Kingston Man arrested after incident on the Kennebecasis River

A 39-year-old Kingston man is in custody after an incident on the Kennebecasis River near the Gondola Point Ferry landing this afternoon.

Hampton RCMP tell CHSJ News the man was near open water between the two ferries and he was intoxicated and one person said they saw him with a rifle.
Police say he will have a remand hearing in the morning and face an impaired driving charge along with other criminal code offenses.
RCMP also say the man is well known to police.

Praise for the City's Winter Management Plan

(file photo)

Residents are providing city staff with some positive feedback about it's winter management plan.
Deputy Commissioner of Municipal Operations Kevin Rice says after the first snow storm, there were calls with questions and concerns- -- but after the last snow fall the calls were praising the work the city is doing.
Rice says other municipalities are taking notice of the citys winter management plan, and has even fielded questions from Halifax media on how it works.
Rice says there are very few municipalities in North America that allow on street winter parking.
Just last week the city altered it's overnight parking ban, allowing 6 streets to be exempted from the rules.

Traffic Lights are out at Rothesay Avenue and Thorne Avenue

Here's a heads up for motorists heading to or driving in East Saint John.
 The traffic lights at Rothesay Avenue and Thorne Avenue will not be working until tonight or tomorrow morning.   The strong wind gusts damaged the lights.

Detours have been set up and motorists are advised to use alternate routes.
The City also advises motorists that other traffic lights in other parts of the city may be
affected by the high winds as well.

McKenna speaks at Saint John fundraiser next month

(file photo)

One of the province's most recognizable former politicians will be in Saint John next month.
Former Premier Frank McKenna is the guest speaker at a fundraiser for earthquake ravaged Haiti.
McKenna will speak about the ongoing disaster relief in the country and tell the
crowd how Saint John can help make a difference in the long-term efforts to rebuild.

The Saint John for Haiti fundraiser is coming up on St. Patrick's Day at the Delta hotel.

Canadian Tire issues recall of Mastercraft battery chargers.

(courtesy of Canadian Press)

Canadian Tire is recalling Mastercraft battery chargers because of problems with overheating. The well-known retailer did not indicate how many units are involved in the recall, but says they were sold at Canadian Tires stores from 2000 until 2009.


The battery concerned is the three-hour Mastercraft charger model No.54-2973, which was sold with Mastercraft 18-volt cordless drill kits and combo kits.
Customers should contact Techtronic Industries, toll-free at 1-800-597-9624, for information on having a replacement charger shipped to them at no cost.

Mayor Says Green Thermal Utility Project Will Result in Many Savings

[Mayor Ivan Court---Photo by Dave Briggs]

Mayor Ivan Court says the green thermal utility project is another example of Saint John leading the pact.
Court says the project will allow the city to heat and cool uptown buildings, without relying on the fluctuating fossil fuels.
Court says since underground piping is being installed heading to Peel Plaza, it will be easier to install the necessary equipment for this project, because construction is already underway. He says it will also allow other buildings to install the equipment.
The Green Thermal Utility is a multi-phase project, and could take up to 10 years to fully develop. The goal of the project is to reduce C02 emissions by over 60 thousand tonnes.

Federal Government Invests $9.8 million towards Energy Project

[Saint John M-P Rodney Weston----Photo by Dave Briggs]

A major energy project for the city is getting a $9.8 million dollar shot in the arm from the federal government.
Saint John M-P Rodney Weston announced the funding towards the city's Green Thermal project, which is the first of it's kind in North America.
The project looks to use renewable thermal energy from the Bay of Fundy to cool and heat buildings in the central peninsula.
Weston says this will help bring future developments to the area.
The total estimated price tag of the project is $29.8 million dollars.

NB Power Sale Delayed For Two Months

The Provincial government has announced it's delaying the $3.2-billion sale of NB Power assets to Hydro-Quebec for nearly two months.Energy Minister Jack Keir says legislation to sell the utility will be filed around the end of March and then a committee of members will have more than 30 days to examine the final deal. There will be televised hearings be held at which members can call expert witnesses.Keir claims the government is trying to be as open and transparent as possible before proceeding with the sale.
Government house leader Greg Byrne says the debate will help explain the deal but won't change the terms of the contract being signed with Hydro-Quebec. He says the government now hopes to approve the legislation by May 21st.

Only Two Parents Attend Town Hall Meeting On Education

The latest School District 8 Education Council town hall meeting was not well attended with only two parents coming out to voice their concerns.Vice Chair Bob McDevitt says he was disappointed by the turnout but one issue did emerge.
A parent brought in a report card from Samuel De Champlain which broke down each of the students grades into sub-categories for each subject. She said it made the report card much more comprehensive because she knew where her daughter was struggling within a particular subject.
McDevitt says DEC will be looking for a presentation on how District 1 does its report cards. How the school district constructs it's report card is provincially regulated so he was unaware of the different style but it will be examined more closely.

High Winds Causing Problems in Travel

The high winds are causing problems this morning in and around Saint John. NB Power reports an outage in Rothesay affecting 60 customers. The traffic lights at Thorne and Rothesay Avenues near Haymarket Square were earlier blown over and couldn't be moved until the power was shut off by Saint John Energy. A tree has come down on Hillcrest Road. The morning departure of the Princess of Acadia from Saint John to Digby was cancelled because of the winds. Another caller has given us a heads up about debris blowing off the roof of the Courtenay Bay Hotel which could cause problems for both drivers and pedestrians. A snowfall warning has been issued for the Fredericton area and Environment Canada is calling for up to 50 millimeters of rain for the Saint John region over the next two days.