Bike Lane To Come Down

The bike lane along Main Street will be taken down tomorrow for the winter. 

The city plans to have it back up again next spring for the 2012 construction season. 

Crews tomorrow will be removing the bike lane pylons, road markings and traffic lights along Main Street. 

The concrete barriers at the intersection of Portland and Main Streets will not be removed which means you can't make a left turn from Main Street onto Portland Street.

Saint John Welcomes Three Cruise Ships To Port

On a soggy day in the Port City, three vessels carrying more than 8000 passengers are spending the day in Saint John.  Triple ship tuesday coincides with the last day of the 2011 cruise ship season in the Port City.

Three Ships In Port Today

On the last day of the 2011 Cruise ship season, three different vessels are spending the day in the Port City.

Councillor Mott In Hospital

East side residents will be down one representative for the next while -- Councillor Joe Mott is in hospital with an undisclosed illness.

Mott was absent from last night's council session and there is no word yet on his return.

Council holding a prayer for him before the beginning of last night's meeting.

Deputy Mayor Wants Confidential Report Released

Over 500-thousand dollars in additional spending for Peel Plaza getting the green light from Common Council.

Some of the unexpected costs included the discovery of contaminated soil and additional service costs.

Project Manager Bill Edwards says it looks like the project will be on budget but Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase has his doubts.

He wants a confidential report that describes the full cost of the project and its implications to be released to the public.

He says we are already seeing the the implications of Peel Plaza on the city budget with the planned cut of up to 14 transit workers.

The request will be looked at to see if the report can be released without breaking confidentiality rules.

Meantime, Common Council has also rejected the suggestion of paying 10 million dollars to upgrade the Trade and Convention Centre which is now competing against newer facilities in the region. The city was looking for help from the province and federal government.

2011 Season Ends With Triple Ship Day

The 2011 cruise ship season is wrapping up in style today with three different vessels in Port.

The Jewel of the Seas arrives first followed by the MSC Poesia and then the Carribean Princess.  Over 200 travel agents will be visiting onboard the MSC Poesia.

Saint John Port Authority CEO Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News this season has been challenging with 5 ships cancelling calls due to bad weather.
He says that may mean our passenger numbers will come in somewhere between 185 and 190,000.

Quinn adds the 2012 season has 76 ships due to call including 9 visits from a new line to Saint John-- Disney Cruises.

Today's schedule:

Jewels of the Seas 7am
MSC Poesia  12pm
Carribean Princess 8am

Fire Set At Regional Jail

An inmate set a fire in one of the cells in the segregation unit last night at the regional jail on the Old Black River Road. 

Acting District Chief Kevin Clynick says it spread to a mattress and was put out by jail staff before reigniting which then activated the automatic sprinkler system. 

There were no injuries.
 
City Police are investigating and the inmate is expected to be charged.

Enterprise Saint John Gets Federal Money

The Federal government is breaking out the cheque book in order to help attract, retain, and expand foreign investment in the province.

Enterprise Saint John is one of several groups getting funding -- it will be using the money for a life sciences and health study to attract investment to the city.

An amount has yet to be announced.

Enterprise Fredericton, Kent, and Greater Moncton will also be receiving federal dollars, as well as the city of Miramichi.

Dance And Sing To Save This Uptown Icon

Next month, singing and dancing, can help save a staple of Uptown Saint John.

"A Night For The Paramount" is a fundraising concert coming up on November 18th featuring John Morrison, Dann Downes and the Migrant Workers and The Earthbound Trio.

All proceeds from the event at the Chinese Cultural Centre will be used to saved the old theatre on King Square from the wrecker's ball.
It's meant to show the need for a multi-purpose arts and culture venue in the city.
 For ticket info, click here

Province Looks At Using Natural Gas At Coleson Cove

The Conservation Council is casting a skeptical eye on word the provincial government is looking at converting Coleson Cove so it will be able to burn natural gas.

David Thompson of the Conservation Council tells CHSJ News he finds it odd since the plant hasn't been used that much even with Point Lepreau being out of service.

Thompson warns if your burn natural gas without using a gas turbine, too much of it is wasted.
 
The Alward Government finds itself in the middle of controversy over its desire to extract natural gas from the ground through fracking which creates fissures in the shale after water, chemicals and sand are pumped underground.

Changes Coming To The Harbour Bridge

It can only makes things better if your daily commute takes you across the Harbour Bridge.

The Provincial Department of Transportation anouncing a new design for the Harbour Bridge traffic flow will see two lanes of traffic in each direction.

Others measures include speed monitoring signs to tell you how fast you are going,  a raised curb between the two lanes heading west to east and concrete barrier.

