Two Crashes Send Two Women To Hospital

One woman taken to hospital after a single vehicle crash on Highway one eastbound causing all 7 airbags in her vehicle to deploy.

The collision backing up traffic significantly for the trek home tonight.

Earlier, there was another single vehicle accident on the east side. A quarter ton truck leaving the road and winding up on its side at Grandview Avenue and McLeod Road. One woman had to be extricated by the fire department and she was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.

The Saint John Fire Department also dispelling reports of a fire on Partridge Island.
They got a call earlier of smoke being seen on the island but checked it out and found nothing.

They did spot something florescent orange on top of the building. 

The island is cared for by the Coast Guard and they were informed of the situation.

Gillis Argues Ferguson Didn't Get Requested Info

John Ferguson asked for information about how they might solve the pension deficit, and you didn't give it to him for 8 months—that from lawyer Rod Gillis to City Manager Pat Woods. At the former common councilor's defamation trial, the court heard Ferguson asked to see the now-infamous “Pink Letter”, in which Halifax lawyer Ronald Pink outlined recommendations for the board—but Woods put him off.

Woods told the court, “All I remember is sending the Pink letter. I don't know whether Ferguson was on council in that year or not.” Woods was working as both common clerk and deputy city manager up until March 2008.

Woods said Ferguson would have had to motion to see the documents. “Do you mean to tell me that if you as a clerk has a document, a resolution of council is needed to see it? Is that how the City of Saint John works?

One of Ferguson's allegedly defamatory comments is that that the pension board withheld information.

The Province Encouraging Candidates For May Elections

You are being encouraged to consider a run in the May elections.

Elections NB is using flyers and a website to give prospective candidates details about the various positions that will be contested in the municipal, district education council and regional health authority elections on May 14.

Municipal Electoral officer Mike Quinn tells CHSJ News they are reaching out to people who want to make their communities and the province a better place to live and work.

The deadline to file nomination papers is April 13.

For more info, click here.

P-E-I Company Claims There's A Demand In Province For Intercity Shuttle Service

Advanced Shuttle Service of P-E-I making its case for a reservations only intercity service for the province before the Energy and Utilities Board. 

The mothers of two high school students who were killed in a van crash outside Bathurst in 2008 object to the use of 15 seat passenger vans charging they're prone to rollovers. 

Owner David Anderson rejects the suggestion that 15 seat passenger vans are more prone to rollovers although, at some point, he would consider using the multi-function activity bus which he admits is roomier and more comfortable.

He adds they check their tires are checked daily and inspected monthly.

Glen Carr of the Amalgamated Transit Union at Acadian Coach LInes considers the proposed service to be a threat, which Anderson denies.

A written decision on the application will be made within the next thirty days.

Bus Cuts Protest on King Street

A small protest on King street against looming bus cuts receiving support from passersby and even aspiring councillors.
Three people are set up with yellow bus-shaped signs and posters.

Community activist Tammy Calvin tells CHSJ News the impact is drastic with bus service is some communities ending at 5:30pm and she wonders how people are supposed to get home from work.

She fears people walking home will be more vulnerable to crime.

Calvin has little sympathy for the City of Saint John's financial struggles telling us they should be adding service not taking it away.

Speakers To Discuss Human Rights In Mexico

UNB Saint John playing host to a speaking tour today focusing on the struggle for peace and human rights in Mexico.
 
Ganong Hall is holding the talk at 2 this afternoon and it will be held again tonight at 6:30 at the Grand Hall on Charlotte street.

All of the speakers are respected human rights defenders interested in communicating their perspectives with the Canadian public.
 
They include Vidulfo Rosale Sierra a human rights lawyer and Yolanda Moran Isais of United Forces for our Disappeared in Mexico.

UNB's Fredericton campus hosts the event tomorrow afternoon.

EUB Hears Transport Canada Consider Vans Safe

The Energy and Utilities Board holding a hearing in Saint John today on an application by a PEI company who want to use 15-person passenger vans in this province.

The EUB has been told by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles for the province, Charles O'Donnell the 15 seat passenger vans that would be used in the province by Advanced Shuttle Service are considered safe by Transport Canada.


The owner of Advanced Shuttle, David Anderson says the service in New Brunswick would run four days a week by reservation only. The cost would range from 85 to 135 dollars return.

Some of the mothers of teenage basketball players killed in a 2008 Bathurst van crash want 15-passenger vans taken off the roads calling them death traps.

They spoke at the hearing today against the application by Advanced Shuttle Service.

Farren Slams Exotic Trips for Pension Trustees

The tropical idylls enjoyed by some pension board trustees have been a hot topic lately in the defamation trial of John Ferguson. Now that it's out in the open, Councillor Bill Farren tells us he wants to see travel limited to here in Canada.

Farren tells CHSJ News there's no doubt that trustees need training--but there doesn't need to be such a massive cost associated with it.

Farren says he knows for a fact that the same training is available here in Canada, because when he was involved in pension matters he didn't need to take any exotic trips.

Small Businesses In Province More Confident

Despite a rising unemployment rate in the province and the prospect of flat hiring for the forsesseable future, small businesspeople appear to be more confident these days. That, according to the latest survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Policy Analyst Richard Dunn tells CHSJ News the rising price of gas is a big concern and small business owners will be keeping a close eye on what's contained in the provincial budget.
 
Dunn warns if gas prices keep on going up, that could be a damper on tourism.

