Our ability to pick up on the warning signs from those who are experiencing thoughts of suicide needs fine-tuning.
That coming from Forensic Suicidologist Dr. Greg Zed during provincial Suicide Prevention Month, who tells CHSJ News between 95 to 98 percent of people who have taken their own life have left some type of warning sign or invitation to help.
He says we need to become acutely aware of these red flags, and then engage the person to get on the path to help. And while some people may feel as though they are beyond help, Zed says in his 37 years of working in mental health he hasn't come across a single situation where a person's problem or illness was beyond treatment.
Those needing help are encouraged to call CHIMO helpline at
1-800-667-5005 or Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868. They can also
contact their nearest community mental-health centre or consult their
family doctor. If you're looking for more information about provincial Suicide Prevention Month, click here.
For many New Brunswickers, snowy weather means a chance to hop on a snowmobile and hit the trails, but the Mounties warning you not to head out without taking some safety precautions first.
The RCMP say you should check what the weather is going to be.....dress in layers with gloves, a helmet and proper eye protection.......Never ride alone......Let people know your route and when you plan to be back.....Ride sober and don't go too fast......Carry a map and take note the the shelters along the way.......Try not to cross bodies of water but if you have to, wear a life jacket over your winter clothing and never cross in a single file.
Thinking about matters of the heart isn't just reserved for Valentine's Day.
February is Heart Health Month and Lizzy Gresh of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick says they encourage people to eat well, get active and be tobacco-free.
Gresh says obesity is a big risk factor for developing heart disease and stroke so you want to look at how much you weigh and also where you carry your body weight, because if you carry your weight in your stomach it's around all of your internal organs which can increase your risk.
Heart disease and stroke are two of the top three leading causes of death in Canada. Click here for more information about heart health in New Brunswick.
Batten down the hatches, because Old Man Winter is bringing another storm system our way.
Meteorologist with Environment Canada Andy Firth tells CHSJ News says snow will develop by this evening, starting over southwestern areas of the province and spreading elsewhere by midnight. A large portion of southern and eastern New Brunswick will get a dumping of between 25 to 45 centimeters of snow before it wraps up later in the day tomorrow, with winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour.
The Moncton area, Kent County and Kouchibouguac National Park are under both Winter Storm and Storm Surge warnings.
It appears there's renewed interest in commercial real estate in the greater Saint John area. Two heritage buildings on Prince William and Water Streets have recently sold after being on the market for some time. And Saint John Real Estate Board president Jason Stephen tells CHSJ News it doesn't stop there.
You may have noticed a bucket catching drops or the pews that are blocked off due to falling plaster.
The Cathedral on Waterloo needs a lot of work and the fundraising campaign to make it happen begins this weekend.
Lynn Forbes-Gautier tells CHSJ News a concert on Sunday showcases the various cultures that make up the diocese of Saint John.
She the lineup included African spirituals, traditional Native drummers and Irish Celtic fiddlers.
Historian John LeRoux will speak on the church's role in provincial history.
The concert begins at 2pm on Sunday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Waterloo Street.
A goodwill offering is being collected. They goal is raise $10 million dollars and that money will allow them to create an endowment fund that can be used for future repairs the church may need.
Emergency crews did not find any indication of a carbon monoxide leak at Preferred Collision on 401 Rothesay Avenue, despite two employees having trouble breathing.
There were no levels of the dangerous gas found when City fire checked out the scene.
The shop was ventilated thoroughly and the employees were checked out by paramedics.
The team signing head coach Ross Yates to a two year contract extension keeping the 54 year old through the 2015-2016 season.
President Wayne Long says signing Yates was a priority in moving the team forward adding he has done a great job with their young team.
The Sea Dogs host the Wildcats tonight in the eighth game of the Rivalry Cup. The first 400 women attending tonight's game will get a free carnation in honour of Valentine's Day.
Got some plastic bags in your kitchen that you don't need?
The Community Food Basket has run out of plastic bags which they need to pass out food orders.
Carolyn Dannells tells CHSJ News that January, February and March are their busiest months due to high energy costs. 600 plastic bags are needed at the Charlotte street food bank since the food basket must double bag every order to make them easy to carry.
You can drop them off at 215 Charlotte Street or call 652-2707. They are open Tuesdays and Fridays from 1-3pm.
Stem Cell research at the Regional Hospital getting a boost with an 11 thousand dollar donation from Staff and students at the Saint John campus of the Community Centre.
The Working Together Committee at the Allied Health Education Centre raised the money in just four months.
