No Tax Increases In Upcoming Provincial Budget But There Are Job Cuts In Health

One thing is for sure, you won't have to worry about taxes going up in the near future. Finance Minister Blaine Higgs saying taxes aren't going up in the next budget, scheduled to come out next month. 

Kevin Lacey of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation saying while this is good news for the province,we still need to pay attention to government spending.

"There are positive signs for the future that things are going to get better, so we want to see the Finance Minister address the government's spending problem, and not just hope that a lot of the longer-term projects are going to come on and save the day for the province," he says.  

 At the same time, he says the Minister's decision is really the only option right now, and 
new projects such as the pipeline, can help drive up provincial revenue.

 He tells CHSJ News, "when you consider that someone earning sixty-thousand dollars in Saint John would pay about seventeen-hundred dollars more in taxes than someone earning the same income in Edmonton, New Brunswickers can not take anymore tax increases."

Still with the province's bottom line......Horizon Health estimates it will save half a million dollars with 8 job cuts and not filling 4 vacant positions in radiology and nuclear medicine in Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton.

Rothesay Councillor Says Many Want Curbside Recycling

Residents in Rothesay would prefer to have recycling at the end of their driveway. That coming from Rothesay Councillor Matt Alexander, who says this is what the town has been hearing from residents for a number of years. 

Alexander is Chair of the Waste Diversion Committee for the Crane Mountain Landfill. Fundy Region Solid Waste will be holding public consultation sessions to get the greater community's feedback on recycling. 

CHSJ News asked Alexander if the town would move ahead with it's own curbside recycling program, even if the regional service committee sticks with the status quo.

"We may choose to do that based on what we've had as feedback from our residents. They would really like to see that, and if these public consultation sessions really demonstrate that that's what people in our community would to see, than we would strongly look at going to curbside recycling," he says.

Alexander says more people are becoming environmentally conscious, and are seeing the value of recycling. Adding, enough waste has been diverted from the landfill, giving it a longer life than originally expected.

The City Prepares For Snow Conditions

 The City of Saint John has some reminders as we prepare for the storm conditions.
The city advising everyone to avoid traveling during the storm, be mindful of winter parking restrictions and call ahead to city arenas or community centres, in case of closures or shorter hours.

To check the hours of the City Market you can call 658-2820. On-street parking is not allowed in most of the city up until March 31st from midnight to 7pm. 


Snow removal crews will be out tonight, making sure roads and highways are safe. In a news release the city says "major arteries, highway connections and emergency routes will be cleared constantly during the storm, with major bus routes, and streets connecting schools, community centres and business districts as the second priority."
 
 In case we lose power again, the City's Emergency Management says make sure you stock up on water, batteries and food.

 For more information on how to prepare visit www.getprepared.gc.ca

Minister To Meet To Discuss Future Of Lobster Industry

Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries ministers from the Maritime Provinces will be meeting from March 26 - 27 in Halifax to talk about why the price of lobster has plummeted so drastically, and what can be done to strengthen the industry.

The summit will focus on the Maritime Lobster Panel report, given to the three ministers last November. It addresses why the price of lobster dropped in the spring of 2013 and looks at the various cost and revenue aspects of harvesters, buyers and processors.

The report also looks at ways to stabilize and potentially increase prices paid to harvesters, and a possible formal system where the industry would know the price that will be paid in advance.

Anxiety Levels Among Students At UNB Rising

As the strike by university professors at U-N-B in Saint John, Fredericton and Bathurst continues, the Provincial NDP is calling for students to be legislatively protected both academically and financially from losing out. 

Pat Joyce is Executive-Director of the New Brunswick Student Alliance and tells CHSJ News, financially that would mean rebates on their tuition.
 
As for what could be done for them if their semester is lost, Joyce says that would be unprecedented but a semester could very go down the drain, he has heard, if a strike lasted more than 4 weeks. He would hope the provincial government would step in and help the students out if that happened.

Field House At Exhibition Park Would Let Kids Play Indoor Sports

Kids in East Saint John and beyond could be playing indoor soccer, badminton and other sports at a new field house at Exhibition Park is the Saint John Exhibition Association has its way.

