2010 turning out to be a year of big wins for Enterprise Saint John.
The agency holding their annual general meeting today and CEO Steve Carson says there were great gains in the local tourism, health, and ICT industries.
He tells CHSJ News some of their biggest accomplishments were the opening of the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick program and the debut of the Saint John Millrats
He says ESJ has three main priorities for 2011: packaging the uptown as an arts/IT hub, grow the health sciences cluster, and attract investment in energy and industrial projects.
The number of people using the Community Food Basket on Charlotte Street is up 25 per cent over last year.
That from the chair of the Board of Directors-Carolyn Danells who tells CHSJ News the numbers are up because more people are out of work.
She says they need whatever people can give them and right now they are very low on Carnation Milk and cereal. Danells adds cash donations are very helpful because they can buy what they need. To help the Community Food Basket, drop by 215 Charlotte Street or call 652-2707.
Common Council is committing to hiring an economic development specialist with money already in the budget and not with new money.
Councillor Peter McGuire says when you're investing 8 to 10 million dollars into economic development, he's confident dollars can be found to fund the position.
He says other cities have a team of resources and adds he does not think the position needs to be funded with new dollars.
The position is being created as per recommendations from a mayoral task force.
With the possibility of Morna Heights School closing, MLA Jim Parrott says he's committed to parents who want the school to say open, but he'll support whatever decision is made after the public consultation process. Parents raising concerns that a new school in Grand Bay would mean larger class sizes and longer bus rides for their kids. Parrott tells CHSJ News it's a fact of life children get bused to school.
He says kids that live in the country can spend up to 90 minutes on the bus both ways.
Parrott says it's important parents go through the consultation process and voice their opinions because once a decision is made, there's no going back. There are two things Parrott didn't want to discuss..His health and how hospitals will cope with tighter budgets.
There was a clear disconnect between what the Nuclear Safety Commission was in town for and what an anti-nuclear coalition thought it should have been here for.
Sharon Flatt-Murphy of the Conservation Council tells CHSJ News there are questions about the safety of the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant that should be addressed.
The Safety Commission's Kevin Scissons says this wasn't a formal hearing where such issues are dealt with.
He adds they were here to let people know what the Commission does but you had to register beforehand to get in. Scissons goes on to say any nuclear concerns can be submitted at anytime to the Safety Commission which works out of Ottawa.
The Class of 2011 from NBCC Saint John is graduating tonight at Harbour Station.
604 students will graduate from 29 different programs beginning at 7 tonight.
High school grads ceremonies continue with students from Hampton High and Sussex Regional High donning the caps and gowns tonight.
The Hampton High ceremony is at 6pm at the school and Sussex High is at 7pm at the 8th Hussars Sports Centre.
The maximum prices for gas are down after the weekly setting.
The decline for self serve regular comes to just over two cents a litre and almost 3 and a half cents a litre for diesel.
The maximum price for propane is listed at 114.2 a litre which is a rise of a cent.
The big ticket item for Saint John Water this year and beyond is the construction of the Drinking Water Treatment Facility.
The city holding an open house to let people know on how it's progressing.
The project is currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment and will be built adjacent to the Hickey Road/Latimore Lake Road intersection and the Little River Reservoir, more commonly known as "the Rez."
Municipal engineer Dean Price tells CHSJ News the facility will completely revitalize the water in the city.
He says if everything goes according to schedule, construction will begin in 2014 with a completion date of 2015 and clean drinking water for the entire city.
Former MPs and political rivalsPaul Zed and Elsie Wayne putting aside their differences to be saluted at the first Saint John Honours Dinner in support of the Arts For Everyone Foundation.
Zed says this is all about team Saint John and doing something for the city with everything else being water under the bridge.
Zed concedes he and Wayne may have butted heads in the past but like Habs and Leaf fans, they don't mind going for beer together after the game and agreed instantly when the idea was first proposed.
