Three City Men Faces Child Porn Charges

Officers from Saint John, Rothesay, Fredericton and the RCMP conducting a bust at a home in the north end.

A 52 year old man arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography and he'll be in court in December.

This investigation also leading to two searches,  one at a home in east Saint John last month and the other in the city's south end on the 13th.

A 55 year old man and a 44 year old man were arrested and will be appearing in court in November on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Four Teens Face Charges After Uptown Stabbing Incident

Several charges are facing four teens including the victim that were part of a fight that led to a stabbing on the Boardwalk.

City police tell CHSJ News a 15-year-old boy was being beat up by three other teens when a 17-year-old was stabbed.

Two 16-year-olds are facing assault charges and the 15-year-old is facing two charges including possession of a dangerous weapon and will be facing more charges.
All three are back in court on Tuesday for a bail hearing.

The 17-year-old who is in hospital recovering from a stomach wound faces at least one charge when he's well enough.

A Warning For Province About Seniors

New Brunswick will have to start paying more attention to seniors because they will be making up a greater percentage of the province's population. That, from the chair of the Provincial Human Rights Commission Randy Dickinson.

As of this July, seniors made up more than 16 per cent of the population in the province. That's expected to rise to 22 per cent by 2021 and 29 per cent by 2031.

Dickinson expects the number of age discrimination complaints in hiring to go up even though they can be tough to prove.

He goes on to say seniors in the future will be better educated and therefore more aware of their rights which will make them more assertive.

Our province becomes the first tomorrow to mark the inaugural National Seniors Day.

Nurses Union President Takes Up Food Bank Challenge

One of the people who took part in the food bank challenge organised by the Common Front For Social Justice calls it a real eyeopener.

Marilyn Quinn is President of the New Brunswick Nurses Union. She had to make do for three days on what was in a hamper that she got from a food bank.

She tells CHSJ News there was nothing in the food basket she received that would promote wellness and good nutrition although there was fresh milk and eggs.

Quinn became fixated on food and how you could stretch it out. She adds it would become even more complicated if you had children.

NB Power Warns Of Another Scam

The Provincial utility is warning its customers of a scam making the rounds.

Someone impersonating an NB Power employee is going to homes in an unmarked car demanding payment to avoid disconnection.

NB Power tells CHSJ News any payments should only be made at the company's authorized payment locations, online through their website or at your bank.

Boil Water Order Lifted For Redhead Subdivision

A boil water order for the Harbourview subdivision in Redhead has been lifted.

Test results have confirmed that water taken from the Ocean well is being properly disinfected and is now safe to consume.

The Department of Health has rescinded the boil water advisory.
Saint John Water staff will now proceed with lowering the chlorine dose.

16 Strongmen Take Over Coast Guard Site Tonight

A pile of tough guys will be showing off their skills at the Coast Guard site tonight.
Saint John is one of three host sites of the Strongman Canada Champions League competition.
Mike Saunders tells CHSJ News there is something for everyone in the family.

He it will features a medieval times combat with full combat featuring armour and swords.   
He adds it's 16 of the strongest men on the planet going head to head in a four-day competition.

The event runs from 6 to 10 tonight at the Coast Guard Site.
Tomorrow it moves to Dieppe and from there to Shippagan.
For ticket information, click here

Ferry Returns To Service

The Belle Isle ferry, which was off its run earlier this morning, is back operating. 

The Department of Transportation told us it got stuck and would be a few hours before it returned to service but that was done alot faster than anticipated.

Car Collides With Moose Out East

A moose was killed near the airport after a car ran into it.  The car was heavily damaged but the people inside were lucky......They escaped unscathed.

Shortly after 8 this morning, a bicyclist was struck by a vehicle on Thorne Avenue by Liquidation World and taken to hospital.

A two vehicle late yesterday afternoon at Bayside Drive and Courtenay Avenue is under police investigation. One person was taken to hospital.

Rothesay Mayor Says Deer Problem Has No Easy Fix

A solution to the deer dilemma in Hampton, Quispamsis and Rothesay may be far off but members of a multi-town committee have direction after a public meeting.
Rothesay mayor Bill Bishop tells CHSJ News the regional deer committee will create a survey to determine what solutions the residents want.

He says they want to determine how serious people are about getting rid of the deer or letting them become residents in the community.

Bishop says the meeting emphasized to him that the urban deer problem in the KV has no easy solution.

Saint John Man Busted In Grow Op Raid

Police from Hampton, Saint John and Rothesay taking part in a raid at a Black River home on the Moore Road.

