Repair Work Nearly Finished At East Saint John Cemetery

The manager of St. Joseph's Cemetery says repair to the headstones damaged two weeks ago is nearly finished.

Darryl Olsen tells CHSJ News that 98 per cent of the headstones have been fixed.
Olsen says he is happy to report that all of the monuments that can be put upright are restored and they wanted to have the cemetery looking presentable for the Mother's Day weekend.
As far as suspects and arrests of those responsible for the vandalism, Olsen says all he knows is that the investigation is still in progress.

Local Housing Starts Slow

New home construction continues to slow in the greater Saint John area -- new numbers from Canada Mortgage and Housing show the number of new units started between January and last month down 29-percent compared to the same period a year ago.
Moncton is the hotspot of house construction with the number of new units started in the first four months of this year up 118-percent compared to the same time frame last year.
Fredericton is also reporting a small gain in new home construction.

Woman Stabbed in East Saint John

A 28-year old woman is at the Regional in serious condition after being stabbed this morning.


It happened at the end of Rothesay Avenue just before 9:30am.


City Police are still speaking with witnesses and one man is on the run.

City Market is Hit by Thieves

The City Market was broken into over the weekend and City Police are looking for clues.


Sargeant Pat Bonner tells CHSJ News, it happened sometime between closing on Saturday and when the gates were opened this morning at eight o'clock.


No word on how much or if anything was stolen at this point.

Uptown Getting a New Look

The corner of Charlotte and Duke Streets is going to take on a whole new look over the next year.
With financing and building permits now in place, the green light has been given to move ahead with the Abbey St. Andrew Housing complex.
It's four stories with 55 subsidized apartments and 41 market based.
Chair of the Project Peter Jollymore tells CHSJ News, Site work gets started this week and if everything stays on schedule, the job should be finished in August of next year.
Jollymore adds after close to six years in the planning stage, he is staisfied everyone's need and concerns are being looked after.

Premier Graham Makes Cabinet Shuffle

(Premier Shawn Graham)
        (File Photo)

With four and a half months to go before an election, Premier Graham has unveiled a new minister responsible for public engagement and made some minor changes to his cabinet.


Bernard Leblanc takes on the new responsibilities and also becomes the Minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs.


MLA Cheryl Lavoie is now the Minister of State for Seniors and also Minister Responsible for the Community Non-profit Organizations Secretariat.


Brian Kenny assumes the portfolio of the former MLA for Saint John Fundy Stuart Jaimeson and becomes minister of tourism and parks.


Donald Arseneault who is the minister of post-secondary education, training and labour and minister responsible for the Northern New Brunswick Initiative, also becomes deputy premier.


The last major change to cabinet came almost a year ago in June of 09.


The new Ministers will be sworn in tomorrow morning.

University Contract Being Negotiated

Steady progress is being reported in contract talks with the University of New Brunswick and the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers.


UNB’s 600 full-time academic employees, have been working with-out a deal since June of last year.


Back in February, the Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour put in place a conciliation board to look into the differences between the parties.


Meetings are scheduled to start this month and a final report is expected after.

Woman Stabbed on Rothesay Avenue

Steady progress is being reported in contract talks with the University of New Brunswick and the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers.


UNB’s 600 full-time academic employees, have been working with-out a deal since June of last year.


Back in February, the Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour put in place a conciliation board to look into the differences between the parties.


Meetings are scheduled to start this month and a final report is expected after.

Seadogs Under The Gun Tonight

It's win or go home for the Seadogs tonight with Game Six set to go in Moncton. The Wildcats lead the best of seven 3-2 and Head Coach and GM Danny Flynn says strong two way hockey is a must against Saint John with a line-up full of talent and goaltender Nicola Riopel is a big piece of the puzzle. Seadogs Head Coach Gerard Gallant says his team looked tired in Game Five but also points out they've already been written off once in this series and it's far from over.
Game time tonight at the Coliseum is seven o'clock. CHSJ News will be at the game and will have live period by period updates at country94.ca click news.

Premier Rejects Criticism Over His Stand On Harbour Bridge

(Premier Shawn Graham)
         (File Photo)

Premier Shawn Graham is standing by his decision to not accept an offer from Ottawa that would partially pay for refurbishing the Harbour Bridge despite opposition leader David Alward's criticism. Under the offer the province would have to assume the costs of maintaining the bridge.
Graham says his goverment has chosen to align itself with provincial taxpayers instead. The Premier maintains it is a federal bridge and should be a federal responsibility. Alward calls the offer from the Harper Government a good one and accuses the Graham Government of punishing Saint Johnners.

First Ever Visit Of Federal Agriculture Committee To Southern New Brunswick

(Fundy Royal M-P and Federal Cabinet Minister Rob Moore)\
                                (File Photo)

The Federal Agriculture Committee is coming to the province tomorrow and it's making it's only stop in M-P Rob Moore's Fundy Royal riding. The committee is conducting a study on young farmers and the future of farming. Moore says they picked Sussex because of it's strong farming community and agriculture plays a key role in the local economy.
The visit follows an announcement from Ottawa and the province pledging 7.7 million dollars to local farmers so they can plant new crops and improve processing technologies. Farmers in southern New Brunswick will be getting their first ever visit from the Federal Agriculture Committee.

Development of Land at Airport Hampered

(Saint John Airport President and C-E-O Bernard Leblanc)
                     (Photo by Brian McLain)

The Saint John Airport owns alot of land which could be developed earning it much needed revenue. The problem, according to President and C-E-O Bernard Leblanc, is that the Airport is not connected to city water and sewage which hampers growth.
The airport, which has been privatised for ten years, is not eligible for federal infrastructure funding because its located on federal land. Leblanc points out the airport pays the city 150 thousand dollars in taxes yet provides for its own snow plowing and firefighting capabilities. Ironically, the airport is also surrounded by the municipal water supply and city water even flows underneath the runway.