Common Councillor Gerry Lowe tells CHSJ News they've made the project less expensive since they originally pitched it, and now they're looking to see if there's a business case. While at this stage of the game they're not asking for any funds from the city, to actually build the field house would require funding from all three levels of government.

Lowe says the Exhibition Association has always thought it's something the community needs--and it would fit into the current council's priority of recreation.

Several Arrests For Assaults, B&E

Saint John police made a number of arrests over the past 24 hours, according to tSJPD media spokesperson Sergeant Jay Henderson.
 
 A 39 year old man was arrested after a domestic assault on Princess Street--and was also be found to be breaching conditions imposed for an earlier offense. He has a court appearance scheduled for today.

There was another arrest of a 39 year on woman on Adelaide Street in the North End for allegedly assaulting three people.

As well, the suspect in a break-in on Waterloo St in which computer equipment and a safe were stolen was nabbed while walking on Richmond Street in the early evening hours yesterday. He was also found to have illegal pills in his possession,and has a court appearance scheduled for today.

Another Storm Closes Schools

Another major storm is about to hammer the Saint John area with lots of snow and gusty winds. Mel Lemmon of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News there will be light snow this morning with the heaviest snow falling this afternoon.
 
Environment Canada is forecasting from 15 to 20 centimeters of snow depending on where you are in the region with winds gusting up to 60 kilometers an hour this afternoon. Lemmon expects the storm to taper off tonight with winds becoming light after midnight.

Schools in the Anglophone South School District from Sussex to St. Stephen will be closed today because of the pending storm.

Current Recycling & Composting Program Working Well In Quispam

The best option for Quispamsis when it comes to the future of composting and recycling is sticking with the status quo.

That's according to Mayor Murray Driscoll who tells CHSJ News that doesn't mean he's not open to the other options Fundy Region Solid Waste are currently exploring. Along with the status quo, the other options being look at are both curbside recycling and curbside composting which would cost 2.5-million dollars, and curbside recycling which would replace composting. 

Driscoll says if they do decide to keep things the way they are, he would like to see more blue bins in the town. He says they are being filled up faster than they can empty them. The Regional Services Commission will be making the final decision in June. Driscoll is the vice-chair of that committee.

Plane Crash In Fredericton Area With Pilot Rescued

An investigation will be launched to determine why a small plane with a trainee pilot crashed last night near Highway 10 and Grub Road, between Fredericton and Minto. 

The Fredericton Fire Department says phone contact was made with the pilot who was found near by after an extensive search in dense brush and then was airlifted to hospital for medical treatment. He's listed in critical condition.


The pilot is in his 20's but his name has not been released. He managed to crawl out of the wreckage and called for help on his cellphone.

Meantime, on the east side, there was a two vehicle collision yesterday afternoon at 340 Loch Lomand Road. One person was taken to hospital.

Blizzard On The Way

After days of spring-like temperatures, it's time to break out your shovel again. 

A blizzard is on the way, bringing heavy snow and blowing snow to the region. Claude Cote of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News starting at noon-hour on Wednesday we'll see periods of snow, blowing snow and reduced visibility to near-zero. It's expected we'll see winds gusting to about 60 km/hr.

Cote says the storm will start tapering off at about 8pm or 9am in Saint John. We can expect to see about 15 centimetres of fresh snow on the ground by the end of the blizzard.

The provincial E-M-O reminding you that strong winds can bring power outages and you should make sure you have everything you need to last you at least seventy-two hours after a storm, including an emergency kit for your home and car. They're also encouraging you to avoid driving if you don't have to during and after the blizzard.

Man Arrested In Fredericton Stabbing Incident

A 31-year-old man has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of  assault following a stabbing incident at Eastern College in Fredericton yesterday. Luke Thomas Powers of Fredericton appeared in court this morning.

 Police responded to Eastern College on Prospect Street in response to a disturbance, and when they arrived police found that three victims (two instructors, one student) had been injured by a large, long-bladed knife.


Police arrested Powers at the scene. He will appear in court again next month.

Huge Gym Bag Full Of Pot Seized

RCMP are reporting two Nova Scotia men were arrested on the weekend after a traffic stop in Havelock in which a quantity of marijuana was seized

The vehicle was going east on Highway 2 on Saturday shortly before noon. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery and seizure of about  43 lbs of marijuana, as well as cannabis resin. The seized put could have been used to roll more than 63-thousand joints.