The joint force investigation found the home was being used only for the purpose of cultivating marijuana.
400 marijuana plants seized and 4 pounds of marijuana with a street value of more than $400,000.

47-year-old Wayne Francis McMullin of Saint John was in court facing several charges including possession of a controlled drug or substance for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition. He is due back in court on Monday for a bail hearing.

Teen In Custody After Stabbing

A 17-year-old is in hospital after a lunch hour stabbing on the Boardwalk.
Police, Fire and Ambulance responding to the call near the Trade and Convention Centre about 12:40 this afternoon.
Sergeant Peter Fres says the Major Crime Unit is looking into the incident.

He says a 15-year-old youth is in custody.
The 17-year-old youth had emergency surgery today for a wound to his abdomen and it's expected he'll be in the hospital for a couple days.

Human Rights Complaints In Province Close To 300

The annual report of the Provincial Human Rights Commission includes 293 allegations of discrimination, of which 63 per cent were employment related.

As in previous years, the most common grounds of discrimination were physical or mental disability, which together came to 43 per cent of the cases. 

The chair of the Human Rights Commission Randy Dickinson concedes that judging by the volume of complaints, there's still a lot of work to do.

Phone Service Back To Normal

A problem with the Bell Aliant fibre optic network in Northern New Brunswick disrupted phone service throughout the Atlantic provinces for much of the day.

Bell Aliant reports phone service is now fully restored.

Acting Fire Chief Kevin Clifford tells CHSJ News he's unaware of any emergency calls falling though the cracks while the service was sporadic. 

Police Inspector David Parks says a contingency plan was implemented pronto with all fire and community police stations being manned.

Leah Fitzgerald with the city is happy with the way the emergency plan worked in response to the disruption in service.

Police Respond To Possible Stabbing Uptown

City police responding to a possible stabbing on the boardwalk near Loyalist plaza.

Police and ambulance are on the scene.  There are reorts the patient is losing a lot of blood.

You're Being Asked To Comment On Driving Rules And Regulations

The Alward Government says it wants your input on vehicle inspections, highway safety priorities and driver licensing.

A series of town hall meetings will be held next month with one of them in Saint John.

It is scheduled for Ganong Hall at U-N-B Saint John next Thursday night from 6 to 9 to talk about the motor vehicle inspection programme.

Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors says it has changed much since the late 60's but there is new emphasis on the environment now and there have been huge changes in auto technology.

City Requests No 911 Calls During Phone Outage

You are being asked by the City of Saint John not to call 911 unless it's an emergency while Bell Aliant fixes a phone issue.
The problem resulting from damage to a fibre line up north and the company is aware and working to fix it.

In the meantime, the City’s public safety services, including fire, police and ambulance  are able to talk to each other and the 911 call centre.
Police, fire and ambulance are being strategically placed around the city.
If you experience an emergency and a 911 call does not work, you should go to a police or fire station or find one of the police cars, fire trucks or ambulances deployed around the city.  No timelime has been given on the repairs will be made.

Deputy Mayor Says Cuts To City Pension Plan Will Have To Be More Aggressive

There will have to be deeper cuts made to the city's pension plan than were originally proposed to the province.

So says Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase who argues even with more severe cuts, the city retirees will still have a good pension plan with benefits that are better than what most people in the city will have to live on in their old age.
 
Chase says Common Council should be looking out for taxpayers as its primary focus and city policy should not be driven by the employees.

Phone Service Disrupted

Rothesay Regional Police letting us know there are some issues with phone service in the region.

Both landline and cell service are working intermittently and this is impacting emergecy services.

We are told BellAliant is aware of the problem and working on it.

Serious Injuries After Collision West Of City

Two women were transported to hospital with serious injuries after a head on collision on the Wetmore Creek Road in Musquash. 

The Musquash Fire Department assisted Ambulance NB Paramedics with the treatment of the two women, as well as one child who was in one of the cars. All three were transported to the  Regional Hospital. 

The road was closed for almost two hours as debris and spilled fluids were cleaned up and the heavily damaged cars were removed from the scene.

City Police Warn About Pepper Spraying

A Victoria Street man is looking at several charges after a firefighter was assaulted last night around 9:30.

The fire department was called to Victoria Street after several people were pepper sprayed. 

One man became combative and went after the firefighter before being wrestled to the ground. Among the charges he faces is probation violation. 

City Police say they don't know who did the pepper spraying but are warning it's becoming more prevalent.

City Police Looking For Suspect In Assault

City police looking for your help in finding the person responsible for an assault last month.
 

