Another Credit Card Scam Making The Rounds

As we head into the busy holiday season -- city police are advising to be careful about the latest phone scam making the rounds.

Police say a number of residents have fallen prey to a caller with generic information about the credit card and asking a series of questions to verify the card holder.
Another twist on this scam is the caller indicating they are investigating a fraudulent purchase on the credit card account and will ask for the three digit verification number on the back of the card.
Again -- police are warning not to give out any information over the phone unless you make the call and you know you are dealing with a reputable company.

Power Crews Struggling To Restore Service

The late fall storm is continuing to cause problems in some areas of the province -- the high winds and heavy wet snow in some areas are knocking down power lines with N-B Power reporting just under 12-thousand customers without power.
That includes about a thousand in the Sussex area and 14-hundred in the St Stephen area.
Environment Canada's weather service says we can expect a mix of showers and flurries through this evening with the temperature dropping off to near minus 2 overnight.

Report Shows Wait Times Growing

If you're waiting for elective surgery - this may come as no surprise -- our province has the second highest wait times for elective surgery in the country -- 33.6-weeks.

The report from the Fraser Institute pegs Prince Edward Island with the longest waiting period at 44.4-weeks while the shortest wait times are in Ontario at 14-weeks.
A spokesman for the Institute says governments should try new health care policies including cost sharing and private health care instead of just throwing more money at the system.

Survey On Student Attitudes In Hampton To Be Released

How do students in the Hampton area perceive their community?.......How do they spend their time and do they engage in risky behaviours?

A survey was conducted to find those things out and the results will be released to the community tonight at 7:00 in Hampton Middle School.

Kent Staal of School District 6 tells CHSJ News the results were better than a similar survey done back in 2002. He says the survey finds young people who are active in their community and feel a sense of belonging behave better than those who feel disengaged and isolated.

City Wants Landlords To Keep Properties Clean To Deter Firebugs

The city is working on a bylaw or some other way to reduce the threat of fires being lit in some of the neighbourhoods around town.

Councillor Gary Sullivan, who used to head One Change in the North End, says he doesn't care what happens but wants to see landlords clean up the garbage lying around their properties. He says there have been several fires in the north end caused by garbage being lit.

Councillor Donnie Snook says this is turning out to be a problem in the south end as well.

Common Council To Get Report On City's Finances Tonight

(Deputy Mayor Stephen Case)
            (File Photo)

Common Council will be receiving a report tonight from the city's Finance Committee on the latest budget figures for this year.

The committee is chaired by Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase and he tells CHSJ News there will be a shortfall.

He warns there will be a huge fiscal crisis if the pension plan issue is not sorted out and, even if it is, the city will still be facing what he calls a moderate fiscal crisis which means Council will have to watch its spending next year.

Saint John M-P Gets Plan From City On Safe Clean Drinking Water

(Saint John Common Councillor Gary Sullivan)
            (Photo by Brian McLain)

Fresh off fulfilling a campaign promise to get rid of the tolls on the Harbour Bridge, Saint John M-P Rodney Weston is turning his attention to safe drinking water saying it is a priority for him.

The city has presented Weston with a plan that would see it get done over a 7 year period but Common Councillor Gary Sullivan questions whether the city can afford to pay its share of the 200 million dollar price tag even if the province and federal government pick up two-thirds of the tab.

Weston says there are programmes in place to access funding for such a project and Common Councillor Peter McGuire would like to see a point person in place at city hall whose job it would be to get that money.

Drivers On Harbour Bridge Urged To Share Road Space

(Saint John Harbour Bridge)
         (File Photo)

West side traffic has been a bone of contention since repair work on the Harbour Bridge began with collisions clogging things up.

Tim O'Reilly is the manager of pedestrian and traffic services for the City and he stresses the need for drivers to share the road space and to not be cutting in front of each other.

O'Reilly says they will also be looking for ways to improve the situation for pedestrians and cyclists. He tells CHSJ News they're hoping for the public's support again next year when the remaining construction on the bridge starts up again.