Meantime, a grad from the Community College's Respiratory Therapy programme has earned top marks. Beth Corkum of Quispamsis will receive the Trudell Gold Medal Award. She was among 377 people from across the country who wrote the exam.
She's now employed as a fulltime Respiratory Therapist at Cape Breton Regional Hospital but still plans to working towards her degree. Corkum credits the smaller classes at the Community College for her success.
The #1 thing that pulls couples apart is a lack of commitment to romance and intimacy. Relationship expert Dale Curd was surprised to learn a survey by Travelocity.ca finds men and women don't really expect to have more sex while on holiday than if they stayed home.
He says a lot of couples believe when they go away on vacation there will be an increase in romance.
Curdy says the survey had a good turnout by men and women between the ages of 30 and 50 showing that Valentine's Day still has meaning.
Lingering uncertainty remains over whether Mount Allison University students should make the trek back to Sackville.
It's still unknown whether classes will resume Monday at the liberal arts & sciences university. Student Union President Melissa O'Rourke tells CHSJ News it's a question of the faculty and the administration working out the logistics of binding arbitration, which they have both agreed to in theory.
Class has been cancelled at Mount A. for three weeks for so. O'Rourke says they're hoping to have word about what will happen Monday at some point today.
Love is in the air today....and a lot of money, too, especially for local flower shops.
According to florist Connie Dean, Valentine's Day it's the busiest day of the year for Keirstead's Flowers, which has been in business uptown in the Port City since 1925l however, she tells CHSJ News she's seeing fewer would-be Romeos waiting until the last minute to get bouquets. Instead, many are preferring to place their orders well in advance, or even get the bouquets delivered the day before V-Day. Dean says the classic dozen roses is still the most popular Valentine's gift-- but she's seeing more people turn toward gerbera daisies and lilies, as well as mixed arrangements that include roses.
More than 30 thousand 800 dollars raised during Country 94/the Wave's second annual Radiothon.
Victoria Clarke of the Regional Hospital Foundation tells CHSJ News the people who have donated to The Give have made patient care better and calls were coming in from outside Saint John including Nova Scotia and Toronto.
The money will go towards buying neurological equipment and next week we'll be getting an update from the Foundation on how much has been raised thus far.
Country 94 and The Wave have raised more than 70 thousand dollars for the Regional Hospital with the two 12 hour radiothons.
The snowpocalypse that many people were fearing didn't come to pass.
The Saint John region didn't get as much snow as forecast but we're getting a lot of rain and that's making life treacherous for both drivers and walkers.
There's a lot of water on the roads on top of ice. Rothesay Regional Police telling CHSJ News the roads in the K-V are awful and drivers are being urged to slow down if they don't want to wind up in a ditch.
There has been some flooding on the east side. Rothesay Avenue under the train bridge is closed. City Police tell us Commerce Drive at Mark Drive is closed, barricades have been placed at Foster Thurston as you come off Highway 1 and the curb lanes along Rothesay Avenue have a buildup of water. We're told there's also a large pool of water at the bottom of McAllister Drive at Westmorland Road as well as along Loch Lomand Road between Bon Accord and Hickey Road.
The sidewalks are icy and you can easily fall down.
All schools in the Anglophone South School District from Sussex to St. Stephen, including Saint John, Anglophone West in the Fredericton region and in Francophone South are closed for the day because of the stormy weather. Eastern College and Eastern Trades College are also closed.
He's been giving back to the community for many decades now as the founder of the Marigold Project and Marco Polo project, a Seawolves coach and high school teacher. Now, Barry Ogden is getting a major nod from the Saint John Community Fund. Ogden is
receiving $5000 to donate to a charity of his choice--and he's chosen
the Promise Partnership, the Community Food Basket and Romero House. He tells CHSJ News this area is struggling with a lot of complex issues, but he's hoping as the economy starts to turn around we won't forget those in trouble.
The City of Saint John crews will be out clearing streets and sidewalks of snow and getting ready for potential flooding. We are looking at 15 cm's of snow before it changes to rain after midnight.
Kevin Rice of Transportation and Environment Services tells CHSJ News they encourage people to be very aware of the road conditions.
He says they encourage people to stay off the roads if they don't need to be there and the keep their vehicles off the street so their crews can remove snow from the streets as efficiently as possible.
Rice says crews are inspecting storm water outlets and inlets and catch basins are clear.
A 48 year old man who was found deceased after a house fire on Communication Road in Irishtown died of smoke inhalation according to the RCMP. That call came in at 12:30am this past Sunday.
At the request of the family, the name of the victim will not be released. No word yet on what caused the blaze, but it's still being investigated.
