No One Seriously Hurt In Sussex Collision

Freezing rain wreaking havoc in the Sussex area for a short time this morning.
RCMP responding to a collision eastbound on Highway 1 in which in an SUV flipped over in the median sparking a chain reaction involving three other cars.

Sgt. Bruce Reid telling CHSJ News the road conditions were extremely slippery in the area when the accident occurred just before 10 this morning.
Two of the vehicles suffering serious damage but luckily no one was seriously hurt. Three people were taken to hospital to be checked out.

Some motorists stuck on the highway for at least 40 minutes waiting for the accident scene to clear.

NB Museum Launching Virtual Exhibit Project

Sometime next year, you will be able to look at the 11 best geology stories in the Province without leaving home.
The New Brunswick Museum launching it's Magnificent Rocks project which will make their exhibits accessible online.

Dr. Randall Miller tells CHSJ News says everything you use and everything you do is connected to something extracted from the earth.
He says around Saint John we are most familiar with limestone and marble at Fort Howe and at the quarry at the Millidgeville superstore.


Miller says in the 1800's this city had many lime quarries and it was one of the city's biggest industries.
The stories include the Fundy Trail Cliffs, the Grand Falls gorge and the oldest Maritime coal mines near Minto.   The virtual exhibition will be ready next year. To learn more,
click here

Provincial Social Development Minister Vows Poverty Will Be Reduced

New Brunswick has a hard road ahead............That warning from Provincial Social Development Minister Sue Stultz who says we need a more realistic view of what government can afford.
 
Stultz tells CHSJ News one size fits all doesn't work with lifting people out of poverty and you have to talk to the people who live with that reality day after day. She cautions government can't solve this problem by itself.

Stultz also says she will be back in the city soon with more to say about the Crescent Valley revitalisation project.
 
The Alward government has signed on to the poverty reduction strategy that came about under then Premier Shawn Graham, much of which came together during a conference held in Saint John.

Energy Commission Co-Chair Impressed With What People Had To Say

Now that the public consultation is over, the Premier's energy commission will now have to come up with the nuts and bolts of a new long term energy plan for the province.

Commission co-chair Bill Thompson tells CHSJ News they heard three major themes time and time again........price, impact on the environment and the need for proper regulations to ensure the public interest is protected.

Thompson says the commission will be seeking outside expertise to avoid the law of unintended consequences.

Peter Vihvelin is with the wind energy company Wind Dynamics and he says going green is a smart direction for the province to pursue.

Gordon Dalzell of the Clean Air Coalition agrees protecting the environment is top of mind for most people and it will be a delicate balancing job for the province. He suggests buying cheap, clean energy from other jurisdictions could be a way to bring down power costs and shut down heavy polluters.

Icy Conditons On Route 1 Near Sussex

The RCMP in Sussex are letting drivers know highway 1 and other roadways in the area are extremely icy with the current freezing rain.
Highway one eastbound near Sussex has now been reopened after being blocked by a four vehicle collision. A couple of our road warriors telling us they were stuck there for about 40 minutes with 5 ambulances passing by along with three fire trucks. People are being asked by the RCMP in that area to either stay off the roads until the weather clears or drive with extreme caution because the roads are covered with ice.

Fish Farmers Respond To Environmental Concerns

The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association does not believe proposed legislation from Ottawa will make it easier for aquaculture companies to use pesticides.

Executive Director Pamela Parker is disputing the contention from environmental groups who are saying the pesticides that will be used are toxic to krill and lobster.

Parker says these regulations will just formalize and strengthen processes that were already in place.

Saint Johnners Hear We Can't Afford Poverty Anymore

A big turnout last night at the U-N-B Grand Hall on Charlotte Street across from the city market to hear about what's being done to reduce the poverty rate and what needs to be done.

Senator Art Eggleton, a former Mayor of Toronto and federal cabinet minister, says the federal government has to become part of the solution and come up with a national anti-poverty strategy which would include a plan to provide affordable housing.

Provincial Social Development Minister Sue Stultz tells CHSJ News the Alward government is committed to the poverty reduction strategy that was cobbled together at a conference in Saint John under the previous Liberal government.

Eggleton maintains a national housing strategy would be cheaper in the long run than having people living on the streets. He claims poverty costs the Canadian economy 30 billion dollars a year and we can't afford that anymore.

Fire On East Side And Schoolbus Accident Outside Sussex

A motorcycle that was on the porch of a home at 965 Grandview Avenue caught fire last night and spread to the outside of the two storey, two family home. District Chief Joe Armstrong says fire crews were able to make quick work of it. There were no injuries and the cause is not suspicious.


Meantime, The RCMP are investigating why a schoolbus left the road at Sussex Corner yesterday afternoon coming to a stop in a snowbank. There were 35 students on board at the time but no one was hurt. The schoolbus will be inspected for any mechanical problems.