Just before 7pm on August 24th, a man was assaulted while riding his bicycle on Ocean West Way.
 

The man, police are looking for, was operating a black motorcycle at the time and is about 35 to 40 years old.
 

If you know anything, contact Major Crime or Crimestoppers and for the numbers, go to country94.ca and click news.

Another Decline In Gas Prices

It's going to be a bit cheaper for you to fill up after the weekly setting. Gas prices around town are continuing to drop.

Self serve regular is now being sold for $1.20.9 a litre in the city. That's a reduction of a couple of cents and diesel is also costing you less at $1.28.8 a litre.

Heating oil is now down to $1.12.6 a litre but propane keeps rising. It's now listed at $1.16.1 a litre.

What To Do About Deer In The Valley Is Still A Long Way Off

About 150 people gathering at Kennebecasis Valley High to learn about lyme disease and potential solutions for the deer problem between Hampton and Rothesay.
 

Dr. Jaqueline Babcock of Public Health telling the crowd that the black-legged tick that carry and spread lyme disease may be spreading but overall numbers are still low in the area.
 

Rod Cumberland of the Department of Natural Resources says the urban deer problem affects up 30,000 people in the K-V.
 
The deer committee will be meeting in the next two weeks to decide on what questions should be asked in a survey of residents on the deer solution, if they think there is a problem with too many roaming about.

 

Mayor Denies City Is Too Secretive

The Mayor is dismissing the accusation that the city is not transparent.  

The city was criticised in a study by Newspapers Canada for not disclosing information about municipal expenses under the Freedom of Iinformation act.

Mayor Ivan Court tells CHSJ News the city recently hired someone who deals with information requests.

While the mayor did not give a direct answer as to why requested info wasn't sent out, he says City Hall is a busy place with a lot of projects on the go.

Updated Municipal Plan More Accommodating To Airport's Future Needs

The new municipal plan now contains flexibility for the Saint John Airport regarding future business development on airport land.

The Saint John Airport had fears that the new municipal plan would pigeon-hole it to only aeronautical-type development.

PlanSJ's Jacqueline Hamilton says some of the language has been reworked to give the airport more options.
 
She says if an opportunity arose, the airport would have to submit a business case and an updated land use plan that doesn't conflict with the overall vision of the municipal plan.

Adequate Childcare Can Help Battle Poverty

Providing adequate childcare is one, tried and true, way of elevating people out of poverty, mostly women.

That's a smart way of spending taxpayer dollars according to Christine Saulnier of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives who co-authored a report on the cost of poverty in our province.

She says the local economy would get a boost because that's where most of the money being earned would be spent.



Saulnier adds another smart way to spend money to reduce poverty is on public transit.

Police Officers Not Allowed To Pay More Into Pension Plan

"A political hot potato"..........That's what the city's pension plan and the attempt to put it on a sounder financial footing have turned into according to the President of the Saint John Police Association.

Jamie Hachey tells CHSJ News his members have not been allowed to contribute more of their own money into the plan.

He warns if the city wants further cuts in the pension plan, over and above those already made, then wages will have to be renegotiated.

Hachey also questions how the province could reject so quickly the city's proposed changes after changing its actuary in mid stream

Mayor Unsure What Will Be Done About The Deer

Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll is not sure what kind of solutions will be hashed out at tonight's public Deer Committee meeting.
 
He tells CHSJ News it will be up to community as to what the solution will be.
 
Driscoll says allowing crossbow hunting may be a viable solution given the loosened restrictions on the weapon.

The meeting gets underway at 7pm tonight at KV High school.

Food Warning For Ham Sold In New Brunswick

A warning from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for you not to chow down on Compliments brand Sensations Old-Style Smoked Ham because it could be contaminated with listeria and make you sick. 

The ham is sold in 175 gram packages with a best before date of Nov. 13th, 2011 and has been distributed in this province but, so far at any rate, there haven't been any reports of people getting sick.       

Food contaminated with listeria may not look or smell spoiled, but it can cause listeriosis which can result in high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, with pregnant women, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems particularly at risk.

Provincial NDP Leader Says The Premier Has Not Acted On Key Energy Recommendations

Provincial NDP Leader Dominic Cardy is taking Premier Alward to task on what he calls a broken campaign promise.

Cardy tells CHSJ News the Alward government has not acted on any of the over 50 recommendations by the New Brunswick Energy Commission.

He says the Energy and Utilities Board is still lacking the ability to call for hearings on any price hike by NB Power.

Currently, only hikes of more than 3 percent are evaluated. 
He says given the lack of action on this report and others, the government is lacking in long-term goals.

