Rothesay Arena Renovations May Be Close

After years of discussion and getting close a few times, it appears the Town of Rothesay may be ready to move ahead with expansion plans for it's arena.


A meeting is scheduled with Shawn Graham who says the land behind the rink has been cleared and is now in the hands of the Province and shouldn't be a problem to hand over to the Town.

Mayor Bill Bishop tells CHSJ News, this has come along at what one might call a politically correct time.


Bishop says if approval is granted, the renovations probuably won't get started until the spring.
 
An announcement is expected Monday night at the monthly council meeting.

Medical School At UNB Saint John Is Open

  (Medical Students March On Campus)
          (Photo By Jim Hennessy)

Thirty students now have their white coats and stethoscopes as the Dalhousie Medical School on the campus of UNB Saint John is officially open.
Dr. Thomas Marrie is Dean of Faculty Medicine for Dalhousie and says this set-up wouldn't be possible with-out the work of many including the Horizon Health Network, the Province and community leaders.
Dr. Marrie adds the curriculum is a very innovative approach on many fronts including students after their first year, spending a week in a rural community and after two years doing clinical rotations at hospitals in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton.

Premier Graham Congratulates Med Students

    (UNB Saint John Medical Students)
         (Photo By Jim Hennessy)

Liberal Leader Shawn Graham was on hand to congratulate the students and wish them well on their new venture.
Graham says this is a major milestone for the Provincial health-care system and it's his goal to try and convince every student to stay and practise medicine in this Province when their studies are finished.
Graham admits there are too many people still in this Province with-out a family doctor but with 400 new physicians opening a practise this year, his party is on the right track.

Graham Takes Aim At Alward

Premier Shawn Graham is on the attack -- Graham is going after Conservative leader David Alward for promising to study and consult on a number of issue instead of laying out concrete plans.
Graham fired the shots during a campaign stop here in the city this morning -- the Liberal leader calls Alward's promise to re-study the controversial French immersion issue a turning point in the election campaign.
Graham says test results prove the changes his government implemented are working.
Meanwhile -- Graham is promising to implement an asset management strategy for health care facilities which will lead to automatic upgrades of medical equipment - a move he says will help attract more doctors to our province.

District 8 Has Fewer Students To Start The Year

Enrolment is down by 238 students is District 8 this year but, those numbers are expected to change this month. 11,461 students began classes this week and Superintendent Susan Tipper tells CHSJ News, many factors account for those changes including smaller numbers in kindergarten but large numbers graduating in high school.

Tipper says they have many foreign students this year and up to 15 students who haven't arrived yet but will before the end of September.

Tipper describes the start of the school year on Tuesday as a smooth opening with all the students coming to and getting home safely.

Conservative Pledge Changes For Post-Secondary Education

The promises keep coming from Conservatives on the campaign trail, this time on post-secondary education.

Leader David Alward says a Conservative government would review the New Brunswick Timely Completion Benefit to make it more responsive to the needs of students who have studied elsewhere but want to make this provnce their home.

They would also invest another $3.5 million in bursary money for those with low and middle incomes.

Community Policing Credited With Helping to Reduce Crime

Community Policing is taking a bite out of crime. That word delivered to the Police Commission by Staff Sergeant Jim Fleming who concedes police can't do it alone.

He points to a spree in the south end when vehicles were being broken into.

Fleming says police were also alerted to someone attempting to lure children over the internet on the west side through tips that were texted to them and a partnership with bar owners has gone a long way to stemming the anti-social behaviour that was happening in parts of the uptown after closing hours.

Housing Starts Show Increase

The latest figures from Canada Mortgage and Housing show home builders are busy in the greater Saint John area.
The federal housing agency is reporting the number of new units started between January and August up 12-percent over last year.
Moncton is reporting a 59-percent increase while Fredericton numbers are up 3-percent over the same period last year.
Here in Saint John -- construction of multiple residential units is leading the way so far this year.

Gas Prices In The City Rise

Its just a bit more expensive for you to buy gas in the city after the weekly setting. Self serve regular rose by the slightest of margins and is now at 96 and a half cents a litre while diesel is also a bit higher at $102.9. Propane increased as well with the maximum price listed at $102.8

Police Investigate How Fire Started

Arson is suspected after yet another fire at the same building in the old north end in just the past few months. City Police telling CHSJ News the building at 78 Victoria Street has been abandoned and this is the second such fire since April.

Long Gun Registry Gets Support From Police Chief

(Police Chief Bill Reid)
       (File Photo)

The Saint John Police Commission is coming out in support of keeping the long gun registry. Chief Bill Reid says police officers don't want to be taken by surprise when they're called to a domestic dispute for instance........They want to know if there is a weapon at hand before responding.

Reid says in 2008 alone, the registry was used 130 thousand times in just this province. The Chief and the Police Commission will have more to say about this on September 15th which has been chosen as a day to show support for the gun registry.

 Reid says he plans to make his views known to Saint John M-P Rodney Weston before then. Weston is a member of the Harper Government which has long wanted to scrap the gun registry which costs 4 million dollars a year to operate.

Mayor Says City Can Only Do So Much To Prevent Drownings

         (Mayor Ivan Court)
            (File Photo)

Mayor Ivan Court says the city will be reviewing the lifeguard situation in the wake of Sunday afternoon's drowning at Fisher Lakes but it would be unrealistic to suggest that that all such tragedies can be prevented.

Court, who lost a son himself, says he can well understand how the the family of the man who drowned feels.

He adds there are some people, though, who will swim until the end of September or even into October if they could and tells CHSJ News he even got some flak over the closing of Saint's Rest Beach on Saturday because of tropical storm Earl. There were fears someone might get caught up in the waves if they got too close.

Three Teens Honoured For Saving Man On East Side

(Police Chief Bill Reid, Randy White, Joshua Doyle and Jared Laming)
                                      (File Photo)

Certificates of Merit have been awarded by the Police Commission to Joshua Doyle, Jared Laming and Randy White for saving a man from drowning in Treadwell Lake near the airport on May 29th.

Doyle tells CHSJ News they just reacted reflexively after hearing the man yelling for help. Doyle and Laming paddled out into the lake in a canoe while White pulled out a floating dock.

Laming says it's not really the award that matters but the fact they will live the rest of their lives knowing they helped someone from dying.

Schoolboard Hears Concerns Over Student Waitlist To Get Into Uptown High School

(Parent Dean Secord Who Appeared Before District 8 Schoolboard)
                             (Photo by Tamara Steele)

A parent came to the District 8 Education Council meeting last night expressing concern about the wait list policy for Grade 9. Each of the four high schools has a cap of 250 students and once a school exceeds the cap, students go on a waiting list.

Dean Secord tells CHSJ News his son, Cameron is number 14 on an 18 student waitlist at St. Malachy's. In the meantime, he is attending Harbourview High.

Superintendent Susan Tipper says the wait list is still long because of the success rate of students passing Grade 8. She is not sure if they will get through the list this year.

Secord is also a member of the Saint John Police Department and ran unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party nomination in Saint John Lancaster.