Lower Interest Rates - Tougher Qualifications For Mortgages

The mortgage wars are heating up again - but - a local real estate board official says that doesn't mean it's getting any easier to qualify for a mortgage.
The big banks are duking it out offering a 2.99-percent interest over a four or five year period - and - while mortgage rates remain at historic lows -- Greater Saint John Real Estate Board president Jason Stephen says the federal government has pushed mortgage companies to be stricter when qualifying people.
He says lenders are spending more time verifying information including employment and down payments.
And Stephen predicts Ottawa will soon move to shorten the maximum mortgage terms from 30 to 25-years.

Quake Shakes McAdam Area

A bit of a jolt for McAdam residents over the weekend -- the village experiencing a minor earthquake Saturday.
Earthquakes Canada says the quake was centred about 2-kilometres southwest of the village with a magnitude of 2.4.
There haven't been any reports of significant damage although some residents say pictures fell off the walls while others say it felt like something hit the side of their homes.

CNIB Calls Glaucoma a "Silent Thief"

The silent thief--that's the name some give to glaucoma. The degenerative eye disease effects some 66-hundred New Brunswickers--but the scary thing is, over half of them don't know it yet.

Theresa Lyon, a low vision specialist with the CNIB encourages people to get their eyes tested. She tells CHSJ news it's vital to do so regularly, because early detection is your best hope for treatment--and glaucoma doesn't have obvious symptoms at first. If it's caught early optometrists can generally prescribe eye drops and regular check-ups to keep the progression of the disease at bay.

Glaucoma is the second-most-common cause of blindness and partial sight in Canadians over 65, after age-related macular degeneration.

Photos of Fraud Suspects Released

The RCMP have nabbed one of the alleged fraudsters stealing people's banking information at debit terminals in Moncton. We told you last week that the RCMP was looking for three individuals in connection with the case--about which police have received over 30 complaints.

Three men entered a convenience store on Champlain Street in Dieppe, and replaced the point-of-sale terminal from the counter with a device that recorded  banking information from cards swiped on it. The compromised terminal was removed by the service provider on March 5, 2012.

They may have also tampered with the terminal at a restaurant on Mountain Road. The information was then used to fraudulently get funds in a foreign country.

If your recognize either of the suspects, you're being asked to contact Codiac Regional RCMP at 857-2400 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. (8477).

Moms Protest Against "Death Traps on Wheels"

Daylight Savings Time Has Its Perks

We're one step closer to long summer evenings with the time change this morning. All Canadian provinces except Saskatchewan put their clocks ahead by an hour as we switch back to Daylight Savings Time.

As well as the extra daylight, the time change has other perks: according to one American study, violent crimes go down 10% to 13% in daylight savings time--probably because such crimes often happen at night .Studies have found that the Daylight Saving Time reduces net traffic accidents and fatalities by close to one percent--probably due to greater visibility.

As well, the Saint John Fire Department reminds you that the time change is also a great time to check your smoke alarm and batteries.

Fish Farmers Association Fishing For Big Business

The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association will be attending the Boston Seafood Show in an effort to reel in more business for Atlantic salmon farms.

The Boston Seafood show the largest seafood exhibition in North America.

Executive Director Pamela Parker tells CHSJ News our product is highly regarded because of our ideal farming conditions, like pristine waters and locally-owned farms.

She says there will be 900 exhibitors and will access to up to 18-thousand potential buyers.

The Association will be distributing a new video about salmon farming that shows how the fish are grown and how they get from egg to plate.

To see the video, click here.

It's Time To Spring Forward

It's time to Spring forward as we switch back to Daylight Savings Time.

Before bed tonight,  the clocks go ahead by an hour.

The Saint John Fire Department wants you to check your smoke alarm and batteries when you change your clocks.

City Manager Testifies That Pension Board Members Were Cast In A Negative Light

City Manager and pension board trustee Pat Woods continuing his testimony in the John Ferguson defamation trial.

Woods says the language used by Ferguson during comments and presentations about alleged problems with the pension plan cast the board members in a negative light.

He says phrases like "sweeping things under the rug" and "acting like desperate gamblers" would make any reasonable person believe that the pension board was up to illegal activities.

He says that was not the case and refutes defense lawyer Rod Gillis' term of "The Gang of Four" when referring to city staff on the pension board.

Woods says he has never belonged to a gang and is not a thug. 

He adds because Ferguson never publicly revealed his source on the board who allegedly told him of the wrongdoings , it made every board member a suspect in illegal activity.

Girl Facing Arson Charges After Historic Church Burns

An 18-year-old girl will appear in youth court in Fredericton in relation to the December 2011 fire that destroyed the historic St. Ann’s Parish Catholic Church in Kingsclear First Nation.

Charges may also be laid against another a 17 year old as the crown prosecutor’s office is reviewing the file.

The 18 year old girl is appearing in youth court to enter pleas on charges of arson and breach of probation next month because she was 17 at the time of the fire.

Hiring In Province Expected To Remain Flat

With unemployment on the rise in the province, a policy anaylyst with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Richard Dunn tells CHSJ News don't expect any sort of turnaround for sometime yet. 

He points out that why the C-F-I-B warned against raising the minimum wage too fast and another concern is the rising cost of gas which had been at a three and a half year high. 

In its survey, the C-F-I-B reports 13 per cent of small businesses plan to increase full time employment while 15 per cent say they plan cutbacks.

Unemployment last month in Saint John rose from 7.6 to 7.8 per cent. For New Brunswick, as a whole, it increased from 9.5 to 10.1 per cent.