Province helps IT company add jobs in Saint John and Fredericton

The province is spending $560, 000 in payroll rebates to help Q1 Labs Canada hire 70 new employees.
The new jobs are technical and sales positions at their Saint John and Fredericton locations.


The company also plans to expand its research and development centre in Fredericton.
Q1 Labs Canada is a global provider of security intelligence software.

Update on Stand-Off in Penobsquis

Uttering death threats, mischief and breach of probation.

Just three of the charges 30-year-old Jason Thomas McPhee of Penobsquis is facing.

Sussex RCMP were called to a home on the Back Road in Penobsquis yesterday afternoon just before one o'clock.

Officers received a 9-1-1 call that someone was making threats against people in the home.
When they arrived at the home, a man ran inside and locked the doors.

Close to eight hours later, the man walked out and surrendered to officers.

McPhee will remain locked up until tomorrow when he will be back in court for a bail hearing.

North End Business is Closing

         (Sign Indicates Zellers Select is Closing)
                  (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

A North End business is closing it's doors.

Zellers Select on Lansdowne Avenue has a huge yellow sign stretched across the side of it's building indicating it is shutting down.

CHSJ News called the store and spoke to the manager who only identified himself as Mark. We asked him if the store was closing and he didn't answer yes or no but took our contact information and said someone would be in touch.


No word on when the store will close permanetly or how many jobs are affected by the decision.

RST Industries Picks Up Awards

(Fleet of RST Trucks Leaving the Irving Oil Refinery)
                    (Photo Supplied)

RST industries is celebrating Road Safety Week by capturing three international safety awards.


The hardware was picked up in the National Tank Truck Carriers Tank Truck Safety Contest.


RST was selected from a group of nine similar sized carriers in their respective mileage categories from last year.


107 current RST drivers have achieved at least one million miles of accident-free miles throughout their driving careers.

Skate to Care money goes to good use

(The Investors Group Team receives award for raising $13,098)
                 (Photo By Sherry Aske)

MindCare New Brunswick is putting some hard earned dollars to work.

They announced the 12 projects they will be funding with the $142,000 raised from the 2010 Investors Group Skate to Care.

Adrienne Clark was on hand to accept $13,000 on behalf of the YMCA-YWCA Rainbows Program which supports children dealing with death, divorce and other painful transitions. 

She says the money is especially important when you're dealing with kids, because they will grow up to be in the work force and the community.


Other programs that received funding were the Gentle Path Counselling Centre, the Horizon Health Network, Key Industries and Mental Health First Aid.

Planning is already underway for Skate to Care 2011, which will take place on Febuary 12th.

Harbour Bridge Construction hiring

 

If your looking for work, there is plenty up for grabs with the repair work underway on the Harbour Bridge.

The jobs include steel tyers, carpenters and general labourers.

A recruitment information session is planned for tonight at the Holiday Inn Express on Main St. in the Parrtown conference room.



Applicants are asked to bring their resume and to fill out an application.

Q-League Announces Pre-Season Schedule

The season just ended, but the Quebec Major Junior League has announced the pre-season schedule for the up-coming season.

The Saint John Seadogs will play half a dozen games with the first on August.21st here at home against Halifax. They will play the Mooseheads three times between the 21st and Sept.1st.


The pre-season schedule will finish up on Sept. 2nd on the Island when they play the Rocket. Here is the complete pre-season schedule for the Saint John Seadogs:
 
August.21st.....Halifax vs. Saint John:
 
August.22nd....Saint John vs Halifax:
 
August.27th.....Saint John vs Bathurst:
 
August.28th.....Bathurst vs. Saint John:
 
Sept.1st.......Halifax vs. Saint John:
 
Sept.2nd....Saint John vs Rocket:

Summer Camp is Damaged

More senseless vandalism to report in Greater Saint John, the latest reported by Grand Bay Westfield RCMP.

Officers are investigating after someone kicked off the doors and broke windows at the summer cottages of the Weslyan Church on the Canton Islands in Brown's Flat.

The buildings are used for children during the summer and is only accessible by boat in the summer or by ice in the winter.


This comes just weeks after close to 500 headstones at St. Josephs Cemetery were kicked over and someone set fire to the Spooner Island gazebo in Hampton.

Paramount Theater Gets a Reprieve

                  (Former Paramount Theater)
                     (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

For the time being.....the former Paramount Theater has been spared the wreckers ball.


Owner Paul Daeres tells CHSJ News, he has put off his end of the month deadline to find a tenant or a buyer for the building. Uptown Saint John is in the process of appraising the former movie theaters which have been vacant since 2005.


Once the number is worked out, a committee will be formed to find investors and see if new life can be breathed into the building.