The tender for the work has been announced and will close on the 31st and Minister Williams expects it will be completed this year.

For more info on the changes, click here

Campbell Eyes A Run At The Horseshoe

City Hall management needs to be overhauled...........That's John Campbell's big priority as he announces he'll be running in the May municipal election to be councillor at large. Campbell claims there's a lot of fat to be cut despite claims to the contrary.

He says front line workers coming to him with ideas and he thinks one would be to restructure management.

Ironically, Campbell has a letter before Common Council on the city's financially beleaguered pension plan. He's recommending there be a transition from a defined benefits plan to defined contributions where the benefits will depend on how the stock market performs.

He says these plans are being used by a variety of companies around the world to make it viable and financially secure.

Campbell says major projects like Peel Plaza and the transit garage on the east side have to be called into question if they adversely affect day to day services.

Peel Plaza Construction Costing City More

There have been 122 changes required in the construction of infrastructure upgrades with the Peel Plaza development and they are going to wind up costing the city more money. 

The final cost of construction is now estimated to be close to 5.4 million dollars, almost 200 thousand more than what was approved.

An unexpected expense was 345 thousand dollars to get rid of contaminated soil along Carleton Street. 

When the utility work and management construction costs are tabulated, the final cost is believed to be over 6.1 million dollars. Common Council is getting an update tonight.

Anti-Shale Gas Group Calls For Public Inquiry

The risks from shale gas exploration are not manageable and health should not be traded for profit.......That was the message delivered to a public meeting at a church in the north end on Sandy Point Road by an anti-shale gas group.  

Chris Rendell of Hampton Water First tells CHSJ News there should be a public inquiry held where both sides can be heard before anything moves ahead because he's skeptical of anything the Alward Government is saying about this issue. 

He accuses the government of being biased in favour of shale gas exploration moving ahead even though there have been problems in every other place where shale gas development is happening.
 
Rendell claims New Brunswick doesn't have enough people to carry out inspections and in Quebec where every shale gas well was inspected, 75 per cent of them had leaks.

New Concept May Help Stem The Tide Of The Grey Tsunami

Edler mediation may be a tool that can help stem the tide of the coming grey tsunami as the number of seniors in Canada explodes.
A pilot project in Eastern Ontario is using elder mediation to find the best way of using funding to keep seniors in their homes.
Elizabeth Sterritt of Family Mediation Canada tells CHSJ News says these programs are phenomenal because they create a circle of care.

She tells us there are 6000 centenarians in Canada today and that number will triple over the next twenty years.
She says we have to figure out how are going to deal with all these ageing folks who may be our neighbours.

Sterritt says in one case, the fix was taking care of a couples lawn mowing and snow removal needs that allowed one woman the time to better care for her husband in their home.

No Time To Waste For Local Companies With Shipbuilding Opportunities

There may be some lead time with that 25 billion dollar shipbuilding contract awarded to Irving to construct combat naval vessels in Halifax but if Saint John companies want to get a piece of the action, they better get cracking........There's no time to waste. 

So advises Pat Darrah of the Saint John Construction Association.

Darrah says these will be sophisticated ships........It's not like building a row boat.

He adds the jobs, themselves, won't start appearing for about a year and that's why he remains concerned there are no major projects on the horizon locally this winter and next spring.

West Side Crash Sends One Person To Hospital

There was a two vehicle crash yesterday afternoon at one of the busiest intersections in the city at one of the busiest times of the week.

The collision happened at Fairville Boulevard and Catherwood on the west side. 

The fire department is saying the driver's door on one of the vehicles had to be removed in order to get the person out.

East Side Assault

Paramedics and Police responding to an assault on Edith Avenue in East Saint John.

A 55-year-old man is being treated for a head injury after being hit in the head with a bat.

One person may face charges.

Fuel The Care Offers Help To SJ Toddler

One Saint John family is singing the praises of Irving's Fuel the Care program.
The program provides gas cards to famillies travellies out of province for medical treatment.   Amanda Bennett and her family did at least 7 round trips after her son Chace was diagnosed with neuro-blastoma.
She tells CHSJ News Chace had surgery on June 30th to remove a mass from his chest.

At his last check-up in September, Chace's doctors said he's doing so well his visits to the IWK can be cut back from every three months to every six months.

Bennett says Fuel the Care provided great financial relief for her and her family and she recommends it all the time.
For more information on the Fuel the Care program, click here

Quispam Barn Goes Up In Fire

A barn in Quispam is a loss after a fire on the Chamberlain road.   The fire began about 3 in the afternoon and with the helps of neighbours, the owners were able to get all the animals out safely.    One man was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and released.   There were no other injuries.