(Quispamsis Liberal Candidate Mary Schryer and Her Family)
(Photo by Jim Hennessy)
By acclamation, Mary Schryer will carry the Liberal banner seeking re-election in Quispamsis.
With all of the recent headaches for the Liberal Party including the failed NB Power-Hyrdro Quebec deal, CHSJ News asked Schryer if she is worried about being weighed down by baggage the party is carrying and tells us she takes nothing for granted and stands by the party record.
Schryer adds she doesn't know much about her opponents, Conservative Blaine Higgs and Matt Doherty who is running for the NDP.
(Mayor Ivan Court)
(File Photo)
Mayor Ivan Court was smiling after Graham's announcement.
He says it's great news for the city of Saint John.
He says the upgrade is currently expected to take 7 to 10 years to complete, but if the federal government puts forward one third of the cost as well, it might be done in less than 7 years.
(Margret-Ann Blaney)
(File Photo)
Conservative M-L-A Margret-Ann Blaney isn't all smiles after today's announcement.
She says the Premier is making spending announcements and promises to roll back infrastructure spending in the same breath.
Blaney says no one is going to dispute the importance of clean drinking water, but since January the Premier has committed an extra 2 billion dollars in spending.
(Premier Shawn Grahan)
(File Photo)
Premier Shawn Graham is promising to help upgrade the city's water system if elected in September.
He says the aging infrastructure needs to be replaced and vows to cover one third of the costs.
When asked if his continual spending announcements will hinder his ability to bring down the provincial deficit by 2014, Graham says you cannot grow an economy without having access to clean drinking water.
Graham says Saint John is a key engine in the economy, and when it does well, New Brunswick does well.
If your ride home takes you to East Saint John, here is something to keep in mind.
There is a moose on the run in the Kanes Corner, Westmoreland and Loch Lomond Road areas and Champlain Heights.
The animal was last seen near Fernhill Cemetery and it has already been hit by one vehicle so it could be injured.
Officials with the Department of Natural Resources are in the area keeping an eye out for the swamp donkey and City Police ask you slow down and keep a sharp eye on the road.
The Saint John 225 committee is daring you to be different. Performers are being asked to share one of their dreams and they will try to make it come true.
As part of the 225 party, the weekend of August.5th through the 8th has been set aside as the Edge 225 Festival.
If your band has always wanted to play on top of the Market during the lunch hour or paint a portrait while riding in a canoe at Lily Lake, this is your chance.
Spokes-person Sandra Baine tells CHSJ News, they can't break the law but they can bend a few rules.
You must have your application, which can be found on the Saint John 225 website, filled in and returned by June.22nd.
(Premier Shawn Graham)
(file photo)
The Premier is calling it the first committment of the 2010 election season.
Shawn Graham is vowing to help the city upgrade its municipal water infrastructure saying when the city is ready to replace its aging water infrastructure, the Liberal government will be there.
The government would cover one-third of the costs associated with the upgrade.
The Premier is speaking at a Board of Trade luncheon at the Delta in Saint John today.
(Saint John Airport President and C-E-O Bernard Leblanc)
(File Photo)
Saint John Airport will be unveiling a 5 year strategic plan this month. Airport President and C-E-O Bernard Leblanc tells CHSJ News this will not only lay out a roadmap for future development but will also be letting people know what having an airport means for the region. He admits there is a feeling that many people in the region take the airport for granted.
Leblanc says the Airport would like to see development of alot of its land but is frustrated by the lack of city water and sewage services. He also acknowledges there is a certain degree of competition with the airports in Fredericton and Moncton but it makes no sense to go after the same services.
(District Six Promotional Poster to Combat Bullying)
(File Photo)
The Education Department is looking to set the record straight concerning it's bullying summit in Fredericton later this month.
As we told you yesterday, anit-bullying activist Rob Frenette says he has not been invited to be a member of the panel.
Spokes-person Valerie Kilfoil tells CHSJ News, there are two seperate panels for the meeting and no line-up has been finalized with numerous requests to be on the panel and they simply can't accomodate everyone.
Kilfoil adds they are trying to put together a panel that represents all the different perspectives when it comes to bullying and Frenette's name is still out there as someone interested in being a panel member.
The summit is scheduled for June.17th.
Saint John drivers will be paying a little more today when you fill up. The price of self serve regular in the city has risen by more than a cent a litre to 96.7 cents and diesel is up by more than 2 cents to $1.00.8 a litre. Propane has gone down slightly to $1.01.6 and heating oil is at 88 cents.
(Provincial N-D-P Leader Roger Duguay)
(File Photo)
Roger Duguay, who's leading the Provincial NDP these days, is very happy with the nomination of Doherty in Quispamsis. He sees the fact the party already has four candidates for the fall election as a sign the New Democrats are up and running again. Duguay thinks the N-D-P has had a chance to reorganize itself since Elizabeth Weir stepped down as party leader. He concedes the party has suffered a falling out since Weir left but he claims they've had five years to recover and get reorganized.
The Provincial N-D-P has nominated its fourth candidate for the September election. Matt Doherty will be running in the riding of Quispamsis and says people in the province are at a crossroads. He says 70% of the Conservatives running this time around are the same people who got voted out in the 2006 election.
He says this election won't be just another flip flop between the Conservatives and the Liberals. Doherty says the big local issue he wants to tackle is the rising property tax assessments and warns the province is going to see a drunken spending spree from the Liberals and Conservatives leading up to the election but is hoping people won't be taken in and allow their votes to be bought.
(Quispamsis M-L-A and Provincial Health Minister Mary Schryer)
(File Photo)
Liberals in Quispamsis meet tonight to nominate their incumbant MLA for Quispamsis who is also Health Minister, Mary Schryer to run in the September 27th provincial election.
She's the only candidate seeking the nomination and is expected to be acclaimed.
The Premier will be on hand at the event at the Meenan's Cove Beach House. The event gets started at 7:00.
Here is a suggestion for part of your lunch hour today...a mysterious event is coming up in the City Market. It's part of Saint John's 225 celebration.
The "performance" should take about 5 minutes and requires the Market's centre aisle to be closed.
After the event, an announcement will be made outside the City Market on Germain Street.
It all gets started at 12:20pm at the Market.
Enbridge Gas New Brunswick has over 10,000 customers in communities from St. Stephen to Dieppe but, how will they expand their customer base?
General Manager Dave Charleson tells CHSJ News they want to double their numbers of customers in the next decade. Charleson adds they offer incentives of up to 3 thousand dollars to combat the high costs of converting from baseboard heating to natural gas heat.
He adds it can be done for as little as 15 hundred dollars with a centrally heated home but concedes those homes with electric baseboard heating are more of a challenge to convert financially for their owners.
