So, what about officials at the YM-YWCA?
How do they feel about being in the middle of all this political posturing.
CEO Pat Davis, in an e-mail to our news-room says, the "Y" is pleased to have the support of the community and all the politcal parties but at this time, they continue to explore options and have not secured a location for their permanent home.
The e-mail goes on to read that officials at the "Y" look forward to working with the community and all levels of government to select the best possible site for the new "Y".
(Saint John Portland Liberal Candidate Dan Joyce at the Podium)
(Photo By Gary MacDonald)
Seven million dollars is being committed by the Graham Government to build a new YM-YWCA in the former Zellers Building in the North End if the party is re-elected.
Leader Shawn Graham presented the committment during a news conference this morning with the total cost coming in at $22 million dollars. The "Y" says it will put forward nine million towards the project.
Graham says the Province has already invested in the projects for the "Y"s in both Moncton and Fredericton and Saint John is a good fit.
He adds the cash committment is already built into the party's platform.
Calling it a desperate move, the Conservative Candidate in Saint John Portland isn't holding back in his reaction to the Liberal announcement concerning the YM-YWCA today.
Trevor Holder says the Liberals are playing politics with recreation and tells CHSJ News, this was the "Y'"s announcement to make.
Holder says officials from the YMCA tell him they are not even in a position to confirm the old Zeller’s site as it's new location.
Quispamsis is on the receving end of the latest promise from the Graham Liberals.
If re-elected, the party says it is committed to building a new middle school in the town right next to the current middle school.
It would house 500 students and adresses the over-crowding issue in the building which is using six mobile class-rooms.
Construction of the new school would be a public-private partnership but no word on how much it would cost.
A close vote is expected today on the long gun registry which, by all accounts, will likely be retained because several N-D-P members have changed their minds about abolishing it.
Mayor Ivan Court is also President of the Canadian Association of Police Boards and says politics has gotten in the way of good judgement and this is a public safety issue.
Court says the annual cost of 4.1 million dollars doesn't seem as much when you consider each request from police works out to a dollar or so a piece.
(Uptown SJ President Matt Alexander)
(File Photo)
Uptown Saint John has signed an option on the Paramount Theatre.
This gives it time to come up with a business plan to save the building from demolition.
Uptown Saint John President Matt Alexander tells CHSJ News the city could help out financially.
Alexander says the building is structurally sound and was well built when constructed back in 1948 but the electrical will have to be redone.
Expect delays coming into and out of the Kennebecasis Valley for the next few days.
Paving is getting started today by the Department of Transportation along Campbell Drive between the Marr Road and the Fire Station.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane with the work expected to continue until Saturday.
If you've been buying your smokes illegally on the West-Side, one of the sources is no longer in business.
City Police and the RCMP raided a home earlier this week and came away with 8000 contraband cigarettes and a large amount of cash.
A 78-year old man has been arrested but no word on charges.
(Mike McDonald Who Started Facebook Page To Save Paramount Theatre)
(Photo by Brian McLain)
A big turnout and lots of ideas were floated about what can be done with the Paramount Theatre in King's Square which has been vacant since 2005.
Mike McDonald has been described as the lightning rod behind saving the building. He started up a Facebook page which now has more than 5 thousand members dedicated to restoration. McDonald says Saint John can't afford not to save it.
There were several ideas proposed including a multicultural, multi purpose venue to showcase community talent, offer independent and foreign films and as a place for performances you wouldn't see at the Imperial Theatre. McDonald there is a massive independent music market out there that's not being tapped.
The meeting was told the purchase price is half a million dollars or so and then several million more would be needed for turning restoration. The building, though, is structurally sound and the seats that remain are in good shape.
Anyone living in Quispamsis who has an opinion for the future look of the Town's transportation is invited to an open house tomorrow night.
Lanora Oullette is with Collaborative Planning in Moncton and tells CHSJ News officials are laying the ground-work for it's active transportation plan.
Oullette adds Quispamsis has a lot of areas that can be adapted to what-ever the plan is with some major work for sure but a good fit with the existing infrastructure. Once all of the information is put together, a plan will be developed and brought back to council for input and direction.
The meeting gets started at at the Town Hall tomorrow night at seven o'clock.
(Provincial Conservative Leader David Alward)
(File Photo)
There are still plenty of questions being asked about the Conservative platform with just days to go before the vote.
Lots of promises have been made since the writ was dropped almost a month ago and many want to know how will they pay for them. The question has been posed to party leader David Alward that if elected, will he back-peddle on the promises by saying the books are in worse shape than they knew.
Alward vows the Conservatives will start to reduce the size of the provincial government and part of his party's five part plan for fiscal responsibility is finding $150 million dollars in waste within the government.