Two men ages 30 and 41 were arrested and later released on a promise to appear in Moncton Provincial Court on March 10.

Rinehart Concerned About Students Caught In Strike

As the strike drags on at UNB, former UNB Dean Shelley Rinehart tells CHSJ News she knows from experience it's very difficult for the university to hire--because the school isn't competitive even with some of its closest neighbours.

She says she's especially concerned about the students in the MBA program, considering it's an 8-week module and they've already lost a week, which could impact their ability to finish on time.

Rinehart says there are some legitimate issues that need to be addressed and nothing would make her happier than hearing everyone is back at the bargaining table tomorrow.

Canadian Shoppers May Have Been Hacked

If you shopped at a Target store in the U.S. prior to Christmas, your name and contact information might have been stolen by hackers.
 
An email from the company has been sent to some Canadian customers which warns their names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses may have been taken if they shopped at Target stores in the U.S. between November 27th and December 15th.
 
Target has said hackers stole data related to 40 million credit and debit accounts in the U.S.
 
Canadian stores were not affected because they have a separate point-of-sale system.

Union Questions Commitment of University to Revitalising Faculty

As the strike by university of professors continues at U-N-B, a lot of people are getting nervous about when classes might resume. There's pressure to resume negotiations and there has been talk of that happening this week.

Union President Miriam Jones concedes at first glance it appears the professors are making good coin so why are they striking but she argues the faculty is aging and not being replaced by younger professors who would be making less. According to Jones, that's what the older professors would like to see because it means there's a commitment on the part of the university to revitalise the faculty with new blood. 
 
As it is, Jones tells CHSJ News the university is replacing fulltime professors with people who teach course by course for what she describes as "peanuts" or on term contracts.

Date Set For Oland Inquiry

Six weeks have been set aside for a preliminary hearing to determine if Dennis Oland will stand trial in the death of his father Richard in July of 2011.

It is scheduled to go from May 12th to June 20th and, in almost all cases, the presiding judge imposes a ban on the publication of evidence.

The body of Richard Oland was found in his office on Canterbury Street. 

Lowe Concerned About K-Park Rail Safety

Dangerous and flammable goods commonly make their way through Saint John by rail--and some here and in the outlying communities are worried about what a train derailment or other mishap could mean for public safety.

Common councillor Gerry Lowe tells CHSJ News he's no stranger to issues surrounding rail transport and the community of K Park is in a pretty unenviable position, with long trains regularly passing across its only entryway.

Lowe has been appointed to sit on a committee to work on an alternate way out of K Park in case of emergencies--but says it's likely that committee will also work on other potential rail safety hazards.

Non-Profits Have Leases Terminated

It only closed businesses in the Market for one day--but an early-January heating line rupture at the City Market has had far worse implications for three local non-profits.

The Human Development Council, Senior's Center, and PRUDE Inc. were all housed in the Market tower; however, now that it's been deemed unsafe, they'll be looking for new spaces to call home. Deputy Mayor Shelley  Rinehart tells CHSJ New previously the organizations were given a grant from the city in lieu of rent--but now they'll have some temporary assistance before they have to make their own arrangements.
 
Rinehart says there's been discussion of how the space will be used when it's finally brought back up to code.

Contractors are evaluating the damage but there's no word on how long the repairs could take--or their potential cost.

Fishing Group Warns Of Two-Foot Wide Ice Crack

 Photo Courtesy of Dwight Conwell

The Renforth Fishing Association warning the public about a two-foot-wide crack in the ice at the end of the wharf, running through the fishing shacks and through to Kennebecasis Park.

President Gary Gower tells CHSJ News anyone walking around the fishing shacks is at risk of falling in, so the organization went out and put branches and trees in the hole and taped it off.

Gower says the crack was caused by a shift in the ice, and that the mild temperatures we've been experiencing is playing a role in the ice moving around. He says there's more water than usual in the river system due to runoff from brooks, streams and rivers which is lifting the ice and causing it to float.

Gower tells us there's no need to take the shacks off the ice right now, because that section of the river is still fairly solid. He says it's also safe to walk on, but you have to be paying attention.