service are people that went from 2 cars to 1, and that's why there's more demand.

New Look In The Uptown

A walk through the uptown and it is very easy to notice work is underway to re-store several buildings that used to house a business or apartments.

Steve Carson is General Manager of Enterprise Saint John and tells us, a strong variety of restaurants and galleries has created a vibrant heart of a community.

Carson adds the residential development and new technology company start-ups are leading to a number of new bars and restaurants choosing the uptown to call home.

Nature Trust Cleans Beaches

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is making an effort to clean up the beaches in Bocabec Bay near St. Andrews today.

The stretch of shoreline was chosen for this year's Charlotte Isles clean-up and Executive Director Renata Woodward tells CHSJ they normally collect just over one ton of garbage.

Woodward says they see a lot of commercial bins, plastic containers and oil containers that get washed in from the ocean.

She says the goal is to get people involved in land conservation and land stewardship.

Bay Of Fundy At Risk

(Marine biologist Jamie Steele)
(Photo by Gary MacDonald)

A St. Andrews marine biologist says the Bay of Fundy remains a resource at risk.
Jamie Steele tells CHSJ News the bay's fragile ecosystem is linked to influences around it.

Steele says even though we strive for a balance between uses such as shipping or tourism -- we usually go too far the other way and have to backtrack to repair any damage to the ecosystem.

But -- Steele says talk of tidal power generators in the bay is miles ahead of past suggestions of large damns to harness the tides which would have a significant impact on the bay's marine life.

He says we have to become more aware of our own backyard and how we influence what happens in it.

Candidate "Runs" For Election

(Liberal candidate Gary Keating)
(File Photo)

Saint John Fundy Liberal candidate Gary Keating has plenty to do this Long Weekend.

He is strapping on his sneakers and will run from Simonds High to the caves in St. Martins which is just shy of 50 kilometers.

The question on your mind I'm sure is why?

Keating tells CHSJ News, it is a play on his campaign slogan of "Running for You" but goes further than that.

He believes it is a great way to promote the election, physical fitness and let the voters get a look at him.

Camping Season In Full Swing

As the Long Weekend rolls along, one campground owner is loving what the season has produced to this point.

Howard Haines is the owner of Harding's Point and tells CHSJ News, the Victoria Day Weekend set the tone with good numbers.

Haines says the wonderful warm weather no question is a big reason for the large numbers but a turn-around in the economy is also playing a part.

Haines adds he rarely hears complaints about the price of gas but is very pleased to see caravans from the United States making a return this summer after a dip due to the recession last year.

Moose Light Blackberry Doing Well

Something that certainly goes well with a sunny long weekend is a cold beer.

Joel Levesque is Vice President of Communications with Moosehead Breweries and tells CHSJ News since launching their newest summer flavour -Moose Light Blackberry- at the end of June, sales have been great. 

He says they've achieved their sales objectives and they're getting great feedback about it.

Levesque says the Moose Light Blackberry might be back next summer, or they might have a new flavour because consumers seem to be really interested in experimenting and product innovation.

Port Authority Gets New CEO

The Saint John Port Authority will have a new President and Chief Executive Officer come September.

James Quinn is taking over the role from Captain Soppitt on September 20th.

Soppitt will remain with the Port Authority to help during the transition period and then plans to retire in June of 2011.

Quinn brings over 30 years of experience in the marine and public sectors, 23 of which were with the Coast Guard.

Traffic Snags For The Long Weekend

Watch out for traffic delays in your travels this long weekend.

Construction crews will be working in the area of Bayside Drive and the Courtney Bay Causeway on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The work in the intersection will involve a lot of rock excavation and will cause traffic delays.

Arson Update

City Police have confirmed a fire early this morning in the North End was deliberately set.

An arson investigation has been launched by the Major Crime Unit.

There was no one living in the 2 and a half storey wooden building on Douglas Avenue at Main Street and no one was injured.