Get Ready For Double And Triple Cruise Ship Days

The Port City is a busy spot with two cruise ships in town and another double-day on Friday.

While September has been busy, October is even busier with six days featuring at least two cruise ships in port and two triple-ship days on the 5th and 25th.

Police Seek Help Finding Uptown Robbers

 City police looking for a man and a woman for robbing a man walking on Charlotte Street Sunday morning and for trying to rob a cabbie nearby.

Just before 4am Sunday,  a man was robbed while walking on Charlotte Street between Princess and Duke Street.
About forty minutes later, the pair attempted to rob a taxi driver near St James and Wentworth Streets.

The Major Crime Unit believes the robbery and attempted robbery were committed by the same man and woman.

The man is about 35 years old, 5 foot 10, 200 pounds with shaggy shoulder length blonde hair and a pot belly wearing beige shorts and a dark jacket.
The woman is about 5 foot 4, shoulder length dirty blonde or light brown hair pulled back, pale complexion with moles or acne and wearing dark clothing.

If you have any info contact police at  648-3333 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).

The Deer Dilemma Is The Focus Of A Valley Meeting

Those dastardly deer eating cedar hedges in Hampton and tulip tops in Rothesay are the subject of a public meeting in Quispamsis.
The regional deer committee which includes representation of those towns along with the Departments of Natural Resources and Health.
DNR Deer Biologist Rod Cumberland tells CHSJ news others towns with deer problems have allowed specialized hunts using crossbows.

He says in Maine they have hired sharpshooters but that also comes with pros and cons.
Cumberland says the meeting will include an update on lyme disease from the Department of Health.
The meeting runs 7-9 pm tomorrow night at K.V. High.

New Report On What Poverty Costs The Province

Poverty costs New Brunswickers 2 billion dollars a year according to new report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Co-author Christine Saulnier tells CHSJ News poverty costs the provincial government half a billion dollars yearly but a comprehensive plan to alleviate poverty would be half that. She says that 500 million dollar figure does not include what's paid out in income assistance.

Saulnier claims poverty costs the province 196 million dollars a year in health care costs alone. She also includes the cost of lost potential in the calculations.

International Sculpture Symposium Heading To Saint John

An international sculpture symposium is heading to the waterfront next year.

6 artists from around the world will be chosen to sculpt a piece of art from a 10-ton piece of granite over the course of six weeks.

Diana Alexander is the Chair of Sculpture Saint John.  She tells CHSJ News the public event will bring awareness and appreciation of a dying art to the city.

Once the sculptures are completed, five of them will be transported to Grand Bay-Westfield, Quispamsis, Rothesay, St. George, and UNB Saint John while one will remain on the waterfront.

The event will take place from August 2nd to September 15th in 2012 at the Coast Guard site.

For more information, click here.

New Municipal Plan Getting Closer To Completion

The process to formally adopt the city's new Municipal Plan is getting closer to becoming reality.

Council receiving the fourth and final public engagement report during last night's council meeting.

PlanSJ's Jacqueline Hamilton says the next step is a public presentation set for October 11th.

That will then commence a 30 day public review period and public hearings in November and December.

The final adoption of the plan is expected to take place in early 2012.

Deputy Mayor Says Unions Will Need To Dig Deeper To Help Solve Pension Problems

Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase says further talks are needed between the city and union representatives over solving the pension woes.

Chase says he can understand everyone's frustration as reforms were made in good faith but the reality is the province did not accept the initial reform package.  He says everyone will need to "dig deeper."







The Saint John Police Association says its members will not take any more cuts.

Council Prepares For Doomsday Scenario With Pension Reforms

Councillor Chris Titus says a worst-case scenario needs to be prepared sooner rather than later for the city's budget in case the province falls through on approving pension reforms.

Titus making the motion during last night's council meeting and he says a budget should be formed that factors in as much as 10 million dollars in cuts to major city services like police, fire, and recreation.

He says its not a scare tactic but council needs to be ready

The motion was passed and council stated it would not raise property taxes, which would shoot up as much as 16 cents, to pay for the pension shortfall.

Seniors Wanted For Volunteer Roles

On the heels of National Seniors Day, the province is holding a workshop and recruitment fair tomorrow for seniors interested in volunteering.

The free workshops will assess skills and interest while several community groups will be on hand for the recruitment portion of the event.

Participants will be able to learn about services and programs in the community and how certain groups may be a good fit for their skills and interests.

The event gets underway at 10am and goes until 4pm at the Trade and Convention Centre.

