Both the Lifesaving Society and the fire department are warning people to wearing a life jacket if you're boating. A 51 year old man drowned early this morning after the canoe he and another man were in capsized on Douglas Lake behind Morrison Road in East Saint John. People who live in the neighbourhood heard a man screaming for help and they tried to save another man who was found at the bottom of the lake by bringing him to shore and performing C-P-R but to no avail.
The fire department also responded to a fire at about the same time at 70 Mountain Road which is considered suspicious. No one was at home when the blaze started. Fire crews were there for about three hours. Damage was heavy and the Major Crime Unit is now investigating.
(Plan SJ Storefront In Brunswick Square)
(File Photo)
Lots of Saint Johners are giving Plan SJ much wanted input for the city's new municipal plan and they want growth to be smarter and smaller. Nearly one hundred people showed up to an Open House over the weekend to share ideas on how to grow the city. Deputy Commissioner of Planning Jackie Hamilton says there were a few themes that came up again and again including more growth taking place in the urban core including the north end and lower west side before spreading to the outskirts. Hamilton says we're still a year and a half away from the final product with the new municipal plan set to be finished by the end of 2011.
(U-N-B Poly Sci Professor Don Desserud)
(File Photo)
A U-N-B Saint John political scientist is weighing in on the Corporate Research Associates poll which gave the Graham Liberals 37 per cent support and the Conservatives 42 per cent.
Don Desserud tells CHSJ news the numbers are what he would expect since this is not the real campaign and he wonders if voters tune out poll results. According to Desserud, the "real campaign" doesn't start until about four weeks before the election.
In the Corporate Research Associates poll, the NDP has 16 per cent support of the voters and the Green Party had 5 per cent and Desserud warns they should be taken seriously.
(Federal Cabinet Minister and Fundy Royal M-P Rob Moore)
(File Photo)
Fundy Royal MP and Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism Rob Moore is keeping a close watch on the summer season hoping many choose this country to spend some vacation time. Moore says tourism makes up 2% of the national economy.
Moore says the cruise industry is anticipating steady growth this and in the years to come and realizes there are challenges in bringing more people to the country by land. Several strategies are being worked on which include marketing directly to Chinese tourists. Moore says the U.S. market is still the most important market and he claims it is recovering after the ill effects of the financial meltdown.
(School District 6 Superintendent Zoe Watson)
(File Photo)
With graduation season upon us District 6 has six ceremonies to prepare for. School Superintendent Zoe Watson say the first graduation ceremony is for the PALS school in Sussex and it's on June the 18th.
Belle Isle Regional High grads get their diplomas on Wednesday the 23rd while Hampton and Sussex High both go on Thursday the 24th. Watson says K-V High and Rothesay High finish up with ceremonies on the 25th and 26th.
Four schools in District Eight are converting to natural gas this summer.
Director of Finance and Administration Chris Toole tells CHSJ News, he isn't sure this will mean signifigant savings as the price for each building is different.
Toole says the work will be carried out over the summer and finished in time for the first day of school in the fall.
The schools being converted are Havelock, Beaconsfield, Centennial and Princess Elizabeth.
(File Photo)
A policy that ensures healthy food is served at school cafeterias may not be working to the best of it's ability.
District Six Superintendant Zoe Watson says Policy 711 has brought on some positive changes.
She says more students are drinking water and eating healthy snacks.
Watson says no one wants to go back to serving chips and chocolate bars, but cafeteria revenues have declined since the policy came into place.
She says high school students near fast food restaurants often leave the school at lunch to eat junk food anyway.
An initiative launched last year by the Provincial Education Department is getting rave reviews from the District Eight Education Council.
A student was selected from one of the four local high schools to sit as an active member and give a fresh perspective.
Elizabeth Murphy finished her mandate last week and tells CHSJ News, it has been an amazing experience.
Murphy is attending St. Thomas University in the fall and says they experience has her giving serious consideration about pursuing a career in the education field.
Murphy's replacement, Chris Harper will sit in on his first meeting in August.
The Bay of Fundy is well known for having the highest tides in the world, but it may soon be known for something more.
The Bay of Fundy is currently one of the 28 finalists in the 7 Wonders of Nature contest.
Terri McCulloch, Manager of Bay of Fundy Tourism, says Facebook has been a big help in getting people to vote.
The Bay of Fundy is up against Wonders like the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Amazon Rainforest.
It is the only Wonder still in the competition from Canada.
To vote for the Bay of Fundy as one of the 7 Wonders of Nature, go to : www.new7wonders.com/community/en/new7wonders/new7wonders_of_nature/voting.
(Vendors Pack up in Loyalist Plaza)
(Photo By Sherry Aske)
Local artisans who take up shop in the Loyalist Plaza during the cruise ship season are being kicked out of their spot despite a signed contract.
Lisa Mourade is one of many vendors who signed a contract with the Hardman Group and paid them $250 so she could sell handcrafted items in the brick circle by the Volley Ball Courts.
She says it was only the second day of the season when a security guard came on behalf of the Hardman Group and told them they couldn't be there.
But Mourade and a few other vendors chose to stay, saying they had paid for a spot and signed a contract that allowed them to be there.
More than half of the vendors packed up and left, despite the cruise ship passengers in town.