Many ideas are floating around about what it could be used for but the consensus seems to be some sort of performing arts venue.
Daeres is quick to point out how-ever he will not wait for-ever for a plan to be put in place for the building.

Moncton Airport has a New Look

There is a new piece of hardware you will have to go through soon before boarding a plane at the Moncton International Airport.


A full body scanner is expected to be installed and operational in the coming weeks.


This technology stirred up a hornets nest when Ottawa unveiled it back in January with people concerned about having a full shot of their bodies on display.


Moncton Airport officials say they are very pleased to have the technology as it will enhance security and allow them to be more competitive in the region.


The scanner projects a three dimensional image that appears on a monitor in a seperate location and then is analyzed.

Village of Alma is Charged

The Village of Alma has been charged with violating the Water Quality Regulation of the Clean Environment Act.


The village is scheduled to make its first appearance in court next Thursday.


The Department of Environment alleges that on Nov. 25th of last year, the village failed to comply with a term or condition of its approval to operate drinking water distribution and treatment facilities.

Another Court Appearance For Murder Suspect

A 30 year old east side man, charged with first degree murder, was back in court briefly after a five day psychiatric assessment. Jason Getson of Martha Avenue will be sent to the Restigouche Mental Health facility for a further 30 day assessment which prosecutor Jim McAvity says is not that unusual. Getson is charged in the stabbing death earlier this month of his estranged wife, 28 year old Melanie Getson of Douglas Avenue. She was attacked in the parking lot of a Rothesay Avenue tanning salon and died a short time later in the Regional Hospital. Police say she and the accused were travelling in the same car which just happened to stop in the parking lot. Getson returns to court June 16th.

Marco Polo Musical To Be Performed At Harbour Station

(Barry Ogden of the Marco Polo Project)

The Saint John Theatre Company has been given the challenge of bringing the story of the Saint John built Marco Polo tall ship, which sailed around the world, to the stage at Harbour Station October 23rd as a musical. Saint John High teacher Barry Ogden has been keeping the project in the public eye for years and can now see great things ahead when the ship is permanently anchored in the Harbour. The tall ship will be 65 feet high and 90 feet long. He says performances could be staged on board and it might turn out to be the most famous stage in Canada. Ogden can see this getting worldwide attention. The ship is now in the process of being caulked and painted on the west side.
Ogden calls the staging of the Marco Polo musical at Harbour Station as part of the city's 225th anniversary celebrations "a fabulous idea".

Gas Prices Take Another Drop

Saint John drivers are paying even less for gas this morning after the weekly setting. The price of self serve regular in the city is down by almost a cent a litre at 98.8 cents. Diesel is also cheaper at $102.1 a litre. Heating oil is listed at 89 cents a litre and propane is at $103.7.

Fundy North Fishermen"s Association Gets Award

(Department of Fisheries Development Officer Tom McEachreon gives the award Roger Hunter, John McDade and David Thompson)
                                           (File Photo)

The Fundy North Fishermen's Association has been awarded the 'Gulf of Maine Industry Award' for their efforts in ghost lobster trap recovery in Saint John Harbour.
The 'Saint John Harbour Ghost Trap Retrieval Project' was conducted by Fundy North fishermen Roger Hunter, John McDade and David Thompson.
The high volume of ship traffic in the harbour accounts for lost lobster gear each year so, the fishermen designed the study to clean-up the seafloor and to learn more about the effects of ghost fishing on the environment and the fishery.

Healthcare Needs In The K-V Being Assessed With Public Input Being Sought

A needs assessment of the Kennebecasis Valley is underway by the Horizon Health Network and they want to hear from you. The Human Development Council is spear-heading the effort and spokes-person Randy Hatfield tells CHSJ News, they are looking for both the good and the bad an how services can be improved and the conversation is wide open. It's hoped a final report will be finished by the end of next month.
The first of the three open houses goes tonight between 7 and 9pm and Kennebecasis Valley High School, next Tuesday, the 25th at the Fairville Outing Association between ten in the morning and noon and also next Tuesday between 7 and 9pm at the Kings Valley Wesleyan Church.

More Input On City's New Municipal Plan To Guide Future Development

(Plan SJ Storefront in Brunswick)
          (File Photo)

Businesses, Arts groups and others are all weighing in on the City's new municipal plan. The old one is considered out of date.
Saint John Board of Trade chair Mike Murphy tells CHSJ News everyone is very interested in making sure the plan be well-constructed. The City's last municipal plan was written forty years ago and Murphy points out it wasn't written with today's economy and today's Saint John in mind. The Board of Trade will be meeting Enterprise Saint John to discuss the plan in June and will meet at a later date with the Plan SJ committee.