Seniors or communities wanting to know more about the events or to register should contact the Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick at 506-453-5369 or e-mail Emily Bell, project co-ordinator, emily.bell@gnb.ca.

City Airport Breaks Longstanding Temperature Records

Yesterday, we hit a record high with 25.8 degrees shattering the previous mark of 23.9 that was recorded way back in 1958.

That scorcher of a Sunday was also record-breaking. Environment Canada meterologist Claude Cote says the temperature at the airport reached 25.3 breaking the previous mark of 24.4 set back in 1961.

Cote tells us this hot summer-like stretch is not unusual for early fall.

Illegal Smokes Confiscated In City

The RCMP Customs and Excise Unit seizing more than 11 thousand contraband cigarettes and a quantity of cash in Saint John.

A 41-year-old woman was arrested at the residence and a 43-year-old man was arrested later.

Both were released and are scheduled to appear in Provincial Court on October 18th to face charges.

House In Valley Saved In Morning Fire

A fire earlier this morning in the Valley could have been alot worse.

It broke out in a garage that was attached to a home on Greenwood Drive around 8:00. 

The fire was contained to the garage which was destroyed. The cause has not been determined. The home sustained some smoke damage but otherwise is intact. 

There were no injuries but the people who live there will have to find alternate accomodation until the cleanup is done.

Jail In Lockdown After Late Night Skirmish

A late night skirmish at the regional jail on the Old Black River road resulting in a lockdown for all inmates.
About 10:30 last night some inmates causing some destruction to a common area.
Superintendent Art Crockett says Saint John police are investigating the incident and charges of likely.

His says a number of inmates created a disturbance in a common area and until the staff could intercede the room was damaged.

Crockett adds the facility will remain in lockdown until they can ensure fire suppression and other safety precautions are back in place in all areas and the area of the damage is cleaned up.

Two People After Jewellry Theft In Sussex

Two people are under lock and key after some jewellry was stolen from the Trader's Post in Sussex. The two managed to get away after they were chased from the store.

The RCMP discovered the suspect's vehicle on Highway 1 after it went out of control trying to avoid a police spike belt on the Hall Road in Hampton.

A 36-year-old Havelock man and a 16-year-old teen from Petitcodiac were arrested.

Mayor Argues City Police Deserve Federal Compensation

Why should City Police do federal work and not get paid for it? 

That question being raised by Mayor Ivan Court with the city facing a dire budget crunch next year.

He estimates 20 per cent of the work done by City Police is for the feds at a cost, Court tells CHSJ News, of something like 5 million dollars a year. 

He calls it yet another example of downloading onto the shoulders of financially strapped municipalities.

Council Receiving Two Key Reports Tonight

While Mother Nature begins to change the seasons, city hall is also beginning the transformation process.

Common Council will be getting information tonight on the Committee system of government, which would see five standing committees deal with core city issues.

Council plans on switching to that style of governance in the near future.

The final PlanSJ public engagement report will also be submitted in order to get the formal adoption process underway.

There will also be discussion about whether to allow future development take place around the airport that may not necessarily be related to its day to day activities even though its pretty far outside the urban centre of the city.

Common Council gets underway tonight at 5:30pm in council chambers.

Province Blasted By Police Union

Some scathing words of criticism for the province from the Saint John Police union over the rejection of the city's original plan for changes to its pension plan to ease the financial burden on taxpayers. 

Police Association President Jamie Hachey tells CHSJ News the provincial government has been less than forthcoming about the reasons for the rejection and won't even divulge who its actuary is which is unusual.

Hachey says the police union's actuary claims it is solid and, noramlly, the two actuaries would meet to work their differences out.

Hachey is also concerned about the city not making it clear if it's willing to increase its contribution to the pension plan.

In our CHSJ News poll question over the weekend, we asked if you would be willing to see the tax rate increased to fix the city's pension plan and 92 per cent of you said no.

Two Weekend Robberies In City

City Police investigating two robberies over the weekend. Both occurred early Sunday morning. 

Police telling CHSJ News a man was robbed of his wallet by a man and woman on Charlotte Street and then a short time later there was an attempted robbery of a cab driver on Mecklenberg Street. 

Police suspect the same pair may be responsible for both. 

There were no injuries.

Three People Sent To Hospital After Crashes Outside City

Two single vehicle collisions being reported on Highway One outside the city by the Musquash Fire Department. 

Two children were sent to hospital after the car they were in rolled over near the end of the four lane highway in Lepreau on Saturday. 

Early this morning, there was a single vehicle crash near the Prince of Wales exit. One person was taken by ambulance to the hospital.