Council and Enterprise Saint John To Form Economic Task Force

A new beginning for city council and Enterprise Saint John -- that from Mayor Ivan Court.

The two will be forming an economic task force to explore what is the best model for economic development for the city.

This comes after heated comments around the council horseshoe with several councillors saying Enterprise Saint John isn't pulling their weight.

Court says it's time to look ahead and put the fighting behind.
It's being recommended that the mayor, several members of council, the Chair of Enterprise Saint John, the Vice-President of UNB Saint John, and others make up the board with a report completed by April 30th.

Coast Guard Plans To Stay In City

The Coast Guard plans to maintain a presence in the city even though Common Council has approved an agreement to purchase the high profile property on Water Street.
A spokesman for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans tells CHSJ News the agency will continue to operate at the current location - at least for now.

The city is purchasing the property in two phases -- and -- the spokesman says the department will eventually call for tenders to lease a facility -- a process that could take up to 15-months to complete.

The Hardman Group is waiting to finalize a deal to begin retail and commercial development at the site as early as later this year.

Conservation Officers Bust Black Market Moose Meat Business

A number of people and businesses in the eastern part of the province are facing charges under the Fish and Wildlife Act after a crackdown on an illegal moose meat operation.

Provincial Natural Resources officers have seized over 15-hundred pounds of moose meat - moose parts - cash - and - various butcher shop equipment.

The bust is the result of an 18-month special investigation by conservation officers.

Don't Leave Pets Outside In Cold Weather

Fluffy and Spot should not be left outside overnight in the winter months.

The SPCA Animal Rescue League alerting the public to the dangers of leaving your dog or cat outside in bone-chilling cold or in a storm.


Executive Director Kari Poore tells CHSJ News pet owners should be aware of how long their pet is outside.
She says their fur coat doesn't protect them all the time, watch they don't stand on snow and ice for too long as that can lead to cracked foot pads and bleeding or frostbite. She adds you can buy booties for your pet's feet and creams to heal the cracking.
You can adopt two cats for the price of one this month with a single $50 dollar donation to the Saint John SPCA Rescue League.     For more info, click here

We Think We Are Healthy But, We Are Not

We think we're healthy but 90 per cent of us have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. That's the disconnect according to the latest report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation which concludes we're in a state of denial. Saint John registered dietician Christine Roherty tells CHSJ News changing your diet and eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day isn't as hard as you might think.

She says they want to look at this in a positive way and have people eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce the salt and eat more whole foods and less processed and packaged foods.


A good rule of thumb is that half your dinner plate should be taken up with vegetables and one glass of tomato juice, for instance, accounts for two servings of veggies.

One Man Dies And Highway Closed At Lawrence Station

One man is dead after a transport truck failed to make the turn where Highway 3 meets route 127 at Lawrence Station.

The highway had to be closed and the area evacuated as a precautionary measure until it was determined how dangerous the chemicals on the truck were.

The people who had to leave their homes were allowed to return last night.

The name of the driver who died has not been released yet.

Sale of Coast Guard Site Complete

The city now holds the deed to the coast guard site on Water street, paving the way for condos, a hotel, and retail development on the waterfront property.

City Manager Pat Woods says it's a major step forward for waterfront development.

The city paying 2.8 million dollars for the land, which includes all of the buildings.  Work is expected to begin later this year.

Friends of Rockwood Park Happy with Decision

The Friends of Rockwood Park, a group that has been very much against encroachment into parkland, is very happy with the death of the project.

Joan Pearce tells CHSJ News the next step is to have the boundaries of the park legally defined.

She says the current boundaries are very arbitrary and needs to be researched.  Until that is done, she adds, the threat of development on park land will always be there.

No Development Along Rockwood Park

Common Council putting to bed the hot button issue of residential development along Rockwood Park.

Land around University Avenue, the Cherry Brook Zoo, and Sandy Point road being considered for development but council voting not to go ahead with a public hearing on the matter which quashes the project.

Councillor Gary Sullivan says while he's in favour of the project, there has been a lot of public outcry against it.

However, Councillor Chris Titus says a public hearing is the most democratic process and making decisons based on public emails is a disservice to the institution of council.

Titus and Councillor McGuire voting against shelving the public meeting.